X-Ecutioners vs Russian Scratch Crew July 7, 2017 Team Round

Jumping on a 10 hour flight to St. Petersburg, Russia with Keith Bailey and #Precision to battle the next generation of Russian DJs meant a helluva lot more than any of you reading this could ever fathom.

In the winter of 1995 I got asked to judge a battle at New York University. The kid I chose as the winner was this dark-skinned, Eric Sermon lookin’ dude from Brooklyn who called himself DJ Total Eclipse. I’m gon’ keep it 100% real with y’all. He wasn’t necessarily all that good. But there was something about his demeanor while he flipped Public Enemy’s “Terminator X To The Edge of Panic” that resonated with me that night. He wasn’t the most technical or polished DJ in the battle, but he engaged me. I guess I was on to somethin’ cause Eclipse not only ended up winning that battle, he also won me over as a young aspiring DJ. Within days, I began mentoring him.

Two years later, a teacher at a High School in my neighborhood (*what up Michelle?) asked me if I’d be interested in teaching a class in DJing. Saying yes was the best choice I made because I ended up meeting a young, 17 year old kid named Perrin Wright, better known as Precision to y’all. Of all the 12th graders who took my “Intro to Djing” course P exhibited the most interest in the art. This was evident in his stellar attendance and in the fact that later on, he confessed to me that he would “borrow” the turntables I left locked in my room’s storage closet and return them before I showed up to teach him and his classmates. At the end of the semester, I helped the students compose a 6 minute DJ showcase. The best Precision could do at the time was backspin the phrase “THERE IT IS” really fast.

Since taking Eclipse and P under my wing (like Dr. Butcher did me) they’ve not only surpassed my skill level, they’ve gone on to cement their own individual legacies as DJs. And so when you watch this video, put yourself in my shoes and then you might get a glimpse into the pride I felt as I was flanked by two of the best students I ever had.

To Total Eclipse and Precision, I’d like to publicly say how much I love you both. It was an absolute honor and privilege to represent our country with you as my teammates at the #BattleOfTheGods in St. Petersburg, Russia. I can’t think of two more talented DJs I would go to battle with. Y’all serve as perfect examples to my current students, for y’all both proved with focus, practice and dedication it is possible to excel beyond those who’ve mentored you.

#XEcutionersForever #UnitedWeStand #DividedWeFall #StrongerTogether

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