DJ Ballistic Billy: Love at First Sight

What is a soul mate? Most would say it’s when you meet that person you want to spend the rest of your life with but have you ever thought of it being something that you wanted to spend the rest of your life doing? Both points of view support the definition and they hold similar characteristics. There has to be passion, your mind, body and soul have to be invested in order for it to work and you don’t have a problem with letting the world know. Well that’s how DJ Ballistic Billy feels about the art of djing.

Coming from a family in the entertainment business what made you choose the DJ route?

DJ Ballistic Billy: Well everyone had different interest starting with my father who worked behind the scenes as the lighting and sound man in motion pictures and theatre. When the show “Honeymooners”moved to Miami he was the lighting director. My father also had an ear for music as well as my siblings; my sister played the guitar and my brother played horn instruments. Since I was the youngest I was able to see their interactions in that environment, I knew I liked the entertainment business but I just didn’t know were I would fit. It wasn’t until I was at a middle school dance and I saw this DJ djing with turntables. I’ve seen DJ’s before but never saw one using turntables,when I saw him in action it was like finding a soul mate when I locked eyes with those tables. I knew from that point on I found where I fit and what I wanted to do.

How long have you been mixing it up on the tables?

DJ Ballistic Billy: I have been djing for about 25 years, 22 years professionally. I got my first gig on the radio at 15.

How old were you when you started investing into your “Soul Mate”?

DJ Ballistic Billy: I was actually 12 when I got my 1st set of Gemini Belt Drive turntables with the very old school Jazzy Jeff 2 channel mixer with the wooden sliders and it was hooked up to my speakers that went to my little home stereo for power. I started collecting vinyl and exploring my parents collection and from that point on my love for the art grew and hasn’t stopped one bit, it just keeps growing as time progresses.

What Keeps you motivated to continue djing after so many years in this industry?

DJ Ballistic Billy: That’s an easy one, It’s the people,the trends and the continuous learning that keeps the passion alive for me.

Do you have a favorite sports team or player?

DJ Ballistic Billy: Well I will always support my home teams such as the Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat,the Miami Marlins and I like the Panthers. I tend to have favorite players from all over the leagues. I like players that have had longevity in the league or who are retired simply because I remember them. For instance I like Marino, Irvin,Moss and Gore. I like the players from the University of Miami camp, you have to admit they’re a GREAT team who has a lot of players that enter the NFL. I’m a fan of Jordan , Bird, Shaq, Wade, Bosh, James”613″ Bonilla, Jeter and Stanton. Some of the teams I follow a little more closely because of the position those players are in. I am not a”BANDWAGON FAN” NO not me .

If you had the opportunity to make a mixtape for any team or athlete who would it be for and why?

DJ Ballistic Billy: It would probably be Shaq. Not sure if you know but he is getting into the DJ game now and I hear he may call himself “DJ Diesel”which isn’t a bad name. He has a great sense of humor and seems mad cool!

What songs would be on the tape?

DJ Ballistic Billy: Whatever BIG DIESEL says he wants on it. I am only 5’2-5’3 and he is towering over me at 7’1 so who am I to tell him what goes on it but if he allowed me one track I would have to say Jim Jones “We Fly High” cause Shaq be BALLIN!!

What’s the best Djing experience you have encountered?

DJ Ballistic Billy: You know there isn’t just one, I kind of have a few but I would have to say it was the first time I was put on air and hearing my name be announced by the DJ when they dropped my first record , a “REAL” record. Going into the first mix sticking it validated that this is what I wanted to do, I knew this was it for me , radio was now in my blood and I was hooked.

What would you like people to know about your craft?

DJ Ballistic Billy: I guess I would like them to know and understand that this is an ART that not everyone in my opinion can do. This is a craft that you have to always work on to make yourself better because of all the new trends that emerge over time.

What makes your entity stand out?

DJ Ballistic Billy: I think I would have to say the way I got into this business at such a young age and also because of my Kidney Disease. When a lot of people hear my story both medically and career wise are pretty blown away. It really trends to be on the unique side nowadays. You don’t often come across stories like mine.

From an early age DJ Ballistic Billy knew that djing was what he wanted to do, so he invested his spare time into listening to the radio more often analyzing different mixes and dj’s that he had heard and then eventually reaching out and meeting the DJ that he related and gravitated to the most. The two formed a brotherhood, they worked at the same radio station and he was one of the driving factors in his success in radio. DJ Ballistic Billy was able to choose the career road he wanted to travel down but the road he couldn’t control was the one that we all take for granted, his health. DJ Ballistic Billy was born with a rare birth defect known as Chronic Renal Failure. This defect effect the tubes running from his kidneys to his bladder where they entered and exited. They were also linked and twisted together which caused Reflux Nephropathy. This made him very septic and it damaged his kidneys because of the reflux caused by the backed up urine. After being on dialysis for three years , on November 11, 2011 two weeks before his 35 birthday they found him a donor.

How did that affect your life and your career?

DJ Ballistic Billy: You know it really never did affect me because this is something that I was born with, it’s all I ever known. My parent’s always did their best to make me feel “NORMAL”, there really wasn’t anything I couldn’t do outside of contact sports. I was the youngest in the family with a major age difference between my siblings and I , always surrounded by doctors and not to mention I had older parents, so you can say I grew up very fast. My childhood was a little different from others, some of my friends parents objected to me playing with their children because they were scared that if something was to had happened to me they would be responsible. So I’d like to say I’m very lucky for finding my passion at a very age and it was something that I could do on my own without having to worry about being told that little Timmy couldn’t be my friend because their parents were scared and didn’t understand my condition. Instead of stopping a friendship between children they should have took the time out and educated themselves on the condition.As far as my career there was absoluetly no affect. This year I signed my first endorsement deal with Straton DJ which is apart of the Gibson Family Brands. Gibson the world famous guitar manufacturer bought Stanton DJ, KRK systems,Crewin-Vega Loud speakers and Onkyo (US ONLY) and created what is known as Gibson Pro Audio. I was fortunate enough to link up with a really cool and good DJ friend of mine who is also endorsed by Stanton DJ,he put me in contact with the right people and we had a meeting with my agent and the rest is history! I have also been on NBC 6 here in Miami sharing my story of living with my kidney disease and also being asked to perform on the show.

DJ Ballistic Billy interview with NBC 6 in the Mix with Roxanne Vargas

What advice would you give anyone especially children and elderly that are still waiting for a donor?

DJ Ballistic Billy: My advice for people of all ages, genders and ethnicities is that this is a disease that does NOT discriminate. This is a disease that is serious and can be life threating but that doesn’t mean you cant survive. This is a very treatable disease as long as you keep a positive attitude, you must tend to your regular check ups with your nephrologist. If you are on dialysis,be sure not to miss appointments for your treatment because this is what will keep your blood clean and it’s keeping you alive. Also give yourself more of an opportunity to be transplanted quickly try to find a living donor such as a family member being your best option however any living donor that is a match and is deemed in good health can also be a potential donor. If you can’t find someone to donate you will be on the waiting list until then , that is why it is SO important to keep raising awareness to get more people registered as organ and tissue donors.

Has this life experience change your outlook on life?

DJ Ballistic Billy: Yes it has, in a positive way. Since I have been transplanted I have been made an Ambassador for the Kidney Foundation and Donate Life for Florida where they use my image and likeness. Since I am a radio personality/DJ it helps with heightening the awareness about this disease and it gets the community involved. When I can share my story in front of people at events that are put on by foundations it feels good because its one of the ways I can give back after receiving this GIFT OF LIFE. Honestly I will never be able to pay it fully back and many transplant recipients understands that feeling.

They say when you meet your soul mate it’s normally love at first sight because there is a fundamental energy bond that you feel from the very beginning and it’s fair to say that when DJ Ballistic Billy saw those turn tables as a child he felt that energy heading his way. Not only did it open doors in his career but it gave him an opportunity of a life time and the rest is history.

You can register to be a donor by going on the National Kidney Foundation website at www.Kidney.org or you can go to Donate Life America at www.donatelife.net you can also donate at your local DMV.

If you would like to book DJ Ballistic Billy you contact:

Kelly Voice Artist Management www.KellyVoice.com & www.DJBallisticBilly.com

You can also follow him on social media

www.Facebook.com/DJBallisticBilly

www.Twitter.com/DaRealBB

www.Soundcloud.com/DJBallisticBilly

www.Instagram.com/DJBallisticBilly

www.StantonDJ.com and click the Artist tab DJ Ballistic Billy

For all other media information you can go to www.ItsMyURLs.com/DJBallisticBilly