WHOO KID IS the official DJ of rapper 50 Cent's hip-hop posse, G-Unit, as well as a self-made entrepreneur and master of street-level marketing. Still, it's his mixtape compilation CDs - a guerilla manoeuvre to simultaneously promote a DJ or rapper on the streets while giving fans new music - that earn him high praise.
'You know Canal Street, Chinatown, where you can buy any bootleg CD you want?' the 28-year-old Queen's native asks. 'Well, imagine getting a mixtape hosted by Robert De Niro, [basketballer] LeBron James or [comedian] Jamie Foxx. I make classics. And I'm the only one doing that stuff.'
If you have no idea what a mixtape is, then you're probably wondering who Whoo Kid is. In short, he makes compilation hip-hop CDs that have voiceovers provided by Hollywood or sporting stars and feature unreleased or advance tracks by hip-hop greats such as Busta Rhymes, Nas and Snoop Dogg. While they're still known as mixtapes, the CDs consist of music you won't hear elsewhere, so this can include leaked tracks and unofficial remixes that are usually illegal because they infringe copyright laws.
'That's where I got my name,' the New Yorker says. 'Everyone was wondering who's this kid who was stealing their music.'
Having perfected the art of hustling since learning to DJ at the age of 16, Whoo Kid has blasted his way through the music industry in the past four years to become one of its most profitable properties. Originally signed to Capitol Records, he now releases official mixtape CDs under G-Unit Records that sell about 100,000 units apiece. Today, the winner of the award for best mixtape DJ at the eighth Annual Mixtape Awards in New York in January has his finger in every youth-culture pie: he runs Shadyville Entertainment, hosts radio shows and a reality-television gig called Sada Pop TV, makes DVDs, has a luxury watch and clothing line, and tours the world with the G-Unit crew. His influential status was acknowledged when, a few months ago, he was hired to officially compile a mixtape for Rock the Vote, to boost education and help recruit youth voters for this year's US presidential election.
Shady or not, Whoo Kid has forged a career and empire by walking the walk. 'To get here, I just lied my way through,' he says. 'When I first started, I was a clown and lying like crazy. I even said I had gigs in China as I knew no one would call to check. That got me to meet major players like [Def Jam founder] Russell Simmons, Puff Daddy and [Violator Records CEO] Chris Lighty.'
His first DJ gig, at 18, was a US$150 booking at The Tunnel. At 20, Whoo Kid joined the Violator DJ roster and, as his connections grew, he decided to concentrate on making celebrity-hosted mixtapes. And funnily enough, years later, he actually does have his first gig in China coming up. He's due to play in Hong Kong tonight at Ing.