I remember my infant days as the son of a dj. Sitting on record crates and peaking at the latest Byron Lee vinyl art (you 80’s kids know what I mean). Then there were the days of side-A and side-B—yeah the cassette—that’s where I first tried my hands at being a Disc Jockey. Then CD’s came and was the pinnacle of my DJ skills, so when those left I kind of never got accustomed to the virtual dj; maybe as protest. Either way, virtual Dj is here now and with it, the population of Dj’s have grown. And as a result, as DJ BUDDY will explain, the DJ market is highly competitive. But even though the music, market and the way the music is delivered may have changed; the grind and feeling it brings, remains the same—DJ BUDDY talks about being part of the new breathe of Belizean DJ’s.

How old are you?

DJ Buddy: 21.

When did you start to Disc Jockey?

 DJ Buddy: Professionally, I started when I was 19, that‘s when I started radio; but I been playing from when I was 16.

Okay, what were the early days like?

DJ Buddy: Difficult in a way because I didn’t really have anyone to teach me much. I just followed my cousin around because he was older and already had a system, so I learnt in spare time. At first my family looked at it as a hobby, they still do.

Where can people find you working now?

DJ Buddy: Vibes radio 90.5, 102.9 also streaming on http://www.stickam.com/belizeheat.

Do you do a lot of parties and clubs?

DJ Buddy: More parties than clubs. The club scene is more dominated by the older DJ’s. They don’t allow younger dj’s on the scene and the club makes it difficult for younger dj’s to arrange events.

Difficult? How so?

DJ Buddy: Well primarily the cost of renting a place to have an event. So as usual any dj goes to sponsors to fund events but sponsors think twice about supporting someone new compared to someone established. How someone new would get a name, is that they would lock unto an established sound and get a name but I don’t like that. I prefer to work with my group now and we get our own name established, without having to say we depended on anyone.

So who is your group?

DJ Buddy: It’s called Encore Sounds, it consist of me, Selecta Cliff and Selecta Orson. We are the founding members and recently, DJ Junior was added.

So how is the Belizean DJ scene right now? Sounds really competitive

DJ Buddy: Yes it is, especially with the addition of the fact that Virtual DJ is very easy to learn and allows anyone to practice.

So the challenges are obvious but what are some of the positives?

DJ Buddy: Well you get to travel and meet new people. Plus, you do something you enjoy and once you are with the right group you make money.

(lol) Okay. So what is one of your best memories being a DJ?

DJ Buddy: Well when you really just feel the vibe from the crowd, especially when you mixing and you control the crowd to the max. Like if during your segment you say “everybody scream” and the whole crowd reacts.

Must be an adrenalin rush.

DJ Buddy: Not anyone can do it.

Where are some of the places you enjoy playing at the most?

DJ Buddy: That’s hard to say because club and radio are completely different. It depends on the mood. I don’t really like parties because what’s common at parties is that you are part of the crowd and everyone likes to come and ask for a certain genre of music, so it’s hard to flow trying to satisfy everyone. But at the club you are apart from the crowd and you can really do what you do best and actually see them react to the music.

DJ Buddy: Whilst at radio, there are very strict guidelines; especially at my station, on what to play and how to play but I like radio because I pride myself on being what I call a ‘variety dj’. I cater to different genres of people instead of just young people.

What are you listening to personally right now?

DJ Buddy: I would say a little bit of everything.

Any particular artists you like?

DJ Buddy: I would say Bob Marley.

So what current projects are you working on?

DJ Buddy: Well at the station, I’m working on establishing a top 10 countdown every week and also working on our own website to stream through. Outside of the station, I am working on doing a dance end of the month but at village. Village dances, once promoted well, will make you money unlike in the City where there is too much competition

Which village were you planning on?

DJ Buddy: Well the next village in mind is Boom.

Where do you see yourself in the next 3 years in terms of being a Disc Jockey?

DJ Buddy: Hopefully I wish to enter the Green Synergy DJ Competition, do a good job and win.

What’s that?

DJ Buddy: That’s the DJ competition for the Caribbean, where the best from all over Belize have to go against each other and then the winner represents Belize.

Anyone you want to thank or shout out?

DJ Buddy: Well vibes radio on a whole, we had our issues but I am still grateful; especially Mr. Gerald Garbutt, he was the first general manager who hooked me up and my family.

MC Melo isn’t that Belizean rapper (or artist) trying to impose his latest freestyle on the world or trying his best to sound foreign, in hopes of acceptance. Instead, he is just himself: Belizean, creative, funny and thorough. Although he is a new rapper, MC Melo’s one mixtape has done enough in anyone’s mind, that has listened to it, to convince them that he is a breath of fresh air; especially for those who had given up on Belizean rap. With his creative punch lines, impressive flow and surprisingly great quality, it will be easy to see (or hear) why.

So how old are you?

Melo: I’m 20

How long have you been a mc?

Melo: Hmmmm I started when I was 12, then I stopped and started back when I was around 17 but I was doing dancehall; now I do hip hop… been doing hip hop for about 1yr now.

Where did the name MC Melo come from?

Melo: My Real Name is Zane Vince Melendrez, so people just use to call me mele or melo for short. I put d mc in front of it cause its stands for master of ceremonies and when I’m on stage I try my best to control it and interact with the crowd.

So are you a full time MC or do you do other things?

Melo: I’m a fulltime student at the University of Belize in the Belmopan branch. I major in English.

So what made you get into music?

Melo: From I small you know, I just always been a music lover. Just singing along to songs and making my own stuff up (lol), even if da mi loan foolishness .I guess da caz it was a good outlet to help me express myself and I got something to say, so the best way to let people hear it is through my music.

What are some of your current projects?

Melo: Well I just released a mini-mixtape which is up for free download suh people could hear me and some of my songs. I only got 1 original song so far; I am working on 2 more weh I soon record because I wanna be ready for d stage anytime it calls me. I am under a music label named Jag Camp Entertainment and we are working on a demo tape and the group Jag Camp is supposed to drop an album this year.

So what is your favourite song that you have recorded so far?

Melo: Hmmm umm probably a prayer song named “Our Father”. I’m going to record it over soon under the Jag Camp but “Our Father” was a song about me praying about everything I see happening and that’s happening with me.

What are some of the challenges of being a Belizean artist?

Melo: (Lol ) Main!!! You know it’s a lot… a lot!!!!!! See… people hardly ever give Belizean Artists a chance. People have low expectations and don’t expect to hear much just because you are local. In hip hop, the genre I’m in, it is extra hard because to be a rapper anywhere you’ve got to be saying something new and you’ve got to rep where you come from. Saying something new is just based on creativity, so I can do that but it’s hard to rep where you come from if you ain’t getting no love from there. 

So what are you doing to change some of those stereo types?

 Melo: Just doing my thing bringing a new vibe, bringing creativity and good quality material.

 What are some of the positives of being a Belizean artist that you have experienced so far?

 Melo: Just expressing yourself through your music, reppin where you come from and having those who give Belize music a chance, enjoy and listen to it…..oo and this interview (lol).

(lol) What rap artist did you or do you admire the most?

Melo: Hmmm… my favourite rapper or rappers…I like Joell Ortiz, he’s a NY rapper; he’s kind of an underground rapper, so a lot of people don’t really know about him. Besides him there’s Jay-z, Kanye West & Drake.

How would you describe your rap style?

Melo: Umm, you know I’m mostly about what’s happening around me and what’s happening in the world. I don’t really have a main topic, I just express myself. Some days I’ll feel like praying, some days I feel like hooking up with a fly chick. I think I just do me.

So what are the future plans for MC Melo?

Melo: You know this mini mixtape is just my first move and after listening to it, I see a lot of room for improvement. So its guaranteed next time I go in the studio it’s gonna be way harder than the songs I had before. I guess I will just keep on improving, progressing and see what happens.

Anyone you want to thank or shout out at this point?

Melo: Shout out to Jag Camp Ent, Deady on Da Beatz, Belmopan and Cama, wadd up!!!

Check out MC Melo’s original track “Blue Note Hunter

So I had access to the final work out of the Belize Senior National Football Team before the Central American Cup in Panama which starts this Friday, January 14^th. I talked to Shane Orio, the Goal Keeper and Captain of the Senior National Team for the past 5 years; he also featured in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League and played against teams like Seattle Sounds and Mexico’s Monterray with his club team Marathon of Honduras. Also featuring in the Article is Elroy Smith, starting defender on the National team who also plays a prominent role for club Marathon in Honduras. Both key players gave a compelling interview about football in Belize and their chances in the upcoming tournament.

What would you guys say is the difference between the level of competition in Belize versus in Honduras?

S.O: Well it’s totally different because you’re comparing a professional league with a semi-professional league that we have here at home and that’s the big difference. Most of the guys here work during the day and train at night, while at all the teams in Honduras you’re a fulltime professional. The payment of clubs towards players is completely different; you can say the best paid player in Belize is making something like $600 to $700 bze dollars a week, while in Honduras you have players making $15,000 u.s. a month. So there is a big difference, but at the end of the day I think that what Myself, Smith, Elroy Kuylen and Harrison Richards have done in Central America proves that we do have talent and the big difference is that is that we don’t have infrastructure here in Belize , we don’t have any organization. When I say organization, I am referring to the primary school level, to high school, to University level and at the Semi-Professional level.

E.S: I mean everything Shane said is correct and plus yo the get pay for something yo love so you don’t mind sacrificing.

Do you feel like we are doing the best we can with what we have then?

S.O: I always believe that there is room for growth. The point is we don’t have the resources to make football better in Belize because the government is pulling one way and the federation is pulling the next, and then some people in the business sector are pulling in another direction. If one day the government and the federation come together to combine all the resources that we have and the business community join in, it will help sports in general.

S.O: Let me give you an example, Elroy Smith scored 9 goal last season in Honduras, for the past 50 years there has never been a defender to score as many goals as 9. He was recognized in Honduras for his achievements but no recognition from our own country. When you’re out there you get the motivation but when you come back home everything is just BASH, BASH, BASH and I think we need to change that because at the end of the day it’s not only harming our people but the younger generation. So I think that at some point in time we as a nation need to focus more on sports.

Are you guys hopeful that in the near future there will be a change in the sports culture of Belize?

E.S: I think eventually it will change as more and more Belizeans get the opportunity to go outside. I hope and pray that someday the government will try to step in and help instead of taking away what has already been laid down. If that would happen it would help a lot but for now it is still up to us the players to work hard and try to grab opportunities abroad.

 

Do you think we are heading in the right direction, stagnant or regressing?

S.O: I do think we are heading in the right direction but it seems like we are not willing to learn from the mistakes we’ve made in the past. I mean we can learn from Mexico, Guatemala and from Honduras that went to the last world cup and sooner or later as Smith said the people in power, in Government, will need to start to pull their weight for Sports in general to succeed, not only football.

S.O: For example, in track and field at the junior level Belize normally dominates Central America but never at the professional level because we don’t have the infrastructure, the nutrition programs and the financing is not provided for the Belizean Athlete but it is for the rest of Central America. So at a certain point in time we cannot rely on pure talent, we have to have some kind of structure to lead people the right way. I personally am hopeful that things will change and I would be proud to be a part of that change.

S.O: Belize has been in football for the past 50 years and doesn’t even have a National Stadium I think it is a shame and for me making it out there was all on individual talent and then when I got out there I started to receive the goal keeper coaching I needed. So we the people need to demand more in sports, I am not saying red or blue, I am saying the government needs to start playing their role, so that the young people can enjoy the benefits of sports.

What does it mean to you guys to represent the national team?

E.S: For me it really means something big; I mean you have a lot of players in Honduras that would want to become Belizean just to play on the National Team because they really respect people that have that distinction. And people in Belize look up to people like that for example my parents right de, when dey hear that I am on the national team they feel good; so I love representing my country.

S.O: For me it’s a dream, and honour to wear my national colors. And apart from that I have learned that we have great responsibility because we are not only representing ourselves as individuals, we’re representing our families, and we’re representing each and every Belizean. At the end of the day they won’t say a person lost, they will say the country; that’s each and every individual here, so at the end of the day I am proud, honoured and happy to be able to represent Belize.

So what is the feeling within the club? What is the chemistry like going into the tournament?

E.S : Well it’s a good feeling in the group right now, it is kind of a family atmosphere and so I think we will have a good chance of qualifying for the Gold Cup. We have the Belizean people on our side and the group is a nice group, so I have a good feeling going in.

S.O: I think that each of us as players and individuals have dreams and goals that we want to achieve and playing on the national team is one but it’s not only about just playing on the team, we want to go and win. Personally for me, winning is everything because the only thing that will stay in the mind of the people is if the Belize team wins a game, so for me that’s important. As for the team, we have a good group of guys and I see them as family, so hopefully we can all pull our weight and do what we have to do on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday of next week.

 

What do you feel you have to do to get a result and qualify?

E.S: Well for me we just have to stay together off and on the field as a family, we have to stay strong to play better and we always have to have each other’s back in the sense that if they score on us first we don’t get frustrated. Uniting is key because once a group is together it is hard to stop them.

S.O: The group will be difficult because our first game is against a Panama team that scores no less than 2 to 3 goals per game.  The following games are against El Salvador and Nicaragua, so we really need to stick together.  But for me the Salvador game (Jan, 16^th) and the Nicaragua game (Jan, 18^th) are important because by us winning both of those games we will automatically move on to the goal cup.

S.O: Difficult? Yes it will be difficult, every game is difficult, but impossible? It won’t be impossible. It’s a game of 90 minutes and sometimes it’s your off day and sometimes it’s your on day. One thing that I can be sure of is that during the game I won’t hold anything back, I will give my all. And at the end of the day, wherever the marbles will fall, if we stay focus then the best feeling as an athlete is that I can look in, for example, Ryan Simpson’s face and say Ryan I gave it my all and he can tell me the same.

  

Anyone you want to thank or shout out?

E.S: I just want to ask the public to support the team to give us that courage it will be a great feeling for the team to know that the Belizean people are behind them.

S.O: I would personally like to thank God for everything he has given us and me personally. Second, I would want to thank all the people that have been in football, people like Mr.Habet, Papa Brown, Mr. Zabanie down south, Mr.Faber, the owner of the glass shop. The reason for that is because all these people have invested a lot of money into football, so I’d just like to wish them all the best and wish them a Happy New Year. Apart from that I would want to thank Sports people in general, people like Mr.Smiling in Cycling, nuff respect to guys like that and these are names I am pulling from the top of my head because they are a lot of other people who have done a lot for sports in general in Belize; hence, helping our community and our society, so I have a lot of respect for those people and wish them all the best.

Who is that? MC Melo, MC Melo, MC  Melo, MC Melo–you’ll get the reason behind saying it 4 times after you hear his remix track to Black and Yellow.

MC Melo is one of the few Belizean Rappers that will have you wanting more after hearing his first track (this coming from someone who had given up on Belizean Rap). We all have tried giving our rappers a chance and then they disappoint us with poor quality and whack rhymes; however, this is not the case here. This guy, MC Melo, is on a mission to change our minds.

02 -Black and Yellow Remix – MC Melo by bzhypemeter

Also, check out MC Melo’s exclusive interview and his original track Blue Note Hunter later this week. I gaurantee it’s gonna be worth it.

So, how are you today?

A.P I’m ok, can’t complain.

How old are you?

A.P: How old do you think I am? I’m 20! (I bet u got that wrong)

Where are you from?

A.P: Earth! I’m here in peace! lol I’m from Belize city, born at old hospital and raised in Pickstock then moved to Fabers Road.

 

Which school do you attend?

A.P: Pickstock Community Preschool, Holy Redeemer Primary School, Wesley College (damn that principal) and now University of Belize!

How long have you been modelling?

A.P: FROM THE DAY I LOOKED INTO A MIRROR! (You gotta be more specific cause I model everything near me when there’s a mirror around.) But “professionally”, maybe a year going on 2.

What made you get into it?

A.P: I’M GORGEOUS I WAS BORN TO DO THIS MAN!!  I realized I was REALLY pretty and I enjoyed having people adore my looks (not to be confused with “liking attention” I don’t or being conceited- i just have high self esteem and self confidence).

 

Who are your inspirations?

A.P: My reflection! lol I’m being serious! My dad inspires me to look good but my mom inspires me in life… she’s a single mother raising me, my brother and my cousin in a home she pays for by working hard and climbing up the success ladder. She also manages to discipline us!

How difficult is modelling?

A.P: That’s a good question…. it may seem easy to others but I don’t think it is. Even if you look good, you have to keep looking good; spending on clothes, hair, nails, make-up. Models may also have to spend to advertise and market themselves; going different places and events, pushing themselves out there into the spotlight, knowing people and getting connections. But I just take whatever comes to me I’m not really working hard at it.

What is your favourite feature of yourself?

A.P: I always hear that question and I could never answer correctly because I think it’s all of me.

 

Do you want to be a model full time or are you okay with part time?

A.P: It would be great to do it full time but I’m fine with part time.

What are your future plans in modelling?

A.P: Hmmm, not sure but I want to keep going until everyone recognizes me—it definitely has to be positive thou. Every once in a while I think about maybe the Belikin calendar… we shall see where the future takes us thou.

Do you have any final statement or perhaps anyone you want to shout out or thank?

A.P: Umm… I’d like to thank God first and foremost without him nothing is possible and also everybody who supports me!

Thanks Alleshia ♦ 

Alleshia’s Top is provided by Jasfy Clothing Belize: order yours at the Jasfy website (No credit card required)