After conquering the district preliminaries of the Belikin Belize DJ competition in San Pedro Town on March 11th, DJ Smallz went to Belize City where he proudly represented the island at the National DJ Tournament. Held on Friday, March 23rd at the Ramada Belize City Princess Hotel, the event saw eight DJs from across Belize competing for the grand prize. Smallz may not have won the grand title, but, he is happy for the experience and the opportunity to represent his hometown island.
Competing for the coveted title of best DJ in the country, along with $5,000 in cash prizes and a trip to New York City, USA were: DJ Smallz from San Pedro Town, DJ Downa from Dangriga Town, DJ Matrix from Punta Gorda Town, DJ Wicked Vybz from Cayo District, DJ Chippy from Belmopan City, DJ Trick from Corozal Town, DJ Jesse from Orange Walk Town, and DJ Kad from Belize City. Hosted by DJ Dalla, the competition saw five rounds in which DJs had to prove their ability to spin tracks in a variety of genres. The special guest judge was Max Glazer, who along with Fada Stone X and Mista Flava graded the competitors in their knowledge of music, blending and beat matching, transitioning music, scratching technique, looping, use of the microphone and knowledge of equipment used.
In the first round, the participants were to play Parranda, Bruk Down, and Punta music. The second round demanded a cocktail of Latin, Soca, and Afro-pop. In the third round, participants were challenged to spin Hip-hop, Pop, and Electronic Dance Music tracks.
The competition grew intense, and an eager crowd cheered for their favorite DJ as the participants were cautioned about the fourth round. They were informed that only two competitors would advance to the fifth and final round. With that, contestants battled to impress the judging panel by mixing to their best ability in the genres of Dancehall, Reggaeton, and Reggae. At the end of the round, the two DJs chosen to continue in the competition were Dangriga’s DJ Downa and Belize City’s DJ Kad.
In the championship round, the audience was the judge. Each participant was challenged to briefly play one song that would captivate the crowd and make them dance away. DJ Downa was good with his mixing, but DJ Kad drew louder cheers from the crowd, eventually turning up the house and winning the top prize.
All participants were commended and thanked for participating, and organizers thanked the sponsors who made the event possible. Following the presentation of awards and formalities, an after party went until the wee hours of the morning.
