http://PepsiDJDivision.com/SuperstarDJwordplay: Shauna Hannon
image: Doug Ottewill

When you think of staples of Colorado music, the folksy strumming of John Denver comes to mind. You usually wouldn’t associate the Centennial State with urban music like freestyle rapping or DJing. DJ Bedz is working hard towards putting Colorado on the map for having serious DJs that are dedicated to the hip-hop sound. This is a venture he wholeheartedly believes in. He describes Colorado as, “…on the verge of a breakthrough on a commercial level…the next logical step is to see someone make a splash in the mainstream. We’ve recently seen markets like St. Louis, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, etc. establish themselves as being prominent on a national level, and I think it makes perfect sense for Denver to be a part of the next tier of cities.”

Born and raised in Boulder, Bedz was educated at Occidental College in L.A. His exposure to L.A.’s multicultural environment served as one of his inspirations in the art of turntablism, receiving DJ gear for Christmas and listening to pioneering hip-hop artists like Run DMC and Public Enemy at an early age.

“I have a special place in my heart for rap music with a raw, political edge”.
Soon he was playing at college parties in the L.A. area, and his DJ fame quickly spread far and wide, from Greek events to DJ contests to performing under his stage name, The White Shadow, at later shows. His rapid-fire mixing and scratching is reminiscent of the stylings of Funkmaster Flex in Bedz’s clever use of samples and cutting in and out of tracks. Not only is Bedz an acclaimed DJ, but he has also produced a insane amounts of mix tapes and album compilations.

He continues to rock the ones and twos in his home state.  You can hear him mixing live on Denver’s premiere hip-hop and R&B radio station KS 107.5’s “Saturday Night Street Party,” and on Sirius Satellite Radio’s “Shady 45’s G-Unit Radio.” He plays at local spots such as The Purple Martini DTC and The Loft, and he makes music with the Denver-based DJ crew The Radio Bums. He’s also the official DJ of the Denver Nuggets, and has displayed his turntable prowess on sports programs on ESPN.

His top-notch skills scored him the first place slot in the semi-finals of the Pepsi DJ Division competition. Now he has moved onto the national finals, and he needs Colorado’s help to secure his place as the number one. Bedz is eternally grateful to his fans for thinking of him.
         
“I’ve received a lot of support and positive energy in my efforts to recruit votes; it’s really amazing how much people have gone out of their way to help me out. It’s flattering and humbling.”

Go to PepsiDJDivision.com/SuperstarDJ to cast your vote for DJ Bedz (a.k.a. The White Shadow); voting began August 20th and ends September 7th.

“All I can say is please get on your computer and vote…if you don’t want to do it for me, do it in the name of Colorado hip-hop!”

PepsiDJDivision.com/SuperstarDJ

DJBedz.com