“What is a DJ if he can’t scratch?” Sims asks in his bio. The answers to this question may not be crystal clear for us at Worldcrunch, but at least one thing is certain: Sims can scratch and sample, and is therefore a DJ.
He proves it on Instagram, where in a series of short videos he artfully reveals where a variety of classic hip hop samples originate. For instance, did you know Nas’ “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” was a sample of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature”?
Or that Gangstarr’s “Full Clip” comes from Cal Tjader’s version of “Walk On By”?
Or that Mobb Deep’s “Temperatures Rising Remix” is a sample of a song by Patrice Rushen?
Sims has opened gigs for major hip hop artists such as Nas, Method Man & Redman, RZA, Ice Cube, Mobb Deep, MF DOOM and many others. In 2011, with the photographer and DJ Mr Mass, he co-founded Now Futur, a platform that specializes in searching for new music. Together, the duo produces mixtapes every two months on Okayplayer.
Until the upcoming release of Sims’ next EP, watch more of his videos:
