He has been in the business almost since he can remember and plans on staying in the game forever.

The music business: twenty-six-year-old Dexterity says it's his life. "It's in my blood. I've just always been around music and in recording studios. It's just like it's a part of me."

IN THE BEGINNING

At the youthful age of seven, is when he first had thoughts of becoming a DJ.

"I used to have a friend, his brother was a DJ and was also real good friends with DJ Cheese from back in the day." he recalls. "I used to always be around him, that made me want to learn how to DJ."

Time passes, and by age 13 he gets his chance. After saving money he earns working a newspaper route, he has enough money to buy a mixer, which he adds to his set of make-shift turntables (two old record players).

"I would put a quarter on the needle and just practice cutting, " he says.

Fortunately, as his skills get better, so does his equipment. He works summer jobs so that, at age fifteen, he can afford one Technics SD12 turntable and one Technics SL 1200. Between the ages of 15 and 16, his everyday routine is to go straight home and practice cutting, scratching and mixing for two to three hours at least. At the same time he is in the studio working with (producing, DJing) his Hip-Hop group, which Capitol Records begins to show interest in.

"Just when you think things are going to jump off for you, you are suddenly let down. The A&R lady who was going to sign us ended up taking a new job at another record label. We didn't know anyone else at Captiol and the situation got all messed up."

Still determined to be successful, he continues working on being a better DJ by learning more complicated cuts and by being a better mixer / remixer.

"I also continued to work in the studio and ended up working side-by-side with Fanatic, who is signed to Bad Boy Management and to Bad Boy as a producer. Fanatic has produced tracks for Biggie, LiL Kim, Mase, Will Smith, 702 and Changing Faces. Fanatic, he taught me a lot of tricks about the EMU SP1200 drum machine. Around Underground Reggae #14 I decided I should try to contact Tape Kingz. I knew they were the biggest mix tape distributor out there and that I could hold it down for them on the reggae side of things. They got the tape, liked it and said they would add me as one of their DJs but to wait until my next tape. I hit them off with the next one and was soon A Tape Kingz DJ. "

"To get down with them was an honor, it was a major accomplishment. Things started to get even better, because I was one of the first mix tape DJs to put out a mix tape on CD. This helped get my name out there more."

But things didn’t really start to blow up until Underground Reggae #18.

"I was 21 years old then and still living in East Orange and going to college. I was DJ’ing for Spida from the Refugee Camp and touring with the Fugees. I ended up meeting DJ Juice around this time. I had a few tape spots at the time that sold my joints, but Juice laced me with about 15 tape spots. I continued putting my number on the back of the tapes/CDs and before I knew it I was getting mad phone calls from stores all over the place. It was like a chain reaction, one store led to another, to another. I will never forget Juice for helping me in the beginning. I always knew my tapes were hot but I didn’t know which stores sold mix tapes, except for the few that I already had. Juice gave my talent the final push it needed to be discovered."

"There are different types of DJ'ing. There's the party/club aspect where you have to know the right records to play, when to play them and for how long," says the New Jersey native. "Then there's making mix tapes. You have to know what joints to play so they won't be old by the time it comes out and you have to know how to put it together. I'm good at both."

He also graduates from Fairleigh Dickinson University from which he graduates with a bachelors degree in Communications and video production. He then goes to NYU for graduate school and majors in Music Business.

IN THE PRESENT

Today, Binghi Mon Productions has expanded and developed into Illtown productions & Certified Entertainment and Dexterity has taken on the task of producing tracks and recording songs for a few up-and-coming artists, in addition to selling his mix tapes. This accomplished DJ says he is meeting with A&R directors from various record labels on the production tip (Illtown Productions) and is constantly working on new ideas and his next mix CD. But, in spite of being blessed with this success, he says he would never take it for granted.

"I never slack off, no matter what," he says. "And that includes sound, quality--all that. There are other big-name DJ's who are wack now and fell off because they take sh*t for granted. I ain't goin' out like that. I know what it took and all the things I went through to get to this point. I appreciate what I have and went through a lot along the way getting it."

"I like doin' it all. I like being in the studio-all that sh*t. I could have a million dollars and I'd still want to do it."

Living up to his name, which by definition means "skill in using the hands, body, or mind," he plans to use his musical talent to make things happen.

IN THE FUTURE

As for what is to come, Dexterity says he plans to keep doing mixed joints, try and get his artists signed and start producing tracks for major recording artists. Meanwhile, until he reaches those goals -and he unquestionably will--he has his music.

If interested in CD's, club or college bookings contact DEXTERITY at: dexterity@dexterity.net or 1-888-332-6499.