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Deadly when he plays a dope melody
Photo by Kit Leffler DJ Scottie Mac spins at The Moon Bar Saturday.
Spinning with Scottie Mac By Ashley Michaels, Jayplay writer
Sitting across from Scott McIntire, there is no question that he is hip-hop through and through. With his white and black pin-stripe G-Unit jumpsuit, white G-Unit baseball cap, silver chains, diamond earrings, diamond watch and diamond bracelet, he has the whole package.
Around Lawrence, this 23-year-old is known by another name, DJ Scottie Mac. With dreams much bigger than this town's confinements, his success to date has made these dreams seem a reality.
Born in Mesa, Ariz., on Sept. 15, 1981, McIntire moved to Osawatomie when he was 12 years old. "I went from a town of a couple million to a town of about 5,500," he says. Graduating from Osawatomie High School as valedictorian helped him earn an academic scholarship to the University of Kansas as a premed student. Halfway through his sophomore year, he realized he was unhappy and changed his major to business. Still, something was missing.
To fill this void, he embraced his passion for music. McIntire threw parties for his friends and always provided the music.
"People started paying me to come to their parties and play the music for them," he says.
Before he came to college, he described himself as a normal small-town guy who listened to rock. That changed with the release of Eminem's second CD. "The Marshall Mathers LP came out, and I fell in love with hip-hop music," he says. "I could relate to his lyrics, and his music became my remedy."
Seeing Eminem's success has motivated Scottie Mac to stay in the game. "He is just a white man coming up in a black man's industry," McIntire says. "He's my inspiration."
With a newfound love for hip-hop and an amateur DJ career kicking off, McIntire signed with Blue Moon Entertainment to start his DJ career right. He first appeared at Johnny's Tavern in Lawrence in August 2003. After that, he was on a roll, booking gigs and drawing big crowds at nearly every bar and club in Lawrence. "I go to where DJ Scottie Mac is because I know there will always be a crowd and I know that he will always play good music to
keep the crowd there," says Cherry Lippold, Independence senior.
Things were going well, but Montire still wasn't satisfied. He wanted more.
He left Blue Moon Entertainment to sign with 151 Entertainment in December 2003. Under Ronald Ruiz, owner of 151 entertainment, McIntire learned what he needed to know to become a great DJ. Ruiz had the connections and the equipment that McIntire needed to set it off. "I picked Scott up for a lot of reasons," Ruiz says. "Mainly his talent for music. He has the ability to pick out songs that are good before they are hits and he has great social skills. Those qualities make him a great DJ." In January 2004, DJ Scotty Mac and 151 Entertainment started opening for different artists in the Lawrence and Kansas City area. This was just the beginning.
His success just keeps rising. Future shows include opening for artists such as the Ying Yang Twins, Guerilla Black, Fabolous and T.I. In April, DJ Scottie Mac is opening for Nelly at a bone marrow drive. On Jan. 1, 2005, he started his own Web site and production company, DTA Records. Visitors to the site will have the ability to send him audio, purchase and download his mixes, check his calendar and book him online.
During spring break 2004, McIntire opened for Juvenile at a club in Austin, Texas. In summer 2004, he did a party for T.J. Ford, Milwaukee Buck point guard and former University of Texas player, also in Austin. In November 2004, he traveled to several Kansas City schools with Ja Kwon for his "Rock the Vote" tour. Other big shows include opening for Tech N9ne and The Executioners. He was also the DJ for the Monster Bash Halloween Party of Kansas City radio station Hot 103 Jamz.
McIntire knows what he wants and is taking the steps to get there. His goal is to own his own record label and promote his own artists. "I want to be the white Russell Simmons—stay behind the scenes and make all the money," he says. He has no aspirations to continue working in the DJ business. He says he's just using it as a gateway to success.
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You can see DJ Scottie Mac and 151 Entertainment at Johnny's on Wednesday nights, The Moon Bar, 821 Iowa St., on Friday nights and Abe and Jake's Landing, 8 E. Sixth St., on Saturday nights.
Jayplay 02.03.05
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