hip hop

Mix Master Mike (born April 4, 1970 [1]) is an American turntablist of Jewish and Filipino extraction. His real name is Michael Schwartz. He was born in Daly City, California. He first gained notoriety after performing at several live DJ competitions. Mix Master Mike later joined the ground-breaking turntablist group, Invisibl Skratch Piklz. After gaining fame, he hooked up with the Beastie Boys, working on the album Hello Nasty. He is now considered their resident DJ, replacing DJ Hurricane (who was preceded by Doctor Dre - not to be confused with Dr. Dre !).

Born and raised in Southern California, SwizZz is not your stereotypical MC. Through his music, SwizZz reveals a wide range of experiences, much of which he credits to his biracial background. He is not, nor does he claim to be, a “thug” or a “gangsta”, but prides himself on being able to reach the masses by being honest about his confrontations with life’s challenges. It is not always glamorous or positive, but you can count on SwizZz being true to himself.

The Nextmen are critically acclaimed DJs and producers working with a range of hip-hop artists. Dom Search (aka Dominic Betmead) and Brad Baloo (aka Brad Ellis) often express a funk and reggae influence, and they have worked with many urban artists from the UK, US and Jamaica. The two members also run their own independent record label, Custom Records, a joint venture with Fat City Records. Their name is a reference to the Afro-American term "next man", which is explained on Urban Dictionary and can be heard in use in the song Find A Way (lyrics at OHHLA.com).