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If you ever heard the timeless Classic by KRS-One "I'm Still #1" where he shouts out- "DJ Doc you know he's down with us"..... Then you would know that this is the man behind Hip-Hop Icons - Run DMC, Rakim, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, and KRS-One.... Meet the legendary Hip-Hop Engineer Ivan "Doc" Rodriguez, Master producer of some of the greatest Hip-Hop Albums ever!!!

by DJ Disco Wiz

Tell everybody who you are and where you from.

My Given Name Is Ivan Antonio Rodriguez, Born In Beautiful San Juan Puerto Rico of Native Puerto Rican Parents. Raised On The Volatile Streets Of Hells Kitchen, New York - Circa 1970's.

Once We Arrived in New York City And I Got My Hands On A Basketball And 2 Turntables I Became Known To Most As DeeJayDoc Or Ivan "Doc" Rodriguez. Others Refer To Me As "Doc" Rodriguez. (Doc Is Derived From My Love of Basketball Legend Julius "Dr.J" Erving and the Fact That I Fashioned My Game around His.

I Am A DJ, Record Producer, Recording - Mixing - Mastering - Live Sound Engineer - Editor, Composer - Remixer And Sneaker/Sports Enthusiast But Mostly I Pride Myself In Being A Good Father And A Decent Human Being.

When did you start DJing?

I Started Spinning Records As Early As 1975 On BSR And Gerrard Plastic Turntables. Spinning LP's And 45 RPM 7" Records Without A Mixer, Just With The Use Of 2 Stereo Receivers Each Using A Discreet Set Of Speakers.

Now I Spin CD's and SD Wav Files on State of The Art Technics SL-DZ1200's With A Customized Vestax PMC Mixer.

How did you link up with the "Blastmaster" KRS-One?

During My Very 1st Year At Power Play Studio's (1986 / 87) Management Asked If I Would Take On A New Client That Had Many Artist's Involved In The Project. I Accepted. The Client Was B-Boy Records Bill Kamara And His Entire Roster Of Artists Including The JVC Force And More Notably "Boogie Down Productions". I Would Become The Chief Recording / Mixing Engineer On The Legendary LP "Criminal Minded". I Went On To Record And Mix (And Even Produce Select Tracks) From The 2nd (By All Means Necessary) And Some Of The 3rd LP (Ghetto Music) For The Legendary KRSONE And His BDP Crew. Due To the Terrible Loss at the Passing of DJ Scott LaRock BDP Were Left without A DJ, I Stepped In and Worked As Their DJ for 2 LP's.

How was it working on his first Album Criminal Minded?

It Was An Incredible Experience. Difficult yet Fulfilling. Recording / Sampling Technology Was in its Infancy Which Made It More Difficult To Achieve Certain Results But At The Same Time I Was Able To Guide A Young Larry Parker (KRSONE) In The Recording Studio And Record Some Of The Greatest Hip-Hop Music That Will Ever Be Heard. Watching Him Execute His Thoughts Verbally Into A Mic Was Truly A Pleasure. He Is A MASTER At His Craft.

You have also worked with most of the major players of the mid to late 80's, tell us who they are?

EPMD - RUN DMC - ROB BASE - LL COOL J - QUEEN LATIFAH - RAKIM - MC LYTE - LEADERS OF THE NEW SCHOOL - STEADY B - REDMAN - BIZ MARKIE - SPYDER D - ROXANNE SHANTE - THE JUICE CREW - BIG DADDY KANE To Mention A Few.

How much has changed in putting together an Album now? Then when you started?

The Introduction of Digital Recording Has Created Drastic Changes in the Way Music Is Produced, Recorded, Mixed and Distributed. While It Opens The Door To Incredible Creative Possibilities It Also Dupes Some Into Believing They Have Talent That Simply Does Not Exist. In The Long Run The End Product Suffers As Does The Craft. An LP Can Be Recorded And Mixed Faster Now But Not Always Necessarily Better. You Still Need The "Ears" To Create A Great Product.

You just reached a hip-hop milestone 20 years in the business! How does that feel?

Seems Like Only Yesterday When KRS & I Toured Around The Nation, 2" Tape And The LINN LM-1 Were The Norm. Now Most Audio Devices Show Up As An Icon On A Computer Desktop. Either Way Great Music Is Great Music.

I Am So Very Proud Of My Accomplishments' And Look Forward To Even Better And Bolder Memories During My Next 20 Years In The Business. It Feels Good To Still Be Doing What I Love And Provide My Clients With Exceptional Dedication To My Craft.

You have grown along with the business and even stayed current, how do you do it?

I Stay Reading And Testing New Technologies. As My Schedule Opens Up I Teach 2 Day Seminars Around The Country On All Aspects Of Recording Technology And How To Stay On Top Of The Learning Curve. The Secret is To Be Open Minded and Read, Read, Read.

Tell us about your project with La Bruja?

Truly a Pleasure to Be Involved In the Creation, Recording and Mixing Of

"For Witch It Stands" By Boogie Down Bronx Native "La Bruja".

I Have Not Been This Excited About An Artist Since My Early Work With The "Criminal Minded" KRS-ONE. She Is An Incredible Talent, A Beautiful Woman And A Powerful Entertainer All In An Adorable Little Package.

She's A Poet, An Actress, A Writer, Composer, Singer, Dancer, Model, Rapper, Boriqua And An Amazing Mother! God Bless Her.

I Am Very Proud Of Her And Look Forward To Being An Integral Part Of Her Undeniable Growth Over The Coming Years.

Where is Ivan "Doc" Rodriguez in 10 years?

Still Working with the Greats like DJ Disco Wiz, Grandmaster Caz, Joe Conzo....

Teaching Others About This Wonderful Craft, Spreading The Word On Who The Pioneers Are And How It All Started (In The BX Baby!).

Making Records around the Globe. In The Studio With Greats Like La Bruja, Creating New And Innovative Music And Other Forms Of Entertainment For The Masses And If I'm Lucky I'll be Doing All This With My Beautiful Woman Liz Hernandez By My Side. It Gets No Better.

Thank you Doc, Its truly an honor. much love and respect......

DJ Disco Wiz

www.myspace.com/ivandocrodriguez