Back in September, I was at White Light Syndrome‘s party at Whiskey Park, in ATL.  As I sipped on a tight lil cup of vodka and cran (thanks to a mystery payer)… I noticed a familiar face in the corner of my eye.  I had seen him with White Light at Indie Fest earlier in the year, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to say what’s up to the dude!  His name is Merchicedek Reyes… but his moniker is “Kid Cedek“.  Of course, my hearing impaired ass thought he said “B*tches on Deck.” We busted out laughing and, well… from that moment on, we decided that we was homies.  Then, I decided to introduce ATL to our city’s newest up and coming DJ Kid Cedek.  He’s bringing the flavor from various cultures having been born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and living in the Dominican Republic, New York, Massachusetts, Miami, Virginia, and finally… ATL.  Not only did he move around like U-haul, his ass was moving around to his passion for music and dance.  He became involved with Urban Artistry, a performing dance crew, in Washington, DC, which gave him formal training on the art of break dancing and hip hop culture.  Check out his fem-fATL interview. Get at the kid!

he's playing hide and seek... not really... he's just showing you his tat.

1- What moment did you decide to start djing? Who introduced you to the scratchboards?

I actually decided to start Djin after I met Smiles and had a conversation about it while I was on the road during a Marketing Tour for Black & Mild…this was probably about a year – year and a half ago…I’ve always been the type of person that would venture into new things…But I’d never thought Id find something I was more passionate about than dancin…So I took it and ran with it…I was donated some turntables from my boy DJ Obeyah from Washington DC back in February this year. He hooked me up wit some knowledge for real and I gotta give him a shot out and thank him for that! In June (When I moved to the A) I got my own tables…and am still as dedicated to puttin in work as I was when I started!
2- Where can party go-ers find you in the ATL?

Currently I DJ every Saturday from 2-6pm at the Metro Park in Lenox Mall. Also, I started doing Whiskey Park (W Midtown) with Silk Wolf on Thursday nights. As Well as some other things that are bout to pop off real soon…When I’m not Djin myself you can find me with the White Light team at Door 44 the last Wednesday of the month for the Girls Room or at Sloppy Seconds at MJQ with Smiles, and definitely do my Monday night thing, if I aint workin on music, in EAV: Graveyard, ESL, and I may even hit the HALO if I’m up for it

3- How do you handle a situation where you are spinning and you see a fine girl(s) just totally feelin ur music and breakin it down on the dance floor?

Shiieeeeeet. I’ll just wave em on in towards the dj booth…might even play a song like “beyonce’s single ladies” at them to see where they heads are at lol jk, but really if i’m interested the goal is to get the number locked in before I’m done for sure.

focused at the W

4- Have u ever had to take a serious piss while djing? What did u do?

I’ve been blessed with a great bladder…No issues yet thankfully…but when I get asked to DJ for more than 4 hrs then it may be cause for concern lol
5- Tell us about involvement with our friends of W.L.S. And being DJ Smiles’ intern. How have they influenced ur work and style?

As I said earlier I met smiles about 1yr a 1yr & half ago…I really just stayed in touch before I made the move to the A. I actually met o8o through Smiles…I was bboyin at a TKATS show at Masquerade and exchanged numbers with o8o through Myspace and just stayed in touch up until the point I moved to Atlanta. I currently Blog on the www.whitelightatl.com site.  If you have not peeped it…stop sleepin folks. I still work closely with Smiles–(I’m his damn intern) lol If I’m not djing and I’ll still help him get set some shit set up and really just stay watchin what he does…He’s really helped me find my own sound, but his production and remixes hold a very large influence on what I do. When it comes to the tracks Smiles, o8o, and Niko Villamor work on…I really just try and watch and really just pick their brains as much as I can. They’ve been doin this for a minute. And although I got a good feel for music given my dancin background, I’m still new at this and know I got mad shit to learn. These guys have taught and are still teaching me how to remix, produce, and really just keep me on my feet when it comes to what it takes to market one’s self in such a competitive industry.
6- Tell us about your tattoos you tatted up m’effer. Lol

Interesting story about the tattoo on my back…I got 2 Technic 1200s tatted on my back, with a “ghetto blaster” (boombox) and  the silhouette of the City night life in the background…The interesting part is that I hadn’t even begun to conceptualize aspiring to be a dj…I really just had a love for music and the culture when I got it…My back also says “Li(F)e is just a lie with an F in it” and thats one of my favorite quotes I got from an artist Sage Francis (of the Non-Prophets at the time). What it means to me is that life is just all perception and we are raised to believe what people want us to believe…Me I choose to measure my success through setting and meeting my own goals. Life is too short for me to follow other peoples paths. I’d rather create my own.- I got several other tats PR (Left Stomach) Coat of Arms and DR Coat of Arms(Right Stomach) , Left arm got tats dedicated to one my peoples that got paralyzed after a motorcycle accident and right arm is fully sleaved and includes the words “impulse” in graff. I got that cause those people who know me know I’m maaaad impulsive when it comes to getting whatever it is that I want… Also got a Vans Shoe with the Puerto Rican flag in it done by Oliver Peck (Kat Von D’s Ex Husband and Sponsored by VANS) While I was on tour with Disturbed this past March (Don’t Ask) lol – Lastly I got “Boricua” (Puerto Rican) on the right side of my neck and “Dominicano” (Dominican) on the left side of my neck- For those of you who’ve been wondering THOSE ARE NOT MY KIDS NAMES lol

Estilo Creme de la Creme

7- Staying up all night at a club means ur not gettin sleep and ur probably drinking…After spinning all night, do u grab something to eat before u crash or do u tough it out till breakfast time? How do u stay healthy w/ a dj lifestyle?

After Djin, if I’m hungry I definitely eat. I Don’t really think about whether the All Star Special at Waffle house is healthy, I just get them thangs covered and peppered OOOHHWEEE! hahaha…I got a gym membership so I try to get in there every once in a while and throw some weights around lol. I’m honestly not big into the whole drinking scene…I had my fun with it before. I’m motivated and determined to stay on task with my music goals and not partying hard like that makes it more attainable. I only speak for myself. (I ain’t judging nobody just what works for me)
8- What do u do besides dj-ing? Any other loves?

When I’m not djing- I am a Mobile Marketing Tour Manager and have been for a few years now. (If you don’t know what that is you better ask somebody) As I mentioned I still love dancin, although I haven’t been on it like I used to, but you can still see me rockin it out on the dance floor every now and then. I’m also constantly working on my music projects, definitely shopping for new gear. And when I get some down time, I be on that Dexter ish!

9- Are u dating anyone? If so, how do they support your endeavors? If not, what would a girl need to do to support your endeavors?

I am Single. Dating, but nothing serious. To support my endeavors a girl just needs to be really understanding. Like really understanding, this lifestyle requires lots of that, given the kinds of situations I’m in most nights…If a girl can understand how passionate I am about what I do and why I do it. Then they’ll understand why I be out so frequently doing my thing, whether it be djing or with the White Light Team, or just out networking with the local artists.

Bori Luv

10- Who is your all time favorite artist?  Any new artists that you recommend?

All time favorite artist is a tough one. But If I were to give it to someone I would say Creed.*You can laugh now*but  Yeah I said it. CREED. No I’m not Christian, but there is a long story behind why they played such an influential role in my life when I was 16. To put it simply it was the first band I ever listened to outside of the Hip Hop Genre. To this day I occasionally listen to them when I’m searching for that creative place before I work on my own tracks.—When it comes to the artists in the A…damn thats why I moved here. People here hustle and grind to get their music thing poppin. It keeps me on my feet and motivated. Right now, of course, I’m feeling what the entire White Light Records team (NIKO VILLAMOR, STEPHANIE STYLES, DJ SMILES, o8o) are doing, but Wilmay MAKESHIFT is killing it with them serious tracks too. We also got my boy JAY WEST (THE CALI.CO.COOL) If you ain’t peep his stuff yet google “Jay West, The Language”, DJ Destin Jacobus (Silk Wolf) Killin it with the crazy remixes, and JOY TOLENTINO got the serious chords. All the Talent is what brought me here. My talent is what’ll keep me here.