In our first two-part interview on ‘The Jason Lee Show,’ DJ Vlad sits with host Jason Lee, and together, they unlock all the tea and rumors! From being called a “Culture Vulture” and “The Feds” to solving the highly-publicized murder of Tupac Shakur, and spilling the tea on the alleged connection between murder suspect Keefe D and mogul Diddy, Vlad gets into it all! He even calls out Kanye West and condemns the rapper’s anti-semitic views.
As part one of the interview begins, Vlad and Lee discuss Lee’s interview on Vlad’s platform VLAD TV. The DJ-turned-podcaster then tells us his origin story, how he fell in love with Hip-Hop, and how he hustled in every corner of the genre, from DJing to rapping and producing, to breakdancing, and more.
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Vlad revealed that his career began in New York, where he slept on couches and DJ’d at clubs to make a living. He then fell in love with Bay Area rappers like Too $hort, E-40, Spice One, and Master P, who was making a name for himself in Richmond, California while shuttling back and forth from New Orleans, Louisiana. While in the Bay, Vlad started hustling mixtapes but soon realized the mixtape money was better in New York.
Eventually, Vlad blew up with his first set of mixtapes, which featured songs from The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac. He would soon work with Wyclef Jean, Alicia Keys, Bun B, and more. By his early 30s, Vlad ventured into the visual part of Hip-Hop and released his first project, The Game‘s CD/DVD set for ‘The Devil’s Advocate.’ It would mark the first time that Vlad had picked up a video camera and put something out, but it worked and got a huge positive reaction. He followed it with his first documentary, 2008’s ‘Ghostride the Whip.’
When Vlad realized there wasn’t much money in doing documentaries at the time, he tried other gigs and eventually jumped on YouTube during its beginning stages and quickly found success. Throughout his life, Vlad says he had about 40 jobs, and he stressed the importance of knowing how to pivot and when to leave a job for a better future.
Speaking on building his empire and legendary brand VLAD TV, Vlad admits that he loved and revered brands that came before him like The Source. However, he never thought he’d own a platform bigger than it. He reveals he has about 20 employees, multiple studios, talent coordinators, CFOs…simply put, a real business that costs tons of money, but also turns a great profit.
Additionally, Vlad warns that finding success on social media doesn’t equate is always having fast money, especially since he’s uploading about 10-15 clips a day for 365 days a year. However, having a large team to help bring in and cut content does help. After Lee brings up former video vixen-turned-podcaster Gloria Velez — for her interview with Ne-Yo that went viral over his views on transgender children — Vlad talks about his rocky business relationship with her. He reveals that she quit working for him, and how she got her own show under his company.
Vlad recalls trying to mentor Velez, but because of issues with scheduling and booking guests between his show and her show, things got muddled, and he felt as if she began to believe that he was stealing her original ideas. Things heated up on social media, leaving Velez to call Vlad shady. He admits that he tried to call her with receipts and settle things, but she never picked up, so he gave up.
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Lee and Vlad later pivot and begin speaking on fashion in Hip-Hop. Vlad admits that he loves designer goods, but he’s always acted his wage. He says when he was broke, he had a Rolex for years, but he never wore it because he couldn’t afford the lifestyle that comes with the perception of a luxury watch. He then talks about rappers, like Kanye West, helping fashion and its gatekeepers take Hip-Hop culture more seriously.
DJ Vlad also speaks on turning down an interview with Ye just before his back-to-back anti-semitic rants. He said he’d seen Ye’s interview with The Proud Boys and got turned off, especially being that he is Jewish. Vlad reveals that he doesn’t talk much about his ancestry, but his father is a Russian Jew and was condemned in Russia for marrying a Russian woman. He even dealt with anti-semitism at age 13, recalling how an old Greek man told him, “Hitler was right, all Jews should die.”
Lee and Vlad then talk about the current Israel and Palestine conflict, leaving Vlad to admit that both sides are wrong. He also claims that Jewish and Black people have so much success working together, and wishes for more opportunities. To that, he also talks about the opposing end, which is being called a “Culture Vulture.”
DJ Vlad also reveals how he’s helped discover newer personalities and podcasters in the game like Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Akademiks, and Adam22. Vlad reveals that he actually got CThaGod his first on-air job before the legendary Wendy Williams gave him a shot.
Moving on, Lee and Vlad talk about his interview style and how people call him “The Feds,” since he always finds out intimate details about people’s backgrounds and also gets his guests so comfortable that they “tell on themselves.” Vlad admitted it’s a “compliment” when people call his interviews “interrogations,” because he takes pride in his research process.
His research and interview process ended up helping him solve Tupac Shakur’s murder. Vlad reflects on the big feat, and how he figured it out, and also talks about the alleged connection between Diddy and Pac’s murder suspect Keefe D, the uncle of Orlando Anderson, the initial man believed to have pulled the trigger.
Before the end of his ‘The Jason Lee Show‘ interview part one, DJ Vlad reflects on Smokey Robinson being the most-accomplished musical guest he’s ever had on his show, and he also talks about his viral business relationship with rapper Boosie. While speaking on rapper Doja Cat blocking him after he gave her her first major interview, Vlad also reveals that he’s blocked Tyrese from being interviewed on his platform ever again, seeing that he believes he may have a mental illness, and doesn’t want to exploit someone who isn’t “fully there.” As part one fades to black, Vlad also begins to explore his years-long beef with rapper Joe Budden.
Socialites, be sure to check out the full episode below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!