The Source Magazine recently sat down with one of the world’s top DJ’s in New York City when he played The Roseland Ballroom. 24-year old Nick Van De Wall aka DJ Afrojack took the world by storm in 2011 with his number one international smash ‘Give Me Everything,’ which features Ne-Yo, Pit Bull and Nayer. Beyonce also sampled Afrojack’s ‘Pon De Floor’ beat for her banger ‘Run The World (Girls).’ To top that off, Afrojack’s first hip-hop beat went on to hit number one on the Rap Charts, The Hip-Hop charts and peaked at number six on the Hot 100 chart. The song was Chris Brown’s ‘Look at Me Now,’ which features Lil’ Wayne and Busta Rhymes. While Afrojack is very much a dance genre DJ, Producer and songwriter his presence in the hip-hop realm cannot be denied and he is an avid hip-hop fan. We are sure he will be laying down many more dope tracks for some of the biggest names in hip-hop in 2012.
Nick Van De Wall, was born and raised in Born and raised in Spijkenisse, Netherlands. He exhibited musical abilities as a child, when he learned to play piano at age five. Afrojack also tells us that his appreciation for ‘the beat’ began when he accompanied his mother to her dance studio, while she taught because she couldn’t afford a babysitter. At 11 years old, Afrojack started to experiment with Fruity Loops, which is when he began composing seriously. He refined his technical skills as a DJ, when he took a gig in Crete, Greece. After that experience, he returned to Holland even more excited to produce and take his craft to the next level. At 18, Afrojack’s first hit titled ‘In Your Face’ peaked at #60 on the Dutch Top 100 and #3 in the Dutch dance Top 30.
Afrojack counts Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Dr. Dre, David Banner, Timbaland and Missy Elliot as his Hip-hop inspirations. Last year Afrojack won his first Grammy Award for remixing Madonna’s ‘Revolver,’ with DJ David Guetta. This year, Afrojack was nominated for another Grammy Award for Best Remixer for his work on Leona Lewis’ ‘Collide.’ Although Afrojack wasn’t nominated directly, his work on Chris Browns ‘Look At Me Now’ did not go unnoticed. The song received two Grammy nominations–“Best Rap Performance”and “Best Rap Song.” In addition, DJ David Guetta’s ‘Nothing But The Beat’ was nominated for Best Electronica Album. Afrojack co-produced four songs on that album. We think 2012 will be an epic year for DJ Afrojack. He is also working on another collaboration with Pit Bull. Tune in to The 54th annual Grammy Awards this Sunday, February 12, 2012 on CBS to see if Afrojack will take home another Grammy!