Meet Krate Digga

We were lucky to catch up with Krate Digga recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Krate, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I believe my work ethic started as a kid. My parents raised my siblings & I to do our best in everything; even if my best was only average, I was expected to always TRY. Those pursuits or subjects I didn’t really enjoy had to be seen through to completion. That built a level of discipline as a child that I had no idea I’d need later. Understanding the expectations before me I also knew that if I gave less than my all to things I enjoyed less, the things I really enjoyed would be taken away. As I got older, I started to unknowingly find enjoyment in the completion of difficult tasks, which built a confidence that I’d draw on throughout life. The challenge of figuring out how to do “this thing” or how to fix “that thing” became one that I didn’t ever feel I couldn’t overcome. As I faced different professional or creative roadblocks I found myself calling on different skill sets or subject matter from my schooling to figure out how to face & overcome challenges.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m approaching my 26th year as a DJ & have over two decades of experience as a producer. At this point in my career I’ve helped form DJ collectives (Mos Wanted Crew & The Usual Suspects), I’ve performed with amazing artists (Doug E Fresh, Eric Roberson, Brand Nubian, GrandMaster Flash, and many more), and have worked in both primary & secondary education environments. While I still contract out for private, club, concert, and corporate events as a DJ, I’m very blessed to have attained the leverage, professional respect, and autonomy to pursue projects & concepts as I have the personal interest to do.

When I first began learning to DJ it wasn’t to become a DJ, but because it was an opportunity to add to my musical development that started many years prior. As I progressed & excelled at it, I found myself with ongoing opportunities to give people a one of a kind experience based around music. I was nearly ten years into DJing before I fully realized I was a business, not just a professional artist. Thankfully, the many lessons on discipline & doing my best at all times from my youth carried through so my brand as Krate Digga was one that was strong & sought after nonetheless. It was many years later that I was fully able to articulate what had been my mission statement since my first party and I remain committed to improving the quality of lives with music, specifically through a Hip Hop lens.

I started 2023 with the release of a short film, Return To A Classic, followed by the audio release, Tapestry. Both these projects were concepts that had been on the drawing board for years and lots of time was spent figuring out how to bring them to life in ways that were engaging & inspiring. As a perfectionist who knows he’ll never be perfect I knew at some point I just needed to do them! Lots of research & some advances in technology helped usher in their completion. These releases along with live shows and insights from experiences DJing internationally in 2022 have helped me position the Krate Digga brand on solid footing as recovery from the pandemic still continues.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Ive never been afraid to be creative. I believe that as an artist I’ve been gifted with the skill & responsibility to make what many of us hear/see in our minds a tangible thing for others to experience. Simultaneously, I understand that many people don’t mentally function in that manner, so creatives are relied upon to bring forth these ideas for their enjoyment as well. Be that gift to the world around you.

2. Ive never been apologetic for being myself. In hindsight I jokingly (but honestly) say, “In high school, I was cool; but not for the reasons I thought. In college, I didn’t realize how cool people thought I was.” The moral of the story is that being myself was always a win! Of the 7+ billion people in the world, there’s only one me. I’m the best me there can be regardless. So I find no shame in my corny jokes, nor in how the standards I set may be challenging, nor in how I maintain structures for myself that ensure my mental health aren’t always convenient for others.

3. I learned that fame/notoriety & skill/ability aren’t always analogous. Hundreds of thousands of hours of practice, shows, seminars, and more active engagement with my art has shown me that famous people aren’t always the most talented & the most talented people aren’t all famous. When you step on stage it’s your responsibility to give your all! Concert goers don’t wonder how long the tuba player has been playing or where the drummer is from, they just expect people on stage to rock. So if you’re blessed to have the opportunity to step on stage, you gotta shine; regardless if you have 400 followers on The ‘Gram or a Grammy! I may never become a “star” but when GrandMaster Flash gives you THAT nod or when Doug E Fresh amends his stage show because your skill set can elevate things, those are the accolades that let me know the years of hard work & sacrifice are evident.

How would you describe your ideal client?
The ideal client for me is one that approaches the event/project with a vision of their concept & the ability to articulate those thoughts clearly but simultaneously allow for me to bring ideas, perspectives, and creative injections that I possess as a professional creative to help make things a success.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Emma Parker, David Turner, Janeen Holmes, John Ray, Jason Thomas

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