House Shoes on Detroit Radio, J Dilla, and DJ Integrity | Living for the City Full Interview

House Shoes is a Detroit DJ and producer who spent a decade as the resident DJ at St. Andrew's Hall, ran Street Corner Music as a label for over a decade, and came up alongside J Dilla and Proof before relocating to Los Angeles. This is his full conversation with host Hanif Abdurraqib.

House Shoes talks about coming up on Detroit radio with Electrifying Mojo and The Wizard, breaking into the St. Andrew's Hall scene as a teenager, forming his crew 31 Flavors, and learning to make beats in J Dilla's basement. He gets into what it took to hold onto his integrity as a DJ once Detroit's hip hop scene started chasing hits after 1996.

He also gets into the year he lost both Dilla and Proof and left Detroit for Los Angeles, building Street Corner Music into a label that gave dozens of artists their first record, and the lesson Dilla taught him about finishing a beat before he ever played it for anyone.

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Growing Up on Detroit Radio and Discovering the Scene

10:11 - Forming 31 Flavors and a Decade Behind the Decks at St. Andrew's Hall

12:20 - Meeting J Dilla and Learning the Discipline of Curation

19:53 - Losing Dilla and Proof and Leaving Detroit

25:53 - Rebuilding Life and Community in Los Angeles

32:24 - The Future of Detroit Rap and Mentorship Across Generations

37:49 - Street Corner Music and Giving Artists Their First Record

42:10 - Dilla's Mentorship and Staying True to the Work