DJ Showtyme (Violator All Star DJs)​

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From the moment he could read, DJ Showtyme—born into the legendary Violator All Star family—was destined to carve his own path in hip-hop. By age three, his mother had him reading at a second-grade level; at five, his father gifted him his first crate of vinyl. Throughout grammar and middle school, he dominated poetry and speech contests, sharpening the lyricism that would one day power his turntable magic. In 1986, tragedy struck when Showtyme’s mother lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Channeling his grief into art, he emceed his first talent show and dedicated every bar to her memory—igniting a crowd reaction that confirmed his calling.

 

As a high-school MC, his skills caught the ear of Chicago legends like Pink House, Terry Hunter, and First Lady, setting the stage for a lifetime in music.Showtyme went on to study Radio & Television at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he ran campus parties for fraternities and sororities and held on-air roles at WIDB FM. In 1995, he dropped his debut album—a project still moving units overseas—while perfecting the art of blending authentic street energy with polished production.

 

Returning to Chicago in 2004, Showtyme teamed with Jamal “Smallz” Jones of WGCI as part of Full Impact DJs before being handpicked by DJ Slugo to join Violator Juke Squad DJs, an elite offshoot of Violator All Star. Two years later, he was fully integrated into the Violator All Star roster, launching a career that’s seen him rock clubs, headline radio shows, and open for icons such as Twista, Common, Crucial Conflict, A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, Omarion, G Herbo, NLE Choppa, and Project Pat. His mixes have lit up stations from Hip Hop Nation and Shade 45 to WGCI, WRBJ’s Hip Hop Weekly, Jamz 104 in Madison, WYRB, WYSB, and beyond.

 

Today, Showtyme wears multiple hats: he’s Co-Founder and Program Director of Blazzin 95.1 FM in Los Angeles—an uplifting, hip-hop-driven subsidiary of Kulturezine—and DJs for Urban Grind TV, where his beats underscore the culture’s cutting edge. Off the decks, he serves as Executive VP of A&R at UGTV Distro, guiding emerging artists to the global distribution they deserve.