The Rundown
How a podcast producer became a documentary filmmaker: Dominic Lawson explains how his background in narrative audio storytelling, including Black Is America, shaped the sound design and cinematography of his first documentary.
Building a DJ set list for Kentucky State University in the 1990s: Krate Digga breaks down how the school's regional student mix demanded fluency in Master P, UGK, and Cash Money's Southern catalog alongside Nas, Jay-Z, and Mobb Deep, plus Detroit house and ghetto-tech influences from DJ Assault and J Dilla.
The technique behind blending eras and genres live: Krate Digga details his signature move of dropping the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets" around Biggie's "Big Poppa," and connecting Bob Marley's bars to how Drake and Dead Prez later used them.
DJ culture, branding, and the gatekeeping debate: Krate Digga responds to criticism of boiler-room sets, celebrity DJs, and mashup culture, arguing that DJing means different things depending on the context someone enters it from.
Why Krate Digga says he'll never retire: he explains why DJing became part of his identity rather than a job, and what would have to change before he stepped away from it.
Chapter Markers
00:00 Hook
00:23 Intro
00:28 Welcome and Introductions To Conversation
01:33 Introducing Dominic Lawson
02:31 The Conversation Begins
03:21 Origin of The Krate Doc
07:21 Columbus as a Character & Filming Process
11:19 From Podcasting to Filmmaking
14:54 The Evolution to Film
20:19 Start With What You Got
22:51 The Editing Process
25:28 Where to Connect
27:28 Transition & Introducing Next Segment
28:25 Welcome Back and Introducing Krate Digga
29:33 Origins: Starting DJing at Kentucky State
33:08 Quick Transition
33:10 DJing at an HBCU: Building Regional Range
42:40 DJs, Branding, and Social Media Pressure
49:06 DJ Culture, Tropes, and Gatekeeping
55:40 Quick Transition
55:41 Krate Digga on Retirement and Why he DJs
59:50 Connecting with Krate Digga
01:01:45 Closing Thoughts
01:02:59 Outro Theme
Subscribe to Queue Points for more conversations on Black music history and the people building its future. Leave a comment with your thoughts on the episode.
Support Us
Become A Member: https://link.queuepoints.com/membership
Shop Our Store: https://store.queuepoints.com
Buy Us A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/queuepointspod
Contribute: https://cash.app/$queuepointspod
Get More From Us
Pandora: https://qpnt.net/pandora
Read Our Magazine: https://plus.queuepoints.com
Follow Us On Social Media
Facebook: https://facebook.com/queuepointspod
Instagram: https://instagram.com/queuepointspod
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/queuepointspod
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/queuepointspod.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@queuepointspod
#DJCulture #BlackMusicHistory #HipHopDocumentary #HBCU #KrateDigga