I met DJ Carlos on his day job while conducting a Charlotte City Tour™ by Queen City Tours^® and Travel. During our tour he mentioned that he was a DJ transplant from Brooklyn, New York, and that he was contracted to perform his services at the upcoming Democratic National Convention early this September. This was perfect timing because I had been looking for someone to interview that had the “hook-up” for the convention as my other event planner did not respond to my request. As the saying goes, “You snooze you lose,” and I was so impressed with DJ Carlos’s positive energy that we will be hooking him up with our upcoming family reunion groups for 2013 and hopefully beyond. Below is what he had to say concerning my queries. Enjoy!


Jay -- What year did you start in this business?
DJ Carlos -- C’leb Entertainment has been in business here in the Charlotte area since 2008. I came from New York City 5 years ago debating if I wanted to start my business in the Charlotte metro area or just work for an established company.  When I was living in New York I was in business for over 15 years.

Jay -- What was your primary motivation? 
DJ Carlos -- My primary motivation honestly is to make people happy with my music.  Having people coming up to me after a party to compliment me makes me feel like I’m on top of the world.

Jay -- Who was your biggest influence in starting this business, and why? 
DJ Carlos -- My good friend Darrell McCants was my biggest influence.  He kept pushing me to start it in Charlotte and because of him C’leb Entertainment has grown so much.

Jay -- Who came up with your business name?
DJ Carlos -- How long did that process take? I believe it was my wife and I that came up with the name C’leb Entertainment. C is for Carlos, Leb is for LeBron and the way to pronounce it is like saying celeb. Didn’t take long to come up with the name.

Jay -- What do you like the most about your business? 
DJ Carlos -- I like meeting new people and making new friends.  Till this day I am personal friends with 75% of my clients.

Jay -- What do you like the least about your business? 
DJ Carlos -- I would guess my only complaint is breaking down (packing up at the end of the night). 

Jay -- What question(s) are you tired of answering over and over again?
DJ Carlos -- I’m laughing when I think about this because people usually judge others by appearance, so the questions that I get tired of answering are “Are you the DJ for this event? Are you sure you can cater to this kind of event?  I got that a lot in NY especially with Asian and Greek clients.

Jay -- What is your favorite city to DJ, and why? 
DJ Carlos -- That is a good question.  I would have to say Charlotte because of outdoor events and scenery. As far as the crowd is concerned I’ve DJ’ed for a lot of different cities (whether it’s a Wedding, Corporate event, a Club or even a pool party) and honestly I get the same response from any city that I am in. People just love good music!

Jay -- What is your favorite venue to DJ? 
DJ Carlos -- I would have to say that there are a few like the Omni Hotel, The Mint Museum Uptown and Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.  Working with the staff of these venues makes it so comfortable to do my job.

Jay -- Who is your personal favorite DJ and why?
DJ Carlos -- Since I was raised as a scratch DJ I would have to say DJ Jazzy Jeff from Fresh Prince.  He does incredible tricks on his equipment and also knows how to motivate a crowd with his music selections.

Jay -- Have you performed for any celebrities, if yes, who?
DJ Carlos -- Yes, when I was living in NY I DJ’ed the wedding for NY Yankees pitcher, Ramiro Mendoza.

Jay -- I see you only offer clean rap, whose idea was that and why? 
DJ Carlos -- When I was introduced to the professional side of the DJ business I accidently played a song that had a few curse words and I still remember the look of the guests and my DJ partner who was showing me the business.  Now as a father who also has a 12 year old that DJ’s I choose not to have any music with explicit lyrics. That is also an agreement we have with all of our DJ’s.

Jay -- What advice would you give a young kid who wants to DJ for a living? 
DJ Carlos -- Being that I was taught at the age of 10 I will have to say make sure you find either a really good DJ school or learn from someone who you know that does this for a living.  Also learn all genres of music - that will help your business grow.

Jay -- Is your family supportive of what you do? 
DJ Carlos -- Very supportive!  My wife is the office manager and she DJ’s as well. My kids actually help motivate the crowd and plays games with other kids when we host town festivals and pool parties. We are also in the works of opening up “C’leb Kids Entertainment” which will be kids DJ’ing and hosting kids birthday parties.

Jay -- What is your most memorable gig and why? 
DJ Carlos -- I believe the most memorable party I did was a Jehovah’s Witness party.  I was told not to play anything with suggestive lyrics or double meanings.  There was a person assigned to sit by my table to monitor everything I played and was ready to ask me to change the song immediately if needed. I was very nervous about doing the party, but I had everyone dancing from beginning to end without anyone asking me to change the song.

Jay -- What is your favorite music genre and why? 
DJ Carlos -- I was raised loving Hip-Hop & Salsa.  Hip-Hop because that’s all the DJ’s in the street played and Salsa because my father and uncles (The LeBron Brothers) who are legendary Salsa performers always had me around when they were performing.

Jay -- Is there a difference between working in New York and Charlotte? If yes, what?  
DJ Carlos -- Yes, New York has so many different cultures and because of that we are very well equipped to playing music for different cultures and ethnic backgrounds.  Because of our diversity, C’leb Entertainment has grown so fast in Charlotte. 

Jay -- Which city do you prefer to work and why? 
DJ Carlos -- I would have to say Charlotte because NY is saturated with professional and non-professional DJ companies.

Jay -- Have you ever been stiffed by a client? If yes, how much? 
DJ Carlos -- Ha Ha, I think the only time I really got stiffed was from my own family.  Came close a few times with clients but since we changed our policy to where all final payments must be made 2 weeks prior to an event, we haven’t had an issue.

Jay -- What are your final thoughts concerning your business and future endeavors? 
DJ Carlos -- In all honesty, the future looks bright for us and we are excited about our new friendships, partnerships and projects.

For more information on hiring DJ Carlos, click here! Tell him that Trend Magazine Online™ sent you!