FSD has partnered with Smirnoff to bring you an exclusive preview of season two of BET’s hit program, Master of the Mix.
Returning for season two, is Grammy-award winning producer/DJ Just Blaze, who serves as the host; as well as the world famous DJ Kid Capri, who is the master judge. DJ and last year’s runner-up, Vikter Duplaix, is also on the judicial board alongside Amber Rose who rounds out the panel.
The group travels around the country in search of the best DJs, who then compete for the staggering prize of $250,000.
Today, I spoke with both Vikter Duplaix and Kid Capri, who dish on season two and give us an inside look on who was actually able to master the mix. Oh and how Amber Rose was picked as a judge.
Vikter Duplaix on Season Two:
“Last year I was a contestant, and went through all of the craziness. I didn’t win first prize, but I was runner-up and thanks to how crazy I was, I was invited back to the show to be a personality in season two. I went from being in front of the firing squad to being the one shooting the bullets [Laughs].
“You would think that [being a judge] would be a lot easier, but it’s not. Now I’m responsible for helping these DJs win a quarter of a million dollars while maintaining the integrity of the DJ culture. A lot of thought goes into every decision. Sometimes you like someone personally, who really didn’t do well, so it’s hard to watch them go through things. It’s a different kind of pressure than being on stage mixing in front of thousands of people. It’s less of a thought and more of an action.
“We actually did a house music special this season, which was shot in Chicago. Ron Trent, the legendary house DJ from Chicago, was a host and took everyone on a tour of Chicago and gave us a history on house music. The challenge that night was to spin house, so it came out really great. It was actually one of my favorite nights of the whole season.”
Later I caught up with Kid Capri, who gave his perspective:
“Just like season one, I’m a master judge. We rotated judges from season one, and I’m the only permanent one. This season we made it more permanent. We have Viketer Duplaix, I also have Amber Rose. Just Blaze, super-producer, is hosting like he did last season.
“When the idea of Amber Rose being a judge was first brought to me I was totally against it. But then I thought about it, and she’s a nightlife girl. She goes to parties, just like any other woman who goes to parties. So she knows what women want to hear. She’s a professional when it comes to the nightlife, so it made sense to put her on there. It’s a different perspective–a woman’s perspective. Plus she brings a whole new audience to our audience. We just complement each other.
“There’s a lot of money at stake this season: $250,000. So it’s serious. We did a house music segment in Chicago, a go-go segment in DC. We went to different cities to do different things–to show the world things they typically don’t get to see. If you live in New York you don’t get to see what’s going on in Chicago. If you live in Kentucky you don’t get a chance to see what’s going on in DC.
“The show has integrity, it looks good and I’m happy to be a part of it. It means something.”
We’re also partnering with Smirnoff for an exclusive viewing party in Chicago, details for which are on the way.
Master of the Mix Season two premieres on Saturday, November 5 on BET at 11pm CST. For more details head over to the Master of the Mix facebook page now.