You may have seen DJ D-Wrek on Wild ‘n Out, which is crazy because the idea for the hit series first came to fruition in his apartment. Real name Deric Battiste, D-Wrek has been Nick Cannon’s DJ since the beginning, and the bond the two share has remained strong to this day.

Hailing from the Bay Area, D-Wrek is a b-boy at heart. For those who aren’t familiar, a b-boy is not only someone who practices the dance of breaking but also lives the culture and lifestyle of hip hop. For D-Wrek, he was around when hip hop first hit Northern California, long before the “hyphy movement” was even a thing.

Beyond his work with Nick Cannon, D-Wrek has opened for the likes of E-40, Three 6 Mafia, Aaron Carter, and more. He also recently released his newest single titled “How We Roll,” an ode to West Coast hip hop, and has a podcast on the way for 2025.

We caught up with D-Wrek at Nick Cannon’s Ncredible Studios in Los Angeles. Read our exclusive interview below.

You’re from the Bay. What was it like being there before the Hyphy movement?

I moved to LA in ‘92, so I’m really part of the whole ’80s b-boy era. When hip hop first hit the bay, I was part of that whole movement.

Tell me more about that.

It was incredible. You went from hearing R&B on the radio every day to hearing “Rapper’s Delight” one time a day to hearing rap take over the whole the charts. Take over radio. 

How did you learn how to DJ?

My boy Mark back in ‘86, and his family flew out to New York and Philly, did a little tri-state tour. His pops let him buy a bunch of vinyl, and he brought back white labels of stuff we had never heard of. Like “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” Just-Ice, The Skinny Boys, things like that. Records that you wouldn’t hear on the West Coast. He had two Scott turntables and a little Realistic mixer.

Me and all my partners, we used to go to his house and just play records. He was scratching, he’d scratch what he heard on Run DMC records. [makes scratching sounds], all that kind of stuff. I said, “Show me how to do that.” That’s really how it started in ‘86, just copying what we heard on records. Then I got a turntable, because I couldn’t afford two. I bought a Realistic mixer. I’d play records on it, but then I’d practice scratching on them. On the one turntable until I could afford two turntables.

What was the first gig you ever did and how much did you get paid?

[laughs] First gig I ever did was for free. We DJed a house party. 

What about first paid gig?

My first paid gig as a DJ was probably when me and Nick [Cannon] were doing shows together. Because DJing was one of the things that I did. As a kid in the neighborhood, you pop. You break. You rap. You do it all. I got known as a DJ from working with Nick and touring with Nick. But outside of that, I don’t think I would’ve DJed, because I was a rapper. When I moved to LA, I had a couple of record deals. I wasn’t the DJ in my group. I was the rapper and I had a producer/DJ.

What is your setup like now?

I use the Pioneer DJ REV7. It’s the dopest controller.

Favorite song to drop in a set?

Man, there’s so many. Right now, I love “Ante Up” by M.O.P. I also love dropping “93 ‘til Infinity.” As far as the newer stuff, if you drop a GloRilla song, it’s gon’ go. “TGIF” is gon’ go. I like dropping those gems. You might drop “Human” by The Human League, depending on where you are in the set. It takes the audience to a different place. I like to take them on my journey.

Biggest pet peeve as a DJ?

People. People that go, “Oh my God, can you play this record? If you play, everybody’s gonna dance.” Shut up! Drunk girls are what I hate really. [laughs]

Wildest show you’ve ever DJed?

On tour, just DJing for Three 6 Mafia is the wildest thing out of anybody. In a club situation. When you’re doing an arena or something like that, it’s controlled. A little bit more controlled. But if you’re in the club and you’re DJing for Three 6 Mafia, Juicy J and Paul, it’s crazy. Because it’s a mosh pit going on. Especially in Europe, it’s bananas.

Favorite memory touring with Nick Cannon?

It was a “Scream Tour” in 2003. We were performing at Madison Square Garden, so we had to represent for the whole West Coast. Nick said, “Yo, what we gon’ come out to? How we gon’ do this?”

I said, “Man, we gotta come out to Dr. Dre. We came out to [hums “The Next Episode”]. The next thing you know, all you hear is [beat drops]. And I was on stage by myself: “New York City!” I’m talking, I’m screaming at everybody in Madison Square Garden while you just hear the intro. As soon as the guitar started playing, Nick started crip-walking across the stage. Nick came out from stage left, and started crip-walking to stage right. It was great. The whole crowd went crazy too. They loved it. 

What can we expect from your podcast coming out next year?

My podcast is actually a relaunch of a podcast that I did before. You can expect to learn a lot about how some of your favorite songs and albums were put together. You’re going to learn the process of that. You’re going to learn a lot more about me, you’re going to learn a lot more about specific artists.

I’m gonna take you down… because I’m into the history of hip hop. I feel there are a lot of younger people that don’t know about the history, then they don’t care either. I want them to care about the history of hip hop, from my perspective. Hip hop didn’t start when people started listening to it, especially this younger generation. It started before me, before I was even hip to hip hop. It was happening, it was going on. I just want to bring that to the forefront. 

Advice you have for up and coming DJs?

Get involved and get your equipment. Figure out your goal, then work on the path to get there. But as long as you have that goal in sight, stay dedicated, and do whatever it is you gotta do  — within reason — to get to that goal.

About the Writer

Shirley Ju is a Los Angeles-based journalist and on-camera host with her own show called Shirley’s Temple (with a focus on mental health). She lives, breathes, and sleeps music, and if there’s a show in LA, you can find her there. Born in the Bay Area, the Hyphy movement is in her blood. Shirley contributes to several publications and also books for B-Real’s podcast. Follow her at @shirju on both Instagram and Twitter.