Mick Batyske, known by his stage name DJ MICK (also sometimes styled as MICK) and formerly Mick Boogie,[3] is an American DJ and entrepreneur.[2] He is an A-list DJ and spun private parties for celebrities including Kanye West,[4]LeBron James, Jay-Z and Will Smith.[5][6][7] In addition to his mix tape releases, he has performed in venues internationally, including New York City, Dubai, Tokyo, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.[8] As an entrepreneur, he has invested in various start-up companies including Localeur, in which he is also an advisor and consultant.[2][9]
Early life and education
Mick was born in Youngstown, Ohio. He attributes his musical taste to the different songs he listened to as a child.[1] His mother bought him records when he was young and he also learned to play the piano and drums while attending school.[2][7] He attended John Carroll University where he earned both a bachelor's degree and MBA.[1] While attending John Carroll, he worked as a radio DJ for WJCU 88.7, and later for Power 107.5 and Z107.9.[1] While attending grad school, he decided to turn his music hobby into a career.[2] After graduating college, he became the official DJ of the Cleveland Cavaliers.[10][11] In 2008, decided to move to New York City and ended up moving to Brooklyn, New York.[1]
DJ and performance career
Mick was the DJ at a private event for Jodie Foster at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.[12] The same year he deejayed at the "Two Kings" influencer dinner held by LeBron James and Jay Z, an annual event that he has made several appearances at since 2008.[13][14]
Mick expanded his performances in 2012 with a performance at Vibe's Magazine 20th Anniversary party.[15] He was also in attendance for Super Bowl XLVII where he performed alongside The Roots at the annual Madden Bowl party,[16] an event that he also performed for 2013.[17] His 2012 birthday party was an event that featured a set that he personally performed and a performance by DMC of Run DMC. He also performed at Brian Atwood's New York Fashion Week party at the Four Seasons[18] and a party for Aerosmith's Steven Tyler at The Darby in New York City.[19]
It was in 2012 that Mick began a one-year deejay residency at Hyde, inside the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada.[20] During one of his sets over Memorial Day weekend in 2012, Jennifer Lopez debuted her single Goin' In.[21] He also started touring internationally, including traveling with VH1 in India to promote its revamped VH1 India channel.[22] He also performed at Entertainment Weekly's annual EMMY Award party in Los Angeles[23] and on MTV during the MTV Video Music Awards' Rap Fix show.[24] His private performances in 2013 included a party hosted by Jay-Z and Beyonce during the NBA All Star Weekend in Houston, Texas[25] and the Miami launch event of a new Audemars Piguet watch, hosted by the company's brand ambassador LeBron James.[26]
Also in 2007, Mick collaborated with Busta Rhymes to pay tribute to deceased producer James "Dilla" Yancey on the mixtape Dillagence. Busta Rhymes referred to him as a "hip hop historian" for putting together the project.[31] Mick has presided over several critically acclaimed mash-ups, including Adele 1988 (which combines Adele's debut album with artists ranging from Naledge to Big Pooh) and Viva La Hova,[1] which mashed up Jay-Z and Coldplay. In 2011, inspired by the A Tribe Called Quest documentary Beats, Rhymes, & Life, Mick released Excursions: A Tribe Called Quest mixtape.
In 2010, Mick began the release of a yearly mixtape called Summertime in which he collaborates with his childhood idol DJ Jazzy Jeff.[32][33] The series has featured new and unreleased material from Will Smith.[34] The same year, Mick started his twice-annual collaboration with Stylecaster called Sounds From The Front Row for New York Fashion Week.[35]
Mick was hired by HBO in 2011 to produce and mix the How To Make It In America soundtrack with Scott Vener.[36] In 2012, Mick released a mix called Obamify, a compilation mix of Barack Obama's playlist on Spotify.[37] Also in 2012, Mick collaborated with photographer Jonathan Mannion to pay tribute to his childhood inspiration, The Beastie Boys, with a mixtape entitled Grand Royal.[38]Gwyneth Paltrow also listed his remix "Lost Part 2" as one of her favorite songs to travel to.[39] Mick is the music supervisor and curated the soundtrack for NBA Live 14.[40] He was also nominated for an award by the Guild of Music Supervisors in 2014.[41]
Collaboration with Joey Fingaz and The Kickdrums featuring Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Mobb Deep, Rick Ross, and various other artists.[47]
Business career
Mick is an entrepreneur and has invested in various startup companies.[48] In 2007 he co-founded Motivation Boutique, a hip-hop clothing store located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[49] It is located within the campus of the University of Michigan and launched an online store in 2009.[49] He is also known for branding and marketing, having spoken at events such as South by Southwest, New York University, and Digital DUMBO.[48] He has consulted on projects for HBO and scored national television commercials for Adidas.[48] He also starred in a national TV commercial for Microsoft Bing that premiered during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.[50] Additional appearances include City Girl Diaries and Rap Fix Live. As an investor, Mick has been involved with the startup of numerous companies including Localeur, Dart, and Stublisher.[51]
Mick brought his entrepreneurship and mixing together in 2013 with the release of SXSWi Interactive 2013.[44] The mixtape featured 24 songs and chosen by leaders in the tech and entrepreneurial community, including social media consultant Gary Vaynerchuk.[44]
