The entertainment industry is a multifaceted entity, rich with diverse backgrounds and narratives. It showcases tales of struggle and success, determination and talent. Often, outsiders view this industry as merely a lifestyle rather than a serious career. They admire famous figures but overlook the risks involved in pursuing opportunities within an oversaturated market. While many aspire to enter the industry, few understand the steps required to break in and achieve success.
At its core, effective planning and strategizing serve as the fundamental elements for success. With these foundational skills, anyone can gain access to the industry, but the challenge lies in how to truly thrive once inside.
For Derrick “DJ Boogz” Palacios, a native of Bronx, NY, alignment and hard work have been essential in carving his path in the music industry. He has produced for notable artists like Trina and Rockie Fresh and collaborated with the renowned record label Ruff Ryders. Through these experiences, Palacios has developed a blueprint for navigating the complexities of the music industry.
Born to an immigrant family from Honduras, Palacios was determined to thrive despite his circumstances. After being accepted into Delaware State University as a first-generation college student, he focused on establishing himself as a media personality. While others embraced college life, Palacios prioritized his ambitions, traveling two hours weekly to intern at Delaware’s only urban radio station.
“Going to Delaware State was very strategic. It’s a small state so I planned to intern at the radio station and establish myself in radio hoping I could get my foot in the door.
So, while everyone was partying on Thursday nights. I would take the two-hour bus ride to the station just to intern. I was so hungry at the time that I was willing to sacrifice what people presume to be “the best time of your life” for work. But to me it wasn’t work it was an experience I knew I needed to get me to the next level.”
In addition to establishing himself as a media personality, he began to DJ at DSU parties. Providing the soundtrack to many of his peer’s college experiences. “I had a purpose to stay on campus and I wanted to touch the people, I had the connections, but I needed the numbers on social media. I didn’t have the top tier social media numbers to be in a major market, so my thought process was to become more well known in the smaller market in Delaware first,” says Boogz
In 2012, he released his first mixtape “The Underground Way,” featuring unsigned and emerging hip-hop artists. He showcased talent like A$AP Rocky, Chinx Drugz, and Uncle Murda, using his connections to find the latest music. He later dropped two more mixtapes, “The Best of Jim Jones” and Ruff Ryders’ “Shit Gets Ruff.” Inspired by top mixtape DJs like DJ Clue and DJ Whookid, he aimed to become a mixtape DJ himself.
Many successful people, at some point, face rejection. And when they do, they have a moment where they trace back every step, contemplating where they could have done something differently. There is a saying that goes, “What’s for you won’t miss you, and what misses you isn’t for you.”
Oftentimes we find ourselves amid opportunities that we know without a shadow of a doubt are for us. That is until the world smacks us right in the face and we are humbled by reality. Palacios recalls a time he thought he had an opportunity in the bag until it slipped away.
“My senior year, I was on a roll, and G-Unit was at the height of their career. It was a post on Twitter where they were looking for interns, so I sent them my information, and the next day I got an email from G-Unit Records,” said DJ Boogz
I took the bus from Delaware to New York; I got my resume on resume paper, and I got my references. I got into the office, and I was like, ‘Yo, I got this in the bag.’ I did the interview, and the A&R told me, ‘I would hire you, but you’re still in college. I know if you come here, you won’t go back. I don’t wanna be the reason you don’t graduate.’
I was crushed; in hindsight, it was probably the best thing for me. It was one of the biggest disappointments for me. It was a reality check that I’m almost there, but I still got work to do,” says Derrick.
After graduation Palacios moved back to New York and started what he says was one of the first visual podcasts in the industry, “In the Studio with Dj Boogz”.
“I got back home, and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to jump into the market right away, so I made a plan to stand out. I started a visual podcast “In the Studio with DJ Boogz, I will say this I was the first to do a visual podcast. There were already podcasts, but they weren’t doing visuals. I didn’t have Johhny up the block rapping on the show. I was booking top-tier underground artists. I did mad research and as I was researching, I stumbled upon Young M.A., she went in the booth after the interview, and her freestyle went viral.”
Crediting much of his success to social media research, the DJ encourages others to build their networks through social platforms.
“Many of the interviews I was doing were with the same artists as The Breakfast Club. I would connect with people the artists knew, and they would help me get the interviews. I was forming relationships with people in the industry through social media.”
Palacios also mentions that understanding the industry language is another key tool. “My show was also on cable TV, even though it aired on a channel owned by a community college. I used the fact that it was on TV to attract artists. They didn’t know it was a community college channel; they just heard it was televised, and that was enough. It all depended on how I presented things. I found a way that worked and stuck to it,” says Derrick.
With the success of his podcast/television show, he started to gain momentum, but like most things in life, he was hit with a curveball that resulted in the halting of production. In true hustler form, he refocused himself and turned to music production
Once again using his relationships as the building blocks to his success, he was able to produce a record with Trina called “Party n Cool” and with the help of Brian Fresco of Save Money Crew he hopped on the production of “Tonight” with Rockie Fresh and Avery Storm.
More recently, Palacios has tapped into the Latin market, working alongside one of the first pioneers of Latin Trap Lito Kirino and they are gearing up for his latest project dropping in 2024. In addition, Palacios is becoming a bridge between artists and labels, helping artists get the exposure they need as well as connecting them to different labels. Building relationships with different record labels including the legendary Ruff Ryders, a full circle moment he says started in a bodega:
“It was a full circle moment for me because I did a mixtape on the Ruff Ryders 15 years ago, and now I’m working on some projects with them. I was in the bodega and ran into Joaquin “Waah” Darin one of the CEO and founders of Ruff Ryders. Me being fearless, I let him know I was working with Scar Lip, he ended up wanting me to come holla at him, he saw what I could do and the connections I had, and the rest is history”.
A man of many industry hats, the DJ is also tapping into the music streaming market, creating the “verified playlist” feature on the app “Trebel”. The feature allows artists to create playlists of their favorite songs and share them with fans. In addition, you can catch him creating the vibes for “HBCU Xperience” a reoccurring event he created for HBCU Alumni’s up north:
As Palacios continues to build momentum for 2024 his advice to others is who want to tap into the music industry is:
“Be consistent, create a strategy and never take no for an answer, a no is never a no it’s a not right now. When trying to build a relationship with someone, make sure you’re building a genuine connection with them, don’t make it all about what they can do for you. ”
