Wink

I was supposed to hate Wink for what he did (or didn’t do) to Jimmy, according to the plot of 8 Mile (2001),. Quite honestly, if I knew Wink in real life, we’d be friends. We would even be the best of friends, simply because we’re both music lovers. As a DJ, you can tell a lot about someone from the kind of music they listen to. Call it a personality test. As soon as I saw the turntables and piles of records in his mother’s basement, I knew exactly which artists he’d be into, and all the sounds he’d make for hours on a beat machine. How he’d probably take his time when blending out and transitioning songs as he went through his vinyl collection. 

As a Philly/New York native he would definitely be into A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Wu-Tang, etc. I truly believed that Wink had connections in the industry, so these weren’t just artists that he was a fan of, these were the homies. 

He probably kicked it with J Dilla, Mos Def and Kanye before they blew up. He probably knew the guys that went on to produce for Carl Thomas and Floetry. If he was a part of the scene during the golden age of hip hop, then he would’ve been influenced by jazz as well. Wink would still be actively involved in the underground scene, making music and money today despite how much the industry has changed since then. He would be inspired by classic northern hits, but he was always about the next wave. 

This mix takes a deeper look into Wink’s personality, blending tracks from some of my favorite underground producers/artists, combining nostalgia with electronic elements; contemporary tracks that sound old, and old tracks that sound new. 

This one is dedicated to the guy that was just misunderstood and distracted. Here’s to Wink and his empire.

PS: The Onyx track in the beginning is my remix!