Image via Complex Original
Let's keep it 100: There are already enough mediocre DJs in the dance music scene. The last thing we need is a crop of celebrities trying to steal shine. We know, we know, being a DJ can be fucking awesome. You get to show up, drink for free, have lights on you, and play whatever the fuck you want to hear. We wish we had that life RIGHT NOW. Don't forget, though, it's more than the tracks in your Serato (or your homey's Serato); you need to know what you're doing. Over the last few years, we've seen a number of celebs from the worlds of movies, sports, reality TV, and even other genres of music stepping to the decks and making a fast buck off of their name as opposed to their skills. Here are the worst celebrity DJs.
Elijah Wood
We imagine the Wilfred star has the chops to pull out an interesting selection of music, but we'd have no idea if he was enjoying it. Part of what makes some DJs great is their enthusiasm; the video below shows him playing pretty un-danceable tracks, but his head is so stuck in what he's doing, you can't really tell what the fuck is going on.
Tommy Lee
Does Tommy Lee spin solo? Damn near every video of him DJing live is with DJ Aero and, truth be told, it looks like Aero is doing the heavy lifting. He seems to be enjoying himself (or the tunes), but the question might be "what is he actually doing?!"
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys as Mrs. DJ AK-47 sounds like a brilliant idea. She's another one who we feel should have great track selection, but given that we have only seen one performance of her's, where she swears she learned to DJ at 9:45PM that night, all we have to show for it is a video that finds it more fun to play the actual track over her mixes, rendering a proper evaluation tricky. What are you hiding, Swizzy?
Justin Bieber
Props on his enthusiasm, but no. Headphones on, headphones off, just... no.
Macaulay Culkin
The wild shit here is, the Home Alone star wasn't even DJing, specifically. He's another "playlist jockey," but he took it to the next level and would promote these as "iPod parties." We applaud his honesty, but really don't understand how anyone paid money to see attend one of these parties.
Lindsay Lohan
Was Lindsay actually trying to be a DJ, or was her love of music and relationship with certified DJ Samantha Ronson sparking this interest? Whatever the case is, we can't imagine this having been something anyone was seriously trying to see.
Dennis Rodman
Former NBA champion Dennis Rodman has found his post-sports life filled with a number of different failed moves, almost as if he's trying to do damn near EVERYTHING he can to stay relevant, including making "playlists" and DJing Kentucky Derby parties. Seriously, he has a great playlist. We can't imagine any real mixing going down from him; just another celebrity bringing in the dollars.
Lil Wayne
Some genius decided that Lil Wayne should DJ a NYE party, but we're thinking this is another thing that Weezy doesn't understand. How are you DJing when your boy is the one doing the actual work, while you stare at his Serato and say "yeah" into the mic you're holding? Why not just say "NYE party hosted by Lil Wayne?"
Kim Kardashian
This is when that "celebrity" life goes too far. There was a time where no one knew what Kim Kardashian was famous for, and while she's parlayed that into being known for stuff (including being the mother of Kanye West's child), she was previously seen as a nightclub staple, hosting parties in a number of spots. We're guessing one check wasn't good enough, as she started taking to hitting the decks in Vegas. Who knows what people would be expecting from her on the turntables, but we're glad that was just a phase.
Paris Hilton
The epitome of entitlement and celebrity gone wrong, Paris Hilton's problem is she is dead serious about this DJ game. She's dated Afrojack, who's called her out about her lack of DJ skills, but really, he didn't even need to speak (especially since he's still worked with her on her forthcoming album for Cash Money). We can look at the video from her performances and see that she's obviously spending more time on her dance movements and picking out her outfit than learning how to properly mix. Why can't she just be a raver and enjoy music in the VIP like the rest of her clique?
