VIP – Lambo Lux ft Ray J, DJ Nasty Naz & Patrone

“Naz sounds dope man!” – Kevmo ( Rihannas Keyboardist)

“Yizzzzirrrr, Nice joint” – Parker ( Dr. Dres Producer)

DJ Nasty Naz is currently rated as East Coast Canadas number 1 DJ and Hype man –

He was most recently Multi Platinum Artist, Sean Kingstons tour DJ / tour Hype man and tour Chef.

Hes had the blessing of performing in Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Australia, Paris, UK, across
the US, Canada and the Caribbean, with acts like Diddy, Timbaland, Akon, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomes, Lauryn Hill, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Wyclef Jean, The Marleys, etc to name a few.

Naz has teamed up with singer, songwriter, record producer and actor and Koch recording artist Ray J.

He has had Top Ten success in Austria, UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands and France. And has worked with multi-platinum recording artist Brandy, lil Kim, and Yung Berg, and top producers such as Rodney Jerkins, Timbaland, R. Kelly and the Neptunes.

Naz has also teamed up with writer extradonaire Lambo – who has most recently penned Lil Waynes Billboard Urban Hit – How to love.

The Track is called VIP, and its defintly something to keep ya pressing the replay button.

Here is the soundcloud Link http://snd.sc/nidX5j

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While all eyes will be on Canada’s athletes competing for Olympic gold next month, a lot of ears in Vancouver will be treated to the best of New Brunswick music.

More than 20 of New Brunswick musicians have been financed by the province’s Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport to perform at Atlantic Canada House and Place de la Francophonie from Feb. 13 to 28.

The selected English and francophone artists span every genre and region. The roster includes Fredericton’s world-renowned soprano Measha Brueggergosman, but no artist is more fitting than her aptly named hometown compatriots, The Olympic Symphonium.

“On the list of things you want to do, it’s one of the ones you wouldn’t even think of putting on the list,” says Symphonium guitarist and vocalist Nick Cobham. “When it comes about that it’s happening it’s pretty exciting.”

The group probably wishes it had seen this possibility coming. They’ve already received a call from the Olympic administration, and may have to change their name because the word Olympic is trademarked.

“A few years ago, we even talked about that and that somewhere in the future it could come back and bite us. We’re not sure what’s going to happen there. I think it’s pretty appropriate that we’re playing there and hopefully they won’t be too mad about our name.”

Name issues aside, Cobham is excited about the opportunity and hopes to see at least one athletic event. Saint John chanteuse Jessica Rhaye is also staying a few days after her showcase to possibly catch an event and take in the atmosphere.

“I don’t have an athletic bone in me. I like to swim, that’s about it,” says Rhaye. “I will be telling people I’m going to the Olympics and they look at me funny, because I don’t look sporty. So, it is an interesting way to be involved with the Olympics.”

The news that they would be playing in Vancouver on behalf of New Brunswick came as an early Christmas present for the selected artists. But they’ve had to keep mum for the past month.

Marc Chouinard was entrusted by the province with choosing the musicians. As general manager of the Capitol Theatre in Moncton, he says he was used to programming and choosing from the wealth of New Brunswick musicians.

“We’re bringing the best image possible for our province to Vancouver,” says Chouinard. “I think we’ve got something original. We’re not just programming two or three artists, we’re putting on a show of what we do best in New Brunswick.”

The showcase will put the province’s Acadian heritage on the world’s stage. Acclaimed multi-instrumentalist group Ode a l’Acadie, considers it a “huge chance.”

“It’s a responsibility we have, but also a privilege, to share that part of who we are with the rest of the world,” says Monique Poirier, an artistic director and member of Ode. “We’ll certainly be choosing songs that best represent the Acadian spirit and culture.”

Country musician and Sussex native Julian Austin, who is now based in Alberta, shares Ode a l’Acadie’s sense of pride in his home province.

“I’m very honoured,” says Austin, “especially during the Olympics. It’s going to be such a proud time for all Canadians, and I’m going to give it 120 per cent.”

For Fredericton’s DJ Nasty Naz, who was born and raised in Trinidad, his selection goes to show what can happen if you work hard.

“I tell people this all the time, when I moved here it forced me to really do what I’m doing right now. I would not have gotten those opportunities in Trinidad,” says Naz “This can be your New York. This can be your L.A. You just have to have that mental ability to drive and succeed.”

Naz couldn’t believe it when he got the phone call at his Fredericton restaurant inviting him to Vancouver.

“I thought they were joking. I was expecting Ashton Kutcher to be on the other line “¦ I didn’t know whether to jump for joy or think it was a hoax.”

Named Atlantic Canada’s Top DJ, Naz has performed with the Black Eyed Peas, Akon and The Pussycat Dolls. He’s also reggae superstar Sean Kingston’s official DJ and will be heading in a week around the world to play the Grammys, Dubai, New Zealand and the NBA all-star game. But even with that international schedule, Naz is most looking forward to the Olympics.

“It definitely obviously makes me excited. I’ve done many shows with different artists -Akon, Sean Kingston, Black Eyed Peas, etc. But to tell my kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, I was part of that Olympics in 2010? That’s a big thing.”

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His Crazy Caribbean Style definitely shines through his music selection, his energy, and his food.

DJ Nasty Naz’s professional career in the music industry as a tour chef, tour hype man and a tour DJ has allowed him to work with artists like the Black Eyed Peas, The Game, Akon, Wyclef, Danny Fernandes and Sean Paul, to name a few. This attitude of continuously being on the grind has pitched this Trinidadian-born entrepreneur into a class of his own, with not only being a top DJ in the East Coast, but to having an award winning restaurant in Fredericton “Caribbean Flavas”.

His skills in the kitchen have allowed him to cater for a number of groups, including Akon, Sean Kingston, Girlicious, Hedley, The Trews, and even rock and roll legend, Leonard Cohen.

DJ Nasty Naz Flava of the Week will be a weekly column where Naz takes readers inside his world of cooking, performing and rubbing elbows with the stars.

For more information on DJ Nasty Naz, visit

www.djnastynaz.com,

Join the “fan page”

www.facebook.com/djnastynaz

Follow him on Twitter

 www.twitter.com/djnastynaz.

 Or, to taste d’island life, visit Caribbean Flavas on 123 York St, Fredericton.

Last week I have had a lot to be thankful for…and this week has been a big one for me. Not only do I have an amazing family, to always help (cover) my shifts when I go touring (shout outs to Johnny and Mama), but they always help keep me grounded.

Today, I was named one of the hottest DJ’s in the US (on a skill level…not on looks…we all know there aren’t many points to be won there…ha-ha). This prestigious hip hop magazine is an Atlanta based magazine – Ozone Magazine – with not only distribution in Atlanta, but in Miami and NYC as well. They surveyed all across the US, for the nations most influential DJ’s, who have continuously been on their grind and hustle. I was actually fortunate to attend their major music awards show in Miami, 3 years ago. It seems they have been following my path since then, and decided I would be THE ONLY Canadian DJ to grace the pages, with the likes of platinum selling artist – Pitbull ( yup that guy who sings that – 1, 2, 3, 4 I know you want me – song). They asked everything from “what’s my most embarrassing moment as a DJ” to “who’s my favourite artist to work with”

So in sticking with the ATL feel of things, that whole “Southern Hospitality” vibe just took over my senses. I had to do something for the vegetarians out there.

Southern food is comfort food, Creole, Cajun, soul food – Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers and Gladys Knight type food. There is quite an array of corn dishes (like corn bread, or corn muffins, even the famous Grits are always tasty, which Britney Spears eats for Breakfast by tha way. Not forgetting the fresh seafood like catfish and prawns. This made me remember a promoter out in New Orleans I met while on a show out there, instead of having dinner at the hotel, he just brought two very large cardboard BOXES of steamed prawns, and said I had to experience that southern hospitality vibe. I had never seen anything like that before. It was definitely an experience & messy, but good ha-ha. Some favourite Atlanta dishes include barbeque, black-eyed peas (nope not the artists…but the same name though , biscuits, okra and sweet potatoes.

• 1 banana pepper
• 1 small jalapeno chilli pepper
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 celery chopped
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 quart vegetable broth (store bought or made from scratch)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 2 lbs wild rice
• parsnip, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (which are a BIG favourite in (Caribbean / Creole culture)
• 1 cup canned black-eye peas, rinsed and drained (a reminder, if you’re a parent trying to be cool here, please DON’T SING one of their songs to your kid while making this dish especially when their friends are around )
• 2 cups frozen cut okra, thawed

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Arrange the banana, and jalapeno chilli peppers on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Watch carefully and broil just until the skins blacken and blister, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the peppers (with gloves or tongs – TRUST me, I used my fingers, and 2 days later, put in my contacts. Even after washing, I am just a DJ, but I was SINGING some pretty high notes, with the pain). Continue broiling until all sides are blackened. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a sealed bag to steam. After 15 to 20 minutes, peel off black skin. Coarsely chop, and place in a bowl.
3. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over a medium temperature until a pinch of flour sprinkled over the oil just begins to bubble. Whisk in the rest of the flour and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture is well blended and dark brown, about 10 minutes. This in cooking terminology is called a Brown Roux. Once it becomes dark brown, remove the roux from the heat.
4. Place 2 tablespoons of canola oil into a deep soup pot and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is just about to smoke, stir in the celery with half of the onions and the carrots. This is called a mirepoix. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the onion is transparent. Stir 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth into the pot. Cover, and simmer until almost all the liquid is evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Stir the banana, and jalapeno chilli peppers, along with the bell peppers, onions, garlic, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika. Stir the roux and 1 cup of stock into the vegetable mixture until the roux dissolves. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sweet potato, wild rice, parsnip, red beans, okra, remaining stock and black-eyed peas (yeah yeah I know, you just cant resist the feeling to sing, okay fine, but let me tell you, with all those hott peppers you threw in, everyone will be saying “they heard it through tha grapevine” that you have tha best gumbo ).
6. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, Serve in soup bowls while hot.

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[here] Magazine.

His Crazy Caribbean Style definitely shines through his music selection, his energy, and his food.

DJ Nasty Naz’s professional career in the music industry as a tour chef, tour hype man and a tour DJ has allowed him to work with artists like the Black Eyed Peas, The Game, Akon, Wyclef, Danny Fernandes and Sean Paul, to name a few. This attitude of continuously being on the grind has pitched this Trinidadian-born entrepreneur into a class of his own, with not only being a top DJ in the East Coast, but to having an award winning restaurant in Fredericton “” Caribbean Flavas.

His skills in the kitchen have allowed him to cater for a number of groups, including Akon, Sean Kingston, Girlicious, Hedley, The Trews, and even rock and roll legend, Leonard Cohen.

DJ Nasty Naz Flava of the Week will be a weekly column where Naz takes readers inside his world of cooking, performing and rubbing elbows with the stars. For more information on DJ Nasty Naz, visit www.djnastynaz.com, Join the fanpage “” www.facebook.com/djnastynaz or follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/djnastynaz. Or, to taste d’island life, visit Caribbean Flavas on 123 York St, Fredericton.

I was the Deejay for an event this weekend, and I played the track Jai Ho by A. R. Rahman, and I remembered everyone had the Oscar Fever, especially with the many build ups and sneak previews the networks aired during that week. After it was all said and done, I think that Slumdog Millionaire definitely deserved all the credit it has gotten. It was a total underdog project that no network wanted in the first place to now an Oscar award-winning film.

That hits close to home, as my award winning restaurant Caribbean Flavas was an underdog project as well, which no one wanted or believed in at UNB. Now, four years later, we have won BEST restaurant in the province, where to dine in Canada and we have gone on to cook for acts like Hedley and Snoop to Leonard Cohen and the Trailer Park Boys.

So I decided in keeping with the Indian theme that I would do up a nice recipe for some curried duck. Of course any protein can be used here, from chicken to lamb, including tofu, which would be an excellent choice. I didn’t want to have beef in this recipe, as I said I am sticking to the Slumdog theme, and the cow is seen as a sacred animal in their beliefs.

Having lived in Trinidad most of my life, curry was always part of our Sunday traditional “River Lime.”

I guess I should lend some insight to this new lingo:

Lime/Liming “” a party or any get-together/to hang out with friends and acquaintances. Example: Hey Johnny, we are liming at the mall, you should swing by.

Anyway, our “River Lime” would entail having most of the family and many friends pack up the trunks of their cars with coolers “” properly stocked with drinks and duck, and head down to the nearest river to “make ah cook!” We would then find a suitable spot, bring out the cast iron pot, start up the fire, bring out the playing cards and blast tha music from tha trunk.

Slumdog Curried Duck

Main Ingredients:

Duck: 2lbs (if you are ah true Trini, the whole duck would be used here!)

Frying Oil: 4 tbsp

Onion: 1 (large)

Garlic: 3 cloves

Coconut milk: 1 cup

Yogurt: 1/2 cup

Fresh ginger: 2 tbsp (grated)

Curry powder or curry paste: 3 tsp

Salt: 1/4 tsp

Black Pepper: 1/2 tsp

Coconut flakes

Slivered almonds: to garnish

Cooked jasmine rice for 4 (to serve with)

Note: Again if you are a crazy Trini like me, Scotch Bonnette Peppers are in order here, probably at least 2-3 whole peppers.

Directions:

1. Peel and chop the onion. Peel and finely dice the garlic cloves.

2. Rinse the protein (lamb, duck, tofu etc) with lime juice to take away some of the freshness; pat dry. Cut into one-inch pieces

3. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the chopped onion and sauté until tender. Add duck and sauté about 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Transfer the duck to a medium-size bowl.

4. Add remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pot. Add the rest of the chopped onion and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Drain.

5. Add coconut milk, yogurt, grated ginger, curry powder, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Add the duck and water, simmer for about 30 minutes.

6. Transfer the curry to the serving bowl, garnish on top with slivered almonds, chopped cilantro (coriander) and grated coconut (optional). Serve with jasmine rice.

After serving up such a great dish, you would surely get a great nod of approval but if you are going for the Oscar award, like my good friend Marion (aka Dev Patel look alike), then a lovely side of Naan (which means bread “” similar to a pita bread) and some mango chutney would surely give you a standing ovation and the Oscar for best role as a leading Chef.

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Dj Nasty Naz has been featured in the “Caribbean Belle” Magazine – one of the top Caribbean Magazines, which has started to take over not only the Islands by storm, but North America as well. He is featured as one of the Caribbean’s “Movers and Shakers”. This is for the April 2009 Issue, with an extensive write up, with how he got started, right up to some advice he gives to aspiring DJ’s.

Check out the link to read more.

Caribbean Belle – The Caribbean’s Mover and Shaker – DJ Nasty Naz

The post Dj Nasty – Caribbean Belle Magazine appeared first on DJ Nasty Naz.

By LAVERNE STEWART
stewart.laverne@dailygleaner.
THE DAILY GLEANER/STEPHEN MACGILLIVRAY PHOTO

FULFILLING WORK: Naz Ali runs his downtown restaurant, Caribbean Flavas, and is also a DJ — DJ Nasty Naz — who often records live shows for syndicated radio programming heard in Toronto, Calgary, the Netherlands and New York City.

He loves to feed you — body and soul.

The lunch crowd at Caribbean Flavas is just leaving and Naz Ali is able to leave his openconcept kitchen and come into the dining area for a chat. He’s been up since dawn. Ali won’t stop until sometime in the wee hours of tomorrow but he’s not complaining. Ali loves the crazy hours he keeps.
As a restaurateur and DJ, he’s having a love affair with his dual careers. Because he often works 18-hour days in demanding, albeit fulfilling occupations, he doesn’t have time for a relationship presently, he says. If and when it does happen, it will have to be with someone who is involved in some way with the industry and who understands the demands on his time.

“Food and music are my girlfriends,” says Ali.

The reality of Ali’s life is far from his boyhood dreams. As a kid growing up in Trinidad, he wanted to become a marine biologist or a pediatrician and he never would have considered leaving his tropical island paradise home for a life in this city. Then he was offered a university scholarship but declined it. He was offered a second time and agreed to come to the University of New Brunswick’s business program but just for a semester, he thought. That was five years ago.

He’s still here.

New Brunswick winters can be brutal but the warmth of the people in this city and this province are wonderful, he says. While at university, Ali had a business plan to open a Caribbean restaurant. His professors dismissed the plan, telling him it would never fly in this city.
Not dissuaded, he went looking for seed money. He knocked on the doors of business development agencies and banks but couldn’t get financing. So he went to family and friends who were happy to back him. Ali was determined to prove the naysayers wrong. And he did.

Caribbean Flavas has been awarded BEST Restaurant in the Province and also been given top marks by Where to Eat in Canada.

In the past three-and-a-half years, his restaurant has gained a who’s who clientele, he says. Artists such as Snoop Dogg, Akon, Russell Simmons, Rihanna, Eva Avila and members of the group Hedley have all enjoyed his food.

“Anybody who’s anybody comes to my spot,” says Ali.

He first became interested in food while watching his mother prepare meals at home. The first dish he made on his own was a curried chicken. The real pleasure in preparing food for others, he says, is watching people’s facial expressions as they take the first bite. Long after the restaurant closes for the day, Ali is still working.
But he turns his attention to music.

After a quick shower and a change of clothing, he becomes DJ Nasty Naz and he’s off to his nighttime gig.
You will find him at Nicky Zee’s and The Back Nine several times a week, spinning music for large crowds who are hungry for R&B, reggae, hip hop and urban beats. Often when he is there, he is recording these live shows for syndicated radio programming which is heard by over one million listeners in Toronto, Calgary, the Netherlands and, as of this week, New York.

He will soon be off to New Orleans and New York City to be a part of what he describes as ‘an elite DJ coalition.’ “They invite key people in the industry who’ve been making changes. “All these artists e-mail or text (message) me with their new songs the labels don’t even know about yet. Myself and other people listen to them and make suggestions about changes they could make.

“We set trends.”

Ali says one of his biggest thrills was being invited to Alicia Keys’s office with his family.
They met through her record label, he explains. “I was just hanging out with everyone. It was crazy. Then her manager invited me to go to her birthday party a year-and-a-half ago. I couldn’t go because of (university) exams. I had to say ‘Wish Alicia a happy birthday for me.’”

Ali got his start in the music industry after hanging around DJs in Trinidad at radio stations and concerts. “I would get in their faces. So they let me become their crate boy carrying their music in milk crates to concerts.”
His musical break came at a concert when the DJ left on a break but couldn’t get through the large crowd in time to change the music. So Ali stepped in to fill the dead air.

“So I put on a record and started scratching it. The crowd went crazy.”

He’s been a DJ for artists such as Lauryn Hill, the Fugees and Shaggy. When the dance parties are over and Ali finally goes home, he remains awake chatting with music artists on MSN.

His mentor, he says, is music and fashion industry mogul Russell Simmons.

About four months ago, Ali says, he asked Simmons how he measures success. “He said, ‘Naz, if you find a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.’” If this is the measuring stick of success, then Ali is already hugely successful as the co-owner of an award-winning restaurant and an internationally known DJ “I get paid to party. I can’t see anything better than that.”
But Ali is a driven man wanting more and determined to get it. In 10 years, he says, he wants to expand his business with restaurant franchises but he also wants to find more time for himself. Ali says if he had to choose between food and music, he would pick the music. He says he has chosen to remain in Fredericton because he is established here both as a chef and DJ.
If he were to move to a larger centre such as Toronto it would mean starting over. Now, whenever a DJ is needed in Atlantic Canada, he says he has made enough connections in the industry that he will get the call.

When the Black Eyed Peas and the Pussycat Dolls performed on P.E.I. last summer, he was there.

It was fantastic, he recalls, to hear some 40,000 people screaming his name. And he says it’s especially satisfying to know those artists appreciate his work. He recalls the American Music Awards, during the Black Eyed Peas’ acceptance speech when they mentioned his name, thanking him for his work.
Ali hasn’t returned to Trinidad since moving here in 2003. But his parents and sisters are here with him, working at the restaurant so he says he doesn’t miss the island life. The atmosphere at Caribbean Flavas is definitely tropical. Bright hues of blue, pink, yellow and orange are on the walls. Views of the ocean and a tropical beach can be seen through faux windows. “I have created my own little island here.”

Having his family live and work with him is wonderful.

In Caribbean culture, he explains, families stay together for life. “Family is huge. We work, eat and pray together,” he says. Leaving the business in the hands of his parents and sisters affords him peace of mind whenever he is away. With so much on his plate is he worried about burnout No, he says.

“This is not a job. It’s a passion.”

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