DJ Nasty Nes has Passed Away

DJ Nasty Nes, co-founder of Nastymix Records and Sir Mix-A-Lot’s original DJ, has unfortunately passed away, aged 60. Born as Nestor Rodriguez, DJ Nasty Nes is hailed as the man with the first West Coast radio show devoted exclusively to Hip-Hop. His “Fresh Tracks” started airing on Seattle’s K-Fox 1250 AM radio in 1981. He co-founded Nastymix Records alongside Sir Mix-A-Lot, Ed Locke, and Greg Jones in 1985. The label managed to produce both a gold record and a platinum record, which was remarkable for an independent label based in Seattle.

In 1997, DJ Nasty Nes relocated to Southern California, where he would become the rap editor for HITS Magazine, a weekly national publication. After leaving HITS Magazine, he went on to establish RapAttackLives.com, his own college rap radio promotion business. In an 1996 issue of “The Source” magazine, he was proclaimed to be a “West Coast equivalent to New York’s DJ Red Alert.” Nes also delved into acting, and has appeared in movies like “House Party 4” and “Kung Pow! Enter The Fist.” The Seattle pioneer was also close with Blackout’s Phat Phillie, with whom he spent time in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

DJ Creativity had this to say about his friend’s passing:

“In the 80s I would see Sir Mix A lot videos and wonder who was the Asian guy in all the videos? I had no idea that by the mid to late 90s this guy was gonna become not only my menor but one of the closest friends I ever had. In my early 20s I started doing college radio at Los Angeles Valley College and later University Of Irvine. I was so happy when I became a reporter for Hits Magazine! (This meant free records almost daily in the mail). Nes Rodriguez had just started working as the rap editor for Hits Magazine and we hit it off right away. Not soon after he asked me to be his assistant. I went in and interviewed with Ricky Leigh and that was the first time that I met Sergio LP Jimenez who also became one of my closest friends . I took the job and became the assistant rap editor for Hits Magazine and the rest is history. Many of you are reading this I first met through that experience. I met so many famous people with Nes. Everyone from multi genres of music. From Lionel Richie and Luther Vandross to Method man and Tommy Lee to Jordan Night and Nsync and the list goes on and on. So many amazing times! Nes was a little bit older than me and was like an older brother always looking out for me. I feel so guilty that I didn’t make more of an effort to see him after I moved to Austin. Nes was in my wedding party of my first marriage and when I got divorced I went through such a tough time that I pushed away all my groomsmen. I really regret not making more of an effort to go back to LA to visit him. Everyone reading this take it from me. Life is too short to put off seeing the ones you love.”

DJ Nasty Nes was featured prominently in Sir Mix-A-Lot’s 1989 video for “Beepers.”