Congratulations to DJ J. Espinosa on becoming the Red Bull Thre3style USA Champion 2015! The Raiders game day DJ will represent the United States at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, this September.
Espinosa participated in the Red Bull Thre3style, a competition for the country's best DJs, last weekend in Arizona. "There were 12 finalists from all over the United States," said Espinosa. "There were DJs from Miami, Texas, LA, from Arizona, literally all over the United States. We just battled it out and I had to win two rounds and now I'm the champion."
The East Bay-native and life-long Raiders fan spent months preparing for the battle. "It's a lot of work. So for one set, my last set took me over a month to put together," Espinosa explained. "I took off of work for two weeks and sat home. It's a long thought-out process. You get judged off of creativity. You get judged off your song selection. A lot of these guys are really good and do a lot of cool stuff. You have to put a lot of thought into your set."
Espinosa's good friend, Raiders WR and aspiring DJ Brice Butler, who flew to Arizona to support, knew the Bay Area DJ was going to win.
"When I heard his first set, I was like, there's no way there's anybody else better than him in here," said Butler. "His song selection and his technical skills were just crazy. When I saw him go on Friday before I even heard the other four guys go, I was like there's no way he doesn't win. J. just killed it."
Butler met Espinosa last year when he visited the Wild 94.9 radio station with Silver and Black Productions. They've been friends ever since. "I've been rocking with J. since I met him last year for that little Raiders Report deal and been cool ever since," said Butler. "I think he thought I was lying and kidding around when I told him I was coming. I told him I was coming three weeks ago. It was Thursday and he said, 'you really coming?' I was like, 'Dude, I'm already in Arizona.' I wasn't kidding. I'm pretty sure he was excited."
Espinosa greatly appreciated the support from Butler. "It's so cool. It's really so cool," said Espinosa. "Honestly, I can't put into words how much I really appreciate the support from him."
Butler – who also goes by DJ Duffle Bag – has great respect for Espinosa's craft and has been learning from the radio DJ over the past few months. "He's great at what he does and he has a lot of respect for DJ culture," said Espinosa. "He's actually got a real good ear for music. He knows what he's doing; he just has to practice. It's cool working with him just showing him."
Now the USA National Championship, Espinosa will begin preparation for the World Championships with the support of Butler and Raider Nation.
