On a recent episode of Bloomberg Originals, DJ Premier revealed his early inspirations to become a DJ and how he got his moniker.
"I started off just knowing how to blend. I could blend really fast and keep the party going," he explained. "I didn't have any equipment, but I had the records. If a DJ would let me learn on his stuff I'd bring the records to the party."
Premier then says that he went by many names, but it was Wild Pitch Records founder Stu Fine who encouraged him change his name. "I wasn't DJ Premier yet," he recounted. "I was DJ Chris, then Wax Master C. Right before I joined Gang Starr, Stu Fine said that he didn't like the name and asked me to come up with something else. I told my mom, and she said, 'Make a list and narrow it down.' I had DJ Scratch & Cut, DJ Platter, DJ Needle Drop, and Premier was one of them. My mom said that's the one because it meant that I was first."