Leave it to one of the most resilient forces in Columbia music to arrive in the (hopefully) waning days of the COVID-19 pandemic feeling energized rather than drained.
Kingsley Waring, better known as DJ Kingpin (AKA The Villain of Vinyl), has long been an essential member of the local hip-hop scene. An indelible presence on the ones and twos, whether backing emcees or setting the vibe on his own, he helped start downtown Columbia’s enormously popular Hip-Hop Family Day.
These days, he carries the torch for hip-hop and other forms of music at Lexington’s Turntable City, the record store he’s operated on Lexington’s Main Street for three years, establishing a crate-digging oasis 20 or so minutes from downtown Columbia.
And while one might justifiably assume that the coronavirus slowdown would have devastated someone pursuing things like DJing and selling vinyl, Kingpin reports the opposite: 2020 was the shop’s best year to date, and he’s on a creative tear when it comes to releasing his own music.
“COVID has allowed me to really focus on music the way I wanted to,” he explained. “I’m able to flesh out some ideas and really work on different things.”
Those ideas find their way onto the internet frequently these days. He’s released a new edition of his “Trapped By Sounds” beat collections every month in 2021 via Bandcamp, and he maintains a prodigious stream of more loosely stitched-together mixes on his Mixcloud page.
His “Trapped By Sounds” efforts find Kingpin in firm command of his beat-making powers, as he deploys spacious, skeletal drum machines, and fills the spaces between rattling bass knocks with samples that are both stylish and thoughtfully considered. The latest collection, “Beauty,” is a wonderful example, as spindly melodies from divergent sources — synthesizer, acoustic guitar — chart similar courses, making for a smooth ride with a mutating mood.
These beat collections fit squarely into Kingpin’s desire to champion a particular brand of hip-hop.
“When it comes to so-called local hip hop or popular hip hop here in the Midlands, in Colombia, there’s so much more of it geared towards club and party music,” he posited. “There’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s really not a lot of artists that I know really holding the reins for so-called traditional hip-hop, that original sound. And that’s my goal. My goal is just whenever people see me, they recognize and they know that, ‘Oh, yeah, he’s hip-hop.’”
Turntable City helps balance this devotion to old-school aesthetics with a constant infusion of musical diversity. Running the store forces him to not only keep abreast of new hip-hop, but rock, jazz, soul, blues and other styles, both as they’re played now and as they were played in the past.
“It allows me to always be open,” Kingpin enthused. “Customers come in and recommend or see if we have a certain artist, and some artists I’ve never heard of.”
The internet is key to his efforts, both as a musician and a business owner. His embrace of online music services has helped him connect with more listeners. And Turntable City’s online sales bolstered the shop at exactly the right time. His success in both lanes is emblematic of his willingness to augment traditionalist principles with modern tactics and techniques.
“The beauty about the internet .. is it makes it an even playing field for everybody,” Kingpin offered. “You really don’t need a big budget to connect with the people you want to connect to. But the other side to it is it’s hard to connect with those people, because there’s so many people putting music out, there’s so many people doing it in their style. Eventually, those with the right ears will hear what you need (them) to hear.”
His energy remaining high, Kingpin has no intention to reduce the pace of his output.
“My plan is do something monthly, at least, you know, mixtape and beat tapes monthly,” he said. “Just as an outlet, just keep people intrigued, keep people engaged.”
