J-Mill on Regulating

J-Mill [Jeremy Miller]. 1994. "Regulatin' and Mic Checkin'." The Source 54, Mar., 24. [excerpt]

"In Miami, DJing has been going strong since the early days of hip-hop, but a unique twist has been added that distinguishes the Miami style of DJing from others around the country."

"While some DJ's rely on their ability to cut records with their unique style, and others are masters of blending records, the boys in Miami have developed a concept known as 'regulating' or 'mic checkin'.' The concept entails playing a record and 'pulling' the music down on the mixer for seconds at a time as the lyrics are being spoken. While the music is pulled down, the DJ adds new lyrics that can be incorporated with the records' [sic] original lyrics which often changes the whole concept of the song."

"The concept of mic checkin' has been and still is widely used by different groups of DJs such as the Ghetto Style DJs, Vicious Funk DJs and the Sugarhill DJs at block and house parties, as well as in battles against one another."