Life & Work with Rate Wonder

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rate Wonder.

Hi Rate Wonder, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started DJing when I was a Junior in Highschool. I used to DJ in my bedroom every day after school. My friends came over, and we would jam for hours. This continued for a few years until I got my first weekly gig at The Pub Of Love (Old school Nashville spot, LOL.) My weekly residence at Pub of Love lasted about a year. After that, I started my very first weekly party. This party was at The Cantina (Cummings Station) around 2001. Every Wednesday night, we would play hip hop records for a few years and then host an open mic cipher. This is where I met many other DJs and MCs as well.

Long story short, I got pretty burnt out on doing a weekly party after a few years. It was a lot of work! I semi-retired from DJing out for a few years. In 2008, a couple of friends I met at The Cantina asked me to start a new hip-hop party with them. It was called “The Boom Bap.” The idea behind The Boom Bap was simple: This was a monthly party where 4 DJs could play our favorite genre of music (Boom Bap Hip Hop) with no boundaries or rules. A party is just based on the love of music. This was 14 years ago, and The Boom Bap as a monthly is still thriving! I’d say that most people who know of me as a DJ probably discovered me via The Boom Bap. Over the years, the party has grown a lot and gained a pretty big following. We are proud to say that for the last 14 years, we have brought Nashville some of the biggest DJs in Hip Hop and thrown some legendary parties! We also did The Boom Bap in Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, New York & Philadelphia.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a smooth ride for the most part. Sure there are trials, tribulations, and bumps along the way, but ultimately you are still doing what you love and getting paid for it! Being lucky enough to do what you love and earn a living is probably as smooth.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve been a full-time DJ for the last 10 years. I’d say I specialize in hip hop, which is the music style I’m most known for playing. That being said, I play all kinds of music! Hip hop, dance, pop, funk, soul & more. As a high school kid playing records in my bedroom, I never imagined I’d make a career out of DJing. Especially accomplishing some of the things I have thus far in my Dj career. In 2019 I toured the Country with Thomas Rhett as his opening Dj. We played sold-out arenas and amphitheaters all over the US. Most notably, Bridgestone Arena and Madison Square Garden! That tour was an experience of a lifetime for me! I’ve also played my favorite festival, Bonnaroo 3 times. These shows and producing and DJing 14 years of The Boom Bap are probably the proudest moments of my career so far. When Covid hit, I started streaming DJ sets from my house on Twitch. That was two years ago, and I still stream on Twitch 4 nights a week. I love it! Since then, I have reached many milestones on the platform and have met and become friends with many people. We have formed an incredible ever, growing community there. As far as djing goes, my Twitch channel has been and continues to be my main focus for two years and counting. It’s so great! You can be as creative as you like, and people worldwide can tune in. Also, it’s from the comfort of my home studio! That being said, follow me on Twitch and join the fun! (shameless plug LOL) twitch.tv/ratewonder

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think risk-taking is important in all aspects of life. I’m a poker player at heart, and that’s a major part of being successful at poker. You must take risks to succeed. I’ve always applied to life in general. Besides, if you never took risks, what would be the fun in that?!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theboombaplive.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ratewonder
• Other: www.twitch.tv/ratewonder

Image Credits
@dredrea for the first photo and @nicklphoto for the other 8