Like Father, Like Son: Portland DJ’s O.G. ONE and O.G. TOO keep the Rose City Rocking with the Rip City Remix
By Omari Salisbury
Growth, development, leadership, and all the signs of future success are definitely things I found in my short time with the Rip City Remix a few weeks ago. The Remix is a new NBA G League team in Rip City (aka Portland, aka The Rose City) where players who are not quite ready for the bright lights of the NBA can literally develop their talents through a close partnership with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Rip City Remix player Ashton Hagans (19) slams it home against the Stockton Kings. The Remix is an NBA-G team in the NBA’s development league. (Photo: Dominique Whittaker)
The growth, development, and leadership at the Remix is not limited to just the players on the court. From the front office to the back office to the crew of interns that comprise more than half of the staff, they are all developing for what's next. Including the D.J.'s who play all the right jams to get the players pumped up before tip-off and to keep the fans dancing in the seats during breaks in play.
Speaking of D.J.'s, of the 5 Remix D.J.'s that made the team this season, one has a very special story that fits right into that growth, development, and leadership I have been talking about, but this one has one more element, legacy. At 28 years old, a soft-spoken kid with a million-dollar smile greeted me as I walked into the Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus.
DJ O.G. TOO greeted me with a soft tone and a million dollar smile inside the Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus. (Photo: Dominique Whittaker)
His name is D.J. O.G. TOO, and for those Portland hip-hop heads, and especially Blazers fans, that name might sound a bit familiar. You might have guessed it, D.J. O.G. TOO is the son of D.J. O.G. ONE, who has been the official D.J. of the Portland Trail Blazers for 16 years and has been holding down the Rose City community on and off the turntables for over three decades. Now you see what I was saying about legacy; O.G. ONE is literally a legend, handing all that he has learned over his career down to his son O.G. TOO and the other 4 D.J.s.
Above Photos - DJ O.G. ONE during a Portland Trail Blazers game at the Moda Center last month. (Photos: Dominique Whittaker)
It wasn't just a given that O.G. TOO and the 4 other new D.J.s that would represent the Remix would be courtside. There was a bit of a process to get there. That process first started with the Rip City Remix Business Staff - especially Remix President, Hannah Grauert - reaching out to D.J. O.G. ONE and his company Leadertainment to locate D.J. talent in the Portland area (not too hard of a task for O.G. ONE) and, from there, curate and coach them up in all the things off the turntables such as professional decorum, business management, and more to chart them on a path for success with the Remix and beyond.
As I spoke with both OG’s pre-game, there was something really special about seeing this father and son duo together in the back hallways of the Chiles Center. One O.G. is reppin' the Blazers, and the other is reppin' the Remix. Seeing the mutual admiration and respect and also seeing the past, present and future in a family legacy all before my eyes.
With O.G. ONE looking on from across the hall, I asked OG TOO what it was like to work with his dad; I could see a tear begin to roll down O.G. ONE's cheek as O.G. TOO referred to his father as his best friend. As someone who lost his father earlier this year, who was also my best friend and whose footsteps of photography and storytelling I aspire to fill one day, it was a very special moment that showcased the love between father and son that we don't see uplifted enough, especially not in our community.
It was an emotional moment when O.G. ONE listened in as O.G. TOO said that his father was his best friend. (Photo: Dominique Whittaker)
Now, with just a few minutes before OG TOO had to head into the gym and start spinning, I had a rapid-fire discussion between the both of them: who can scratch better, who can blend better, who can read the crowd better, well… safe to say the elder O.G. is still the better O.G. but even he concedes that young OG TOO is mastering the musicality of the job much faster than he did and O.G. ONE has no doubts that his legacy is safe in his son's hands and heart.
They both agree that the elder O.G. is the best at the moment but for sure O.G. TOO is on the rise and his father is there by his side every step of the way. (Photo: Dominique Whittaker)
Here are the other Rip City Remix DJ’s that round out the starting 5:
