DJ No-Good (Vincent Tanksley) was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In 1982, his father, the late Henry Tanksley, retired from the military and relocated the family back to his hometown of DeKalb, Mississippi. Growing up as a child, DJ No-Good possessed a strong interest in the field of arts and entertainment.
With a background deepened by Christian roots, he began to write and produce musical compositions. In the early 80s after being introduced to hip-hop, DJ No-Good’s interest grew from a minor hobby, into a past time and eventually into a bona fide pursuit of a hip-hop career. At age 10, he began to remake classics from LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Run DMC with his older cousin from Detroit.
The pair would write their own lyrics to the records and emulate the performances of the artists they had seen on BET, MTV and later VH1. In honor of his favorite MC, DMC, at that time DJ No-Good took the initials of his name and created the moniker, V.S.T. In his teens, DJ No-Good began producing beats for local rap groups in the neighborhood that would compete in area talent shows. As his popularity grew and local performances expanded across the state, he doubled as the manager and the official DJ for the group.
Seeing that his passion for the art of DJing was increasing, the aspiring producer and rapper officially added DJ to his resume. Shortly thereafter, he abandoned the name, V.S.T. and christened himself as DJ No-Good. Influenced by greats such as Jam Master Jay, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Premier, Terminator X, DJ Magic Mike, and DJ Jazzy Jeff, just to name a few, the youngster began to hone his skills on the turntables.
In the early 90s, DJ No-Good became known as the “go-to man”, the “one-stop shop” for all things on the local music scene. After gathering up the best local talent in the neighborhood and surrounding counties, he launched his entertainment company, V-Street Entertainment. Inspired by artists such as 8-Ball & MJG, Outkast and UGK, he was determined to get signed to a major recording deal. Months passed with no luck, eventually turning into years.
After graduating from West Kemper High School in 1995, he enrolled in the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The young man also followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the military. While taking classes during the week and participating in drill on the weekends, DJ No-Good found little time to pursue his dreams. His college curriculum and commitment to drill put a strain on his relationship with artists. However, during idle time and visits home he capitalized on every opportunity to write, produce and record new music.
As the years passed, the young entrepreneur and his artists entered every talent show within driving distance. Moreover, they served as the opening act for every major concert that came to the area. With a growing buzz but dwindling hope, discouragement began to set in. However, a break was on the horizon. During the summer of 1998, a local concert promoter introduced DJ No-Good to former Hypnotized Minds’ recording artist, Indo G.
While riding the wave of his new album, “Angel Dust” and hit single, “Remember Me Ballin” featuring Gangsta Boo, Indo created his label, Cloud 9 Records. Despite being on a promo run for his new album in Mississippi, Indo was looking to sign new talent to his newly formed company. After listening to a demo tape of No-Good while in the back seat of his ’98 Oldsmobile, the two road back to Memphis and went straight to the studio. After a mere one session, Indo G took interest in the unsigned talent.
Indo’s interest led to a recording agreement between the two and in a matter of months DJ No-Good was in the studio recording music for what was supposed to be his debut album, “The Southern Godfather.” The record deal was short lived and the album was permanently shelved. DJ No-Good returned to his dorm room with broken dreams. Once again his focus returned to graduating from college.
A year after his failed deal, DJ No-Good began creating CD artwork for album covers and other promotional pieces for aspiring artists in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area. Soon word spread about his professionalism, creative and quality work. The praise ultimately expanded his clientele to other markets and regions across the country. In 2000, he graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelors of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Communications.
Shortly thereafter, DJ No-Good expanded his entrepreneurial spirit by launching, DurdyWorK Multi-Media Graphics. As the company’s clientele increased, DJing was temporarily placed on the backburner. His greatest accomplishment to date was being granted the honor to do the CD layout and design to the late Tyrone Davis’ final studio album, “The Legendary Hall of Famer” (2004). DJ No-Good’s past and current clients range from David Banner, Omar Cunningham, Willie Clayton, Indo G, Playa Fly, J-Money, Boo Rossini, Recognition, DJ Finesse, E.F. Young Jr. Manufacturing Company, and countless others.
Now with a decade of experience in printing, web and graphic design, DJ No-Good has returned to his roots - music. Possessed with stronger passion for the art of DJing and breaking new music, he’s positioning himself to be one of the premier record breakers in the south. Presently, he’s working singles from Boo Rossini (“Whip It Like A Slave” featuring Yo Gotti and Lil’ Wayne), Chalie Boy (“Look Like Money”), Swazy Baby (“I Sang”), Papa Duck (“Pat Dat Cookie”), Mike Bless (“Do It Like This”), Recognition (“Last Song”) and Tito Santana (“I Be Ballin”).
DJ No-Good’s most notable mixtape releases are with Dirty 3rd/Battery/Jive Records’ recording artist Chalie Boy “N’ Da Club” Vol. 21 & Up (May 2010), Lil’ Rock Dog Records/Big Spenda Records’ recording artist, Papa Duck “Why We Hustle” Puttin N’ Work Special Edition (May 2010), 1Life1Love/CTE/Def Jam Records’ recording artist, Boo Rossini “First Of The Month” (June 2010) and Slip N’ Slide Records’ recording artist, Mike Bless “Da Crossover” Layin It Down Special Edition (June 2010).
In addition to DJ No-Good’s reemergence on the music scene, he’s also branching out into other business ventures. In 2009, he founded Clean Whipz (http://www.CleanWhipz.com), an online social network which brings prospective consumers with a strong interest in the automotive culture, to share their passion with others in a commonplace environment. After years of constant grinding and networking, he was recruited to become a member of the Slip N’ Slide DJs and Coast 2 Coast DJs, respectively.
When not in the studio producing, working on a new mixtape, in the office doing graphics, or developing new business strategies you can find DJ No-Good spending quality time with his family. As a proud father of a one year old son, the entrepreneur seeks to follow the successful blueprints of some of his role models like Russell Simmons, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Kevin Liles. With a promising future ahead, expect to place him down in history with the pioneers.
For additional information on DJ No-Good pertaining to booking availability, mixtape hosting, upcoming releases, artist consultation, street promotions, etc., please visit http://www.myspace.com/djnogood, http://www.twitter.com/djnogood601, http://www.djnogood.com, or contact V-Street Entertainment at (601) 938-4529 or by e-mail at: djnogood601@gmail.com.
