22 DJ Carlito: Sacrifices, Baby
DJ Carlito is the Heavy Hitter every Heavy Hitter points to. Camilo brings him up whenever someone asks how to get down. The answer is simple. Want it, show up, and don't leave.
He grew up dancing onstage at fiestas patronales in Puerto Rico, landed in New York in 1989, and started out carrying his boy Victor's speakers. Then came Gemini mixers, thirty-minute reggaeton sets at Remy Lounge in Astoria, and a promotions job at La Mega. He covered the overnight one Saturday a month for almost a year. The only one who did. He worked Red Bull and the station 23 days in a row, ended up in the hospital, and was back the next day. In 2019 he got the call for 7 to midnight. In 2024, afternoons.
The fellas dig into the rest. How the ratings meter decides what you hear. Why you still can't take the soul out of the mix. The Clark Kent texts that could make your night or ruin it. And four Heavy Hitters on New York radio at the same time.
Carlito closes with the plan for 2027: get in the studio and start making records. Reggaeton, bachata, salsa, dembow. Then the advice for the next kid from Bushwick. Stay in school. Study the craft. Never give up. "I never gave up to become a Heavy Hitter. I became a Heavy Hitter. I never gave up to be on radio. I'm on radio."
Follow Carlito: @djcarlitonyc. Catch him weekday afternoons on La Mega 97.9. Subscribe, rate the show, and share it with someone who cares about the roots of what moves us.
The Heavy Hitter DJs podcast is hosted by with DJ Enuff, DJ Camilo, DJ Kast One and L. Boogs. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Follow @theheavyhitters to join the conversation.
