Best Hip-Hop DJ/Turntablist

One of the most hard-line proponents of hip-hop culture is an unassuming record clerk from Boulder. Yeah, we know, Boulder sometimes seems like the polar opposite of everything street, but in the hip-hop galaxy, think of it as the Dagoba System, with DJ Vajra as Yoda. Vajra holds down turntables with a Jedi’s grace and poise — a beacon for the aesthetic that made hip-hop appealing in the first place — while the Dark Lords and Count Dookus of the culture trade in authenticity for liquidity. When Radio Bum member DJ Psycho was asked to describe Vajra in five words or less, he only needed four: “All DJs fear Vajra.” One of the world’s best turntablists is holding down Mootown’s B-side, so stand up and recognize, y’all.