SPARKS RUNS THE TABLE,
DJ/producer/songwriter Clinton Sparks may have worked with artists from Lady Gaga to Ludacris, from T.I. to 2 Chainz, but the Grammy-nominated artist says he’s still a Boston boy at heart.
“To me, I’m still just an insecure broke guy from Dorchester,” he told the Track at Red Lantern Foxwoods prior to his “Get Familiar Fridays” performance with Nelly at Shrine Nightclub.
“On the outside, I’m this happy-go-lucky guy,” he continued. ”But there’s hurt inside, and I pull from that when I’m writing songs.”
Take his 2014 song “The Reaper,” which features Snoop Dogg and Problem: It’s all about his father leaving when he was a kid.
“When I write songs for people — like I have for Beyonce, for Akon — they’re my life story that I’m lending to them,” he said.
Sparks’ seemingly endless vat of creative juices has not only helped with his songwriting, but it’s also fueled his focus on perfecting the live music experience. For instance, he thought up the “Get Familiar Fridays” event series at Shrine, which has been executed by Big Night Entertainment Group owner Randy Greenstein.
“It’s a recurring event where we bring in big hip hop acts... as well as break out new ones, people on the C-list who are creating buzz online,” Sparks said.
When this workaholic is in Boston and isn’t in a booth or scoping out emerging talent, you’ll find him at the Liberty Hotel, where he said he’ll sometimes DJ in the lobby area. That, and the North End. “The North End is my favorite place in the world,” Sparks said. “I’m habitual — I’m trying to break that — but I’ll usually go to Dolce Vita for dinner and end the night at Caffe Vittoria, where I’ll get a tea.” “I’m a tea connoisseur,” he joked, adding that he likes his leafy libation to be “hot, English breakfast.” “He’s the only DJ,” Greenstein confirmed, “who’ll ever ask for a pot of hot tea in the booth.”