American interviewer, journalist, and former disc jockey (born 1973)
DJ Vlad (born Vladislav Lyubovny, June 28, 1973) is a Ukrainian-American interviewer, journalist, and former DJ. He is the creator of the news website "VladTV.com". His namesake YouTube channel hosts interviews of prominent entertainers and celebrity figures, and has accumulated over five million subscribers. He is based in Calabasas, California.
Early life.
Lyubovny was born in Kyiv, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union) to a Russian Jewish family and moved to the United States at the age of five, first living in Springfield, Massachusetts before his family settled down in San Mateo, California. He grew up in the Bay Area and became interested in hip hop in his youth when N.W.A released their debut album. He went to university at UC Berkeley graduating in Computer Science and Engineering.
Career.
Lyubovny was initially making hip hop beats, but later quit when he realized he would not be successful at it. He began DJing after experimenting with a friend's equipment. In a 2010 interview with "Parlé Magazine", he stated: "I kinda reached this point where I was like 'I really wanna do music. Let me try and concentrate and do music as well'." He directed on the "American Gangster" television series, as well as the documentary film "Ghostride the Whip".
Lyubovny later launched VladTV.com and initially uploaded MP3 files of DJ mixtapes. He moved to New York City and released the "Rap Phenomenon" mixtape series. He was also making hip hop DVDs, but was financially struggling as DVD sales began to decline. In 2008, Lyubovny turned his attention towards YouTube, which had recently launched its Partner Program which allows content creators to earn money. Lyubovny then decided to drop all other endeavours and focus on YouTube full-time.
In August 2008, Lyubovny was assaulted by rapper Rick Ross's entourage after he covered a story on the rapper's former career as a corrections officer. Lyubovny filed a $4 million lawsuit. On April 15, 2010, a New York Federal Jury awarded Lyubovny $300,000 in his civil suit, finding Ross liable for setting Lyubovny up for the attack at the 2008 Ozone Awards in Houston, Texas.
In April 2009, the "Star &amp; Buc Wild" show joined the VladTV family to do a daily feature. In May 2010, Lyubovny voiced himself for a cameo in "The Boondocks" episode "Bitches to Rags".
In December 2016, Lyubovny interviewed Soulja Boy, who explained events surrounding a home invasion and shooting in 2008. The interview went viral, with many questioning the validity of Soulja Boy's claims. Numerous people parodied Soulja Boy's interview online, including rapper Joe Budden, and comedians Mike Epps and D.C. Young Fly, in what was ironically dubbed the "Soulja Boy Challenge".
References.
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