School is back in session. Today, ChinaShop features DJ Icewater (a.k.a. Rodney Sino-Cruz), the second artist in our six-part series highlighting former students of LA’s Pilgrim High School who have become integral parts of West Coast hip-hop and DJ culture. Earlier in the week we featured Project Blowed co-founder Abstract Rude. Still to come: Roscoe Umali, DJ StoneRokk, J*Davey’s Brook D’Leau and Busdriver.

After graduating from Pilgrim in 1996—two years after myself—Icewater moved to the Berkeley, CA where he appeared on seminal hip-hop shows “The O-Zone” (from ’96-’98) and “The Beatdown” (from ’97-’00). In 1998, he and fellow turntablist DJ Mpact started a student-run course at UC Berkeley called “Turntablism 101,” the first of its kind at a public university. Over the next few years, he would tour with Living Legends alums Grouch & Eligh, Japanese American MC Shing02, and the Pharcyde, all the while serving as one of the Bay Area’s most in-demand recording engineers.

Icewater currently resides in Brooklyn, NY where he continues to work as an audio engineer and DJ. Drop in on his tracks, mixes and current projects at www.djicewater.com.

What are some of your favorite Pilgrim School memories?

DJ Icewater: I spent a lot of my time playing sports for the school, so those are my fondest memories. Bus rides to and from games were spent trading and listening to tapes and CDs of whatever we were into at the time. I heard a lot of my favorite music for the first time on those rides.

A lot of these guys played sports with you, right?

DJ Icewater: I’ve known Roscoe (Umali) since the very beginning. We’re damn near cousins. I remember him being a very, very funny guy. Roscoe was a good freestyler too. I always thought he could rap. From what I recall, Mike Stone (DJ StoneRokk) was at Pilgrim for only one year, but we were good friends during that period. He actually was the first person to introduce me to turntables when we were in the 9th grade. It really motivated me to become a DJ. I used to play basketball after school with Aaron Pointer (Abstract Rude). I remember him being a pretty good player. When I was in college, I interviewed Ab for a small hip-hop magazine and we made the Pilgrim connection. Since then we’ve run in a lot of the same circles and worked together here and there. I mainly remember Reagan (Busdriver) from French class where he would always fall asleep. He was a real reserved and quiet guy so I never expected that he would develop such an intricate rap style.

Do you think Pilgrim had a major influence on everyone’s future careers? Why was that time special?

DJ Icewater: Our “pop” music was golden era and underground hip-hop. We bumped (A Tribe Called Quest’s) The Low End Theory the way young people today bump Lady Gaga. It felt like everyone was into music at the school so it really fostered an artistic environment. I’m not so sure it was our school specifically but more our generation that created this environment.

How deep into music were you at Pilgrim?

DJ Icewater: At Pilgrim, I was trying to be well rounded so I did everything from athletics to student government to the arts. I studied piano and guitar throughout parts of elementary and high school. I bought my first set of turntables in the 11th grade, and from there my interest in hip-hop grew tremendously. It was my new obsession and addiction.

After our interview, I asked Icewater to list five tracks that really exemplified that moment in time: school, sports, radio…everything that was percolating back then. This is what he put together.

De La Soul – “Ring, Ring, Ring”
My favorite group of all time.

The Pharcyde – “Passin’ Me By”
One of the first non-gangsta West Coast records. Before then, I didn’t think this type of sound could come out of LA.

Brand Nubian – “Wake Up”
Grand Puba was always underrated to me. I like this song’s unique structure because it doesn’t really have a hook, but it’s arranged in a way that doesn’t feel like one long verse. The song still builds and grows with every bar.

Del Tha Funky Homosapien – “Catch A Bad One”
I could be wrong, but I remember warming up to this song at home basketball games.

Ras Kass – “Remain Anonymous”
Underground West Coast anthem, especially for my fellow hip-hop nerds.

Words by Rich Thomas (@TheLandfill)