DJ Hard Work’s ?go-to records

Every Tuesday Marcel Williams can be found at the College Drive F.Y.E. asking to see the week’s new releases and combing through the used racks for long-buried hip-hop gems. As DJ Hard Work, it’s only right he takes his job seriously.

“I’m a patron of the nightlife, and I’d always get sick of hearing the same things in the club that are on the radio, so I like to play unreleased music and really hard-to-find remixes,” says the 25-year-old former hip-hop artist who figures he buys about 15 CDs a month. “Most of my paycheck goes to music, so when someone asks me what a song was because they loved it and don’t know who it is, that’s the biggest thrill—being a conduit to new music.”

An Oklahoma native, Williams moved to Baton Rouge to study history at Southern University and graduated last May. Since 2006 he has worked with the local Big Buddy mentor program, most recently as director of Teen 360 University.

“We’ve got a whole hip-hop university, teaching kids creative writing, music and mentoring,” Williams says. “It’s 360 degrees because we go full circle.”

After years of contemplation, Williams officially became DJ Hard Work last January. He can be seen and heard spinning at M Bar, The Vault, Chelsea’s Café and other downtown hotspots. He usually keeps his tracks mellow and obscure, but here are his more popular go-to records:

“Take Off the Blues” ?by The Foreign Exchange.

“The Light 2008 (It’s Love)” ?by Common.

“I Want You” by Marvin Gaye.

“Paris, Tokyo (remix)” ?by Lupe Fiasco.

“Never Too Much” ?by Luther Vandross.