Last Night A DJ Saved My Life

NEW YORK, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- CENTRIC and SMIRNOFF® will call for a mic check with the new original competition series MASTER OF THE MIX. Hosted by award-winning producer Just Blaze, the show takes the world's most popular DJs and challenges them to compete for the title of MASTER OF THE MIX, take home $250,000 in cash and prizes, including a custom-made SMIRNOFF bottle. Kid Capri, who deejayed for Russell Simmons' DEF COMEDY JAM and has produced sessions for Heavy D, Boogie Down Productions and Quincy Jones, heads up the judging booth. Hip hop legend Biz Markie will make several guest appearances to guide the DJs throughout the season in addition to other music heavyweights.

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"MASTER OF THE MIX has the perfect recipe of fresh and original content for our audience and puts a new spin on the reality competition genre," stated Paxton Baker, CENTRIC's General Manager and Executive Vice President. "Our viewers love music, urban lifestyle, the culture surrounding it, and this type of show will appeal to their interests."

"We are thrilled to partner with SMIRNOFF to present MASTER OF THE MIX," said Alvin Bowles, BET Networks' SVP of Brand Solutions. "This show takes our relationship with this brand to the next level, and allows us to be even more innovative and creative in the branded entertainment category."

Just Blaze is a world-renowned producer and CEO of Fort Knocks Entertainment, producing records for a variety of artists including Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, and Freeway. He has produced chart-topping singles including "Show Me What You Got" by Jay-Z and "Touch the Sky" by Kanye West. The MASTER OF THE MIX cast competing for the ultimate DJ title includes:

• DJ Jazzy Joyce, the only female in the Funkmaster Flex elite DJ Crew
• DJ Mars, the DJ for Keri Hilson, Monica, Kelis, and Ne-Yo and founder of World Famous Super Friends
• DJ Rap, also known as the Queen of the Turntables and first lady of Drum 'n' Bass, who has over two million in cumulative worldwide sales to her name
• DJ Revolution, resident DJ for "The Wakeup Show" with Sway and King Tech and owner and operator of the Millennia Music label
• Rich Medina, host of Jump N Funk at the prestigious Martinez Gallery and DJ at Little Ricky's Rib Shack
• DJ Scratch, the official DJ on Erick Sermon and PMD's second album "Unfinished Business," who has produced for Busta Rhymes and Flipmode Squad, 50 Cent, LL Cool J, DMX, and Q-Tip
• DJ Vikter Duplaix, an Emmy-nominated DJ who has released several solo records and has appeared on the releases of Erykah Badu, Jazzanova, and Jamiroquai

MASTER OF THE MIX is created by SMIRNOFF and produced by GTM. Ben Silverman also acts as Executive Producer using his newly formed Electus as production company. BET/Centric also act as Executive Producers.

For more information, please visit www.centrictv.com/master-of-the-mix.  

*All times are ET/PT.

About CENTRIC

Centric is a 24-hour music and entertainment channel that reflects the lifestyle and sophistication of today's African-American and multicultural adult viewer.  With a finger on the pulse of an ever-changing beat, its compelling music content fuses Soul, R&B, Neo-Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae, Gospel, Jazz, Old School, New School and everything in between with today's hottest artists. It is a unique of mix of music, culture and lifestyle programming that embodies the lives, tastes and aspirations of the CENTRIC viewer: All you. All day. All night.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

SOURCE CENTRIC