During the season, Ohio redshirt senior defensive lineman Corey Hasting cuts and scratches his way past offensive linemen in pursuit of the opposing quarterback.
When away from the gridiron, he cuts and scratches in a different fashion, but under an alias: djCEERO.
Hasting’s focus throughout college has always been football, but some serendipity has given him a career to fall back on.
Music isn’t a part of Hasting’s family background — becoming a disc jockey just happened.
“I was at a party freshman year; I was just messing around on YouTube,” Hasting said. “One of my friends said, ‘Dude, you should be a disc jockey. You’re pretty good at picking songs.’ ”
Hasting didn’t take his friend’s idea seriously until a simple eBay search made the idea more plausible. Hasting ordered a cheap soundboard, began experimenting with its software and discovered a previously-overlooked fondness for making music.
From there, he continued to purchase more advanced technology until he reached professional-grade equipment. Since then, he has worked at establishing his brand.
Originally, Hasting wanted his moniker to be DJ Zero to represent his humble upbringing in the music business. However, he found the name was taken and went back to the drawing board.
After a conversation among friends, Hasting settled on what he considered his next-best name option: djCEERO.
“I just kept growing my name and growing with the type of gigs I get,” Hasting said.
Brian Sweeney, a 2011 Ohio University graduate who studied finance, is Hasting’s best friend, manager and business partner. Together, they started Top Shelf Productions, a company that contacts potential venues in need of a host DJ.
Sweeney said Hasting is an easy sell when it comes to booking gigs.
“Right now in the entertainment industry, the type of music he plays — that house style of music — is really popular nowadays,” Sweeney said. “We will usually give the club owner a CD, and we usually get a call back.”
Sweeney said Hasting was the center of attraction at three successful summer events in Pittsburgh. Hasting has also played shows in Columbus, Cincinnati and locally, where teammates are able to attend his shows.
“I’ve been to one of the things he’s DJed; he’s pretty good,” said sophomore defensive lineman Antwan Crutcher. “It was a lot of people. You have to tell everybody ‘Excuse me’ to get by.”
Hasting said he regularly turns down show opportunities during the football season because he wants to focus more on his game, but he does perform at small events like OU sororities’ bid days.
Regardless of the environment, Hasting’s mix is something that suits any type of partygoer.
“I like to do a lot of hip-hop (with) a lot of house music mixed in,” he said. “But pretty much it’s stuff you can go to and have a good time. If you want to dance, you can dance, but if not, it’s good music you can be at a party with.”
Hasting said he draws parallels between his experiences in front of an audience and on the gridiron.
“You have to be able to read the crowd,” he said. “If you put a bad song on, you have to be able to read and take it off quick. It’s the same thing in sports. If I’m doing one thing, and I am reading my guy, and he does something else, you have to be able to read it on the fly and react to different things.”
Sweeney said Hasting’s primary focus is on his last collegiate season as he prepares to better his chances at making a professional roster in the spring.
“If he gets a shot at the NFL, 100 percent of his energy and time will go to getting ready for that,” Sweeney said. “If something comes about where he doesn’t make an NFL roster, then this is the path he wants to practice and try and make a career out of.”
nr225008@ohiou.edu
