It started with a practice session
I'm DJ Yo!, and I'm a turntablist. Today I was practicing, scratching over a beat with some hip hop samples. Partway through, I hit record. When I played it back, I liked what I heard. So I decided to make some visuals to go with it.
There's a lot of controversy around AI these days. I wanted to put my own skills and creativity together with AI and make something people would actually appreciate. This is what came out of it.
The vision
I pictured a DJ walking into a jazz club and getting invited to sit in with the band. A few of the band members didn't want a DJ messing with their craft. But the older bandleader wanted to give him a shot.
So the DJ came up on stage, set up his gear, and joined in as the band played. The crowd liked what they heard from the new member. Even the skeptical players started to vibe with the sound. By the end of the set, the DJ had won everybody over.
The point is simple. All kinds of musicians can work together, with whatever instruments and equipment they use, and make good music. Sounds a lot like the conversation we're having about AI right now.
How I built it without spending a dime (Well... I do have a Claude Subscription)
That was the vision. Making it real was another story.
I started with Claude. I gave it some direction, and we put together an outline and a process for building the storyboard. Its first suggestion was to generate still images with Nano Banana. I did, but I burned through my credits fast. I didn't want to spend any money on this video, so I had to find another way.
Next, I had Claude build a project I could hand off to Claude Code. I moved it to another workstation running Claude Code in VS Code, set up the project, and told it to find alternatives to paid AI tools. It suggested one, and that got me every still image I needed.
Then I added my original audio file to the project. Claude Code suggested rendering the video in a comic style, so I wouldn't have to pay for AI video generation tokens.
While I was figuring out my next move, I remembered I already had a project set up for making videos with Hyperframes, an AI video generator. So I imported the output and picked it up from there.
In Hyperframes, I produced the video and tried adding narration. I generated one, but I didn't like how it came out. I made a change or two and rendered the video as an MP4. Then I brought it into Reaper and added some text. Next, I plan to record my own voiceovers to tell more of the story.
Where I stand on AI
I believe AI will let creators make things that wasn't possible before. Real talk: I probably wouldn't have made this video without it. And if I had, it would have cost me a lot of time and money.
So I'm a proponent of AI. But I know it has unintended consequences. I don't want it to wipe out human workers by taking away their ability to earn a living. I know this is a contested and sensitive subject.
If you're worried about your job getting eliminated, start learning AI and get good at it. Start by building something or solving a problem. Any small project will do. If you're thinking you're too old, don't talk yourself out of it. You can do this.
If you're 40 or younger, AI has to be part of your skill set. Period. No excuses.
Your turn
Let me know what you think. Is AI a tool for creators, or a threat to the craft? Drop a comment and tell me where you stand.
And if you've built something with AI, big or small, share it in the comments. I want to see it.