Notre Dame hires DJ for basketball games

When you think of a Notre Dame Basketball game, you may think about the pep band playing the victory march or the Celtic chant, but times are changing. Notre Dame is merging the tradition of the past with current trends when it comes to the sound track for the game day experience.

Notre Dame has hired an in-house DJ.

"It satisfies me to see what people like and what makes them move," said Rodney Washington, also known as DJ Hot Rod.

"We wanted to have someone both pregame and in-game because we thought it really added to the experience and created sort of a personal touch," said Janna Hughes, Assistant Director of Marketing.

"I actually look around, 'What section can I? I'ma [sic] pay attention to this section and see who over there I can get pumped up," DJ Hot Rod said.

So what gets the crowd going at Notre Dame? DJ Hot Rod says it's all about getting a feel for the crowd.

DJ Hot Rod says it's working.

"The DJ is a great addition because it still adds that music element, it gets the crowd excited and just gets people pumped for the game, which is good," student Jenna Streich said.

When DJ Hot Rod isn't working the sideline of an Irish basketball game, you can find him working the phone lines and the air waves for Power 92 FM in Chicago.

Hot Rod is on the radio every weekend in Chicago hanging out with celebrities like Ice Cube, Cedric the entertainer, and Chance the rapper.

Hot rod is on beat with what's hot in hip hop right now and that's allowed him to connect not only with fans, but with the team as well.

"I absolutely love it man, I love it," VJ Beachem said.

"Yeah, Beachem, Beachem be coming by. He give me a salute and everything, he be happy when I'm here," DJ Hot Rod said.

"He really gets us going before the games. I think that is a lost art, you know music in the gym. That's something, often times when I come to work out, I won't work out in the arena because we didn't used to have music out there. I would always go to the Pit and blast the music," Beachem said.

DJ Hot Rod plays music that gets the fans and the players up and on their feet.

"It just creates a good vibe, hearing good music. It's just like at a party, if it's good music, everybody wants to stay. Everybody wants to stick around and it gets everybody in a good mood," Beachem said.