DJ Vlad | ||||||||||
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 DJ Vlad in 2022 | ||||||||||
| Born | Vladimir Lyubovny (1973-06-28)June 28, 1973 (age 51)[1] | |||||||||
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (BS) | |||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Interviewer, journalist, director | |||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Channel | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2006–present | |||||||||
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| Subscribers | 5.91 million[3] | |||||||||
| Total views | 5.64 billion[3] | |||||||||
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Last updated: December 20, 2023 | ||||||||||
DJ Vlad (bornVladimir Lyubovny,[a] June 28, 1973) is aUkrainian-American interviewer, journalist, and former DJ. He is the creator of the news websiteVladTV.com. His namesakeYouTube channel hosts interviews of prominent entertainers andcelebrity figures, and has accumulated over five million subscribers. He is based inCalabasas, California.
Lyubovny was born inKyiv, Ukraine (then part of theSoviet Union) to aRussian Jewish family and moved to the United States at the age of five, first living inSpringfield, Massachusetts before his family settled down inSan Mateo, California.[4][5][better source needed] He grew up in theBay Area and became interested in hip hop in his youth whenN.W.A releasedtheir debut album.[6] He went to university atUC Berkeley graduating inComputer Science and Engineering.[5]
Lyubovny was initially makinghip hop beats, but later quit when he realized he would not be successful at it.[7] He began DJing after experimenting with a friend's equipment. In a 2010 interview withParlé Magazine, he stated: "I kinda reached this point where I was like 'I really wanna do music. Let me try and concentrate and do music as well'."[8] He directed on theAmerican Gangster television series, as well as thedocumentary filmGhostride the Whip.[9]
Lyubovny later launched VladTV.com and initially uploadedMP3 files of DJmixtapes.[8][when?] He moved toNew York City and released theRap Phenomenon mixtape series.[8][when?] He was also making hip hop DVDs, but was financially struggling as DVD sales began to decline. In 2008, Lyubovny turned his attention towardsYouTube, which had recently launched itsPartner Program which allows content creators to earn money. Lyubovny then decided to drop all other endeavours and focus on YouTube full-time.[7]
In August 2008, Lyubovny was assaulted by rapperRick Ross's entourage after he covered a story on the rapper's former career as acorrections officer.[10] Lyubovny filed a $4 million lawsuit.[11] On April 15, 2010, a New York Federal Jury awarded Lyubovny $300,000 in his civil suit, finding Ross liable for setting Lyubovny up for the attack at the 2008 Ozone Awards inHouston, Texas.[10]
In April 2009, theStar & Buc Wild show joined the VladTV family to do a daily feature.[12] In May 2010, Lyubovny voiced himself for a cameo inThe Boondocks episode "Bitches to Rags".[13]
In December 2016, Lyubovny interviewedSoulja Boy, who explained events surrounding a home invasion and shooting in 2008.[14] The interview went viral, with many questioning the validity of Soulja Boy's claims. Numerous people parodied Soulja Boy's interview online, including rapperJoe Budden, and comediansMike Epps andD.C. Young Fly, in what was ironically dubbed the "Soulja Boy Challenge".[14]
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