DJ President Ike, also known as Isaac Basker, began his journey in music as the host of a college radio show titled "The Presidential Address" at The State University of New York at New Paltz. His show focused on underground hip-hop, providing a platform for local artists and aspiring rappers to reach audiences that were often overlooked by New York City radio stations, particularly in an era before the widespread availability of music on the Internet. Friends and listeners affectionately dubbed him "Prez Ike," a name that became a common alias.
During his time at New Paltz, Ike started producing simple tracks using early computer production software, recording and sampling music without the aid of samplers. He utilized Reel to Reel tapes for 8-track cassette tapes, which were employed by hosts to play promos or their own drops on their shows.
As he became acquainted with the community of underground New York DJs and turntablists, thanks to New Paltz's proximity to NYC, and after co-hosting another radio show at Vassar College's WVKR, his interest in DJing and producing deepened. His background in classical violin and singing as a child further fueled this passion.
Ike became an active member of The EnemyBoard, an internet forum centered around Public Enemy. The forum proposed the creation of an mp3 album that would showcase contributions from its members. This initiative was inspired by Chuck D's advocacy for mp3 technology as a means to democratize the music industry and his vocal support for peer-to-peer music sharing, notably through the controversial platform Napster. This led to public debates with Lars Ulrich of Metallica.
His first official production, "The Sensationalist Scratch," featured humorous scratching of a conversation on a record intended to educate children about sex, using an adult's imitation of a child's voice. This track was released as part of The EnemyBoard Album Vol. 1, which Chuck D later featured on his Rapstation radio show.
Following a challenge to Chuck D regarding his collaboration with Vanilla Ice, Ike became a core member of The Impossebulls, a group that emerged from The EnemyBoard. Chuck D referred to The Impossebulls as the "World's First Virtual Rapp Squad." The group released the mp3 track "We Don't Need You," which directly addressed the control exerted by major record labels over the music industry, and was made available through Chuck D's independent mp3 label, Slam Jamz.
The song featured contributions from Chuck D, Professor Griff, Kyle Jason, and several EnemyBoard members, including DJ President Ike, who provided scratches. Due to complications in the original track's creation, a remix titled "We Don't Need You Pt 2" was produced by C-Doc (The Warhammer), featuring contributions from members who formed the early core of The Impossebulls: C-Doc, Tirade, Marcus J Gilligan, Pvt Militant, Old School 76, Def Chad, and DJ President Ike.
Ike's work with The Impossebulls led to multiple collaborations with C-Doc, including the group Illegal Thought Process and the vintage boom bap style group LowDOWN, alongside contributions of scratches for Impossebulls releases and tracks produced for Public Enemy, such as "Superman's Black In The Building" and "Supermixx is Back," the latter of which featured on the 2007 Stomp The Yard soundtrack. Additionally, Ike's scratches are present on The Impossebulls track "B-Boy Joint," featured in the 2021 documentary "Bad Trip."
Between 2005 and 2009, Ike also hosted a DJ mix podcast called "Indelible Beats," which aimed to deliver a fusion of uptempo, rhythm-oriented music designed for the dance floor.
As he transitioned further into music production, he began to use his real name, Isaac Basker, more consistently in association with his electronic music endeavors, focusing on genres such as house, deep house, and techno. His work has been released under his own label, Play It Say What, as well as on Thema.
