Born to blast beats

Ri-yan Dolan, 6, uses spinning skills to make name as DJ Baby Chino

Photos by Jerry Henkel/ViewClockwise from left, 6-year-old Ri-yan Dolan, aka DJ Baby Chino, hones his spinning abilities at a computer in his Summerlin-area home, May 22. Ri-yan?s parents, Patrick and Maria Dolan, have contacted Guinness World Records with the claim that he is the world?s youngest disc jockey. Ri-yan works on a mix. Ri-yan leans in close to review his work. The Dolans said they have spent about $1,200 on equipment for the soon-to-be second-grader, and expect to eventually spend a total of about $4,000 adding pieces to the collection. Photos by Jerry Henkel/ViewClockwise from left, 6-year-old Ri-yan Dolan, aka DJ Baby Chino, hones his spinning abilities at a computer in his Summerlin-area home, May 22. Ri-yan?s parents, Patrick and Maria Dolan, have contacted Guinness World Records with the claim that he is the world?s youngest disc jockey. Ri-yan works on a mix. Ri-yan leans in close to review his work. The Dolans said they have spent about $1,200 on equipment for the soon-to-be second-grader, and expect to eventually spend a total of about $4,000 adding pieces to the collection. Jerry Henkel/ViewRi-yan Dolan works in his Summerlin-area home. The Gilbert Magnet School for Communication and Creative Arts student said he likes to use music by Michael Jackson, Lady GaGa and 50 Cent, among others, in his DJ mixes. Photos by Jerry Henkel/ViewClockwise from left, 6-year-old Ri-yan Dolan, aka DJ Baby Chino, hones his spinning abilities at a computer in his Summerlin-area home, May 22. Ri-yan?s parents, Patrick and Maria Dolan, have contacted Guinness World Records with the claim that he is the world?s youngest disc jockey. Ri-yan works on a mix. Ri-yan leans in close to review his work. The Dolans said they have spent about $1,200 on equipment for the soon-to-be second-grader, and expect to eventually spend a total of about $4,000 adding pieces to the collection. Advertisement

Baseball, school, homework --- by day, Ri-yan Dolan's a regular 6-year-old. But when it's time to transform into his alter ego, he becomes DJ Baby Chino.

This pint-sized dynamo already has a gig on the Strip. He plays the tunes at Stripburger at the Fashion Show mall, 3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South. It's something he's been doing each weekend since May 23.

At press time, Ri-yan was slated be heard from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

"We've known the family quite a while; they're regular guests of ours," Stripburger general manager Michael Heid said. "We built a great friendship, so when they threw the idea out, we were more than willing to work with them."

Heid said the first time that he heard Ri-yan disc jockeying, he "was just amazed at the passion he has and how serious he takes what he does. Some people would say it's a gimmick thing, but he's absolutely not that."

Ri-yan has popped up on the radar screen of the public before.

He break dances, models and acts and has appeared on several episodes of Criss Angel's "Mindfreak." He also can be heard on the radio each week, making NFL picks on KLUC 98.5's Morning Zoo. This August will mark his third season.

All this notoriety has caused a British production company to follow him at intervals over the past year for a documentary on the pursuit of fame. His parents recently applied to Guinness World Records to have Ri-yan included as the world's youngest DJ.

Meanwhile, at his home on the outskirts of Summerlin, he spends roughly three hours a day mixing songs at his laptop.

His parents, Patrick and Maria, already have laid out $1,200 for equipment and expect to add more ancillary pieces to bring the total up to about $4,000.

"We're not buying it all at one time and forgetting about our mortgage," said Maria Dolan, who works in retail. Her husband works in sales for a litigation firm.

Besides Stripburger, DJ Baby Chino's spun tunes at First Friday and a children's fashion show and is available for birthday parties and business openings. Alex Simon, his manager and president of Model Republic, is keeping watch over his progress.

"We're hoping to get him into a club," he said. "That's part of the appeal, the uniqueness of it, coupled with his skill."

No one has to remind Ri-yan to get busy preparing music for his next gig. He naturally gravitates to his equipment, his parents said. Ri-yan said that of all his endeavors, this is the one he likes best.

"My favorite part is mixing, because I get to do different kinds of songs," he said.

Mixing songs includes combining tunes with similar beats or slowing down one song to seamlessly segue into another. He chooses music from the likes of Michael Jackson, Lady GaGa, 50 Cent, Slick Rick and Usher and adds his own touch.

"A lot of it is mathematics," Simon said. "Every fourth beat is a phrase, so it's done in multiples of four ... Adults can understand it, but kids his age, he's doing it all by ear."

What's the best part of being a DJ persona? Ri-yan didn't hesitate.

"The bling, the belt buckles, the T-shirts," he said.

Sure enough, he was wearing a heavy gold chain, sparkling wristwatch and dark glasses. Mom was quick to point out that most of that bling is costume jewelry, bought at swap markets. All the pieces had to fall within their budget.

"Nothing more than $20," Ri-yan said.

When not in the public eye, he's treated like any other child. Ri-yan attends Gilbert Magnet School for Communication and Creative Arts in North Las Vegas, where he'll start second grade this fall.

He has a bedtime curfew, has to finish his homework before mixing songs at the computer, and cursing is forbidden in the Dolan house.

"We don't want him to wind up on 'True Hollywood Story,' " Maria Dolan said.

Contact Summerlin View and South Summerlin reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.