David Guetta: Nicki Minaj Has 'Different Talents' -- Exclusive

Jeff Kravitz/AMA2011, FilmMagic

If by chance you suddenly get violently ill while listening to a David Guetta production then it may be best to avoid the radio all together. Actually you should also trash your flat screen TV, take a self-imposed hiatus from all dance clubs and sequester yourself from all pop culture obsessed Internet sites. Indeed, the omnipresent French dance music producer has been virtually unavoidable on all media formats over the past three years. Guetta has been both celebrated and blamed for ushering in the Euro-pop sound, bolstered by his chart-topping work with the Black Eyed Peas (2009's 'I Gotta Feeling'), Akon (2009's 'Sexy Bitch'), Kid Cudi (2010's 'Memories') and Usher (2011's 'Without You'). Yet Guetta reminds you that beyond his mammoth synth-heavy international hits and work with rap's biggest stars, he's really just a local house music DJ at heart.

"I've been a DJ all my life producing club beats that have been more underground," Guetta tells The BoomBox of his days in the mid '90s playing at such French clubs as Le Centrale, the Rex, Le Boy and Folies Pigalle. "But I'm also known now for combining that with an urban music sound. Whether it's pop or R&B, to me it's all dance music." For Guetta, who is responsible for dance pop's current music takeover, he is anything but contrite when it comes to fighting for the, at times, maligned music genre. In fact, he's proud of the entire scene.

The BoomBox caught up with Guetta to discuss his re-shaping of America's dance music scene, his much debated collaborations with R&B and hip-hop artists, his artistic crush on Nicki Minaj and why he just may be the most influential producer today.