The DJ is an integral part of life.
Regardless of technology erasing the boundaries between real and manufactured talent, the DJ should always remain a staple of society.
This is more evident than ever now with the coronavirus pandemic. With the U.S. economy essentially shutdown and people staying at home practicing social distancing, the DJ is winning.
DJ D-Nice set it off with #HomeSchool Club Quarantine, an Instagram Live DJ set from his kitchen. Since then other notable DJ’s have entered the fray. The amount of celebrity DJ sets available daily have now ballooned since D-Nice paved the way.
You have DJ’s all over the country, of all levels and followings, dishing sets
Don’t get it twisted, online DJ sets were there before.
However, there has never been a time since social media has been omnipresent in people’s lives that this many are attentive. Quarantine life can be rough, but your favorite DJ’s are keeping your mind and ears totally occupied.
The legendary Kid Capri, Biz Markie, and more have all added their unique mixing talents to the pool. Where D-Nice was more disco and soul meets current hip hop like Jay Electronica and JAY-Z, Capri and Biz hit the world with a classic hip hop set.
Both the Bronx bred Kid Capri and Long Island’s Biz are quintessential hip hop DJ’s. Normally, entrance into a party they are the maestro of can cost a lot at the door or is an invite-only industry function.
The power of social media brings the viewer right into each DJ’s particular laboratory and gives the fans a unique perspective on the traditional party experience.
To monetize these new endeavors in the wake of nightclub and lounge shutdowns, a “tip the DJ” usually comes into the chat discussion and people show their love with their wallets.
It has been a windfall for out of work entertainers, with R&B powerhouse Erykah Badu doing a live-streamed concert in her bedroom for the low price of $1. It is the new normal and with coronavirus or the next calamity that affects normal business, it is refreshing to see creatives thinking out of the box.
With producers like Pete Rock and Large Professor looking to take their beat making sessions live on social media, we are on the verge of an access revolution.
Who knew coronavirus would spark increased creativity?
Certainly not most of the world but it is refreshing to see our favorite entertainers using their gifts to heal and occupy the minds of the unemployed and restless.
