The most important element to any Black setting is the music.
Once upon a time, pre-Covid-19, we looked forward to unwinding with friends at the end of the day by joining them at a local lounge for convo, libations, and most of all, the musical vibes—grooving selections spun by the overall mood enhancer, the DJ.
However, the pandemic forced us to seek alternative ways to get the music our bodies and minds crave. No longer do we have to depend on the spinmaster at the club or lounge, now we simply livestream on our device to get our music fix, with platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitch furnishing a medley of beat masters who provide a soundtrack of chilllax moods to full-out party grooves.
Celeb mix masters like D-Nice (with “Club Quarantine”), who was the winner of the NAACP 2020 Entertainer of the year award, and Jazzy Jeff (with Magnificent House Party) have catapulted us to a new way of appreciating music without having to leave the confines of our home. For streaming live music is almost like being at the club—you can see who is watching and invite others to the platform, post a request, go live with the DJ, or give shout out to your friends on the live chat.
And, music lovers worldwide are on deck. Since the pandemic, DJs on social media have garnered more followers than they could have ever imagined.
“It’s therapeutic to be able to connect and talk to people,” says DJ Salah Ananse of Atlanta who spins Afro-House and Soul. “People say, you got me through this! I listen to you when I cook or clean the house.”
The global connection was also an unpredictable asset, especially on platforms like Twitch, where the DJs have the opportunity to be paid for their work. “What I do love about moving to platforms like Twitch over the pandemic is that I am connecting with people in Botswana, South Africa, Japan, all over Europe, with a high concentration in France. We’re communing on chat while all this is going on,” says Salah. “I'm definitely going to continue to do this [when the pandemic is over]. When I travel, these listeners show up at my gigs. I want to make sure that I maintain that connection.”
Get in the groove—ready your Bluetooth speaker and connect your phone/tablet—with the social media mix masters below.
DJ Natasha Diggs
Global Grooves; Wednesdays 3-7pm, Fridays 9pm-1am, Sundays 2-6pm
DJ Salah Ananse
A Celebration of "Afrique Electrique" Music; Fridays 5-7pm EST
Spiritual Movement; Sundays 1-3pm EST
Miss_Her
Open Format with R&B, Soul; Monday-Tuesday 3pm, Wednesday-Friday 12:30
DJ Stan Zeff-Tambor
House, Soul, Rare Grooves; Wednesdays 8-10pm
DJ Lord
Key member of Public Enemy and Prophets of Rage
Multi-Genre
DJ Kai Alce
Deep House; Tuesdays 5-7pm, Thursdays 9-11pm, Saturdays 10pm-12am
DJ Kemit
Party, House, Dance; Tuesdays 7-11pm, Thursdays 7-11:15pm, Saturdays 11:30pm-1:30am
DJ T-Wrex
Old-School Hip Hop, House, Soul
EboniAtl
R&B, Soul, Hip Hop; Wednesdays 3:30-5:30pm, Friday 7-9pm
DJ MalikStone
Soul, Classics, Rare Groove, Reggae and B-sides; Fridays at 4pm
Kimberly Michelle Dobson is a radio personality at Cumulus Media in Savannah, Georgia. A music enthusiast, artist, writer, voice-over artist and business owner, she enjoys traveling and hosting family and friends. Connect with her @Kmichelle912 on all social platforms.
