Don't Judge a Book by its Cover
When a video of her spinning classic 90's hip hop at a party with her outer appearance looking like "an old white lady going to the market" she went VIRAL! Her authenticity, her heart & deep love for the culture shone through and its undeniable! Read her thoughts and see the POWERFUL things she is doing for her community and for the culture! Diva Demeanor!!!!
How did you become a DJ?
DJ Misbehaviour: I was always into music from a very young age. I loved soul music and remember buying soul records at 9 years old. The first record I ever bought was Bernadette by The Four Tops, I played it all the time. When I was at college I made mix tapes for all the student parties and it kind of grew from there.
What is the story behind the Viral Video?
DJ Misbehaviour: I was deejaying at a party called ‘Uptown Bounce’ in New York. I was excited to be playing all my favorite 90’s Hip Hop Jams and as soon as I got on I knew the crowd and I were on the same page. I was playing all the greatest 90’s tunes of that time, Biggie, Tribe, Redman , Brand Nubian, Black Sheep and the atmosphere was amazing. A guy in the crowd, who I later found out was called Eleuterio Olmeda, was filming me and uploaded the footage to Facebook and it went viral
What has been the biggest surprise to people?
DJ Misbehaviour: The majority of comments are about a combination of my race and age. The way i was dressed that day, someone said I looked like I was off to the market to buy groceries, not smashing a party.
What has your journey been like as a Female DJ?
DJ Misbehaviour: It was quite tough at first as there were so few of us back in 1989. Some guys didn’t think women should be in the DJ Booth and were not nice about it at all. Some were really supportive and encouraging. Also if there were four guys on the bill and me, I stood out and people remembered me, so there were positives. One thing that used to annoy me, was asking promoters for work and getting the response “Yes we’ve been thinking of doing a women’s night “ There weren’t that many of us and these nights didn’t happen much and when they did we were thrown together by our gender, not experience or musical compatibility. I just wanted to DJ at cool spots with other cool like minded DJs whatever the gender. I never call or have called myself a female DJ or a woman DJ. I never hear men when asked what they do for a living reply ‘I’m a Male Dj’ why should we have to have our gender as a title?
I am not sure how much has really changed, when you look at the top tier of djs it’s nearly all men, although doors have opened up and more women have come through and there are some really really good female djs out there. I still think in many circles it is still eye candy over skills which is a shame. I mean cool if you look like a model you gonna get hired, but damn respect the craft and get some skills please.
What is next for you?
DJ Misbehaviour: The video has definitely raised my profile and my fans and followers have increased by thousands. I’ve been on Hot 97 and Sirius XM Shade 45 and have travelled to play in different cities in the last couple of months including Miami, Boston, Washington DC and London. Next year I plan to keep travelling and doing what I love, rocking parties and making people happy.
I want to continue building my after school DJ program, giving back to the community and inspiring young people. I also want to speak at more events about women’s empowerment especially in the music business. It is needed right now! It is a key topic and I have plenty to contribute to the conversation. I have a wealth of experiences over the last 30 years as a DJ, I have crossed many borders, overcome obstacles and I’m still here and I would love to continue sharing tips and insights with young people coming up.
original interview: here
