The art of DJ’ing is truly a skill that many celebrities have picked up. Paris Hilton, Nick Cannon, Solange Knowles, Idris Elba, and so many others have done their thing on the one’s and two’s.
That is not to say that every celebrity is skilled at the art form but they have definitely picked it up as a hobby and even sometimes as a way to make some supplemental income. There are also celebrities in the game that have a true love for the culture and actually started as DJ’s and built their celebrity based off their skills on the one’s and two’s.
I’ve personally attended many parties where the crowd was thoroughly entertained just by the presence of the celebrity which sometimes leads to everyone just staring at the DJ booth and not really hitting the dance floor.
I’ve had the pleasure and honor to witness the likes of Questlove, Pete Rock, Biz Markie, Pete Wentz, MC Lyte, Jermaine Dupri, and a host of others send the crowd into a frenzy while dropping everything from classic hip hop music to obscure television show theme songs.
As good as these aforementioned DJ’s are they could have easily landed on this list and probably should be on the list because they are brilliant.The DJ’s on our official list are brilliant and have taken the party experience to a place beyond just music.
When it comes to keeping the party rockin’, I have witnessed the DJ’s on our official list absolutely prevent people from leaving the dance floor because the music selections were more intoxicating than the alcohol being served at the bar. With that being said, check out the list.
6. Q-Tip
Here we go yo, here we go yo, so what’s the scenario you ask? Well, back in the days on the boulevard of Linden…Ok, enough with the Tribe Called Quest lyrics. Seriously back in the day Q-Tip used to DJ these Friday night parties at the Ace Hotel in New York. I was lucky enough to attend 2 of these parties. I already knew Q-Tip was a talented emcee and producer but this man absolutely gave the crowd on hand everything we were looking for and more. The age range inside Liberty Hall of the Ace Hotel ranged from the young & restless to the grown & sexy yet Q-Tip had everybody on the floor sweating for a good reason. Hands down, this was one the best parties I’ve ever been to in NYC and I would say anyone that was blessed enough to be there for any of them would concur.
5. DJ Adam 12
Thursday nights in LA will never be the same without DJ Adam 12’s AFEX party. With the focus of the music targeted toward those that appreciate the classics from 1979 – 2005, DJ Adam 12 kept this party in a constant groove. If you are not familiar with DJ Adam 12, maybe you know him as Barack Obama’s DJ in addition to being a member of the world renowned group “She Wants Revenge.” Those are both great attributes that he should be proud of but the AFEX party was one of the best parties LA had to offer.
4. Spinderella
Deidra Muriel Roper is a certified legend in the music industry. She is not only the DJ for the world-renowned group Salt-n-Pepa, but she is also really dope on the one’s and two’s when it comes to moving the crowd. I have had the pleasure meeting Spin, partying with Spin, and watching Spin rock a party quite a few times. She is the quintessential DJ as she masterfully knows how to feel and manipulate the room using the turntables that have been so kind to her. Just ask anyone that attended the last ESSENCE festival how this queen of the turntables gets down.
3. D-Nice
When it comes to DJ’ing D-Nice is still taking out you suckas and you don’t know how he did it. D-Nice is another one of Barack Obama’s official DJ’s, which speaks volumes because he knows how to switch the style up for whatever crowd he is musically pleasing.
I have attended at least 5 parties where D-Nice was on the wheels and every time the dance floor was packed. From black tie affairs to backyard jams, Derrick Jones is absolutely what his moniker suggests -NICE!
2. Kid Capri
Do I really have to talk about Kid Capri? His legendary DJ skills are world-renowned, respected, and marveled by many. I’ve had the pleasure of attending at least 10 parties where DJ Kid Capri served as the selector of ceremonies and you guessed, he didn’t disappoint. One of my most recent experiences was at a classic Kiss-N-Grind party in LA where he took over the turntables from the host, DJ Vikter Duplaix, who is also amazing, and absolutely wrecked it. He started his set with a 30 minute tribute to 90’s slow jams as a way to get the ladies involved from the jump. I will just say it worked masterfully.
1. DJ Jazzy Jeff
This list is no particular order but I’m willing to say that Jazzy Jeff may be one of the best to ever do it when it comes to rockin’ a party. He is also known as well-respected turntablist and producer as well as master of the transformer scratch.
Jeff uses all those aforementioned skills every time he does a show. Besides the masterful use of his turntable skills, Jeff also relies on another form of skills as he is always accompanied by the rapper, Skillz serving as the ultimate hype man or MC. I have witnessed the combination of Jazzy Jeff and Skillz flip everyone’s life upside down as those enjoying the show can’t even catch their breath because the music magically keeps them from leaving the dance floor. From SXSW in Austin, the Do-Over in LA, to a poolside party in Las Vegas, I have witnessed Jeff do the same thing he always does – KILL IT!
