Photo: Courtesy of Trea Day, LLC
DJ Monie, a charismatic branding executive turned self-taught pandemic era DJ proudly announces the launch of the Melanated Deejays Coalition, a private members-only DJ Coalition for female DJs of color.
During the lockdown of 2020, you had an epiphany. Tell us about what happened.
Yes, so I actually relocated to Las Vegas in February and the world had started to shut down in March. So, you know, I was actually expecting to come to Las Vegas and party and do all of that wonderful stuff Vegas is known for but with everything closed, I ended up turning my patio into a little nightclub and I started to get tired of playing the playlists. So I woke up one day, ordered some DJ equipment, and started learning some stuff from YouTube! That’s where the birth of DJ Monie began.
You are the granddaughter of the late great Southern radio legend Thomas “TJ” Hughes, one of the first black disc jockeys in the Southeast. Tell us about your grandfather and why being a DJ is so important to you.
Well, first I’m going to say, I come from a long line of entrepreneurs and just many very creative people. I remember growing up and going to my grandfather’s barbershop and going to the radio station on Sunday where he was a Gospel Radio DJ and I guess, you know, music was just ingrained in my life. That’s probably where all of this comes from for sure.
Melanated Deejays Coalition is a private members-only DJ Coalition for female DJs of color. Tell us more.
When I started on my DJ journey, I was like I said, searching through YouTube and looking for people who look like me and who played the music that I was playing. As I started to do that, I
started to discover there are so many of us out here and I just started to think, “wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a place where we could all congregate and share tips and tricks and
learn different things and share resources?” In my search, I ran across a couple of things, but I felt like I really wanted to put my spin on it and really add to the DJ platforms. During the pandemic, we were all looking for something we could monetize our content on and other things of that nature. So one time, I decided to join the Only Fans trend and tried to see what kind of money I could generate. I quickly learned that although I had a lot of people who supported me and wanted to keep supporting me, they just didn’t want to set up a page on Only Fans. So the brander in me said, “you know what, I can create my own platform and monetize my own content and not have to share a percentage with anyone.” Then, of course, I figured if I could do that for myself, other DJs would be interested in doing the same thing and that’s what we were really pushing to our members.
What is your vision for the coalition?
Girl power. I’m all about female empowerment, sharing ideas, and sharing tricks of the trade and I really want it to be helpful like, for it to be for that young girl who might have just gotten her first controller and doesn’t know where to begin. I would love for our coalition to be where aspiring female DJs start versus on one of the other platforms out there. There are a lot of us that are just getting started, myself included, and there are a lot of veterans out there as well. So whether you’re a newbie or whether you’re a vet, I’m really hoping that we are able to come together and help each other excel in our careers and expand our creativeness all, all in the spirit of helping each other.
How is the “Risque DJ” persona promoting women’s empowerment and self-love?
Well like I previously mentioned, when I first started, Only Fans was really, really huge. Mind you, I’m a brand expert by day and DJ by night. So, many of our clients were monetizing that
platform and there was a lot of body pressure. I think that a lot of women just feel, on a day-to-day basis, from walking outside to grocery shopping to shopping for clothes, you can’t even really shop without looking at someone whose body has been altered by a form of surgery. Personally, it’s just a personal preference of mine. I’m an older, more mature female who has already had and raised a kid, and I drink, I smoke and for me to have elective surgery, it just wasn’t something that I felt like I wanted to do. For me being the risque DJ, I’m a nudist by heart and I just love not having to wear many clothes! So it really gave me an opportunity to really be myself. I looked at top entertainers, like Beyonce, who wore bodysuits and things of that nature so I felt like I could get away with it. I think I’m doing pretty good because my dad hasn’t called me yet with anything negative to say!
You are a branding expert with a project list that includes; Kash Doll, Trae Tha Truth, and Elijah Blake. How are you taking your expertise to the Melanated Deejays Coalition?
Well, one of the things that I really wanted to push and promote and drill and to people is the importance of branding. Again, I am a new pandemic era DJ but if you look at my brand, I look
very well-established, I look very polished, and it tells the story. I think that is what has contributed to my bookings and the reactions that people have had over this time. I really would
like to lend my experience to other melanated DJs and help them get their brands together and really explain to them the importance of using social media and monetizing all of your platforms.
What will people notice about working with you?
I think for one, they’ll definitely notice I’m very family-oriented. My husband is my manager, my brother-in-law is my security and my cousin is my assistant. It’s all love and family. Secondly, I bring the party, I am the party! I’m going to bring you my best, prepare, and perform my best set for you. Because I do a lot of private parties and things of that nature, most of my sets are very customized to the clients that I’m servicing. You’re going to get a different experience and a different vibe every time you see me and I’m always going to be wearing something sexy and cute. While performing, I’m going to be dancing behind my DJ booth and really just trying to be a part of the environment. I’m very big on energy, so I give energy and I understand the receiving part of it so I think you’re in for a great experience. If you haven’t seen me perform if you haven’t booked me – do it!
How has being a DJ changed your life?
Well, another reason I honestly got into DJing was that I was tired of being behind my computer. I honestly felt like a slave and at the end of last year, I severed all of my contracts with my clients and really wanted to make DJ Monie, my number one client. For me, it’s just been liberating all the way around from being able to wear what I want, being able to do what I want
and when I want and it’s such an empowering moment. It’s been such a humbling moment for me too. When were servicing other people, especially when were working on our own dreams
and goals in the back end, we tend to give ourselves the; back end of the energy. That means sometimes I wouldn’t even get to the things that I wanted to do for myself. I had to really learn
how to put myself first in every area of my life, which was really an eye-opener for me. It can change the lives of others because honestly, music is a universal language. So much is communicated through music and I think if you really have an opportunity to get behind a turntable and really just create your own vibe, you’ll find yourself in meditation when you weren’t even expecting to be. It gives you an opportunity to dig a little bit deeper into what you’re
creating for yourself.
@thedjmonie
@melanateddeejays