Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Akeem Scott. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Akeem, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

I think this was around FAU (Florida Atlantic University) homecoming week 2021

I was driving and fighting sleep on my long commute from Miami back to west palm. Jazzy Jeff normally calls me and talks to me on the phone about business or life until he knows I made it home safe. Jeff offered to take a 3 hour nap at his house to rest up then head back on the road as he knew I was struggling to stay awake while driving. He told me I could sleep in the room until I felt rested. I slept from 4am to about 8:30. When I was ready to leave; I saw this man on the couch with his son snoring.

Then it hit me, this man gave up his own bed that belonged to him and his son just so I can get enough rest to make it back home safely. That shit broke me, I spent a good ten minutes in the car crying about the grace i had received. That Man Jeff Pierre, he is a true friend no matter what anyone else out there may say about him

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Akeem Scott also known as Deejay Keem I am one half of the music duo known as “Keem & Redwood Vibes”, i was born and raised in Portmore, Jamaica. i moved to America at the age of 13 with my mom and 2 siblings. right now typing this i am 25 years of age and have been djing for 9 years and i have been a graphic designer in the latter of 6 of those 9 years. I have a 2 year old son name Zyon who is my world and purpose of living. As a DJ i specialize in any and all kinds of events from weddings and proms to baby showers and club events. As a graphic designer i specialize in making event flyers, business cards, posters and much more.

Growing up i always had a love for music, from being a little kid in Jamaica to my teenage years living in America; the love for music was always in my soul. i just was unsure of which path i wanted to take, i also had a love for performing so i know i wanted to be in front of an audience. i tried rapping, producing, beat making and djing but the only one that always stuck around me was DJIing/MCing. i began djing my senior year of high school at the age of 16 years old.

it wasn’t a very easy start which i don’t think any new business venture is for anyone but i stuck to it, it was times i wanted to give up and times i wanted to call it quits but i remained strong on the path. no matter how hard the journey got i never gave up or yield, sometimes i may have stumbled and fell but I never stayed there, i made sure i got back up. An additional skill that i picked up along the way was graphic design because i looked at it going hand in hand with DJing; and so it did. shout to my boy VeeEazy for the lessons he taught me when it came to photoshop. i had several mentors along the way to help me sharpen my DJ skills, people like DJ TJT, DJ Luga and Deejay Shaneo (rip). i express an abundance of gratitude to Jazzy Jeff, DJ Redwood and Doug Lawson for the business lessons they taught me in this entertainment field and opportunities they have given me to advance as an individual.

In the beginning i was too immature and a bit young minded and wild. i didn’t really listen to anyone and just kind of did my own thing without regards for others feelings in this business field. Over the years with assistance from the mentors mentioned above i became more kind hearted, keen on senses, was more approachable, patient, humble and overall just more professional.

The main thing i believe sets me apart form others is that i can play any type of music requested, I have done Haitian weddings, Asian baby showers and Quincineras. i try not to limit myself to just one genre, so i can’t be labelled as a certain type of DJ. i welcome the title of open-format because thats exactly what i can do. i play to suit the crowd in front of me no matter what you want to hear. People often label me as a “Caribbean DJ” because of my ethnic background but once i get behind the turntables they see what i really can do and the plethora of people i can really please on a musical level.

One of the main things i am proud of is the joy i bring people through music. as a DJ you provide people with an indescribable sensation that they can feel in their soul; seeing that smile on their faces does wonders for me. Yeah the money is pretty solid but to be able to bring people joy with a skill you have been blessed with is just sensational. The one thing i want client’s to know about me is that your satisfaction is my priority.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Just because you are a good person doesn’t mean that everyone else is.

One of the biggest lessons i have learned is that no matter how big of heart you have or no matter how genuine of a person you may be, people will always screw you over for their own benefit You can look out for someone because you are just a good person but no matter how good of a person you are there are still evil people outside in this world.

Even though there are evil people in this world doesn’t mean to sink yourself to their level, always remain a pure soul no matter what you do but keep your heart guarded. Good outcomes follow good people and turmoil follows Evil people.

No specific backstory for this one, just being in the business for several years and reflecting on experiences i have been through with different people. Wether it be clients, club promoters or fellow DJs, all snakes don’t look the same. Just keep your guard up, remain humble and keep being the good person that you know that you are. Some people walk into you life as blessings while others walk in as lessons.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think people forget sometimes that we are still human behind all of this, We still get tired, we still experience emotions, we still have to eat and live our daily lives outside of the creative lifestyle that we are known for. We miss holidays, special events and deadlines with the career choices we have made. I haven’t gotten to experience a genuine New Year’s Eve countdown in about 7 years. We still have bad days as humans and mood swings but majority of the time we cover it up and put a smile on our faces in order to provide excellent service. Its not like we cashier’s at some local grocery store and can keep a resting B face all day. Nope! we are public figures, any and everything we do is being watched and the slightest wrong move can have an huge impact on our career.

Lots of times people remain unaware of the sacrifices DJs make in order to fulfill someone else’s satisfaction, don’t get me wrong; we love what we do but this just to show the pros and cons of this entertainer life that we chose to live. personally i have missed graduations, birthdays and anniversaries all because i had to DJ, there are going to be people reading this saying “but thats the life you chose” and they are completely right, it is! But with this knowledge, i hope it makes people think twice when a creative individual tells someone they can’t stay late or they can alter their scheduling to please them.

I have friends who are sleep deprived but still get up and go get it because if they don’t get up and get it who else going to do it for them? As Djs, Artists, Performers, Creatives; whatever you wanna call us just remember we make sacrifices just to make YOU (the client) happy. There will be times that we fall short in the public’s eyes but never hold that against the person behind the service because sometimes life happens. I feel like as long someone learns from their mistakes and show obvious proof of improvement then they should be granted some type of leniency after dealing with the repercussions of their actions.

We cannot despair humanity since we ourselves are human beings – Albert Einstein

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Deejaykeem
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deejaykeem/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1deejaykeem
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/1DeejayKeem
• Other: SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/deejaykeem

Image Credits
@shotbyTJT @AllSnap.Media @Bjulioprod @JrJonesPhotography