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

DJ, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I’ve always worked for what people may consider “corporate America”. So having steady income, of course, is great. But working there as an artist sometimes puts major constraints on your time and schedule. You’ll find that you invest most of your time into making someone else money rather than yourself. So how do you invest time in yourself without compromising your main stream of income? You have to start taking big risk! Risk that may force you to have your back against the wall where your only choice is to succeed to get out of that uncomfortable position. I would sacrifice sleep, time spent with partners and loved one to accomplish what I needed too to be able to get gigs. I would tell potential clients that “yes I know how to do that” to get the gig and then figure it out and learn it before that time. When we get too complacent and don’t take risks, you reduce our level of success.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Well it started when I was a kid or possibly at pre-teen aged. Born in New Orleans, LA but growing up in Dallas, TX during a time where, I feel, the city was developing & being recognized for that “Dallas sound” in the Hip Hop world. I’ve always been a creative in the arts: drawing, graphic design, digital art, poetry and music. However, music has always been my passion. My musical roots stemmed from the different styles of music my parents exposed me to. Although, most of the people I hung around were big HipHop heads, I still indulged in all genres, so from HipHop to Rock to House to Drum N Bass to Reggae to Country and the list continues.

Being a lover of music, I decided I got into creating & producing (as a teenager) which eventually led to DJing (as an adult). As mentioned, I’ve been producing music since I was about 14 years old. I continue doing some into my adults years. However, a big challenged I’ve always face was growing my audience & getting people to hear the music I’ve created. I went to school for audio engineering & music business and learned more about the struggles of the industry. I had a few DJ friends who would tell me that I could be a good DJ because of my eclectic taste in music, so I decided to learn a few things from them but not really taking it as serious. However, one day I woke up and decided that I should become a DJ so I can spin my own music and not worrying about paying other DJs to play it. I recognized that struggle for artist in the industry of having to pay a DJ to play their music that may or may not get heard by the right people at the right time. So I was like, I can curate & control the timing of when my music gets played. So from there, my DJ career began, grew and continues to grow.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I always hear people say things like “there’s not money in art” and “starving artist” all within the same vibe. But the fact of the matter is, there is a lot of money to be made with are so that artist are not “starving”. It’s unfortunate that some people do not want to invest in our crafts (or pay what we’re worth) but still want what we have to offer (music, art, photography, videography, etc). I feel people often forget how significant and important our crafts are in this world. Just image a society without music. Like go watch your favorite show or movie and think about what if it didn’t have any music in it. Or imagine driving around in your car all day in silence. Or going to a club or venue with no sounds playing.

We as creatives would love to invest more of our time into what we love doing and have it be our primary source of income. Some of us are not doing it as just a hobby or entertainment but was a was to elevate and stimulate the world. So I hope everyone in society start to really consider the time and effort put into what we all love and need in this world that keeps life from being robotic.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

As a DJ, I definitely love curating someone’s night with the music & sounds that I’m spinning. However, that’s not all I want to do with this craft. I want to be able to travel around the world as “the people’s DJ”. I want to be that DJ who will take the music from local artists/musicians with me (at no cost) to places in the world that they may not have reached otherwise. My goal is to be a conduit for new local talents to be felt by those needing to hear their passion.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cysummusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cysummusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cysummusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cysummusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnt-K5JFYjVEV5eHMmo_i-Q
• Other: https://soundcloud.com/cysummusic

Image Credits
TIA BOYD PHOTOGRAPHY