We were lucky to catch up with Dj Roots Queen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dj, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?

Only 4% of the music industry is women and only 27% of djs are women. I have been working in a male dominated industry for many years and over time, with the help of my business alignment coach, I learned how to move and act in order to be taken seriously in any room I walk into and it was dictated by how I post on social media, my mannerisms, and how I dress. But most importantly, I worked really hard to build self esteem and confidence within myself that helped me have the ability to walk into rooms that can intimidate a lot of women. Oversharing is one of the biggest mistakes I see women make in business settings. It’s best just to keep everything professional, even in an unprofessional setting. Learning this specific skill set creates a more inclusive and safe workspace for women in music.

Dj, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

DJ Roots Queen is an American DJ based out of Atlanta, Ga. Originally from Tampa, Fla, she began spinning drum and bass when she was 17 years old. In 2006, while living in Atlanta, she toured with Dinco D of Leaders of the New School. After briefly returning to Tampa in 2008, She teamed up with Poison Dart Sound under DJ Kirky C and began her career in dancehall and reggae after a lifelong love of the music and culture. After returning to Atlanta, she found a niche DJing fashion shows, artist showcases, and industry events that put her in a position to DJ for Young Jeezy’s Gourmet brand in 2013. Later that year, she launched her award-winning radio show, Rude Girl Radio, on DJ Clue’s Desert Storm Radio.

In 2015, Roots Queen was signed to Zaytoven and subsequently moved her radio show to the company radio station, Digital Dope Radio. As Zaytoven’s official tour DJ, she performed at notable events such as the Red Bull Producer’s Roundtable Afterparty with Sonny Digital and Metro Boomin and Piano Nights with Gucci Mane and Zaytoven. Roots recently appeared on Team Zaytown Global for the Red Bull Music Culture Clash 2018 and the Maxim Big Game Experience during Super Bowl 53 alongside Future, Jaimie Fox, and Yo Gotti.

In 2018, Anne began studying for her bachelor’s degree in digital marketing at Full Sail University. As a professional DJ, she has an eye for trends and discovering new talent. With a decade of experience in the south-eastern hip hop market, her passion became music marketing with a specialization in project development.

Through the pandemic of 2020, she opened her podcast studio with her business partner and executive producer, Roland Williams, and took her radio show and podcast to the next level with special guests such as Junior Reid, Pharoahe Monch, Paul Wall, and many more.

In 2022, she launched the Rude Girl Radio app. She uses her platform to help promote minority businesses and independent artists. When she is not DJing, she works closely with her label, Familiar Territory by connecting young talent to create new music. Some of the notable artists she helped develop and promote are Latto, Omeretta, Young Dolph, Big Boogie, Lil Keed, and others.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing your clientele is pull marketing. Creating compelling content on social media is the first thing that grabs someone’s attention. You want to build brand authority in such a way that people inquire about your services. Once you settle on a contract and complete your duties to your client, you want to be sure to collect a testimonial. Also remember that word of mouth is a great form of marketing, so often times, your most loyal clients will recommend you to their friends. I also believe in creating eye-catching pitch decks and media kits. You want to give your clients something easy to digest when negotiating your services. This could be a menu or a brochure, depending on your market. Lastly, study your audience and base your services on what problem you can solve for them by developing a brand statement based on “You” language.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

2020 was a crazy year for everyone. Our podcast studio had only been up for a couple months when the lockdown hit. We moved all of our feedback sessions and interviews to Zoom and found great success with that due to the fact that we could still offer our services and people wanted press and promotions even more now that everyone was at home all the time and many clubs and venues weren’t open. I even did many dj gigs virtually from my podcast studio.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://djrootsqueen.com
• Instagram: http://Instagram.com/djrootsqueen
• Facebook: http://Facebook.com/realdjrootsqueen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djrootsqueen
• Twitter: http://Twitter.com/djrootsqueen

Image Credits
Photos by Karetova