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

Enrique, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

The life you live depends on the choices you make, the risks you take, and how lucky or unlucky you’ve been. I took the biggest risk when I quit my job and committed fully to being a DJ. In April of 2021, I was brought back to work on the Sobeteo Promotions team to open up about Grammy Award-winning Latin artist Rauw Alejandro. It was the biggest crowd I had experienced and throughout the night I just had this energy around me that just felt right. Watching the crowd and feeling the music, I knew I wanted that feeling to last forever. I started investing in better equipment and taking a lot more bookings for events, even if they were dead events. May rolled in and Sobeteo brought me back for another show and that solidified my mental. I called my job that Monday following the weekend and quit. At the time I wasn’t getting booked often and I struggled heavily, doubting myself along the way. I didn’t have a promo team to back me up in the same way as for larger events. I was mentally exhausted from mixing empty club nights while also supporting other DJs to gain opportunities that never came. So after a few months I took a step back and re-evaluated the situation. My flowers were given to me everywhere I mixed, but the better opportunities still hadn’t come. I was asking promoters and DJs I had worked with for bookings and I still wasn’t getting booked as I didn’t fit the image they wanted. I knew, however, that my talent would take me there once I put everything into my work. I re-prioritized myself and started investing more in my promotion and content. I connected with a promoter in Seattle and he took me to the next level, independently selling out 500 to over a thousand people events. Almost 2 years in and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

Enrique, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

No one looks back on their life and remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep. Since high school nightlife has been a thing for me. I started doing club promotions and fell in love with the industry. I was living my version of the dream. I was having tons of fun and being paid to do it. Throughout my time as a promoter I met some of the coolest DJs in my area. I had some really insightful conversations about their lives on that side of the business. It wasn’t until I met my two biggest inspirations, Ramon Liranzo aka Zon D’Leon and Juan Manuel aka Don Albondiga (known to me as DJ Meatball) that created the catalyst for my passion. Zon’s energy with people was unmatched and Don’s song selections had every venue they played going crazy. The more time I spent watching them, the more I found myself wanting to be able to provide those same experiences for other people. I bought myself a mini DJ controller and got to practice. Through college, I did a number of house parties and private events, but never really worked in any clubs but a handful of times. Of course life took over at a point and DJing was a far off dream that I didn’t think I would achieve. Fast forward to 2020. Steven Nunez a friend of mine I used to promote with growing up, decided to create a promo company with 2 others. He called me with the opportunity to get back in the game. Of course it was a dream of mine to be in that position so I jumped at it and I am thankful every day for that phone call. After the call I realized I didn’t have a brand and I wasn’t going to step back out into the industry using my earlier DJ name. Knowing I was going to be in front of hundreds of people and my name was going to be on a flyer reaching thousands of people. I rebranded myself as 6lactino to showcase my background of being black and Latino while also representing where I come from with the 6 representing Atlanta. Afro-Latinos don’t get much representation in Latin culture. Most people assume a dark Latino is either from Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic, and so I’m using my position to bring attention to this.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Honestly, a few things helped with that. From my DJ name to my content creation. Although I also have to give credit to Sobeteo. Without those first few events I wouldn’t have the leverage I needed to push my brand. My DJ name always raises a few eyebrows and a few questions. Almost every time I step out I wear clothing that I’ve gotten made with my name on it. I also push video content heavily on Instagram. Thanks to my friend Andres Velez (@atl_drez on Instagram) for coming to almost every one of my large events and getting the videos done for me to have the content. Without the video I wouldn’t be able to show the world who 6lactino is and how coming to a party I’m mixing at is a complete vibe.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The beginning of 2021 was the hardest time of my DJ career. I could have quit a multitude of times due to businesses not wanting to book me while at the same time telling me how great of a DJ I was. I couldn’t understand how they were claiming I was great but didn’t want me to mix in their venues. I was being told I was too urban to mix there or didn’t have my own fan base. I was only getting booked for hole-in-the-wall venues or parties that had a handful of people in attendance; my motivation was shot and it really knocked me down a few notches. Of course, I was just getting back into the industry and wasn’t realizing that time plays a big part in showing what I could bring to the table. I thought because I did a few big shows and was complimented on my performance that was enough for me to be given opportunities. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Thankfully, a few people in my circle kept telling me not to give up because of the talent I had. Therefore, I persevered and connected with a promo company called What The Sound and I’ve been able to travel all over the south east to different states mixing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/6lactino/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/6lactino

Image Credits
@atl_drez @rd_viz @haptix.atl