We were lucky to catch up with Superstar DJ ROS recently and have shared our conversation below.

Superstar , appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

This is a story that is unfolding in real time so, this answer will have an air of “To Be Contined” to it.

I’ve been primarily known as a DJ for the last 20 plus years. That profession has been the one that I have built a successful global brand upon. However, what most don’t know is that I relocated to Atlanta initially to continue making my way in the music business. At that time, DJing was more of a hobby rather than a primary focus. It just so happened that when music piracy wrecked the earning potential of many of us in the recording industry, my DJ career began to take off. I made the decision at the time to ride that wave and never looked back.

Until 2020 and the shutdowns came…

Once Covid-19 robbed us of all touring and live performance opportunities, I was forced to pivot once again. This is where the risk came into play:

I made a decision, literally on a whim, to focus on recording a full-length artist album and making a play a musician for the first time in my career. Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but, when you tie this decision to a realization that I wasn’t as enthused about returning to Djing as I had been prior to the lock-downs, from a business and financial standpoint, turning focus from being a pro DJ to a upstart recording artist could very well prove to be disastrous. Still, as someone who has always promised myself that I would only do things that I am genuinely into, the risk of failure is worth the risk.

As a result, I have been working on my first full-length debut project, “CAPSULE”, since May of 2020.

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?

Well, I have been in some sort of entertaining or the entertainment business since my early teens.

I began my DJing journey at the age of 9 when I initially picked up the hobby by mimicking the things I heard on the radio and on early rap records. I formed the boy band “F.B.I. Crew” in my late teens who performed all over the east coast and on the bill as support for some major R&B/hip-hop tours in the 90’s. I have done everything from being a rapper, recording engineer, and every type of DJ in every category of our industry over the last 3 decades.

Such is vital to know to place the value of my brand and business in proper context. As a DJ business coach and speaker, I have the experience and resume that underlines the worth of my counsel to clients. As a working professional DJ with 3 decades of experience in a wide variety of situations, I love the fact that those that opt to do business with me can rest assured that I have a bankable history of top tier work and performance with such a varied, global customer base.

The thing that I’m most proud of is the growth the business has seen over the last 15 years. My firm, Iconik 360 Creative INTL, initially was launched as a marketing and consulting company. My DJ business was not tied to it at inception. We worked primarily with recording artists and brands that were seeking to target the “urban” market.

As the years have passed, the shop has grown to include bookings for my personal DJ tours and speaking engagements, the Million Dollar DJ business & client coaching program, my streetwear brand (Brooklyn Slice FTW), and our DJ specific graphic design company (Celeb DJ Graphics).

Each one of those brand extensions has a natural symbiotic relationship to the others each as they operate as stand-alone entities. This works well when providing services to like-minded creatives that operate in various arenas much in the way that I do.

I sometimes reflect on those early, formative days referenced earlier in this answer to fuel the structure used to grow this current business. It is built to be in service to those who dream and create for a living and wish to dress fly while doing so.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of what I do is two-fold. First, in regards to being an international DJ, I cannot think of another hobby or profession that would allow me to see and experience the world in the same way that this job has. I don’t think anything else comes remotely close. To having billboards and signing autographs in other countries to being paid well to travel the planet, nothing else compares to the best parts of this job.

Secondly, as I have learned through the creation of this album, parts of being a creative can serve as a sort of therapy in some regards. I am extremely proud of how honest this project is when it comes to lyrics and subject matter. It has allowed me to be very transparent. From tales of love lost, mental heath struggles, racial strife, good times, braggart postering, and spirituality, many of my life’s experiences make a transparent appearance on this record. I feel tremendously fulfilled by that.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have always found that being your authentic self and expressing your views on life through a personal lens is money. The thing that I genuinely despise about social media in this era is the “Mr. Me Too” mentally that has taken over.

Everyone seems to want to “go viral” or participate in popular trends just to get a “look”. I mean, I get it, but, what happens after that? Is it just a matter of going from trend to trend? If so, though you may get the views or likes you’re seeking, one my find themselves holding an empty bag at the end of the road as all that attention doesn’t help you build a personal brand if nothing you do there is exclusive to you.

I tell my DJ students all the time to write down at least 5 things that they are personally into that have nothing to do with their DJ brands. Then, take that information and find creative ways to rotate takes on those items into your social media story-telling. That is a solid way to gain a genuine audience over time that is there because of YOU, not because of a viral trend of the moment.

For instance, I began using the hashtag #DJThoughtOfTheDay probably around 2009/10 on Twitter as a way to give daily “free game”about our profession that could be helpful to DJs of all types. It shocked me to get messages from so many DJs of all stripes from around the world that shared how helpful they found these tips to be. Many also stated that this practice was the reason they began following me in the first place as the tips were reposted by fellow DJs.

Now, over a decade later and a move to Instagram, those #DJThoughtOfTheDay posts are STILL helping to build my audience and coaching client base. They also helped me as complied content for sue when writing my business book, “How To Be A Million Dollar DJ”.

My best advice in an elevator pitch: Be Your Authentic Self At Times.

Image Credits
Daniel Ormas, Joey G, Marshall Simon, Max Smith, Chucky Foto, Royal SP Nightlife