Majestic Mixer
How Prince's opener, DJ Rashida, got the coolest gig in dance music
Paul Oakenfold once toured with U2. Trance spinner Tiesto opened the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. And L.A. radio jock Jason Bentley recently played records for the President of the United States of America. But come on now, the coolest DJ gig in the world has to be the one Los Angeles native Rashida holds down. As the official opener for His Purple Majesty, Prince, she's been warming up crowds at his much-hyped performances this summer at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where V.I.P. tickets go for $3,121. Two more gigs are expected to be announced later this month.
So how did a young woman who once played underground drum 'n' bass as a hobby end up as a blue-chip DJ spinning for one of pop music's most revered artists? Rashida sure can rock a mixtape. The year was 2004: She was mixing drinks at Temple Bar and mixing records on the side on weekends at House of Blues. Prince dropped by for after-party festivities during his Musicology Tour. A member of his band told Rashida, "You funky," and asked for a demo mix, says the 26-year-old. Apparently, the Purple One liked it. He immediately started booking her for events, and she's been his official DJ ever since.
She was born Rashida Gonzales Robinson, a name that reflects her African-American and New Mexican heritage. Her father collected vinyl and played soul and Brazilian music for her. Her Latina mother, a wind instrument player and sometime radio DJ, exposed her to jazz, salsa, and boleros. Although Rashida was born in L.A. and spent some time in New Mexico, her family moved to Atlanta when she was 13, introducing her to that city's vibrant dance music, neo-soul, and hip-hop communities.
"In high school, I started sneaking out and going to clubs," Rashida says. "I went to raves, ska parties, hip-hop clubs, dancehall clubs. All of those scenes were happening. I'm lucky to have grown up there. I don't think I would be a DJ otherwise."
At 18, she started playing around on the turntables displayed at a clothing boutique, Wish, where she worked for summer cash. When she began attending the Atlanta College of Fine Arts, she bought her first set of "decks." She would spin at campus parties when she wasn't working the door at Damian Murphy's progressive-house parties in Atlanta. "That was such a big deal for me, because I could get in for free," Rashida says.
After finishing school, she moved to Spain for several months before settling in L.A. She had spent many summers visiting relatives here, so it felt like home. Soon she was DJing at a drum 'n' bass night, Proper, run by DJ Valida. She also roomed with Valida and bartended for a living, taking on paying DJ gigs whenever she could. When the House of Blues called, she jumped at the opportunity. "At the time, it was a lot of money," Rashida says.
Although she had wanted to become a visual artist, she was opening her mind to the idea of DJing for a living. She took on new sounds, from broken beat to soul to house music. And she perfected her mixing. Today, her ability to seamlessly program up-tempo funk, vintage soul, and modern, digitally composed dance music is amazing. Beat-matching a live-drum-driven track with a digitally produced groove is often next to impossible, but Rashida does it effortlessly, focusing on higher callings such as vibe, key, and musical storytelling. Prince clearly has had an influence on her sound, which, at times, reflects his candlelit freakiness.
"He makes it a point to see that you're learning things," Rashida says of Prince. She, in turn, says she's introduced him to some contemporary dance music. "He's kind, giving, and talented - the best performer I've ever witnessed."
Rashida recently signed on with Damon DeGraff, a DJ super-agent featured in a New York Times piece earlier this year. If you can't afford to see her open for Prince, you can catch her at a local roving party called Kiss 'n' Grind. (For upcoming gigs, check Djrashida.com.) Her goals include putting together a commercially available mix-CD and producing her own music. She already has the best job in dance music.
"The universe," she says, "has opened a door for me."
Published: 07/12/2007
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