Meet Andre Minor | D.J.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andre Minor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andre, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I decided to create Swif Entertainment, the sole purpose was to create a business and brand that represented who I am as a DJ, and as a man. I love music. I love to dance, and I love making people dance. I started DJing for free for friends and family so that I could practice and hone my skills. Once I felt confident enough to charge for my services, I knew that I needed to create my business and brand so that I could be taken seriously.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Resilience. I am the second oldest out of 4 children, born in New York City. My father wanted a better life for us so we moved south, eventually settling in Virginia. Growing up, we weren’t extremely poor, but there were a lot of tough times. My parents both worked in D.C. and would have to commute from Fredericksburg, VA everyday, M-F. This was a job in itself. Due to that, my parents would have to call out of work a lot of times for a multitude of things (bad weather, car trouble, sick kid, etc.) This created struggle due to my parents having to constantly find different jobs to try and accommodate these types of challenges. This is important to my story because after seeing this happen continuously, I realized that I was going to need a job AND a business to have the lifestyle that I wanted.

Both of my parents are music enthusiasts and they were always playing music in the house. Anything from 70’s disco to the latest hip hop and r&b hits. I’ve always loved to dance since the age of 5. I’m not professionally trained or anything. I was your typical public school kid that was just in love with music videos and learning the latest dances. In school, I wasn’t the smartest. I wasn’t the most popular. I wasn’t a jock. But I could dance. I owned that! Dance offs? Talent shows? That was my lane. So I stuck with it. Lol.

Fast forwarding…life happens. You know, graduating high school. Going to college. Dropping out of college. Your first love. Your first heartbreak. Then boom, I’m a full fledge adult with not much going for myself but a few semesters in college and a willingness to work hard and learn new things. By God’s grace, I applied myself, learned some skill sets, created some amazing relationships and carved out tiny space for myself in this great city…..Atlanta, GA.

I moved to Atlanta in December of 2006 after dropping out from Tuskegee Univ. I did eventually return to school years later and earned my B.S.B.A in Finance. Without question……Atlanta is the new urban music mecca! Super salute to all the DJ’s and music pioneers in this city that helped it become what it is today. When I would listen to the radio here in Atlanta back in the late 2000’s, I loved the music but I just felt like something was missing. I was used to a certain style of play that I just wasn’t hearing at the time. THIS IS WHAT MADE ME WANT TO BECOME A DJ!

I decided to become a DJ in June 2013. Full transparency, I didn’t have a clue on what I needed to get started. Although I was born in birthplace of hip hop, DJing wasn’t something that was on my mind as a kid. Musically, my age group either rapped, sang or danced….if not all 3. Lol. So I never knew the mechanics of how it all worked. I just knew how it was supposed to sound. I tried asking a few local DJ’s could they teach me but either they were too busy doing gigs…..or just flat out didn’t want to teach me. It was like Kung Fu or something. Lol. I didn’t let that discourage me. I searched for tutorials on YouTube and came across this guy named DJ TLM! My foundational skills in DJing are accredited to him. At the time there weren’t many DJ’s (if any) doing this. So I am forever grateful for those tutorials. I would practice at home with a entry level Pioneer controller and a computer speaker. Outside of playing for friends and family at small gatherings, I was “gig-less”. Lol. But that was ok because I was still learning and didn’t feel comfortable charging people when I barely knew how to work the fader. However, with a little bit of “liquid courage” I did feel comfortable enough to record my self and put it up for viewing pleasure. I would often do this on Saturdays and Sundays. I then created my hashtags #SwifSaturdays & #SwifSundays to put my stamp on it. This is where Instagram comes in!

Instagram! Fresh new app that I barely knew how to work and I got 15 seconds to record something cool. LOL! I look at some of my first videos and cringe! Smh. Instagram is crucial to my success as a DJ. Not because of followers though. The 15 second recording limit back then forced me to do countless edits until I was satisfied. I didn’t realize that this was making be better by practicing and by being my worst critic. Watching myself countless times on camera allowed me to find mistakes and make improvements. At the time, all I cared about was scratching and cutting so I was obsessed with that. I made so many videos and practiced so much, I finally decided it was time to start charging. I thought I learned the hardest part of DJing, so the rest should be easy right? Wrong!

Most party goers do not want to hear DJ’s cut and scratch all day long. Rude awakening. Lol. Over time….I learned to build build an awesome library to cater to many different genres and age groups. I learned that less is more meaning that, allow songs to play, but also know when to get out of a song and get to the next one. Lastly, I learned that presentation, professionalism, and customer service is what makes a successful DJ business. Learning how to DJ is one thing. Learning to run a successful DJ business is another.

I am a man of the people, a man of integrity, and a man of service. I feel these are the core values in my business that has allowed me to be referred throughout the city as well as attract new clients and dj enthusiasts. I have much more that I want to accomplish, but I am very grateful for my current client base, awesome relationships, and overall DJ community that I am oh so happy to be a part of.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first thing that comes to mind is food. Lol. There are a lot places I like to eat so I think it would be best to break it down by the types of food. I love a good Soul Food plate so places such as Auntie Laura’s, Mary Mac’s and Southern City Kitchen would be my go-to’s for that. Gotta fit the barbeque in there Fat Matt’s & Fox Bro’s hands down! If they are vegan, can’t go any other place besides Slutty Vegan. I’m a Southsider so would probably go to Jonesboro. Seafood is tough because there are so many. But I would say Atlanta Fish Market for fine dining, Juicy Crab for casual. Steaks…..New York Prime! That is all. Gotta fit some hibachi in there so if we’re pressed for time a nearby Kiku would do, but if they love hibachi like I do, then we have to go to Nakato! Burgers….Grindhouse Killer Burgers for sure. Lastly we are home of the hotwings & brunches! That’s tough because there are so many good places. I like the local places the best. J. Buffalo for the wings…..Noveau (either location) for the brunch.

For attractions, my friends like the music scene like me so I’m big on landmarks based on artists from the city. Would show him Rick Ross’ house. Drive up Old National, hit 285 west. Show them Cascade skating rink. Hop back on 285. Go to the Trap Museum. Leave there and ride pass Coca Cola HQ. Pass through GA Tech. Drive over to Piedmont park. Drive up Monroe to get to Buckhead. Show them Lenox Mall. Head back down south then 20 East to show them Little 5 and East Atlanta. Then probably come back to the southside to Escobars or something similar.

Clubs…..I don’t club much anymore. Too busy working. Lol. so it would have to be something specific they wanted to do. Atlanta is always having something so I sure it wouldn’t be hard to find a few places to have drinks and listen to dope music Possibly even see an artist.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Wow! There are a lot of people that are involved in my overall success. Steven Dotson, Donley Dickenson, J Squared Entertainment, The DJ Team, DJ K-Boogie and my fiancé Jessica Franks are all main contributors to my overall success.

Special thanks to my mother for always believing in me and encouraging me to follow my dreams. She took me to try out for my first and only talent show in High School which is the beginning of “Pritty Swif”. She has been my number 1 fan since day one. Love you ma!

I would like to thank the magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff for being a stellar example of the kind of DJ I strive to be. Special thanks to Al Skratch, DJ SNS, DJ Kizzy Rock, DJ Shakim, DJ Bonics & DJ MLK for the continuous love shown and jewels dropped.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my brother Ian Minor. Before I had a business, before I knew how to DJ., before I believed in myself…..my brother was there….from the beginning. His sacrifices and contributions for me and our family are priceless. I am forever grateful.

So I would like to dedicate this Shoutout to him.

Website: swifentertainment.com

Instagram: djprittyswif

Image Credits
Terrance Wooten