Meet John Johnson | DJ & Youth Programs Coordinator

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

Hi John, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
What made me pursue an artistic/creative career honestly boils down to me not knowing if I will ever be able to sit behind a desk in a cubicle for the rest of my life after college. Ever since I was a young kid growing up my older brother would always tell me “you’re not supposed to have 9-5, I do not see you ever working the regular 9-5 life”. His main reason for always saying that to me was mainly because I was a talented football player so he just wanted me to make it to the NFL (LOL) but I think that message was implanted into my subconscious mind. Which is why even though I do have a day job I also go very hard in the pursuit of making my artistic endeavors my full time business.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
So for me I do look at DJing as an art form. I think some of the things that set me apart from others may be the fact that I am a very diverse person. I grew up in an African household within a predominantly Dominican & African American neighborhood, and I went to school in a affluent part of town so I saw A lot of white kids outside of where I lived due to that. With this upbringing I listened to a load of different music from African, to Latin, to hot 100 pop music. Honestly what makes me most excited is the unknown. I do not know what big things will come my way next year but I can feel that things are going to continue to look up for me. There are a lot of good individuals in my corner rooting for me especially god. I know that persistence is the only thing that has gotten me to this point in my profession, It has not been easy because social media will show you everyday how great others lives are which can be difficult to stomach at times but once you realize what god has for you will be for you, then you will realize you’re running your own race against nobody else. I just want people to understand that my brand as a DJ with such a diverse background, My goal is to bring pure joy and happiness to individuals from all walks of life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
oh boy okay (LOL) so, I consider myself to be a foodie so a lot of what we would do will consist of food, but I also know of some cool places that serve some awesome drinks! Sunday – brunch at South House Garden in Gaithersburg
Monday – hike at sugarloaf mountain, lunch at Market on Market, Dinner at White Rabbit
Tuesday – Greenbrier State park Beach front lake, $7 Tuesday movie at Warehouse Cinemas
Wednesday – lunch at Sweet Sweet Kitchen, late night move at a speakeasy called Capo Italian Deli to party with a DJ collective called “Darling Nikki”
Thursday – Natural Tunnel State park for hiking, lunch at smoke craft bbq, Late night move to Saint EX for a party with a DJ collective called “Everything NIce”
Friday – Hiking at Great Falls MD, Lunch and drinks at Lone Oak Brewery, probably have a night move at wherever I am Djing.
Saturday – Brunch and fun at Swingers Adult Mini Golf.

These are just a few fun things I would do with my friend.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh! Most definitely, there are some people I would love to shoutout because without them I would not be doing what I am doing today. For one I have to shoutout one of my best friends whom I consider a brother to me Seni Johnson. He really put the bug in my ear to be a DJ, in 2016 we were at a house party and I took control of the aux chord. I just wanted to play music that I like (LOL) so I did not notice the reactions of other people who were also enjoying the music until Seni said “hey man you should be a DJ, everyone is dancing and I know you have an ear for good music”. I have to give a huge shoutout to my other best friend who I also consider to be a brother to me Jamie Brown. He was actually a DJ in college at Penn State but after we graduated he kind of stopped DJing. I told him I wanted to get into DJing and he did not hesitate to let me try my hand at it. Jamie gave me my very first mixer and speaker. Jamie would throw these big cookout/birthday parties every summer and he would let me DJ them. I was using a old HP laptop and a Iphone to mix from one song to another (LOL). Another shoutout goes to my boy Sunny, he actually put me in my first club gig in 2018 for a major party in DC. Another best friend and somone i consider a brother to me Adam Baisa. He really is the one who puts the battery in my back about pushing the envelope when it comes to my DJing, might be one of my hardest critics but it really helps me want to get better and do more as a DJ. Last but not least my older brother Boima, man there are a lot of times when I get down on myself or discouraged because I feel as if I should be further along in my career as a DJ but he reminds me of how far I have come and the accomplishments I have made, and ultimately to just keep going at my pace because in the great words of Nipsey Hussle “its a marathon”.

Website: https://soundcloud.com/you/tracks

Instagram: @itsbaspy

Twitter: briggsishim