There was a time when in a dimly lit room, poets stepped to the mic and temporarily whisked you away with their vibrant words. There was a time when dancers and performers took the stage, and unabashed audience members got up out of their seats to reciprocate the artists' energy. There was a time when people danced till dawn to Nas, Mobb Deep, & Lil' Kim while DJ Kuttin Kandi and the members of the 5th platoon cut it up on the turntables & brought the house down.   

The time was in the late 90s & the early 2000s in NYC. 

Today, we reminisce with hip hop veteran DJ Kuttin Kandi, who currently resides in CA, at the height of her career. The premise for the show was to invite a guest who broke stereotypes, specifically Asian Americans who did not take the traditional route in their careers. We wanted to get into conversation & see what it was like as they paved the way for the future.   

In 1998, Kandi was the first female DJ to compete in the DMC USA Finals and held the distinguished title for 18 years. She has worked with numerous artists such as Jay-Z, LL Cool J, & The Roots, to name a few. She discusses how hip hop has politicized her and lead her to work in activism for social justice. She has co-founded many different organizations such as R.E.A.C.Hip-Hop (Representing Education, Activism & Community through Hip Hop), Asian American Collective, and DJ Coalition-Freedom Sound DJs. She has released several books on feminism and hip-hop culture and is currently working on her second anthology. DJ Kuttin Kandi added a prefix to her name and became Dr. DJ Kuttin Kandi when she received a doctorate in Pinayism.   

We touch on the influence hip-hop had on the lives of Asian Americans. The late 90s and early 2000s were a significant time when Asian American artists full of musicians, poets, & dance crews broke stereotypes and pursued their dreams. They supported each other at shows and depended heavily on grassroots marketing.   

When asked how she feels about Hip-Hop now, Dr. DJ Kuttin Kandi cooly responds, “Hip Hop will always, and should be, lead by the youth…We should be open to where the youth is leading us.” Let's just say, her response was "humbling".  

“You can take the girl out from Queens but you can’t take Queens out of the girl."-Cindy Lauper   

A big thank you to Dr. DJ Kuttin Kandi for paving the way for aspiring DJs, specifically female DJs. Thank you for sharing with us your experiences while we lived in the past, even for a moment.    

Note: Chill TF down everyone, Esther had an emergency on the day we filmed. She’ll be back next week!