Today we’d like to introduce you to Wayne Davis.
Hi Wayne, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My musical journey started with me in a four male r&b group in Los Angeles around 2004. We were blessed to walk the red carpet at The BET Awards, Record songs with artists such as Mase and Ne-Yo and we also had a couple of songs in rotation on 100.3 The Beat at the time. Our most notable member in the group was Eric Bellinger and the group was called “O.N.E.” After the group, I went into more of behind the scenes aspects in the industry and starting working with a So Cal High School Tour company called Classcfied in 2014. We provided lunchtime entertainment with Dj’s, performers and giveaways. We worked with the likes of DJ Vision, Joe Moses, Mindless Behavior and Roddy Rich to name a few. While working with Classcfied, I handled things like booking the schools, artists, hosting/MCing the tours and I also got a chance to develop my skills as a DJ! I’ve been blessed to DJ for almost every high school in Los Angeles.
Then one Sunday in 2018, I decided to go roller skating at World On Wheels! I’ve had a passion for skating since I was 14! Now when I walked into the skate session, I noticed that they didn’t have a DJ and were playing music off of a phone. I tried to bear with it for as long as I could, lol! Then God said, “go see if they need some help”! So I asked Sweet P, who was the manager at the time if she could use my assistant since I had my laptop with me in my backpack… She said, “yes, please”! Because of my history of skating, I knew the format and I DJ the last hour and a half of the session. Sweet P called me the next day offering me a residency! Talk about a dream job, lol!
From there, I went on to build a skate following at World on Wheels, DJing celebrity parties for Lil Kim, Alicia Keys and Jeanie Mai Jenkins to name a few.
In August of 2020, during the pandemic, along with my fellow skater Jasmine Alexander, we started The Sk8 Pop Up! Everything was closed including the rinks at the time so we used outdoor hockey rinks to hold skating sessions. It created a relief within the skating community in which we reached a very diverse amount of skaters. We have produced over 30 skating events to date still going strong! Our 2nd Annual Holiday Roll and Toy Drive will be Dec. 18, 2021.
Presently, I have a weekly residency at Skate Express in Chino, Ca. Thursday nights (R&B) and Friday nights (Hip hop, R&B, old school and new school). I also do pretty well DJing non-skating events!
A few of my future goals are to become a nationally known skate DJ, getting into radio DJing and being a personality and DJing arenas and stadiums. I’m looking forward to a bright 2022!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, lol! One of the biggest struggles was starting at World On Wheels. NOBODY knew me as a DJ let alone a skate DJ. So I had to build my following session by session. I used to contact skaters after the sessions and ask what could I do better. That allowed me to not only build relationships/trust with other skaters but also gave me more knowledge of the skate culture and the music!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I consider myself more than a just DJ! Through my experiences, I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to put on an event. When I DJ, I make your event feel like an experience. I like to engage with the crowd, make announcements and play the right songs at the right time.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I like to stay on top of my music by subscribing to different record pools (BPM Supreme, MyMp3 Record Pool)! Two of my favorite podcast shows are Hot 97’s The Breakfast Club (The interviews) and Drink Champs.
Contact Info:
- Email: DJWayneD10@gmail.com
- Instagram: @DJwayneD10
