Where the music’s at is usually where you can find DJ J(KIDD), Chi-Town’s “New KIDD on Da Block.”
Born Jeremia Cole on Chicago’s West Side, J(KIDD) didn’t kick it off on turntables like most DJs. From the age of 12, he was DJing house parties back in the day with two dual tape decks and four 12-inch speakers. When he wasn’t getting the parties jumping in person, people would ask him to create playlists. That’s because he was known for having the latest hits, which he built on to keep the parties jumping through high school.
“That’s when everything changed,” said J(KIDD).
After high school, J(KIDD) earned a business degree, but visits to the Hottest Chicago nightclubs brought back familiar feelings for the music lover. The energetic crowds and banging beats enticed him to step back into the booth, where some of Chicago’s hottest DJs inspired him to make a comeback.
“My encouragement was watching other DJs spin at the club and watching the crowd react to them,” said J(KIDD). And so started the second coming of the DJ. J(KIDD) invested in the necessary DJ equipment and has since been grinding out the hits at private parties, on FM Radio and in the Hottest Clubs.
“I’m just doing what I like — listening to music and entertaining the crowd,” he said.
Now, the self-taught DJ is going where the music and the money are.
“I felt like I should have continued the movement into DJing but stopped because of college,” said J(KIDD). “Years later, the urge to hit the tables resurfaced, and I stand before you to today.”
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