At the age of 9, DJ Cassidy begged his parents to buy him a turntable for his 10th birthday. After he received his gift, the New York native became obsessed with DJ’ing and the impact of the culture of hip-hop. He learned how to create mixes, perfectly seamless transitions and how to control a crowd with every waking moment and by the age of 18, he was playing in popular New York City venues. One night, he ran into a successful hip-hop mogul named Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and the rest was history.
Now, his unparralled resume has allowed him to work for more than Diddy— though that was a great start. In 2008, he was the DJ who Jay Z selected (and trusted) to play at his wedding to Queen Bey, herself. In 2009, Cassidy was the DJ for President Barack Obama’s Inauguration Ball. Oh, and it gets better. Oprah asked him to DJ for her during her school opening ceremony in South Africa and while most DJ’s would have rested in their accomplishments (in 2011, Forbes reported he played 200 gigs, earning an average of $100,000 per night), Cassidy wanted more.
In 2011, the internationally known DJ set out to create his own musical album. From his years playing on the hottest scenes in the world, he took note to how people reacted to certain songs, genres and rhythms. He then conceived a genius plan to bring back the music that made the most people, no matter what kind of party, get off of the wall.
“I set out on a mission to bring the greatest and most universal dance music of all time back to the airwaves, back to nightlife, back to the dance floor,” he said in his biography on DJCassidy.com. “No matter where I played and who stood in front of me, [people loved] the dance records of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The classics of that time put a spirit, emotion, and energy in the air like no other.”
After years of convincing, the world’s most popular artists will appear on his album, Paradise Royale, which is set to release sometime soon on Columbia Records. His songs with Robin Thicke, Jessie J and R. Kelly have made thousands dance and serve as a preview of what’s to come.
With all of his accomplishments, we are excited to have DJ Cassidy at our ESSENCE Day Party Series. You are sure to have a good time, based off of his motto alone: “Every person is welcome, every day is a party, and every night is a celebration.”
To be sure you don’t miss out on his party, buy your Single Day Party tickets here. Available now!