all things soyo
DJ SoYo is an artist/activist who blends turntable wizardry with community organizing and youth outreach. She was raised in El Paso, Texas and is currently living and working in Washington, DC. In 2000, she made the transition from Hip hop fan to a speaker, activist and DJ.
Her main focus is on motivational speaking, Deejing and instilling self-awareness in the misguided and solidarity with the righteous. She embraces Hip Hop culture through her love of community service and Deejing. She has served the community by speaking or Deejing at events where she has worked side by side with icons such as KRS-ONE, Wise Intelligent (of Poor Righteous Teachers), Immortal Technique, Professor Griff (of Public Enemy) and Dead Prez, to name a few. Utilizing her alliances with cultural figures of this caliber, DJ SoYo has helped to promote and raise money for humanitarian causes such as aid for Katrina survivors (alongside Hip-Hop Caucus) and ending torture internationally (alongside Amnesty International).
Progress is most often accomplished by group effort, so Soyo regularly allies herself with comrades who help her fight for social justice and community improvement. She has been involved with a range of organizations, including the Lyricist Lounge, Temple of Hip Hop, Hip Hop Caucus, and TruSkool (where she began her DJ career). Additionally, she was a founding member of the DC Hip Hop Alliance. Soyo is also a member of Hip-Hop Sisters, legendary recording artist MC Lyte’s group of female hip-hop practitioners. Finally, Soyo Deejed part of DC Slam (shown on HBO), a poetry event that allows District youth to express creatively instead of through violence.
Soyo knows that giving back to the community is an often-unheralded element in hip-hop. As a DJ, she volunteers her services by providing music for a variety of events focusing on organ donation, ending youth violence, and raising adoption awareness. Further, Soyo was the resident deejay for the National Black Luv Festival; an annual DC Festival that focused on social change and community (and self) improvement (and which regularly set records for the number of District residents tested for HIV at a single event). She was recognized for these efforts when she was among 300 women spotlighted in the book “Fresh, Bold, and So Def: Women In Hip-Hop Changing The Game”.
She is now the only female Deejay for the Wudjs. A crew of Deejays started by Wutang to continue their legacy.
Through these aforementioned efforts and in many other ways, SoYo is truly a catalyst for positive change.
questions/booking djsoyo@djsoyo.com
http://www.shejay.net/artistDetail.php?userID=3853
