Today we’d like to introduce you to Nabil Oyolola.
Hi Nabil, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started my Dj career way before I knew I even wanted to become a DJ or even had an idea of what djing was about, I just knew I was very into music. while I was attending college at the University of Illinois in Springfield, I would attend a couple of college parties and while at these parties, I realized the music being played was the same everywhere I went and not that I wasn’t a big fan of the music, I just felt there was way more music to be listened to than the same being played at these parties. So I then started being sort of in charge of music at these parties and then eventually it became a thing where I was always the one playing the music at these parties because I guess everyone became fans of what was being played.
Luckily for me, I had a roommate at the time who had bought a DJ controller for himself but would never use it and just had it laying around, so I would mess around with it, eventually started taking the controller to parties and would DJ these parties and then came to an end of the year party that a couple of friends and I threw at a local bar known as crows mill pub (which is still up and running and I still Dj there here and there). After the party, the owner approached me about playing there every Thursday and there came my first ever Dj gig outside of a college party. Not long after I did the pub came to the local Springfield clubs reaching out and then the radio.
After djing Springfield for a couple of years, I decided I needed another challenge which is when I decided to move back to Chicago, where I then had an interview with the Dj firm, after receiving the job, I ended up being one of the DJs on their roster and still work with them till today.
A move to St. Louis would soon follow after Chicago due to covid and the restrictions in Chicago, I was brought down by my good friend Dj Merf, who is well known in the STL Dj scene and I have been trying to get my name known in the STL Dj scene while still traveling.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been the smoothest road and it also has not been the roughest. I think every rough patch I experienced has brought me to the point I am currently in my career. some of the struggles I have faced are knowing how to expand my music taste for someone like myself growing up in Africa where music genres like rock and country are nonexistent, I had to pay attention to certain DJs and crowds and see what songs worked and when they worked before I started to incorporate them into my sets. For instance, a rock song that works at a club in Springfield might not work in a Chicago club. another struggle I believe I still have to deal with would be discrimination due to my looks, I believe I have had some gigs not come my way because some owners may look at me and assume I might bring in the wrong crowd or play just one genre of music but I am grateful for those who have taken the chance on me and hope I made them happy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am mostly just an open format Dj, which means someone who plays a mix of many genres, rather than just one single genre like House or hip-hop. When someone is looking for an open-format DJ, what they really want is a DJ who spins a mix of multiple genres in one set. I also take on shows opening for several established artists/DJs such as wiz khalifa, malaa, DaBaby, Nora En Pure, Nelly and many more, during these shows I set the vibe for the night before the artist jumps on stage and sometimes play whenever they are finished as well. I am proud of the way my career has grown throughout the years. When I look back on the gigs and shows I have played, I tap myself on the back because I never knew I would take my career this far.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory unfortunately does not involve music. I mostly enjoyed playing football with my neighbors and schoolmates and that was my first love. Playing football. I remember getting back from school tossing my backpack away and heading right out the door to go play football until the sun went down.
Contact Info:
- Email: nabssthedj@gmail.com
- Website: djnabss.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djnabss/?hl=en
Image Credits
Chris Del Gaiso
