DJ Keezy

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Akeena Bronson, known professionally as DJ Keezy, is a DJ from Minneapolis, Minnesota. [1]

Contents

Background

DJ Keezy was born and raised in North Minneapolis. [2] [1] She began DJing in 2013 after encouragement from Minneapolis artists DJ Snuggles and BdotCroc. [3] Keezy speaks on the energy of working with other women such as BdotCroc, and has advocated for all-women line-ups in musical sets. [3]

Career

DJ Keezy is most known for spinning throwback music such as 1990s hip-hop and R&B, Motown, and Funk. She credits Prince as an inspiration and has a tattoo of his purple love symbol on her arm. [3] She has been the opener for acts such as Kehlani, Big Freedia, The Internet, Cupcakke and Trina & Da Brat. [4] [5]

Noticing the lack of events featuring all-female performers, DJ Keezy threw her first all-women event in 2015 in First Avenue's Record Room under the name Fixx. [1] In 2016, Keezy spun records on Minnesota Public Radio's The Current as a part of their Pride Anthems show curated by DJ Shannon Blowtorch. [3] In 2017, she played a 10-day run at South by Southwest with frequent collaborator BdotCroc. [1] She played sets at Soundset Festival in 2017 and 2019. [6] [7] Inv2019, she participated in Dizzyland, put together by Red Bull and Dizzy Fae, and described as "a melting pot of sorts for up-and-coming Queer and POC talent". [8] Keezy toured nationally with Rhymesayers acts Atmosphere and Dem Atlas in 2017, [9] 2018, [10] and 2019, [11] and with Atmosphere, The Lioness, and Nikki Jean in early 2020. [12] [13] [14]

In September 2020, DJ Keezy participated in a livestreamed concert series called Amplifying Solidarity that was put on through Northrop and the University of Minnesota, and was broadcast live on Radio K. [15] [16] [17]

The Klituation

DJ Keezy is one of the founders of the Klituation, a dance party created by and for women-identifying, gender non-conforming, and queer women held annually in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. [2] [3] [18] Maria Isa is credited with realizing the name "Klituation" as a nod to the consistent all-female line-ups promoted at the annual dance party. [3] Keezy curates other dance nights throughout the Twin Cities and aims to show the collective power of creative women. The fourth Klituation dance party was held at First Avenue's Mainroom in 2016 and featured Sophia Eris, Shannon Blowtorch, Sarah White, Maria Isa, The Lioness, Manchita, K.Raydio, and Lady Midnight. [19] [3] The Klituation has been hosted regularly at First Avenue since then. [20] [21]

Auntie's Venue

In July 2020, DJ Keezy, Lady Midnight, and Sophia Eris launched a fundraiser with the goal of the opening of a music venue called Auntie's. [22] [23] Auntie's would be the only music venue in Minnesota to be owned by women of color. The artists pledged to bring in workers in mental health and sexual violence advocacy fields as well as community members in order to create a business model that reflects their goals and mission. [24] [25] In speaking of the difficulties of organizing inclusive events at mainstream venues, DJ Keezy told NPR "For me, it's the disconnect between the people that throw the events and the venue … They hold a major energy … Sometimes it's very disrespectful". [26]

The launch of Auntie's fundraising was met with both praise and scrutiny from the community. Community members cited the three members' involvement with the record label Rhymesayers, who recently dropped two artists from their label after allegations of abuse, as a reason for concern. [26] [27] The venue is also seen as a proposed safe-haven in the wake of these allegations. [28]

Awards

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "DJ Keezy heads up an all-woman hip-hop party Saturday night at First Ave". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "DJ Keezy Presents The Klituation 2 Year Anniversary Party". Radio K. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Johnson, Cecilia. "You Need To Know: DJ Keezy, who brings 'female energy' to center stage". Local Current Blog | The Current from Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ "DJ KEEZY". first-avenue.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  5. ↑ "DJ Keezy presents THE KLITUATION". first-avenue.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Twin Cities' largest music festival, Soundset, announces 2017 lineup with Travis Scott, Lauryn Hill, T.I." Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  7. ↑ Harris, Keith. "Soundset 2019 lineup + set times announced: Lil Wayne, SZA, G-Eazy, Run the Jewels". City Pages. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Interview: Dizzy Fae On What Makes The LGBTQ Fanbase So Special". HipHopDX. October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Atmosphere - Welcome to Colorado Tour w/ Musab + Ink Well (MInk), deM atlas, DJ Keezy @ THE BLACK SHEEP - Tickets - Black Sheep, Colorado Springs, CO - December 12, 2017 8:00pm - NIGHTOUT". nightout.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Atmosphere Announce North American Tour With "Make It All Better Again" Single". HipHopDX. August 7, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Atmosphere, deM atlaS, The Lioness, DJ Keezy". Portland Mercury. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Slug says surprise Atmosphere album 'might seem like old guys yelling at clouds'". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  13. ↑ Jordan, Jerilyn. "Veteran hip-hop duo Atmosphere will go wherever — including Detroit's Saint Andrew's Hall". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  14. ↑ Parker, Chris. "Seasonal Atmosphere Disorder". Idaho Press. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  15. ↑ "DJ Keezy | Northrop". www.northrop.umn.edu. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  16. ↑ "University of Minnesota presents free concert series with Lady Midnight, DJ Keezy, others". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Amplifying Solidarity | Northrop". www.northrop.umn.edu. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  18. ↑ Gee, Amy. "Street Style: The Klituation at the Varsity Theater". City Pages. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  19. ↑ "DJ KEEZY presents THE KLiT•UATION Dance Party". first-avenue.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  20. ↑ "The Klituation". First Avenue. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Popular Twin Cities DJ Keezy's car is stolen with gear inside". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Women musicians pitch a 'safe space' Twin Cities music venue named Auntie's". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Women in entertainment combat inequalities with Pay Gap Festival, a new venue and support groups". Twin Cities. September 25, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  24. ↑ Diamond, Peter (July 1, 2020). "Twin Cities Artists Launch Fundraiser for Auntie's Music Venue". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  25. ↑ BringMeTheNews. "Women artists of color launch fundraiser for new Minneapolis music venue". Bring Me The News. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  26. 1 2 "Trying To Fund, And Found, A Venue For 'Radical Freedom Of Expression' In Minneapolis". NPR.org. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  27. ↑ Vang, Youa (October 1, 2020). "The Aunties Are Listening". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Minnesota music scene faces a #MeToo reckoning led by sexual assault survivors". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Best Club DJ | DJ Keezy | Music | Best of the Twin Cities® 2017". City Pages. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
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