From Georgia Southern to Roscoe Dash: How DJ Aladdinn Built a DJ Career Nobody Saw Coming

I grew up in Gwinnett, Indian background, in a family that wanted me to be a doctor. Nobody in my family did music. The whole thing started because my college roommate kept telling me to stop talking about wanting to DJ and just teach myself. So one summer around 2017, I bought all the equipment and taught myself on YouTube. I haven't looked back since.

The North Side, and a family from India

I'm born and raised in Gwinnett, shout out the north side. My family is originally from India, and in the Indian culture, education is everything. You're supposed to be a doctor, an engineer, something stable. Music as a profession wasn't really on the table, and there weren't a lot of Indian DJs to point to and say "that's a real career."

I've always been the creative one. I played soccer growing up, I was into music constantly, and I believed I could do anything if I bet on myself. My family raised me to work for my own income and afford things myself. Nothing was handed to me, and that turned out to be the most important thing they could've given me.

Betting on myself two classes short of a degree

I started my DJ career in college at Georgia Southern, down in Statesboro, and I was getting booked a lot, both in Statesboro and back home in Atlanta. Then I hit the real fork in the road. I was two classes away from finishing my Finance degree, and I had to choose: stay an extra semester in Statesboro, or go pursue DJing full-time in Atlanta.

There's not much growth for a DJ in Statesboro. So I bet on myself. I didn't finish the degree. I went to chase the dream in Atlanta, and in 2019 I went full-time.

Earning it in Atlanta, gig by gig

In Atlanta I started getting opportunities to DJ in Buckhead, playing mostly hip-hop and trap, the newer hits. Even when I wasn't the best technical DJ yet, people loved my sets because I controlled the crowd. That got me more gigs, and my name started to grow.

I had to level up fast. When you start DJing full-time, if you can't beat match and you don't have a clean mix, you're not getting booked at the clubs. I had a few mentors who showed me the real standard, and I've been learning every day since.

Becoming Roscoe Dash's official DJ

The Roscoe Dash situation came from relationships. I was DJing for an artist named Wix Patton, and when Wix started opening for Roscoe on tour shows, I'd end up being Roscoe's alternate or second DJ. I built a real relationship with Roscoe. He saw how many gigs I had in the city and how hard I was working, and eventually the opportunity came to be his official DJ. That's one of the biggest accomplishments of my career.

If you want to bring this kind of energy to your event, book DJ Aladdinn here.

The lesson

The biggest thing I've learned is to be patient and enjoy the process. Opportunities will come, so don't force it. I'm thankful I get to do what I love for a living every week, so I try to enjoy every step of the way.