By Damilola Akinduro

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He is popularly addressed as DJ ROSZAY, but christened Lateef Adekunle, a Lagosian, born and raised in Orile lganmu, where he attended A.B.S Nursery and primary school. He further attended Surulere Secondary School and then proceeded to Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA where he studied Computer Science.

He has been in the disc jockey business for almost five years now but has been into music since his secondary school days.

DJ Roszay, in this interview with Friday Extravaganza, discusses his personal life and his career. Excerpts:

How long have you been technically involved with music?

Technically, I have been in the game professionally for five years now but has been singing since my secondary school days.

How would you describe DJ business in Nigeria today?

Disc Jockey business is booming and encouraging at the moment, because you know we are the life of the party, but you have to be very good in mixing and controlling the crowd, ensuring that your playlist is updated , have your own DJ Gears even though they are quite expensive at the moment but once you have all listed above , trust me you will make money from being a professional DJ , you will get booked for shows and events here and there .

How did you start?

I love music so much that it gives me joy, so I decided that since I have passion for it,  why not make something out of it, so i became a music blogger and started sharing new music online via my website Then www.Alhajiroszay.com. I became a personal blogger to an artiste named Mystro who also happened to be a music producer then, and through his influence I started blogging for other big names in the industry.

Along the line,  I started loving music more and more because I was always in the studio with Mystro. To cut the story short , I bought an App then called Virtual Dj App, I bought the CD from computer village , installed it on my computer then and started using it to learn how to deejay, it took me a lot of practice, dedication and of course I was passionate about learning it, I became good at it . So to God be the glory, I am here making waves and staying on top of my game, getting booked here and there. I am not going to lie to you, it was a very busy December for me.

Did you train to become a DJ?

Apparently nobody taught me how to Dj , I had passion for music naturally and you know I’m this kind of human that believes in the saying that “ Whatever you put your mind to in life, you can achieve it “ I could remember staying up every night practicing , watching videos online to learn the act of deejaying.

How do you feel when you are in the juke box?

I love it when someone in the crowd starts shouting “ Roszay We wanna Party “ even before I start playing, before you know it , the whole crowd would have been cheering out loud at the top of their voice , that feeling gives me joy and more confidence before kicking off my set and while playing as well.

Are you married?

Married?, no. Well, I am married to the game though! I believe when it’s time to get married that sign will come but for now, I want to be among the best DJs in the world , make enough money to take care of my family, travel around the world and take my brand to the next level .

Were you born with this dreadlocks you are wearing?

No, I wasn’t born with dreadlocks, the dreads I have on are my natural hair, I started growing it three years ago simply because I wanted to create an identity for myself.

Have you ever played and nobody danced to your music?

No, I don’t think so , even though I am playing at an event for the first time , the first three songs I played, trust me, you will ‘Gbe Body eh’, like for real, you will be like who’s this DJ, he is good.

Any embarrassing situation or threat at show venues?

I have had embarrassing moments back then when I just started, a moment when one of the amplifiers  got so hot that it got burnt , I was so confused, I didn’t know what to do at that moment , that’s why I always ensure there is an engineer on standby in case there are technical threats because I can’t be multi tasking , playing and then trying to fix a fault from an engine or speaker. Well I pray first before I proceed to play at any event or even in the club where I work , I do that to avoid embarrassing situations or threats.