If you’re a student at Florida A&M University, you should recognize a local DJ’s calling card anywhere that you hear it.
DJ Loosekid, the official DJ of FAMU, keeps the school spirit alive on the hill, while building a household name for himself. Saying that he is an extrovert is an understatement. To the FAMUly, he is kind, outgoing, driven, talented and most importantly, inspirational.
Spinning records wasn’t always his thing. The Miami native, born Rasheed Okuboyejo, has Nigerian roots and had an original plan to work in the medical field when he first arrived at FAMU. In high school, he had a passion for helping others and saving lives, therefore, he developed a passion while doing hospital rotations and working under a variety of doctors, physical therapists and occupational therapists. With support and the push from his parents, Okuboyejo was accepted into FAMU’s pre-physical therapy program.
Okuboyejo started his journey at FAMU in the fall of 2008. He worked on-campus at the bowling alley through a work-study job given to him by the late Saundra Inge, a former FAMU administrator. In addition to his on-campus job, he was also a member of the university’s men’s basketball team. After sharing a short season with the team, he was cut and decided to revisit an old hobby — DJing.
“I’ve always had an interest in music, I love music,” Okuboyejo said. “ I somewhat DJd in high school, so I had a playlist and would just entertain folks.”
From his association with the activities on campus and Mrs. Inge, Okuboyejo was able to land his first DJ gig. He even coins Mrs. Inge was ‘one of the first key components of how Loosekid became Loosekid,’ due to the role she played in his start up. Eventually, Loosekid was regularly DJing events on campus with the crew “Takeoff Squad,” which consisted of a variety of on-campus DJs. The group not only DJed events together, but they practiced together, learned from each other and held each other accountable. Eventually, the group went from DJing house parties to doing club events.
Now able to showcase his knack for crowd pleasing on-and-off-campus, Okuboyejo was ready for the next level. DJ KD, his fellow Takeoff Squad member and the original “Set Friday” disc jockey, also noticed his potential and decided it was time to pass the torch. Okuboyejo began to emcee the university’s notable “Set Friday” that occurs every Friday during the spring and fall semesters. Through the music, Okuboyejo was able to unite an entire university, he was named the official DJ for FAMU in 2010.
In 2016, well after establishing his name on the Hill, Okuboyejo was joined by his cousin and fellow disc jockey, DJ Jam. Much like Okuboyejo, Jam has always had a passion for helping others and music. While on campus, he pursued a degree in accounting as well as finding time to provide musical entertainment for students on campus. After a while, he was given an opportunity to DJ professionally by his cousin, who he says has inspired him in unspeakable ways.
“Outside of family, he is one of the first to give me an opportunity,” Jam said. “He made me work for it, so when success happens, it hits differently,” DJ Jam said. “There was never a handout from him.”
As their bond grew stronger, the cousin duo continued to emcee events together, and their iconic “Loose and Jam Show” was created. With his cousin turned colleague by his side, Okuboyejo managed to stay in the limelight by breaking records and pursuing crowds with his viral song selections and audience engagement. Eventually, the disc jockey’s hype and exciting ambiance caught the attention of rapper Plies, and DJ Loosekid was named his official DJ in 2018.
On-campus, students rave about the experiences that they have when attending a DJ Loosekid event. Rayauna McDonald, a second-year biomedical engineering major, says she has enjoyed every event she attended that his name was attached to.
“He plays the music everyone wants to hear and always has good vibes,” McDonald said. “He always gets everybody out of their comfort zone and dancing. He is the perfect DJ to represent FAMU.”
Loosekid has been DJing at FAMU for over 10 years and tremendously grown as a DJ. He has hosted events all over America as well as Jamaica, Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos. In his spare time, he is an on-air personality for Tallahassee’s 105.3 radio station alongside DJ Jam. He is also making a name for himself in the music and entertainment industry by appearing in music videos alongside his “Boss Friend” rapper, Plies. Even with the new-found fame, DJ Loosekid still remembers his roots and never fails to return to his beloved university where it all started.