DJ Day Day went to a secondary school in Birmingham to motivate young people as they rehearsed for their end-of-term concert. He capped this off by completing a 24-hour, non-stop, live broadcast across the UK on BBC 1Xtra. Surprisingly, just half an hour later, he approved the visit. When engaging students in a dance studio, Chris played music that sparked energy and excitement within the young performers during their rehearsal.
The Hip Hop Healing programme, organized by art teacher James Bennett, aims to engage students through hip-hop, art, and dance. DJ Day Day launched his DJ career in 2009. Continuing on from last year, he returned to BBC 1Xtra and personally mentored all of the students through this unique experience. As part of an ongoing collaboration, he worked with them to create the series of peach-themed performances. These will then be shown to the whole school on the final day of term, this Friday!
One of the students he visited with was Muslima, an aspiring artist who sketched a portrait of him during the visit. DJ Day Day said he was excited to be a positive role model, saying,
“It’s important to have role models and somebody to look up to.” – DJ Day Day
He emphasized his commitment to inspiring others, particularly in his hometown:
“I’m from Birmingham so it’s important for me to come up and try to inspire.” – DJ Day Day
Drawing on his own experiences, he shared what inspired him to travel this path. The journey began with an after-school DJ workshop during his K-12 education.
“And when I was in school, I did a DJ workshop and I guess that was the beginning for me, so I could be that person for somebody here today.” – DJ Day Day
DJ Day Day, hip-hop ambassador and artist-in-residence, prepared the students for their final performance. Beatboxer Chonky Beats participated, providing inspiration and direction in practice sessions.
