Hey everyone, I’m Kamau Ogbonna, AKA DJ Kayo. I was born in NYC but was raised in Alabama. Since finishing my undergraduate studies in Alabama I’ve lived in the Chicago area, the Bay Area, and Washington, DC. Now I’ve called San Diego my home for the last 5 years.
My love for music began at a very early age when I first fell in love with the very early stages of hip-hop. Also, with my parents being music lovers, I was introduced to a wide variety of music stylings. Music from Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, and John Coltrane fills my earliest memories as a child.
When I landed my first real job 18 years ago, one of the very first splurges I made was a CDJ and an old 2-channel mixer. What began as a hobby turned into a full-blown infatuation. I started out performing school dances for a mobile DJ company, and within a year I had secured my first club/bar residency in San Francisco.
Since then, I’ve gone on to secure multiple residencies within the DC area as well as perform at events supporting movie premiers, the Congressional Black Caucus, neighborhood festivals, weddings, and nonprofit conventions. I’m also one of the original performers for one of the most popular ongoing events in Washington, DC, for the last 12 years, the Old School Hip Hop Bar Crawl.
I consider myself to be a true open format DJ to my core. Some of my favorite pioneers in this style of mixing include DJ AM, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Vice and DJ Questlove. While hip-hop is my first love, I’m enamored with all types of genres. From hip-hop to R&B to classic rock to salsa to top 40 to 80’s pop, I aim to incorporate all of my influences into my mixes to create a seamless vibe for any event. This enables me to deliver my passion for all genres of music to all types of events while ensuring that bodies are moving on the dance floor or on top of tables, belting out the lyrics to one of their favorite songs.
I’d be honored to conduct the vibe of one of your events. Let’s go!