Celebrating Women's History Month
It’s Women’s History Month and Prism DJs is thrilled to celebrate the women who pioneered the industry and paved the way for us to do what we love. It’s no secret that women face enormous inequalities in our society, especially in our line of work, so we take every available opportunity to recognize the greatness and the contributions of the women who came before us.
Last month, as we honored the Black artists who gave birth to the DJ industry as we know it, we spoke about DJ Spinderella, one of the first- and youngest- female DJs to rise to fame as the DJ for hip-hop legends Salt-N-Pepa. In 1986, at only 16 years old, Spinderella began mixing tracks for the group, playing a pivotal role in their platinum and gold achievements and laying the groundwork for the women who would follow in her footsteps.
DJ Shortee, who’s been hailed as “Queen of the Scratch World” by DJ Times and is widely considered one of the most talented DJs in the world. Shortee’s been DJing since 1995 and experienced her first big breakthrough in 1997 when she became the Fever-Buzz Battle of the DJs Champion- the first female ever to do so. Her 1999 solo debut album The Dreamer was also the first turntablist album produced by a woman. During the course of her 26-year career, she’s opened for major acts, headlined her own shows, and made her way through festival circuits far and wide, earning immeasurable respect. She’s become a producer, a record label owner, a professor of DJing, an actor, and a published author. Shortee has been and continues to be a champion for women in the DJ industry, using her platform to educate and empower women DJs, up and coming and veterans alike. The scope of her influence on our artistry is virtually endless.
DJ Spinderella, DJ Shortee, and the countless other pioneering women of the DJ industry not only left a mark, but used their passion and creativity to carve out a space for women DJs. And while that space has grown over the years, the road there is still a bumpy one. Gender bias, the pay gap, and performative tokenism often discourage women from taking their dream to the farthest heights of their imaginations and keep us out of the spotlight we’ve earned. Female representation in the DJing world is dismal, but it is growing. According to the most recent IMS Business Report in 2021, 13 female DJs were voted into DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs in 2020, increasing by five since 2019, seven since 2018, and nine since 2017. However, despite this progress, women DJs still only account for 4% of demand- a stark contrast from the 32% of women who make up the DJ community. But if women have proven anything, it’s that we can accomplish anything.
The road may not always be easy, and at times it may even seem lonely. The good news is that we are in good company. As the representation and recognition of women DJs continue to grow, so do the collectives and agencies who represent them, and as those entities grow, so do the chances that women DJs will be requested, booked, and noticed on stages big, small, and everything in between. But those entities also serve a much greater, more intimate purpose- community. When you’re a female DJ, you’re part of a sisterhood that is open to encouraging you, listening to you, advising you, educating you, and hyping you up when you need it, and you’ll be there to do the same for your fellow sisters on the ones and twos. Don’t be afraid to open up and reach out to find your tribe, whether it’s a Facebook group, a local collective, or an all-female agency like Prism DJs.
Women’s History Month is sure to be full of exciting things for us, and we couldn’t be more excited to share our history, our gratitude, and our hope for the future with you.
