SUPREME WRITER GETS RADIO HOST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIC
By Ra SHAWN CHISOLM

Cosci’s restaurant is one of the most popular eateries in the village that’s known for their pizza, salads, sandwiches and their famous caramel apple cider. It’s also the place where I interview DJ Baker, the host of the online radio show the DJ Doo Dirty show, which is one of the most popular online broadcasts show the hit the internet. A former child actor, Baker has been keeping fans tuned in with his wit, sense of humor, and for speaking his mind about issues concerning the Gay community as well as providing an outlet for many Gay singers, rappers, poets, party promoters and producers to be heard. I met with the crazy cool host at Cosci’s where he spoke about his career during a taping of his show.

RC: How did it feel to have celebrated your one year anniversary?
DJ: It was a milestone. It was something big. I never thought I would celebrate my one year anniversary. I though I would be shut down by six months, but I lasted one year and it motivated me to do many more years.

RC: What was your inspiration for you starting your show?
DJ: The inspiration for the show came from going to forums and hearing a lot of gay men complain that there wasn’t gay man in the media and if they were gay men in the media, they wasn’t representing the average Joe, and I decided I would do it. I would be the one to step forward, and be confident to be out, proud and stand up for something missing in the gay media.

RC: I understand you started as a child actor. What shows did you star in?
DJ: (Singing) More park sausages mom. Please. I did that commercial when I was a kid. I think I was an understudy in a Broadway play. I think it was Annie. My father was a musician, so I was heavily in the studio. I was heavily going on auditions for commwecials and stuff like that. That's how I started on the business. Then I started doing plays when I was in high school. I was very successful in that.

RC: How was it up for you coping with your sexuality while living in a Caribbean household?
DJ: I really didn’t grow up in a Caribbean household. My mother was American, so it was an American household. Then I moved in with my father and that was a Caribbean household. That’s when I came out. I just did it. I don’t think I wasn’t concerned about their closeted and ignorant views.

RC: From your perspective, why are so many Caribbean men homophobic?
DJ: As far as they’re concerned, its part of their culture, but it’s weird because most of the women are masculine. If you’ve been around Jamaican women are more masculine than their man and their man be like ‘yeah baby. Whatever.’ It’s very odd that they refer to us as anti-man, but when you think about their relationships, they’re the anti-man. Even in their relationships because their women is more masculine than they are.

RC: You also play music by many SGL and Gay artists. How important is it for you to showcase these artists?
DJ: It’s very important. I think the more and more we realize that these artists are talent and have a lot to say, and then they can get respect. They’re people and I don’t feel that someone is gay that their drama is less important than anybody else. We need artists like King Jabari, Shorty Roc to spit the truth.

RC: I’ve notice that most media shows Black Gay people being rich, famous and flamboyant but they don’t show gay people who are down to earth, working, struggling and going to school.
DJ: Wow! That’s the reason I had a problem with the gay elite at the time. It was a different between the gays who had money and the gays who didn’t have money and it seemed to be no bridge in between. That’s why I wanted to be a part of this community to bridge the gap. The ballroom kids are usually the broke kids. The hustlers are usually the broke kids while the gay media, the magazines, they’re the ones who’s wealthy. They’re not passing any of that money down; they’re not investing any of that money. That’s the problem we have with Blacks not investing that money in the Black community. I don’t think the Black gays are investing any money into their own gay community.

RC: What have other projects you’ve been working on besides the show?
DJ: I just finished wrapping a commercial. I was an extra in “American Gangster.” Hosting a number of parties. I just want to be a part of this community.

RC: Congratulations on your relationship. How do you manage to have a relationship while maintain your career?
DJ: It’s so hard. It’s very difficult to hold a relationship down. One, you have your man that you want to satisfy your man, but you have this business which at the drop of the dime, someone’s saying there’s a red carpet you need to be at. Sometimes there’s not enough time. Especially since it’s new and we’re trying to get to know each other and that when we go out in public, people are drawn to me because they know who I am and sometimes I can’t give him all the attention that he needs, and I have to avert my attention to other places. But if you truly in love with the person and love is the root of why you’re with the person, then it won’t be any problems.

RC: Where do you see yourself in the next five and ten years?
DJ: I see this show on satellite radio. I see us having a TV/Video show with gay, lesbian, transgender artists. I do see myself being a celebrity. I do, I do, I do. I also see us being a better community. As a Black and Latino gay community, we’re be definitely be stronger in bigger numbers and definitely more visuaable, seen, powerful and respected.

RC: How is the show making an impact on with people?
DJ: It’s making an impact with the gay community is because we’re playing gay artists. Gay artists are having a problem being played by regular broadcast media and mediums. We’re gonna play them, and not only we’re playing just so people want to hear them, we’re playing them so people who want to hear, but don’t where to hear this type of music, they know where to go. They need a place to come and be heard.

RC: From your opinion, why mainstream radio refuses to play music by gay artists?
DJ: Ignorance! One word. There’s nothing else to say on why they won’t be played. I can throw a lot of money at a disk jockey, and they’ll play it, but once they know what it’s about, then they’ll take it off. It’s just ignorance.

RC: What advice would you give to an open gay person wanting to pursue a career in entertainment and media?
DJ: Stay strong and stay focused. You need to know that you’re not gonna waiver on your sexuality. There are so many things you can waiver on your life; in sense you can waiver the way you deliver the news or you can waiver the way you format your show, and hold it with confidence because in this business, confidence goes a long way and insecurity goes no where.