Adeniyi Johnson

Female DJs gaining popularity

The disc jockey (DJ) space has in the past been dominated by males, but more women have broken the glass ceiling and made their mark in this arena. Female DJs often struggle with recognition and inclusion over their male counterparts. However, with the constant rise of female DJs, some significant changes have taken place where the women even invest on their crafts and study the art of DJ-ing. “There is substantial growth on this space for women, and maybe 30% of women DJs nowadays enjoy to be behind the decks, but there is still more males doing it,” acknowledged YDJ Academy director Leatile ‘Ydj’ Rapoo. Rapoo, an experienced DJ and music producer, whose career has spanned over 20 years, said they had received a lot of female students who were currently doing well in the industry. Compared to the past years, Rapoo said the female turnover at his academy is high. "We give lessons to everyone, and we give everyone a chance and support them equally regardless of gender,” he added.