Courtney George, who is considered one of the top Guyanese disc jockeys (DJs) in New York, has been promoting Guyanese artistes and their music through his social events and helping to put Guyanese on the charts.
Next month, Courtney, known as DJ Kash ‘Real Bad Guyanese’, will mark 24 years as a professional DJ. He currently owns and operates DJ Kash Entertainment and is widely recognised for his skill as a DJ but came from humble beginnings.
Courtney’s father was the popular DJ Rockers George of Blue Ribbon Sound System and he shared that his father was not very involved in his life while he was growing up, but he credits him and his father’s side of the family for their influence in music. He recalled seeing his uncles on his father’s side always building music speakers. Courtney said that in addition to his father and uncles, he drew inspiration from an older cousin popularly known as ‘Father Gavin’, who owned a music system called Inner Citi back in the 1990s. Among his other inspirations were Jamaican Stone Love, Fire Links and Bass Odyssey.
His father’s family, he said, hailed from Lodge, Georgetown, while his mother’s family was from Campbellville where he spent the earliest part of his life. Life back then was a struggle, Courtney recalled, explaining that his household consisted of ten members with his grandmother being the only one with a job and a cleaning job at that, which paid little. Yet it was the only income they could depend on to make ends meet.
Courtney was a Redeemer Primary pupil and just eight years old when he boarded a plane bound for the US where he was raised by his aunts. It was a more financially stable life, but he had to do without his mother by his side and nothing could replace the loss of that bond with her during those years.
Courtney shared that he would often visit Guyana where he saw his mother and the rest of the family. “I had to vouch for myself most of my life since my mom lived in Guyana and my dad who lived in the States wasn’t as involved. I was without my mom until I was 22, [which was] when she moved here,” he recalled.
Up until four years ago, Courtney did DJ gigs on the side as he was employed full time. At first he was part of a group, but since going solo in 2011, his DJ career blew up which led to him travelling more frequently to Guyana and Jamaica putting on shows. He also competed in sound clashes in Brooklyn, winning five.
He later decided to resign from his NYU Hospital full-time job. “I left to do music full time. No regrets. It’s been more than three years since making this decision,” Courtney said.
Aside from DJing, Courtney also mixes sounds and has collaborated with recording artistes in composing songs. One of the biggest songs he has collaborated on is “Real Bad Guyanese”, which he worked on with ‘Gaddie G’.
Over the years, Courtney has also collaborated with Fojo, Terror, WarChild, Eejay, Kapa Shanti, Gucci Boss and the late Ceejay among many others.
Courtney noted that he is one of the lucky ones who can say that he gets to do music full time through which he takes care all of his expenses. However, where he is today he shared, is the reward of lots of hard work, including working other jobs to help buy his music equipment and being consistent and determined as a DJ.
One of his earliest challenges was getting to and from events with his sound system. At first he rented a van, but he has since saved up and bought a truck. He is now working towards owning his own home.
DJs are getting a run for their money, Courtney pointed out, explaining that music enthusiasts who have laptops and music apps today feel qualified enough to call themselves a DJs, but DJing is an art.
“A promoter will look at you and say you’re charging so much but then [point out] that the guy with the laptop is charging less. That’s the downfall of this business. To be a DJ means to know how to get the crowd going and keep them on their feet. Anybody can mix a sound, but you have to know to control the crowd,” said the DJ.
During the COVID-19 lockdown when he was not playing at events, he started a Facebook show where he played music for his viewers. Courtney enthused that he was “clocking more numbers” (viewers) than Guyanese radio stations.
On Tuesdays he hosted ‘Big People Tuesday’, where his music catered to the older folks. On Thursdays he had ‘Up Thursday’ for the general public and on Sundays he did ‘Gospel Show Sundays’. At present, he still hosts the Tuesday and Thursday shows, but has plans of returning to his Sunday programming soon.
While DJing at physical events and on Facebook, Courtney plays Reggae, Reggaeton, Dancehall, Soca, Calypso, R&B, Soul, Old School and New School. Through social media, he has expanded his reach and has fans from England, Canada, Grenada, St Lucia, Venezuela, Cuba, Trinidad, Jamaica, the US, countries in Africa and of course Guyana.
Aside from being affected financially by the pandemic, Courtney also contracted COVID, but it was a mild attack that was mostly over in three days.
Along with being a DJ, Courtney has a clothing line called Squeeeze. The name comes from the slang ‘squeeze’ which he uses when DJing, shouting “Squeeze” to the crowd. Established earlier this year, the clothing line offers t-shirts, caps, sweatsuits and leggings. Business so far has been flourishing, Courtney said.
He recalled that back in the day people thought he was charging too much and would complain. However, being as established as he is today seems to have settled the issue as this no longer is the case.
Courtney cautioned aspiring professionals in the music business that it takes a lot of sacrifice. “I’ve never really had my own support system but you’ve got to go for it. I had to save my own money before I was able to get what I wanted to get,” he said.
His biggest hope is for the Guyanese music industry to one day be as huge as Jamaica’s or larger. However, he noted that the support has to come from within the Guyanese community before outsiders can begin to notice.
“I think we are on the right track. The sound and quality of the music today is way better than it used to be. The market is better also,” posited the DJ.
When he is not caught up with music, Courtney spends time with his two children.
Being a DJ keeps him busy. Currently he’s booked for shows in New York and other US States.
One of the upcoming shows is the ninth edition of his annual birthday bash slated for August 13 in Queens, New York, though his birthday is August 12.
DJ Kash can be followed on Instagram @djkashnewyork, on Facebook at DJKASH George NY and can be booked at +1 718-807-1854.
