Kaytranada performing at We Love Green in June, 2024
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Wikimedia Commons
Featured Songs
- Kaytranada feat. SiR, “Go DJ”
- The Delfonics, “Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide from Love)”
- Johnny Osbourne, “Ready or Not”
- Manu Dibango, “Soul Makossa”
- Cymande, “Bra”
Every week for Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison has been exploring the music of the African diaspora and the cultural ties that connect Black communities around the world.
This week, he’s taking a closer look at DJ culture — its roots, its global reach and why it remains essential today.
“As DJs, when we pull up to a party with records or a laptop or whatever, we are carrying other folks’ stories, their experiences, their cultures,” Morrison says.
Today, he traces how DJs have served as cultural translators and connectors, moving sounds across borders and generations. From sound system culture in Jamaica to clubs in the United States and beyond, DJs have shaped how Black music circulates and evolves.
“American R&B, in particular, is imprinted on the DNA of reggae, and you can hear echoes of that influence all throughout the music, throughout reggae’s history,” he says.
This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Kimberly Junod. Our digital producer is Miguel Perez. World Cafe‘s engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.