Afrosheen
Just two years ago, DJ Afrosheen still had a 9-to-5 job at SmileDirectClub — spinning records was still a side gig, no matter how unhappy they were with the corporate life. Suddenly a voice popped into their head while playing an afternoon set at Bonnaroo in 2022: “Your last day is Aug. 1.”
Afrosheen knew the change wouldn’t make sense to anyone, but as they tell the Scene, “I’m meant to be a full-time creative, whatever that looks like for me.” They listened to the voice.
Flash-forward to 2024. SmileDirectClub is bankrupt while Afrosheen is one of the busiest DJs in town, performing at everything from drag shows to benefit concerts and even opening up for Philadelphia R&B legend Jill Scott at Municipal Auditorium in 2023. But on any given week, the easiest place to find Antioch native Aliyah Allen is probably at their recurring gig at East Side cocktail bar Golden Pony, a venue they now call home.
“I started DJing there in July, and it’s been the perfect place to grow,” Afrosheen tells the Scene. “They are extremely supportive of the community — Black, brown, queer. It seems like, honestly, the safest space to just chill.”
It makes sense Afrosheen would vibe with such an inclusive space. The DJ loves to spin disco, house, electronic and underground, genres rooted in queer communities of color. And certainly the radical spirit of those genres still feels relevant today in Tennessee, where lawmakers have taken aim at Pride flags and drag shows.
DJ Afrosheen
“A lot of old-school disco and electronic music promotes positivity, promotes love, promotes acceptance, tolerance, expression, freedom, liberation,” says Afrosheen. “They come from resistance and revolutionary thinking.”
You can see that radical, inclusive spirit at Afrosheen events like Baby at The Blue Room. The monthly party series, which features throwback R&B and pop hits, was created by Afrosheen and DJ John Stamps in 2022. But the duo doesn’t just rely on 2000s-era nostalgia to maintain their crowd. There’s a flair for theatrics and costumes, clever themes inspired by Bratz dolls and Blockbuster (the latter complete with walls of VHS clamshells), and a dedicated photo booth run by local photographer Dana Kalachnik captures the revelry and variety of free-spirited outfits.
Afrosheen’s hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. The DJ was recognized twice as the city’s Best DJ in the 2023 Best of Nashville issue — once in the readers’ poll and again as a writer’s choice.
“I don’t think people understand how deep my gratitude is,” says Afrosheen. “People like me don’t get our flowers in real time.”
Afrosheen doesn’t plan on slowing down either — 2024 is going to be a year of expansion. And their success is, in their opinion, about more than their own career.
“Nashville has such a rich Black and queer community that is resilient and is truly caring and carrying the culture. And I think that I am just the beginning of members of that community getting the flowers that are overdue.”
Photographed by Angelina Castillo at Golden Pony
Profiling some of Nashville’s most interesting people, from archivists and DJs to Americana star Allison Russell
