THE MARVELOUS WAVE OF NYC’S COLLECTIVE, TROPICAL JAWN: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Author: Bridget Kyeremateng
“Bridget is a music lover, feminist and producer who thrives in creating content that stirs up conversations about society. Born in Italy, raised in California and now residing in Brooklyn, Bridget has always been a world citizen who enjoys partaking in discourse about different cultures that have to do with women, music and the Black diaspora. Bridget has created content for Brands and has written for publishers such as CatchetDigital, Driven Society, and Vinyl Crown. For four years she has produced a live-show circling around feminism and the importance of identity. Her passion in music and how it ultimately shapes our culture, specifically for women, demonstrates her ultimate passion to bridging the gap in music and continuing to uplift the community for women in the music industry.”
In the time I have resided in New York City, the wave of artists, performers, collectives, and DJs I have met has been awe-inspiring. Each with their own stories, cut from their own cloth and experience, they bring passion into their work. When we think of New York City, many of us may think about the birth of Hip-Hop from Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc in 1973. The art of DJing blew New York City’s culture and birthed numerous disc jockeys, break-boy and break-girl dancers and hip-hop artists. What also brew was the undeniable talent of Black women in hip-hop and DJing that is, to this day, heavily looked over.
DJing is a heavily male-dominated industry, being especially overpowered by white men. The opportunities for Black women to get their foot in door within DJing and hip-hop have always been slim. This is why DJ female-collectives — Discowoman, Sister, etc.– have been taking the music industry by storm. They use their strength as a community and drive to push through boundaries that have kept them out of the forefront.
Image Source: Tropical Jawn
This is where seven-member collective Tropical Jawn comes in. Founded in the summer of 2017, the collective is made up of women from African and African-American descent. Tropical Jawn was birthed “from a group chat where the group talked about nightlife, music, immigration, and community building” (Sibabalwe Mona). What was born then morphed into an incredible space that brings together the gift and beauty of African culture to New York City. As a Ghanaian myself who has lived in the US since 2002, African culture (music, food, clothes, etc.) was rarely brought in good light until recently with the recognition and wave of afrobeat music — Yemi Alade, the Azonto, Fuse ODG, WizKid, DJ Tunez, Davido and more.
In the past year, Tropical Jawn has hosted 20 events in music, art, fashion, social justice, and nightlife in New York ranging from Braai, a South African grill cookout, their annual trip to South Africa, collaborations with New York creatives such as DJ AQ, Dj Moma, Maine, Everyday People, DJ Moniki, Gvijin, Andre Gray, Tropical Faya and more. I’ve had the pleasure of attending Tropical Jawn’s events such as Trippy Brooklyn Jungle and Link Up. The inclusive crowd that rolls through these events is mindblowing. From Harlem to Brooklyn, African descendants, brown people and people with every identity gather as folks are seen doing the Gwara Gwara, voguing and expressing themselves — it is truly an experience to remember.
Image Source: Tropical Jawn
At the heart of Tropical Jawn is Kadija Bah (image below), known throughout NYC as DJ AQ aka “Afrikan Queen,” Tropical Jawn’s resident DJ. Harlem native of South African and Guinean descent, AQ has been DJing since college and specializes in the sounds of Afrohouse, Gqom, and Afrobeats. The importance of DJ AQ in this collective, and in New York City, is her ability to be a powerhouse in this male-dominated industry. Her sense of style and flow are uniquely hers. Additionally, her ability to spin, captive her crowd and maintain a powerful flow, bestows her as a powerhouse DJ that can be just as and even better than her male-counterparts while shedding light and space for African culture.
Image Source: Tropical Jawn
AQ’s presence is also providing a path for future aspiring Black female artists to pursue their dreams of working in the music industry and her undeniable pride of having South African and Guinean descent continues to put African countries on the map in the music industry.
This article wouldn’t be complete without a deeper understanding of the collective. I had the immense pleasure of interviewing Tropical Jawn’s General Strategist, Sibabalwe Mona, and learn more about the journey of Tropical Jawn:
- Who consists of Tropical Jawn?
General Strategist: My name is Sibabalwe Mona, and I’m a non-profit strategist that moved to NYC from South Africa three years ago for graduate school. I’m passionate about African economic development, the creative economy, and social justice. I strategize and curate Tropical Jawn’s long-term vision and brand identity.
Resident DJ: Kadija Bah, DJ AQ “Afrikan Queen”, is our resident artist and brand ambassador. AQ is our best tool for spreading the mission of Tropical Jawn through music and NYC nightlife.
Event Planner: Nolo Zita, the original Tropical Jawn, the person who gave us our name and a native New Yorker. She is the daughter of Apartheid-era exiles from the historic Soweto township and uses her creative networks, art school background, and career in fashion marketing to organize events.
Financial and Editorial Strategist: Jasmine Young is the Operations Manager for a popular men’s streetwear brand. She is from Long Island by way of Texas, and uses her sharp management skills to ensure Tropical Jawn’s growth and sustainability.
Marketing: Zoe Johnson, talented visual artist from Cape Town, South Africa. Immigrated to the US in 2005 in pursuit of her passion for the promotion of art from the black diaspora, and uses her acute networking skills to connect and build Tropical Jawn’s audience and foster new artistic collaborations.
Business and Legal Operations: Mpei Moeketsi, a Business Management graduate from Pretoria, South Africa. Education is integral to her values, and she enjoys collaborating on educational, interactive events that highlight the beauty and brilliance of Africans.
Finance and Operations: Okuhle Thina Tuswa moved to Brooklyn, New York from South Africa at the age of 12 in pursuit of better opportunities. Her interests include Economics, Fashion, and Design.
We all come from vastly different backgrounds, but we are binded by our shared South African heritage and our love for the creative contributions of the diverse African Diaspora in New York City.
Image Source: Tropical Jawn
- What was the main drive and passion for Tropical Jawn?
Tropical Jawn was born from the realization that we could come together and use our social capital to create community around NYC creatives in the diverse black diaspora. We are inspired by the creative contributions of African, African American, Caribbean, and Latinx communities, and we found ourselves socializing within all of these micro-communities. In the spirit of collaboration, we decided that we should join all our networks together and use our culture and heritage as the binding force to do so.
Our brand values are Creative Collaboration and Cultural Entrepreneurship. The South African philosophy of Ubuntu informs our mission. Ubuntu is the theory that “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, a Zulu phrase that loosely translates as “I am, because you are”. We are all about building community and expanding our social networks, empowering and uplifting our peers, and using the arts and our African values as a catalyst for unity.
- How is Tropical Jawn creating spaces for the African Diaspora in a way that hasn’t been done before?
Our core values are collaboration and community. Our business model at the moment is open format, as we enjoy lending our voice to different groups and initiatives in New York’s cultural and creative landscape. Every single event we work on involves several elements of artistry that showcases the broadness and depth of the talent we witness on an everyday basis. We love the fact that people vogue to South African afro-house at our parties. We LIVE when New Yorkers come up to us to show us their “gwarra gwarra”. We’re inspired by our collaborations with American, Brazilian, Jamaican, and Nigerian artists. We want to bring Africa to the world, and the world to Africa.
Image Source: Tropical Jawn
- What are some of your favorite events that the collective has thrown?
The Tropical Jawn Braai is our first-born, and we are proud of having the opportunity to educate New Yorkers about the best parts of our South African heritage.
We frequently collaborate with DJ mOma and Maine Buchanan, co-founders of New York’s legendary day party, “Everyday People”, for their Wednesday night party, “DANCE DANCE DANCE at Le Bain”. Mo and Maine have really taken us under their wing, given us legitimacy in the scene, and have always given us amazing guidance as we find our feet. We’re eternally grateful for the genuine love they show Tropical Jawn.
- DJ-ing is a male-dominated industry, specifically by white men. How is Tropical Jawn inspiring more Black/African women to pursue DJing?
In the past year we have definitely learned just how male-dominated our industry is. As Black women, we often have to fight hard to be taken seriously and most men can’t resist the urge to try to take advantage of their societal position of power in business transactions. Our public persona is of a seven-member squad of young women who pop out to events, dance, socialize and have fun, and sometimes people take that at face value. However, we know our power as smart, dynamic women, and we definitely have learned to leverage our public persona towards our deeper, long-term vision.
We always centralize AQ’s incredible talent at our events, making her a visible brand ambassador for what Tropical Jawn stands for in terms of women’s empowerment. AQ can DJ at the level of all of her male counterparts, and we highlight that fact every chance we get. We are also building a network of black women DJs in NYC, and we collaborate and support them as much as we can. As a result, our biggest supporter base are Black and Brown women — fellow tropical jawns that we hope are inspired by our loud, unapologetic, boisterous girl gang.
- Where do you see Tropical Jawn in the next few years?
In the next few years, we hope to synthesize all of the experience we are gaining now into a structured business model that amplifies the voices and talents of the African diaspora, both in NYC and abroad. We want our brand to be internationally recognized as a connector across borders, starting with our home country of South Africa. We would love to eventually take our humor, socio-political insights, and overall vibes from our group chat to a podcast, a radio show or any other media-related production. From our energetic rogue faction calledTeam Too Much, to our feminist and black empowerment theories, to our crazy adventures in New York City, we have a strong voice that is educational, empowering and entertaining.
Image Source: Tropical Jawn
- What would you tell to an inspiring woman who wants to be a DJ?
In the words of AQ:
“Do it! I always tell people that female is the future, and we always have been. It’s about time that women take over male-dominated industries. I started out DJing as a hobby in college, not knowing that this would be something I could be doing for the rest of my life. You just need to go in with a strong ass head on your shoulders. Always remember that you’re poppin AF, and don’t let male DJs discourage you from pursuing the career. The field is tough because you’re surrounded by people who could literally make you or break you, and you have to constantly navigate ulterior motives. You really have to have tough skin and go in knowing that you’re about to fuck shit up.”
Shoutout to our favorite NYC women DJs who are true embodiments of a tropical jawn — DJ Moniki, Sarigold, JADALAREIGN, Ella Hussle, Niara Sterling, Miss Milan, and GabSoul.
Keep an eye out for Tropical Jawn’s events, involving artists from South Africa, when they come to New York in the Fall! In the meantime, check out their upcoming events here.