Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobby Akinboro.
At the young age of two, Bobby “BLAST” Akinboro immigrated to America with his family from Lagos, Nigeria. Growing up in Dallas, Texas he was influenced by a plethora of music genres and turntablists. Today, BLAST is a mobile DJ combining Hip-Hop, Rap, and Afrobeats to provide a great experience for the culture through music.
By way of his older sister Aji, BLAST was introduced to 80’s and 90’s artists such as Stevie Wonder and Musiq Soulchild. The ten year age gap between BLAST and Aji provided him the opportunity to be influenced by artists of older generations. In addition to American music, Aji introduced BLAST to Afrobeats, a genre that allowed him to identify with his culture and appreciate his heritage. Little did they know, Aji was planting seeds in his ear that would later develop him into “DJ BLAST.”
After seven years of being an event photographer/videographer and CEO of Blastography, BLAST pursued the idea of curating events as a DJ. The start of his journey began by mixing songs after work and studying the crowd control tactics of major artists such as Travis Scott and Chance the Rapper. The art of curating, engaging, and invigorating diverse audiences motivated BLAST to create and host his own events.
On April 23, 2016, DJ BLAST debuted in Seattle and has gained a tremendous amount of momentum including the reputation as one of the best local DJ’s. From festivals to concerts, weddings, clubs and corporate events BLAST continues to perfect his craft through an array of opportunities.
It’s been a blast thus far and the journey is just beginning!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Moving from Dallas to Seattle, and being able to maintain the brand in both markets, as well as growing the brand nationally, and internationally.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I’m a DJ, and in three short years, I’ve been able to grow from Dallas to a global presence. I believe my differentiating factor is that I’m able to seamlessly blend afrobeats and hiphop. It’s given me the opportunity to work with Wale, Trey Songz, Jacquees, Lil Boosie, but it has also given me the ability to work with Wizkid, Burna Boy and Mr. Eazi. I’m able to work at a high level in both genres which I think helps with my market value.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
So Far, I’ve done one stadium show. In Kent, Washington with 8,500 people in the stands. I was alongside Eric Bellinger, Jacquees and Trey Songz. As a new DJ, it’s exciting to be put in front of that many people and to do well in front of that many people.
Contact Info:
- Website: ogblast.com
- Email: bookbobbyblast@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ogblast
- Facebook: facebook.com/ogblast
- Twitter: twitter.com/blastography
Image Credit:
Jahret Rainey, Briana Jarrett, Kelsey Lemonhead, David MacJones, Laci Gordon
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
