Today we’d like to introduce you to La’Ryon “Spoon” Witherspoon.
La’Ryon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Imagine being a 9-year-old kid who knew and sang every song on the radio. A kid who filled his parent’s desktop computer with viruses due to downloading songs off of Limewire just to create & sell mixed CDs in middle school. A kid who would put music on iPods for $20, a kid that DJ’d a party on an iPod in high school, a kid who sold candy for $1 in high school. A kid who DJ’d for the first time at a house party in college with a laptop, on an ironing board. Yes, an ironing board.
Summer 2011, I had just transferred to Texas Tech from A&M Commerce and my best friend, DJ NiteCrawler, hits me up one day about some DJ program called Virtual DJ that he’d been messing with and asks if I’m interested in it. I think back sometimes and wonder how different my life would’ve been had I said no… Nearly a decade ago, I started this journey of being a DJ because of my love for music. Making money is definitely a plus. However, nothing beats playing good music for people. Anybody can “play” music, but a real DJ can take it, flip it, spin it, reverse it and make that hot new radio song sound even better!
My boy Wallace Hood setup my first paid gig with his Frat and I remember it like it was yesterday…
I was TRASH!!!!!!
But for some reason, everybody thought I was dope! I don’t think we were at the same party. Nonetheless, it was Fall 2011 and “Club Rock” by Yung Nation had just hit the streets, being one of the hottest songs at the time, and I played it. Well… I learned at that very moment how powerful music can be. See, I thought it’d be cool to press a special effects button to give the song more “flare”, even though it didn’t need any. And… My Toshiba laptop FROZE!… Yep, you guessed it, the longest 20 seconds of my life happened. I had to turn off my mixer, reset my DJ program, and hope for the best as it all came back on. This created so many mixed emotions all happening at once: some people continued singing the song as if it was coming back on, some people came on stage to see what had happened, others looked up at me from the dance floor. But of course, no matter what. I tell myself to STAY COOL!! Life lesson here, don’t add “flare” or “extra” to something that is good the way it is, just let it be.
Success to anything means you have to practice your craft. No short cuts, no cheat codes, just practice. Trust me, I’ve tried short cuts and got exposed at live events. I tried cheat codes and got caught cheating. But when I decided to practice any time I had time, I grew. There were days that I’d carry my equipment to the cafeteria in my dorm and practice. There were nights where the club was dead, and I’d use that time to practice. And that allowed me to find the success that I have. On the contrary, I had to learn how to balance being a business and a student all at once. Balancing between studying and practicing was, and still is a CHALLENGE. Currently, I’m working on my doctorate in Counselor Education and the research is very time consuming, yet I’ve still made practicing a priority.
The business side of being a DJ is something that is commonly overlooked, and it’s just as important as playing music for people. Whether you do business with integrity or not, people talk. And I pride myself on integrity more than my skills as a DJ. This has stumbled me into many other avenues of my life: Ministry, Public Speaking, Mentoring, Event Planning and Teaching.
Being a DJ is more than spinning records, more than juggling beats, more than playing the hottest song. Being a DJ is touching the crowd in way that nobody else can. It’s creating a freedom for people to enjoy themselves without the worries of the world. It’s loving what you do. It’s a lifestyle.
Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth? *Soulja Boy voice*
There were nights I didn’t get paid, nights I got boo’d, events that other DJs got booked, etc. Which is typical for anybody starting anything.
The biggest hurdle was finding my lane, my sound, my vibe as a DJ. There are many different types of DJs: Club/Radio, Afro-Beats, Battle, R&B, Turn-Up, Open Format, etc. After almost a decade of DJ’ing, I didn’t find my lane until about two years ago. Reason being, I found myself being musically left behind because I focused on a crowd that I had outgrown. So I was forced to shift into something different that represented me as a DJ and was a reflection of my personality. I had to physically transition from being a college DJ to being a grown & sexy/old school DJ, which is where I’m sonically at my best. I love being able to throw random curveball songs in a mix that people wouldn’t expect to hear. Finding my sound ultimately helped expand my musical library to where I can switch genres throughout my sets.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the DJ Spoon story. Tell us more about the business.
DJ Spoon is a multifaceted business. What started off as a hobby in my dorm room in 2011 has now transcended expectations that I had no idea of.
I’m a DJ, A preacher, A mentor, A public speaker, An event planner.
Being able to touch the lives of people through these diverse gifts sets me apart from others, as well as brings me so much joy to be of service.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In all honesty I hate this question because it puts a cap on the expected success to come. However, I see DJ Spoon doing the same thing next decade that he’s doing now… Which is serving, regardless of the industry changing. DJ Spoon was created to create a space for people to be served, whether it be through music, mentorship or even ministry. It’s never about me, and it never was to begin with. I just so happen to be blessed enough to benefit financially from it. If I’m not serving in any capacity, then I’m not doing DJ Spoon any justice. I am looking forward to dropping some new clothing and other merchandise in the coming months! It’s definitely something very different.
Contact Info:
- Website: UncleDJSpoon.com
- Phone: 817-323-7138
- Email: UncleDJSpoon@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncledjspoon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UncleDJSpoon
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/UncleDJSpoon
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/uncledjspoon
Image Credit:
Juan Gil, Fit & Faithful Living, Jazmine Witherspoon, Rashawd Solomon, The Difference Maker’s Fellowship, Booga Bradshaw, 1000 Network
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