We recently had the chance to connect with Gentry Webb and have shared our conversation below.
Gentry, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I am most proud of building a foundation in a city I am not from. I have not only built the foundation for my DJ career, friends that support me, but also have built a platform called “The Smoove Sessions” which are DJ sessions designed for every level DJ. I built this platform for other DJs to have an open space to learn, network, and grow in a community that supports them. I have spent years in other cities and states, but I cannot say that I have had the same impact there as being in here in Dallas, Texas. It’s almost as if I just belong. I am also proud of the resilience I have built throughout the years especially going through what I have and still choosing to move forward.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, Im Gentry or better known as “Smoove” or my DJ name: “DJ GSmoove. I don’t just DJ, I like to explain my job as vibe curation. Not only do I just DJ, I create an experience from beginning to end. DJing is just my main job, I also teach DJing, and host DJ sessions called “The Smoove Sessions”, not to mention employing other DJs.
What makes my brand special is I believe in inclusiveness. There are so many spaces where one comes and doesn’t feel welcomed. My approach has always been inviting with a hand out to help the next person up. I believe in helping others because of the pure fact that God blesses your journey when you realize the journey you’re walking on is not about you.
I am currently working on building my career as a DJ and bringing more notoriety around my DJ Sessions as they are designed to help every DJ or music creative.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that has served its purpose is the feeling of inferiority, (or what I like to call: “Sitting in the backseat”). God has put me on a journey that calls me to be a leader that I was not necessarily prepared for. However, It’s now time to stop being afraid of who God has called me to be and step to the occasion.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me how to dig deep and find resilience. Being at my lowest points, I found God. Not just surface level… like going to church, no, like really understanding that God would never leave me nor forsake me. He’s pushed me in ways others couldn’t. Suffering also taught me how low, low really is. When you are at the bottom and you’re suffering, you don’t think about it then, but your resilience is built there in that valley. When you finally get through, you realize you never want to be that low ever again, so you take every precaution to ensure you’ll never experience that low again.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
A belief I held tightly was the simple fact that I have to do things alone. I grew up in a single parent household, where my mom worked so much she wasn’t able to always be there in every area. You learn how to survive and thrive without others help. You do that for so long your brain builds up a wall around leaning on others to help you. I now understand at 31 years old the saying “teamwork makes the dream work“. I was naïve to believe that I could do everything alone. I had let go of that mindset because it was a liability for me to stay that way and believe that. In fact, The Smoove Sessions couldn’t run without my team, so always SHOUTOUT TO THEM!
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I pray the story I leave behind is I was a kind individual that yearned for greatness and aimed to break the cycle of gatekeeping. I want people to explain how despite all of the many challenges I faced I continued to persevere, no matter the difficulty. I want them to remember that I believed in treating others the way I wanted to be treated by always being there for others. Lastly, I want the story of how my DJ Sessions came to be the greatest thing that every DJ didn’t know they needed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.djgsmoove.com
- Instagram: @Itsdjgsmoove; @Thesmoovesessions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gentryswebb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Itsdjgsmoove/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ItsDJGSmoove
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/djgsmoove?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
- Other: Google:https://share.google/YHTdCOJAxgWfPj7vE
Image Credits
@oneof6ixx
@jetflix_productions
@benni_benz
@n3tworkvisuals
