Kenny Burns is a staple in the music industry, best known for being Senior Vice President of Brand Development for Diddy’s Combs Enterprises. Now, the Washington D.C. native is the industry’s favorite host, otherwise known as your Lifestyle Specialist.
Burns recently took to his Instagram Live to interview the star of Club Quarantine: D-Nice. D-Nice’s IG Live parties garnered over one million viewers from all over the world, with celebrities Rihanna, Drake, Michelle Obama, and even Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
Thursday’s IG Live festivities kicked off with Drake and Future’s “Life Is Good,” as Burns jumped in with the most epic introduction, calling D-Nice a “legend” for what he’s done for all our spirits during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Providing a quick overview of D-Nice’s career in the music industry, Burns revealed that D-Nice got his start as a member of a rap group called Boogie Down Productions with KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock at age 15.
As the two continued, D-Nice spoke on his virtual set, saying, “Initially, it was self-serving me because I was home alone during this quarantine. When I started playing music online, my friends would hop in the room, and we just had great conversation. I just wanted to play the music we love.”
He proceeded to highlight the difference between a physical club versus a virtual club, and how nobody was there to tap him on the shoulder to request a song. D-Nice then opened up about the overpour of love and attention from his decision to play joints that he personally wanted to hear, as the numbers continued to increase. Though D-Nice has recently taken a step back from the daily deejay events, in an effort to support other DJs, he revealed IG Live gave him a platform to be free.
“There’s Always A Silver Lining,” Burns said, as he reminded folks that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel when you’re immersed in the darkness. D-Nice then encouraged all the viewers to do what they love, as he continues to draw into his soul to achieve that next level of deejaying. “I always thought I had to conform to play like someone else so I could be accepted,” he said. (The reason he never goes to the club is that he doesn’t want anyone to dictate what he plays, or his vibe.)
D-Nice then complimented Kenny Burns on his own platform, which he uses to help share information.
As the conversation continued, the two discussed the DJ’s historic nine-hour set, which also showcased his large hat inventory. D-Nice explained that the hat change only happened because of a quick bathroom break. On his way back from the restroom, he grabbed the wrong hat. D-Nice may even implement the hat changes into his live set when he’s able to deejay out again, he joked.
D-Nice shouted out Baller Alert’s entrance into the Live.
The DJ, whose real name is Derrick Jones, then opened up about the owner of Tao, advising him to let the music speak for itself and not to yell shout outs. He credits it as the best advice because he learned how to speak by playing music. “All the words that I say were all being spoken through that rhythm.”
D Nice then became vulnerable, admitting he was frustrated amid the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine, thinking “this is not how life is supposed to be,” because he was so used to running constantly. But, one morning he realized that internal happiness was also important and that he had time to take a break from his hectic lifestyle. “Have it pulled from under you. The gigs, I can’t see my kids. On top of it, I’m home by myself. I’m frustrated; this is not how life was supposed to be. From all those years, I was running from personal shit,” he said.
“I woke up one morning, I felt like the universe was telling me to be still.”
Before the conversation ended, Kenny Burns called D-Nice the #1 DJ in the world right now, adding that he no longer has to play to crowds he does not want to play for or at venues he doesn’t want to deejay at.
“I just want to play what I want to play,” Burns recalled D-Nice once saying. “Bro, you’re there. This is your silver lining; you deserve it,” he said.
Both had nothing but praise for each other, as the Kenny Burns show turned into D-Nice’s party, drawing everyone from Sade to Mark Pitts.
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