Born in Trinidad, Brooklyn-resident and Hot 97 personality D-LIFE is the ranking diplomat for the emerging Soca movement. Soca (or "Soul of Calypso") is the most popular music in English-speaking Caribbean islands like Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and St.Vincent. It forms the theme music to the huge and celebratory "Carnivals" that occur in each country and now occur in 25 major cities across the world.
However, before D-LIFE joined forces with legendary reggae selectors Bobby Konders and Jabba of Massive B, there were no DJs in the United States dedicated to giving Soca any commercial airtime. "I remember sending CDs of mixes to stations, only to be told they didn't want a Soca DJ. At that time, the carnivals and local underground stations provided the outlet for the people to hear the music." Now, through the Massive B "Fire Sundays" program every Sunday on Hot 97, D-LIFE can reach millions of people and serves as the lightn ing rod for the Soca community.
Many credit him with breaking hit records like "Turn Me On," "Soul On Fire" and "Nookie" that provided Kevin Lyttle, Rupee and Jamesy P. with major record deals. More recently, D-LIFE supported Alison Hinds' "Roll It" record, which has now entered daytime rotation at Hot 97. However, D-LIFE has not forgotten his roots. He is still featured on local stations 106.1 Boom Station in Brooklyn and Mixx96 in Miami (along with DJ Khaled), and performs weekly in Soca hotbeds like Jamaica, Queens and Flatbush, Brooklyn. "Soca is entering a new stage," says D-LIFE. "I'm excited to be involved with a music that has the power to transform Caribbean-American culture.”
D-LIFE continues to be at the fore front of cultural festivals throughout the world, such as Caribana in Canada and Carnival in Trinidad, Miami and several other U.S. cities. In 2007, D-LIFE penned an album deal with EMI Records and produced “Extreme Soca: Volume 1,”a CD-DVD compilation that received recognition from Billboard Magazine and remains on Amazon dot com’s Top-10 Caribbean albums to ever be sold. In 2008, the distinguished deejay headlined a sold-out concert in Nigeria and kept the crowd on their feet with Soca music. He later produced the remix for Kanya West and Estelle’s “American Boy” for Atlantic Records – an infectious mix that continues to fill dance-floors and ipods. Today, in addition to playing at parties, being on the radio and hosting huge events, the determined disc jockey insists on providing music lovers alike with music at their fingertips. Log onto his well-liked website, www.dlifemusic.com for free musical mix-tape downloads now!