WINDERMERE, Fla. – When you hear the name DJ Nasty, you probably think Grammy-winning producer and DJ and maybe the song, “All I Do is Win.”
You’re probably not thinking about a dad or even a teacher but this past year, he had to take on the role during the pandemic.
His office is usually on stage with some of music’s biggest names, like DJ Khaled. But in March 2020, that all changed.
“I was actually coming back from Dubai, and they were like, ‘You better hurry up, man, they’re about to close the borders.’ So I got back and slowly everything started shutting down,” said DJ Nasty.
DJ Nasty went from spending nights performing in clubs and arenas, to spending his days helping his two children with virtual school. His 17-year-old son is on the Autism Spectrum and required assistance with his work all day.
“I couldn’t answer my phone, I couldn’t do anything I needed to do,” he said. “You know, I’m a businessman. I’m a DJ, I’m a producer. I got all sorts of things going on and I couldn’t touch my phone from 8 in the morning until 3 pm. It was tough. But it’s the things we do for our kids.”
Most parents during the pandemic can relate.
“‘Oh, my God. Are you serious? I gotta learn algebra again?’ I was never good at math, but we figured it out,” laughed DJ Nasty. “Seventeen years of being a dad. I know him like a book. I know how to motivate him. I know what he likes, what he doesn’t like. It kind of went hand-in-hand, it was pretty easy to help him.”
After more than a year of not traveling and only performing virtually, DJ Nasty is back in front of live audiences and back on the road. He said not only did being at home help him create new music but he also enjoyed the time with his family.
“I’m a family man. I love my kids. I love being home,” he said. “I enjoyed a whole year of being home with my kids because I travel so much. I barely get to to see them and spend time or tuck my daughter into bed so I got to do a lot of things I haven’t done in years. So I enjoyed having them at home.”
“And so what will you be doing for school this year?” asked News 6 anchor Julie Broughton.
“For me, I’m not doing school,” laughed DJ Nasty. “Them kids are going back to school. I’m done with it. I’m throwing in the towel.”
And of course, we had one more important question.
“Where do you keep your Grammy?” asked Broughton.
“In my studio. We were going to do the interview in there. I didn’t want anybody out here sweating, you know,” DJ Nasty laughed.