Turntablist, producer, and songwriter of Hip hop, Boom bap, R&B, and Afrobeats.
A DJ walks into a jazz club and gets invited to sit in with the band. Some players want no part of it. By the end of the set, he's won them over. Built from a live scratch session, with comic-style visuals made using AI tools on a budget of zero.
Watch on YouTube ↗The latest in a run of 2026 Afrobeat singles. Out now on all major platforms.
Listen ↗DJ Yo! is a turntablist and producer based in Atlanta. Born in Cleveland, he heard the Sugar Hill Gang on a school bus ride and then saw a DJ scratching in Herbie Hancock's "Rocket" video. He knew right then what he wanted to do. He bought his first DJ gear while serving in the military and went on to DJ professionally. Today he makes hip hop, boom bap, and Afrobeat, teaches beginners through his Learn to DJ series on YouTube, and uses AI tools to build visuals for his music without a big budget.
Michael Pair grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, in a house full of music. His mother sang in the church choir. His father was a jazz fan with a serious record collection.
One day on the bus ride to school, he heard the Sugar Hill Gang for the first time. Not long after, he saw the video for Herbie Hancock's "Rocket," with a DJ scratching on a turntable. He was hooked, and he wanted to do the same thing.
After high school he joined the military and bought his own DJ equipment. That's when DJ Yo! was born. He spent countless hours on the decks until his skills were good enough to DJ professionally.
Then he stepped away for years. When he came back, DJing had gone digital. He took everything he learned on analog turntables and applied it to controllers and software, then started a YouTube series called Learn to DJ to help beginners get going.
DJing pulled him into making music. He learned composition and audio production, and he's been releasing music since 2006. His catalog runs from hip hop instrumentals and boom bap to a string of Afrobeat singles released in 2026.
His latest project brings it all together. He recorded a scratch session over a hip hop beat, then built a comic-style music video around it using AI tools, with no budget. The story follows a DJ who sits in with a jazz band and wins over the players who didn't want him there. It's a nod to his father's jazz records, and to his belief that all kinds of musicians can make good music together.
DJ Yo! is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and handles his own management and booking.
| Year | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mi Cyan Understand Why Yuh Love (Afro-Beat) | Single |
| 2026 | I Must Do Am Quick Quick (Afro-Beat) | Single |
| 2026 | Mi Haffi Move Fast (Afro-Beat) | Single |
| 2026 | I Fight, I Struggle | Single |
| 2026 | Your Paperwork (Afrobeat) | Single |
| 2023 | You Talk Too Much! | Album |
| 2023 | 2022 Instrumentals | Album |
| 2019 | No Talking, Please! | Album |
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