An expert and talented DJ, graphic designer, educator and community-builder, at his core, DJ Underdog is a contemporary storyteller. In a conversation regarding their shared affinity for spirituality as it pertains to the natural, the karmic, and the communal, Underdog told A. Free of SweetWyrdness Lifestyle,

The karma is in the stories…last year I was doing AFROPUNK and somebody came up to me and she was just like, “I was going to commit suicide and then I heard this mixtape you made, and this one song….” I was like, wow….When people come back with those stories… that’s the karma for me. 

Whether it’s through his music, his teaching in District of Columbia Public Schools, or his community organizing, Underdog is a force for change across the globe. 

When looking at the success of his varying initiatives, it is evident that DJ Underdog has a resounding and essential impact on the youth within and across his respective communities. Of his 11-years with the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), MoCADA said that “Through DJ Underdog's work we are reminded of the power of the collective to transcend time and space, to ensure Black futures while honoring our past.⁠" As a graphic design teacher with Richard Wright Public Charter Schools for Journalism and Media Arts, Underdog co-founded TruSkool, a hub and home for the hip-hop community in DC. DJ Underdog has shared stages with musical giants such as Questlove, Thundercat, Sango, and Femi Kuti,  and his residencies include AFROPUNK, OkayAfrica DC, Eaton Radio and ElectraAfrique NYC. Underdog also serves on Eaton Radio’s Community Advisory Board.

When asked, in an interview with PBS, about hip-hop’s evolution and trajectory, Underdog was clear that  music has the ability to give form to our identities,  stories, and communities at large. “I feel as though when we get into another level of consciousness as people we won’t need as many lyrics to define or shape our lives,” he says. “I feel like production can take it there and give us that same feeling that lyrics used to…. And stories, you can only tell so many stories. I think production will keep Hip-Hop going further.”