AJ Williams, Michigan Chronicle Managing Editor
Last Sunday, in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic, #ClubCorona was the place to be.
There may not have been any huddling on the dance floor with your friends. Or eyeing and easing up on a cutie from across the room. But champagne poured, celebrities made appearances, and DJ D-Nice – known for being an early hip hop pioneer, discovering a young Kid Rock in the late 80s, and his photography work – spun nine hours of feel-good nostalgia that made us forget that #ClubCorona was really the comfort of our own homes.
Iconic figures such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah, Stevie Wonder, Rihanna, Drake, Janet Jackson, Uncle Luke, De La Soul, Usher, Mark Zuckerberg, Jay Electronica, Bruno Mars, Will Smith, Common, J.Lo, and Diddy partied all night long. And in those moments—even with over 100,000 Instagram Live participants—we were one family, together, honoring our essential staff like medical workers and first responders, whilst celebrating musical legends like Patti Labelle, Stephanie Mills, Prince and Kenny Rodgers.
The Instagram Live broadcast consisted of what DJ D-Nice referred to as “Homeschool” music. The music you remember hearing at the skating rink, during a classic backyard BBQ, or even at the best clubs in bars spanning across the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s. There was something for everyone.
Users across social media platforms shared their experiences dancing in their living rooms with family or sending flame emojis and requests via the comment section of Instagram Live. Celebrities like Diddy sent bottles of Cîroc, Coconut water, and refreshments to keep the DJ hydrated while live on camera.
DJ D-Nice, perhaps unknowingly, added an interesting twist on Saturday night when participants began taking shots every time he changed hats. By the end of the broadcast, partiers were up to 15 hat changes.
“This was exactly what we needed, bringing our community together through music during this time of uncertainty. Those were the songs I grew up listening to and even my parents and kids could enjoy it. He knew exactly what to play,” said Ashlee Gibson of Southfield, Michigan.
Jamishia Smith, a native Detroiter, Martin Luther King High School and Western Michigan University alum now living in the Washington, D.C. area and said she entered DJ Nice’s ‘Homeschool’ IG Party as he was playing one of her all-time favorite songs, Too Short’s ‘Blow The Whistle.’
“At the time I was super stressed and had a lot on my mind like most of the country, but that song always makes me feel like I don’t have a care in the world,” she said. “I’ve literally been feeling like that for the last six days when #ClubQuarantine starts.”
At a time where social distancing can make the world seem so spread apart, DJ D-Nice has been using his talent of bringing people together through music and one of the world’s most popular social media platforms to bring us all together.
Native Detroiter Hailey M. Mangrum who now resides in Virginia listened in on Sunday and said during a time of much confusion and chaos, DJ D-Nice’s set quickly reminded her of how much our culture can prevail through anything.
“I live far from my family and friends, yet when I listened to him live I felt like we were all under the same roof and I was, in fact, at home,” she said.
Smith agreed and said even before the celebrities joined in on the fun it felt she was at someone’s club with her homies.
“We took bathroom breaks, met up at the photo booth in front of the ‘Motown backdrop’ waiting for our Polaroid picture, went to get wings and our drinks from the bar, gave our numbers out to potential ‘boo meats’ and even called our rides home to be responsible,” she chuckled.
“It was literally a reunion for me,” Smith said. “I got to spend time catching up with my homies from all over the country who I physically don’t get to see, two-step with a few industry friends and hype up some of my favorite celebrities on the dance floor- all while never leaving my home! “
Watch for the next party as DJ D-Nice is continues his Instagram Live broadcasts via his Instagram @dnice.
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