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The NYU Student Moonlighting as a DJ

“If you want to be a member of my squad, you have to be down for the cause.”
“If you want to be a member of my squad, you have to be down for the cause.” Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine

Dylan Ali, DJ and student

Where do you DJ? Bars, random clubs, and I’m DJ’ing for this rap artist, DonMonique; I’m going into my third year at NYU, but I might do a gap year and go on tour with her.

Do you like school? I like the school, but a majority of the people suck. Like, if you want to be a member of my squad, you have to be down for the cause; you can’t just be at home all the time, you have to be spur of the moment, because life is spur of the moment: If there is an art opening or a crazy party, I’ll send a group message to my best friends — we all grew up in D.C. together — and all of them will be like, “We’re down,” but the NYU people, I feel like you have to hit them up a week in advance, and they’re going to want to leave mad early. Also, a lot of the NYU kids, they treat me like the token black girl. They’ll talk really sassy to me like, “Hey girl,” and about twerking, and then talk like normal people to their friends. I don’t have time for that.

Lightning Round
Neighborhood:
Bushwick.
Roommates: Five. “We’re in the McKibbin Lofts. I don’t think I’m going to renew the lease in September. But it was fun while it lasted.”
Rent: $600.
Instagram followers: 3,800.
Favorite movie: Tommy.
Favorite party: Duh at Up & Down.

*This article appears in the July 27, 2015 issue of New York Magazine.

The NYU Student Moonlighting as a DJ