DJ Carisma: Santa Ana's Hometown Heroine
All the hard work eventually paid off for the 25-year-old. She landed her spot on FM rap radio in 2009 with a big assist from OC's jerking movement. Spinning all over Southern California, she noticed youngsters kept requesting "You're a Jerk" by the New Boyz. She persuaded E-Man at Power 106 to have them perform a gig at Westminster High School. "The whole entire gym swarmed the floor and just started jerking," Carisma recalls of the dance craze.
Before that moment, Carisma's applications to the station netted at least four rejections. "I grew up listening to Power 106; I remember being introduced to Mr. Choc and the Beat Junkies," she says. "It was all guys, though, so I never thought I could make it happen." She now spins Friday mornings and Saturday nights, helping to re-establish West Coast hip-hop's prominence on the airwaves.
Carisma's next album is scheduled to drop in January. "I finally feel like I've gotten to a point in my career where it's time to take it to the next level," she says. "I've pretty much done every club in Southern California and every mega concert." Her forthcoming DJ Carisma Presents features an assembly of rappers with whom she has networked. The first single, "Anyway," brings together Tory Lanez, Sage the Gemini, Eric Bellinger and Mishon. It's building momentum ahead of the album's release.
"I'm really proud to put on for Latinas and women," Carisma says. And she has become a role model for young girls, who come up after shows telling her she's inspired them to take to the turntables. "I'm so honored that I'm doing something in a positive manner, keeping my self-respect as a female because this game is crazy."
All along the way, she never forgets where she came from. "I'm proof that you can do it," she says, "and I'm from Orange County."
For more information on DJ Carisma, visit www.djcarisma.com.
See also:
The Top 10 Rappers in OC
10 More of OC's Best Rappers
Top Five Female Emcees in OC
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