deejaying
Richmond, Virginia
Local hip hop legend DJ Lonnie B is the mastermind behind the turntables at his curated, immersive music experience, the Art of Noise, which has been creating community in Richmond for the past decade. He has been a central figure cultivating and nurturing the city’s hip hop community for a generation.
Growing up in Richmond in the 1980s, Lonnie Battle knew he wanted to be a DJ, but his first big break was truly unexpected. When he and his friends were accused of taking snacks and a basketball from the local rec center, the director offered him a deal: DJ their Saturday dances and all would be forgiven. A second break came after his high school graduation in 1992, when his mother Debra made him another bargain: if he waited a semester so she could raise money for his college education, she would buy him his own turntables. He didn’t realize she had to miss a mortgage payment to make good on her promise, yet it paid off as DJ Lonnie B bypassed college and instead became one of the region’s most popular DJs at house parties, clubs, and on the radio, where he remains the prime time DJ on iPower 92.1. His career was bolstered by his status as a central member of the local group SupaFriendz, who ultimately took Richmond hip hop to the national stage, performing with Aaliyah before parting ways in the late ’90s for solo careers.
In 2013, while battling cancer, DJ Lonnie B realized it was time to dedicate himself fully to a new endeavor that brought together everything he loved about music, the Art of Noise. While the Art of Noise is built on hip hop techniques like deejaying’s sampling and scratching, it draws from diverse sounds and pop culture samples, delving into musical history in a way that goes beyond nostalgia to cultivate a shared experience in the audience. “So often we are put in a box musically, not realizing we all have an appreciation for all of it,” Lonnie says. “Music is so powerful, if done right it can bring people together.” Audiences responded enthusiastically, making Art of Noise shows hugely popular in Richmond and beyond. Lonnie’s ability to foster a regional hip hop community is literal as well as figurative: his 18-year-old daughter takes the skills she’s learned from her dad since childhood into her own career as Aliyah The DJ.
While Art of Noise is Battle’s brainchild, it reflects the conjoined powers that continue to radiate outward from the SupaFriendz. Joining DJ Lonnie B on the event’s four turntables is his high school classmate DJ Marc (Marcus Holland), a veteran of the SupaFriendz and leading local DJ who is now a nationally recognized sound designer. Lonnie and Marc don’t show up at an Art of Noise event with a set list—it’s more of an idea, “a picture we want to paint.” Equally crucial are the “hosts,” Kelli Lemon and Skillz. Kelli is a radio personality, podcast host, and “social entrepreneur”; her talents for bringing people together are front and center to Art of Noise. Co-host Skillz (neé Shaqwan Lewis) is an acclaimed rap songwriter and has been the hype man for stars like DJ Jazzy Jeff and Missy Elliott. Skillz’s friendship with Lonnie grew out of an intense 1994 rap battle for citywide MC bragging rights that is the stuff of local legend; mutual respect led to their collaboration as SupaFriendz, which continues to this day. Beyond building the crowd’s energy, the hosts help the DJs grasp each audience. “Hosting helps set up the situation for the story the music is telling,” Lonnie explains, making Art of Noise a musical experience perfectly curated for the minds and bodies in the seats or, more likely, on the dance floor.