“If you internalize what everyone else thinks is right or wrong, you’ll never really get to where you really want to be.”
Meet Kitty Cash, or if you live in a metropolitan area you’ve probably seen her DJ before. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she is one of NY’s most in-demand DJs. Her infectious uplifting personality, cool style and work ethic make her a role model for girls. She has DJed for Opening Ceremony and G-Star, and through her mixtapes collaborated with SZA, Willow Smith, Vic Mensa just to name a few.
Photography and Interview by Lauren Engel
check out all “Modern Woman” Series
About the “Modern Woman Series”: The 21st century girl doesn’t pertain to any stereotype. She’s a chick of many talents, one moment she’s in Europe, the next she’s in Asia. She’s working on several artistic projects at once and killing it at every single one. She’s a mix of races – picking up different cultures as she travels. She’s the mysterious girl at the party who you want to get to know.
Tell me about your upbringing. You were born in raised in Brooklyn?
Ya, well my dad actually grew up in Canada for a little while but he’s from Trinidad. He moved to Brooklyn, met my mom and I was made, hey!
How did they meet?
I can’t remember exactly but honestly they have known each other since they were around 14/15. Ya, so it was pretty sick. I love seeing all their photos like matching outfits and matching necklaces. It’s real Brooklyn, I love it.
What do they do?
My dad owns his own company. He does plumbing and air conditioning and my mom works in HR.
Did you live in different places around Brooklyn?
I moved around a lot in Brooklyn and I lived with my mom for a year and a half in Maryland and then moved back with my dad to New York. I’m definitely a Brooklyn girl, Brooklyn native. A very rare breed as you come to find out because living in New York, no one is from New York.
Growing up what did they listen to?
I grew up listening to a lot of Caribbean music because of my dad and his dad only listening to Soca music and then through my mom I listened to more R&B, more eclectic, more world music. She loves African music and Portuguese music and shit like that. I think I grew up in a sort of balanced kind of vibe from every person in my family. My grandmother was only disco and my dad’s side was only Caribbean.
Were you always a musical person growing up?
Growing up I actually took piano lessons. I did a few performances and everything but I didn’t stick with it. I was tweeting the other day like, shit I should have just stayed in those classes, but it’s all good.
When did music become a big part of your life?
I think that music has always been a part of my life naturally. My grandfather played steel pan and I was always surrounded by music. My mother took me to African dance classes with her since I was in her belly. We still go today. DJing was something that kind of fell into my lap but it is also so natural because it has always been a part of my life.
Other than your parents, were your friends listening to similar things as you?
My friends and I were listening to hip hop and rap music. We listened to Caribbean music but also listened to a lot of hip hop and R&B.
How would you describe yourself growing up?
I was actually a tomboy for a minute, like being in the basketball team and everything. Then I went into gymnastics camp but then right before high school, well, I will never forget this day. I asked my mother (hi Umi!) and I was like can you buy me these sneakers and she was like Cash, I am not and will not buy you anymore sneakers. You have so many sneakers and I’m only buying you shoes. I was like, what? Then she took me shopping to go to high school and got all these dresses. I had an attitude. And then she also bought me these cool denim sets that were hot back then. After that I turned into an official girl. It’s going down–skirts, dresses, tight tops, go.
“I’ve always been that person that can be comfortable in every crowd because I know who I am.”
How was your personality, were you friends with everyone?
I was definitely that person that was like friends everyone. I was cool with the cool kids that stayed in the lunch room. I was cool with the ‘nerds’ and I was cool with everybody else because I felt like I shouldn’t judge people. I’m a pretty laid back person. Not pretentious or anything. I’ve always been that person that can be comfortable in every crowd because I know who I am.
You went to FIT and did advertising?
Ya I graduated from FIT with my bachelors in advertising and marketing communications. That was pretty sick. It’s crazy to go to college in New York city. It’s so different. I feel like all of my friends were like ya!we went to this football game. Come visit me, let’s do this! Let’s go to this fraternity party! And I’m here like let’s go to 1OAK. Let’s go to the club or I’m sneaking into fashion week. That was my college experience but again I had the best time. I got to do a bunch of internships, to figure out what I wanted to do when I got out of school. A lot of my friends that I had in college are friends I still have now and we are all killing it. It’s really cool to see the growth.
Was the degree something that you wanted for yourself or your parents pushing you?
Ugh God yes! My parents were definitely pushing me to do something academic. While I was in college I literally got three job offers and I was like I’m about to leave! And my mom said listen, if you can get a job now you can get a job once you graduate. Get your degree. And because I was in New York I didn’t mind it either as I was in school and literally I got to do everything. I got to do internships that I wanted to do, I started assistant styling, I was doing editorial campaigns and Vogue Taiwan shoots. I was in college but I felt like I was out here living my best life.
Do you network your way into it or did you have a mentor?
I definitely had mentors. I remember I met this guy in the elevator and I loved his shoes. I was like omg, your shoes are sick! He was like oh thank you. I was like oh what do you do? You’re so fashionable. I just started talking to this man in the elevator and he was the guy who ended up hiring me as an assistant stylist. The most random things happen in New York and even me starting to DJ. I met Keesh at a party in New York. Just dancing and being like girls and we became friends and started kicking it and having lunch everyday. Fast forward, I ended up being her DJ.
I read that once you first applied for Chanel you didn’t think you were going to get it because of your race. Do you still have obstacles to this day?
For sure, it wasn’t me who I thought couldn’t get it but it was more so my advisor kind of alluded to the fact that I wouldn’t be able to get an internship there because of my race. Of course it was very disheartening but in the end it’s about being strong and doing what you want to do. Today of course racism, sexism also exist and it’s about being aware and understanding of how to address it in the best possible way that you can and to be diplomatic and really letting people know this is happening right now and this shit isn’t okay. I think that you can push through.
And your personality of not taking no for an answer
Just don’t take no! If you take no then what the fk! You can’t take no. People have told me no a million times and I feel that when I hear no it just makes me want to work even harder to prove that it’s really a yes. Everyone doesn’t have that mentality but I think that you have to if you want to be on top. If you internalize what everyone else thinks is right or wrong, you’ll never really get to where you really want to be.
Where do you think this attitude of yours came from?
Definitely my mom. She is a fighter hands down. I think I’ve seen my mom cry twice. She’s like one of those moms where if everything is wrong, everything is right and she always has that game face and is down for an adventure. She’s willing to try something new. And maybe growing up in New York. You have to be a hustler to find your own way and do things the way you want to do it.
“I think confidence comes over time. We all have our own self journeys that we are going through.”
Growing up you were insecure about your skin and your hair. How did you overcome this?
I think confidence comes over time. We all have our own self journeys that we are going through. Growing up I’m the most fair complexion compared to my siblings. Of course when I look at my mom and my dad and cousins I was like damn, I should be chocolate. It wasn’t that I didn’t like my complexion, I just always felt like this is different compared to everyone else. I think loving yourself is just about that you also love all your imperfections. When you find your imperfections are beautiful, you just put yourself on another level. That’s definitely where I am right now. Just accepting myself and being happy with who I am and growing into and who I have become.
Were you bullied when you were growing up or was it something that didn’t happen in school?
I wouldn’t say I was bullied. Of course amongst five hundred girls someone got jealous from time to time and tried to start stuff. I was that girl who knew all the other girls and they were just like you can’t mess with Cash. I was that girl: If you don’t like her you were probably a hater.
Do you still work fulltime?
When I first started DJing I was a freelancer at G-Star. My boss said that you being a DJ is super unique and really cool so use that to build connections for us and make up cool. Integrate us into the culture naturally because that’s who you are. My position went from freelance to fulltime and I ended up being the communications manager for North America. Pretty hefty title, then DJing took off on its own as well. I was definitely not sleeping and living the craziest ever life. People ask me how did I do xyz, honestly I just did it. I didn’t take no for an answer. I was just like I’m going to figure this out and kill it because if I don’t do this now and look back and regret this.
How would you say you got your big break in DJing?
I would say that when I started the Love the Free mixtape series. After my second tour with Kilo Keesh on the internet. I just felt that I wanted to do mixtapes because growing up in Brooklyn it’s what I grew up on. So I wanted to make a mixtape of what I was listening to at that point and it was with Kilo Keesh and the Internet, Willow, Vic Mensa, all these different artists I was falling in love with therefore I wanted to put them all together in one home, in one place. After I put out the first Love the Free people went crazy and they were like omg we love this. I had everybody tweeting about it from A-Trak to Solange, they just naturally created its own following. Everything started from the most purest space inside of me. I think that it’s really cool to create a project like that and have it receieved so well by everyone else. I think that kind of allowed me to be seen as who is this girl, what is she about, what is she like and I want to get her to DJ for this brand, I want to meet her. That’s pretty much how I started getting gigs. I didn’t have a management and I only recently got an agent, so initally everything was literally grassroots, word of mouth.
How did it work regarding the collab with Willow Smith, Vic Mensa?
They sent me exclusive tracks and I curated the mixtape.
Do you think you are going to get into producing?
Yep for sure that’s next. I think it’s a natural progression to go from DJing to producing. You are around music, you get a feel for what you really love, what you like, the sounds you want to play, the move and the vibe you want to set and with producing you can create that from scratch. I’m really excited.
What do you want to be remembered for?
That’s a good question. I want to be remembered as a true spirit, a person who helped to push the culture forward and bring change about through my art.
“Love? For me right now like I said earlier I’ve been on this journey of finding my true self. Right now love for me is loving myself and allowing me to let love come to me.”
What does love to mean to you?
Oh this question! You know what is so crazy, so many people have asked me what does love mean in the past few weeks and I ask myself this question over and over again because I feel like it’s a forever changing answer. For me right now like I said earlier I’ve been on this journey of finding my true self. Right now love for me is loving myself and allowing me to let love come to me. I think sometimes when you sit down you think love should be like this and I should feel this way and I should act this way and it should change me in this way. But right now I’ve just been doing so much self reflecting and I’m going through this transformational phase and I’m falling in love with myself and it’s allowing me to be really open to accepting love.
