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DJ Duffey is the twerk queen. If you’ve seen French Montana’s live performances, you already know how she gets down. My first time seeing her was at Coachella when Frenchie graced the stage to perform his long catalog of hits, and she was shaking her booty up top where the DJ booth was and swooning all of the concert-goers.

On top of being a former ‘Basketball Wives LA’ star, Latosha Duffey is a mother, DJ, influencer, feminist, photographer… the list goes on. On top of deejaying for Frenchie, she does her own gigs, as well as celebrity and athlete weddings. Plus, she manages three artists including Enchanting, whom she calls a breakout star. Booked and busy is an understatement!

Having played basketball all throughout college, it was her junior year when she discovered the downtown club scene in Dallas. Being the socialite she is, it wasn’t long until she crossed paths with some industry elites including Drake and the “Unforgettable” artist. Then at age 21, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, but split with her husband shortly after. While working at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, that’s when she realized her true passion and love for music.

Since those long nights practicing and teaching herself the ropes, Duffey has catapulted to one of the most well-respected female DJs in the game. REVOLT caught up with her at Beautycon in Los Angeles to chat about her friendship with French Montana, driving the boat with Megan Thee Stallion, twerking, and making her acting debut. Peep the conversation below!

How do you do all that you do, while being a single mother?

All my life, I learned how to juggle a lot of things being an athlete. A student athlete.

What did you play?

I played basketball at University of Texas at Arlington and I was a Communication Technology major. So, I’ve always juggled a lot. I pretty much do the same thing now juggling motherhood and my career.

What made you want to manage artists?

I wanted to give back to my community of Dallas. They gave a lot to me. They’re a big reason for my success. The city really accepted me as a female DJ. At the time, there were no female DJs in the club. Right now, every night of the week, you can see a female hip hop DJ in Dallas, Texas. They really paved the way for me, so I wanted to give back to my community. I’m doing that by reaching back and helping out artists because we don’t have the resources like Atlanta, New York or L.A. in our hip hop music community. I’m taking them and bringing them to these cities, bringing the people who are in the industry to them.

Being from Texas, what’s it like seeing Megan Thee Stallion kill it out here?

I love Megan so much! We recently became best friends. She’s not my best friend yet, but I want her to be my best friend. Seeing a female who really I look at as a mirror reflection of me: independent, sexy, I love bougie shorts, cowgirl boots. I’m like, ‘That’s me!’ She’s really the first artist I could identify myself with, I love her so much. If I was a rapper, I would be her (chuckles).

Have you driven the boat?

Yeah, I drove the boat a couple of times and I crashed the boat the last time.

For real?

Definitely crashed the boat the last time we were together. I’m on tour right now with Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, and Moneybagg. So, you know she’s dating Moneybagg. She’s been stopping by on the tour, and making us drive the boat and crashing the boat.

What happens when you crash the boat?

You black out, you do something embarrassing, you embarrass your friends, or you fall asleep when everybody else is still partying. It’s like party fouls.

What about you? Do you have a man?

I do have a man. His name Iman, he’s a basketball agent. He wants to marry me. But, you know, it’s a Hot Girl Summer.

Bring us back to the first day you met Frenchie.

When I first met French, it was in Miami and Justin Combs actually introduced us. It was before ‘Pop That,’ before any of his breakout records. I watched him perform in a club in Miami, I’m like, ‘He has something special.’ That’s another reason why I started deejaying. I have an ear for talent and I didn’t even know it. At the time, I was more of just a fan. Every time he was in Texas or in the Texas area, I literally would go support him. If I’m anywhere he was, I’d always support his music. We became friends and developed a really good brother-sister friendship. Now to be working for him is amazing.

I know Frenchie parties. Do you keep up?

French is a machine. He barely sleeps, I don’t know how he does it. When I look at someone like French who made it out of Morocco to become this big star in America, you don’t really sleep much. You’re constantly moving and he’s just a different human being.

My first time seeing you, you were twerking during Frenchie’s set at Coachella. Talk about the energy you bring to his shows.

It’s just amazing that as a female DJ in the hip hop community — all the big artists I know — I’m the only female I know that deejays for a big male artist. For him to let me have my moment in the show and stand up on a DJ booth, be sexy, do my thing, and get the attention from the crowd, it’s special. Because not a lot of people would do that and give their DJs the opportunity. A lot of DJs now are in the back. When you look back in hip hop, the DJs used to be the main thing. The DJs were the stars, then the MC was just a supporting act. Now that it’s different, I’m trying to bring that back like, ‘Hey I’m back here, don’t forget about me!’

You probably have a million, but what’s the craziest memory you share on tour?

We jumped off the tallest building in Australia together and I have video of it.

Was it bungee jumping?

Yeah, it’s the tallest building in Australia. It was a moment I’ll never forget and we did that together. It was amazing.

What does it mean to you for Frenchie to be speaking here at Beautycon?

I love that he’s here talking at Beautycon. A lot of people don’t know this, but he has majority females that work for him. They’re a lot of females that are in powerful positions in his life. One thing about French is he loves the ladies. So, I knew he was gonna make his way here to Beautycon to be around all these women. He’s going to walk around and he’s going to talk to people, he’s not going to stay backstage because he loves the ladies and women.

Bring us back to your time on ‘Basketball Wives L.A.’ How have you evolved since?

Since ‘Basketball Wives L.A.,’ I’ve gotten a lot more confident in myself because when you put yourself out there for the world to judge you, talk about you, and criticize you, you really have to build up a tough skin. That’s why I’m so unapologetically me now. So many people talk so bad about me being a twerking DJ and it literally doesn’t affect me.

Those are some haters.

For sure! But back then, I might have dimmed my light because of people’s criticism. Now I’m not. I’m me, I’m going to do me. I really do the twerking for me. I grew up in New Orleans where twerking started. The first twerk record…

What was the first twerk record?

It’s by Cheeky Black and called ‘Twerk Something.’ It [was] the first time you heard the word twerk, it’s from New Orleans. When I was in middle school, I was twerking on the wall in a handstand — Google that. That’s where my love for twerking really came from, it’s really in me. It’s not more of a thing for boys or the attention of men, it’s really how I grew up. When I first heard music and hip hop where my parents would let me listen to it was Hot Boys and Juvenile’s ‘Back That Azz Up.’ That was really my first introduction to hip hop.

What advice do you have for girls that can’t twerk?

For girls that can’t twerk, I want you to go follow Nasty Nass on Instagram. Hold on, I’m about to pull it up. Because a lot of girls who can’t twerk, they don’t twerk because they think you have to have a booty to twerk — and you don’t. She twerks her little booty off with no butt and she’s very good. Really, girls just need to take some lessons and tutorials. That’s a misconception, you [do] not [need a] butt to twerk and you can go look at this girl’s page to see that.

Do you ever get sick of clubs?

Yes, I’m sick of clubs because I started doing festivals with French and traveling the world. I’ve done festivals in Australia, in London, in Africa. So now, when I go to the clubs, I’m like, ‘Ehhhh, it’s alright.’ The festivals are really where my love and my passion really comes out on the stage. I really feel I could be a bigger than that DJ. Sometimes in the clubs, it’s dark and dim. Festivals are where DJs can really shine and I love those.

What do you feel when you deejay?

I feel free. I feel happy. I feel at home. I feel powerful. I feel important. I love it.

Talk about the triller video challenge you’re doing giving away sneakers.

My artist Enchanting has a song called ‘Love’ off her new project 21. When I heard it, it immediately made me think of my son. Like I said, I love giving back to my community. Not only my community in Dallas, but my community on Instagram, the people that follow me. I [thought] about a lot when I started deejaying. I was a single mom and I struggled. I’m like, ‘Wow, maybe I could give away some shoes. I know school’s coming up and I can get my son whatever he wants. But, not a lot of people can. Let me do a triller video or some kind of contest to give back.’ Shout out to the Lil Lizzie Foundation, they have donated money for me to be able to give out more pair of shoes.

How old is your son?

He’s eight, going to the third grade.

Does he know how lit mama is?

He does! He thinks I’m really cool. We had a show in Dallas on the tour and I brought him to meet Wiz and Moneybagg. He just thought it was so cool to meet these rappers and that his mom works for them.

You actually used to practice four to five days a night on top of being a full-time mother. What motivated you?

Um… I went through a divorce where my son’s father left me. He was in the NFL. He took all the money, he took my car away, I literally had nothing. I had to start over. When I would look at my son, I’d be like, ‘Never again will someone be able to take anything from us, I’m gonna have it myself.’

What was your goal or dream then?

Believe it or not from the beginning, I said I wanted to be an international DJ. I want to travel the world and deejay. I had this big dream. But now, thanks to French, I’m able to live out that dream.

Talk about your acting debut in Lena Waithe’s ‘Queen & Slim.’

Yes! Shout out to Lena. Actually, they wanted me to audition for a main role in the movie. I didn’t get the part, but I told them I just believed in the project and wanted to be a part of it. I went to New Orleans and did a little extra role. I’m one of Earl’s Girls. When you hear about the movie, you’ll learn what Earl’s Girls are in the movie.

How was it?

Honestly, it was just great to be on set with Lena Waithe and be a part of a female-driven movie that I know is going to be powerful. It’s going to make some noise and has a great meaning behind it. I really wanted to just support them because I appreciated them for [even] reaching out to me. Just to support females really!

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