Before Megan Thee Stallion was commanding tens of thousands to watch her on stages across the world, DJ Jay Bone had her back when she barely gathered a crowd. Nearly a decade later, he can still recall the times when nothing could stop him and Megan from putting on a show.
“ One time, Megan’s cousin was next to me while I was deejaying, and they bumped my computer and cut the music off. Megan just started freestyling until my computer came back on,” DJ Jay Bone told REVOLT. “It taught us to be quicker on our toes; we’ll talk about it after the show.”
In this installment of “Tour Tales,” DJ Jay Bone explains what her pre-fame shows were like, adapting to Megan’s vision, and the possibility of Megan’s first headlining tour in 2024.
You’ve been supporting Megan before her 2019 breakout hit “Big Ol’ Freak.” When did you start deejaying for her?
I met her in late 2016 before she had a DJ or anything. I originally started out on the promotion side. The first show I deejayed for her was in the Carolinas. I want to say we were on a college run in Greenville, South Carolina. I would go with her to shows, but I wouldn’t deejay because there weren’t that many people there yet. But for this particular [show], there were a lot of people, and she told me, “I can’t go out there by myself,” so I started deejaying for her.
I know her mom was instrumental in the early part of her career. How did you see her influence Megan’s live show?
She was very supportive. She used to rap, too. Her mom used to tell her, “Go out there and kill it.” Her mom was the one to tell me, “I want you to be her DJ.”
What mistakes did you and Megan make onstage that developed your chemistry?
If somebody starts messing up during the show, I’ll stop right there in the middle of the show and get on their a**. There have been times when the music cut out. One time, Megan’s cousin was next to me while I was deejaying, and they bumped my computer and cut the music off. Megan just started freestyling until my computer came back on. It taught us to be quicker on our toes; we’ll talk about it after the show. She and I never rehearse, so our chemistry is natural. We treat the stage kind of a club. I come from working at the strip club. Megan used to come hang out with me at the strip club. We give it a club feel in our performances.
People don’t realize how many problems the DJ solves. What are some that you’ve mitigated at Megan’s shows?
A lot is happening, and I just keep it going. There have been times when she’s been late, and I had to get out there and warm the crowd until she was done. One time, she had an outfit problem. It had busted open, and the girls ain’t know what happened. She just walked off the stage. So I had to keep it going until she came back. You have to be prepared for anything at that moment.
People love Megan so much. What are some memorable fan interactions you’ve seen?
We were in a small town in the Carolinas. We were staying at this hotel. Me and T. Farris went to a Waffle House across the street. We didn’t think anybody recognized who he was or anything like that because we weren’t the ones popping. Somebody followed us back to the hotel, and they called all their people. All their people were in the hotel. When we were getting ready to leave and go to the show, some girls blocked the cars, got out of their cars, and said, “We know Megan’s in that car. Tell her she has to speak to us or something.” Megan had to get out of the car and tell them, “I have to go to the show.” That was the craziest situation.
Megan definitely loves her fans as much as they love her. She’s known for bringing them on stage to twerk. What are your most memorable moments from her bringing fans up?
When Miley Cyrus came onstage. A bunch of celebrities have done it before like Erykah Badu and Janelle Monáe. None of that s**t is scripted. We don’t be knowing those celebrities are coming on our stage. They’ll just come up and walk over with the people we called on stage. We’ll be like, “Oh, damn. Look who it is.” Miley Cyrus was behind me the whole time, and I didn’t recognize her. The crowd went crazy when she came out.
One of my favorite moments of her career was when she debuted “Plan B” at Coachella.
I didn’t even know about that. I knew “Plan B” was recorded, but I didn’t know how she would drop it. Megan is a genius. She controls a lot of the things that you see. She knows her fans and her audience. She already has a vision. You pretty much have to follow it. I don’t even bother to interject with her vision because I’m not a woman, and I can’t tell you what women will like. I really just stay out of it. There ain’t no second-guessing her. She isn’t going to ask you what you think. If she says this is what she wants to do, you just have to say, “Okay, bet.” I make suggestions, and she’ll say, “We can try that.” But for the most part, you just let her do her thing.
When are we getting a Megan Thee Stallion headlining tour?
I’m hoping 2024. Everybody knows the s**t she went through. But, she’s a soldier, so she bounced up out of that s**t. 2024 is going to be a monster year for her. She’ll probably say something about it after her birthday or something. Right now, she just dropped a new single on her own. I don’t think people realize there’s no other major female independent artist up funding their own music at this level.
What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
I’m just trying to stay healthy. I’m trying to build my brand. I’m trying to stay prayed up. My passion is music. I love finding new artists, opening doors, and bridging gaps. Maybe I’ll find another artist that takes off, and I’ll play the background. I’m just working, bro. I’m into dropping singles and mixtapes because that’s where I started at. So, I’m going to be getting back to that, and I’ll be building my DJ brand up.