The humid night air was hot, sweaty, and thick from the rain earlier that day. But Spirit Park on the Southern Miss campus was filled with incoming freshmen, Greek-letter affiliates, and a variety of other USM students dancing in unison to the music echoing from DJ Kujho’s massive sound system during the Southern Miss Activities Council’s (SMAC) back to school festival. His addictive styles behind the equipment and on the mic kept the crowd on edge the entire night.
This is only one of the many examples of how DJ Kujho positively impacts Hattiesburg and southeastern Mississippi with his music. Throughout the summer, he held many events for the City of Hattiesburg, including a school supply drive, R&B in the Park, and a food supply drive for the Southern Miss Eagle Nest Food Pantry. His efforts led to him being awarded a proclamation by Toby Barker, the mayor of Hattiesburg, for his outstanding contributions to the city.
As Kujho continues to grow in popularity, he often reflects on how he got his professional DJ name from The Lambda Theta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.
“I was told that my line name when pledging would be Kujho,” he recalled. “So, during my freshman year, everybody called me Kujho. And the name just stuck.”
Although Kujho is now a popular DJ in the southeastern United States, he grew up in the Hub City. Born in Hattiesburg and raised by his parents as the only child, he experienced a normal upbringing. His father was a musician who played piano and guitar, and his mother was a singer. Growing up, they often exposed the likes of Anita Baker, Atlantic Star, the Isley Brothers, and other R&B crooners to their only kid.
“My dad had this major record collection, so we would just always listen to different tracks,” Kujho explained. “He had a studio in Hattiesburg where he would go and make music. I fell in love with it when I was seven or eight years old.”
After being gifted his first digital controller, a modern turntable device, from his late aunt, Kujho began his journey in 2009 and never turned back.
“My first professional gig was the Lambda Theta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta,” he said. “They gave me my first shot at a college party.”
Not long after, Kujho began taking his craft even more seriously.
“I would say I trusted God and quit my job a year later,” he recalled. “So, it was probably around 2010 to mid 2011. And I started working on my own, and I’ve been doing it for the past 14 years.”
Midnight on Front Street is considered Kujho’s favorite gig so far. This family and friend celebration is annually hosted in Hattiesburg on December 31 through the new year.
“This past year I think we had about 15,000 people there,” he said. “So, being able to just come home and celebrate the new year in my hometown is one of the highlights for me.”
As the fall continues, Kujho is expected to travel throughout the state and beyond. But despite his numerous bookings, he always makes time to show his hometown city and university plenty of love.
