Today we’d like to introduce you to Liss Jackson.
Hi Liss, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi, my name is Liss Jackson and I started djing by making mixtapes for my classmates in high school at Western (mid 2011). My friend Dominik put me on to Virtual DJ in sophomore year and the rest was history. I used to make people theme specific mixes–like break up, for a crush, etc; just for the homies and/or myself. It wasn’t until during college in 2017 I started taking it seriously, like actually getting a gig or two every couple months. I was in school for a BA in English, I used to align with writing heavily a couple versions of myself ago, and was feeling deeply unfufilled. I think I had just gotten kicked out from my house because I didn’t want to go back to college, I wanted to see what it was like to lean into the art I wanted to make and the artist I wanted to become outside of college. So there I was, out of college in early 2016 and got my first gig later that year. Shoutout Ducky Dynamo. Then my best friend Shae and I were doing the zine thing for TORTILLAGURL in 2017, throwing our own little parties and clothes swaps for the communities where I would DJ. Shoutout Kotic Couture and Tromac for being our first performers. Of course it was far from perfect but I remember feeling so scared and excited, that I knew it was something I wanted to do forever. Whether it was being in the community, being helpful or just djing. I was also a photographer, a zine artist for TG with my best friend Shae and working part time so over time, certain things stayed and others went but the djing was always in my heart it felt like. It wasn’t until like 2021 that things really started changing, I started leaning into my craft and developing, learning, more and staying faithful to the idea that things would work out somehow. Mostly because I had passion and was willing to learn anything. And a lot of times things did not work out and went really poorly. But you fall down and you come back up again and again and then it’s like oh wow, people are liking what I’m doing. It feels natural. I’m getting more gigs than I can keep up with . I’m grateful. Oh dang, my dreams are being met? Huh? So now we are here!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Heck no. This is the smoothest it’s been in my entire dj journey since 2016. I think the hardest part was the learning curve with audio equipment and the knowledge that you have to be cognizant of. Like I was djing off a Numark Mixtrack with NO soundcard (which means I couldnt hear transitions) and a half broken Mac book till 2024. No one was telling me anything, nor did I ask. It’s a very DIY culture in Baltimore so we was all learning at the same time just doing what we could. Once I found out about the different types of controllers, CDJS–which also come with a steep learning curve–it was a matter of access to them. Being from Baltimore, especially as an artist and actual resident, it is harder and sometimes impossible to put down $500-1k towards equipment. You don’t have the resources and you are lucky if others have it for you to practice on. Booking is sometimes hard due to the prejudice of venues, the over saturation of events, who you know, how to get in where you fit in and the general disorganization of the scene too!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Cultivation Lead at a Dispensary and have been for three years. I’ve been working in the Medicinal Marijuana field for 4 years. It’s my other passion outside of making people shake their tails. I watch over all the clones, seeds and plant product that enters the dispensary, I maintain them and make sure both customers and staff are educated on the properties of the strain they are buying. It’s a dual role so I am a shift lead as well, making sure the dispenary runs well and everyone is doing what they have to. Outside of people management, It is so fun. I wouldn’t do anything else. I love cannabis as a plant and a medicinal supplement. I believe there are so many possibilities to its usage outside of getting stoned too!
What’s next?
Currently, I’ve been working with a team of really dedicated and talented folks, Barae and Fikir to make a community calendar that is accessible to all artists and people. That functions more as a newsletter, central hub for Baltimore artists to tap into and see where everything is going on. We want it to also be a source to see who may need community or mutual aid, fundraisers, y’know…monetary things for survival. Food banks, clothes drives, all that! other than that…Everyday, every week has been mad different. I think what I wanted a couple years ago, even a couple weeks ago, has changed. I look forward to being able to grow my own weed, dj whenever and wherever, while making an impact for my community. I guess I’m just tryna maintain myself and my people! Doing Hoochie Hours, my residency, at a dedicated club is also in the future, with a mutual aid aspect.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cashliss.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cash_liss
- Twitter: https://x.com/cashgotcash
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cashliss
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/osN6lFVd7oqlnOlpVg
