Dr. (h.c.) DJ Kuttin Kandi, who was born and raised in Queens, NY is internationally known and widely respected as a legendary “People’s Hip Hop DJ Scholar.” Kandi is a disabled queer gender-fluid femme Filipinx-Pin[a/x]y-American Writer, Poet, Theater Performer, Educator, Hip Hop Feminist, and Community Organizer for over 25 years. DJ Kuttin Kandi is a Global Hip Hop and Cultural Ambassador by Next Level’s Meridian International Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs where Kandi serves as a Site Manager for Next Level. Kandi is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Asian Solidarity Collective (formerly Asians for Black Lives San Diego) and the newly launched center, The Asian Advocacy, Community & Action Center (The Action Center). Likewise, Kandi has co-founded several other local grassroots organizations such as Families for Justice in Education San Diego, the Dede McClure Community Bail Fund, We All We Got San Diego and so much more. Kandi is also a Co-Founder of the People’s Collective for Justice and Liberation and the University for Justice and Liberation (UJL). Appointed by San Diego County Board of Supervisor Nora Vargas, Kandi serves on the Committee for Persons with Disabilities since 2021. Additionally, Kandi is a Human Relations Commissioner of Chula Vista.
Kandi is a member of DJ team champions 5th Platoon; Co-Founder and DJ for the Hip Hop group Anomolies; Co-Founder of the famed NY monthly open mic “Guerrilla Words,” Co-Founder of the coalition R.E.A.C.Hip-Hop (Representing Education, Activism & Community through Hip Hop), Co-Founder and Board Member of the DJ Coalition – Freedom Sound DJ’s, and Founder, Editor and Host of the podcast Hip Hop Bruha. In 2020, DJ Kuttin Kandi received an Honorary Doctorate in Pinayism for their endless dedication to radical sisterhood, critical praxis, and transformative solidarity. Kandi first gained global……
