There are hundreds of parties at any given time in the City of Lights. It’s not the city that never sleeps, but it’s the city of culture, and music is a part of big culture. 

What is good music? You’ll have better luck defining the makings of a good party. But ironically, the main ingredient of a good party is good music. Great music, in fact, that bringss party-goers  to their feet. Issavibe. And a vibe is not just music that makes you dance, but music that makes you call-out “aye,” a black diasporic recognition that a song is a jam/bop.

Marina Wilson, aka DJ Cheetah, must have the sound ingrained in her brain. The Paris-based DJ is in our inaugural group of dope people doing dope things because, well, she’s dope. She marries songs and beats from the African continent, mixing them with one of America’s top exports: Hip hop. The result is a sonic meeting of the diaspora.

Apres Josephine caught up with DJ Cheetah on the heels of her appearance at Afropunk and a visit to Elysée Palace. Here’s what she had to say about music.

Let's talk music. What's a song --that spans generations-- that rocks the crowd? 

I would say “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire.

 How did you start your DJ career? Has music always been your passion? Do you play any instruments or write music? 

I’ve loved music since I was a kid, but I didn’t start DJing until 3 years ago. At the time, I had an intern and often asked, “Why don’t you Dj?” Then, friends who were organizing the “Black Movie Summer,” [an annual afro movie festival held in Paris], asked me to find a DJ. The 2016 Black Movie Summer was my first gig.  I used to rap and make beats. I worked with Luidji on the song Route 999. 

How do you discover new music? 

Most of the time I discover new music on Soundcloud and Youtube.

In recent years, Afrobeat has become popular in the United States. Unfortunately, some Americans place all music from the continent of Africa under the umbrella of Afrobeat. For the newbies, can you break down Afrobeat? What are some other types of music we should be checking for? 

There’s Afrobeat, which was created by Fela Kuti, and there is Afrobeats. Afrobeats  is a style of music that includes Afro Swing and Afro Dutch. There’s more styles of music from the continent, including Coupé-Décalé from Ivory Coast, Ndombolo from Congo, Kuduro from Angola, Afrohouse/Gqom from South Africa.

You're originally from Cameroon, right? What are some classics that everyone should know? For example, I always say the African American anthem is Frankie Beverly and Maze's Before I Let Go, which was recently remade by Beyonce. Is there a song that you consider the equivalent for people from Cameroon? 

A similar classic in Cameroon would be Charlotte’s Mbango’s Konkai Makossa. 

Is there a song that you love that the crowd did not respond well to? Can you share it? 

I don’t know if I want to share it but Ariane Grande’s “Be Alright.”

For some reason, so many Paris hip hop sets include random Will Smith songs like Getting Jiggy Wit' It or Men In Black. In the states, at a black hip hop party, these songs would never be played. Summertime, yes. Men In Black, no. What's the french obsession with Will Smith? Do you know?  

Will Smith is one of the few black artists that white french people know. Will Smith and Morgan Freeman. 

If you were to play a Will Smith song, what would it be? 

I would play the Wild Wild West because I like Sisqo. 

You do more than DJ. You are curate for Blk.sqr and have a podcast and more. What message are you trying to send with your work? 

Whatever you like in life, if you have the ability to follow it, do it. Just do it. Even if it’s only for 10 minutes a day. Invest in you. 

Last question, how was the meeting with the French President Emmanuel Macron and Ghanian President Nana Akufo-Addo? 

We went there not knowing what to really expect from President Macron, but they were bringing together the diaspora in a larger space. I was more interested in what the President of Ghana had to say. If the African continent can be developed, the diaspora will feel it in some way. In the same way that the Chinese diaspora contributed to [the success of] China.

edited for clarity