The Nepperhan Community Center (NCC) has partnered with Kevstervision.com, the Municipal Housing Authority of Yonkers (MHACY), Rowdy Punch, Superior Natural Spring Water and Most Hated Entertainment to Honor DJ Superior for his contributions to the music world. Among his many accomplishments in the music industry, DJ Superior worked with Earl “DMX” Simmons to refine his sound, his lyrics and his hip hop image.
On Thursday at 7 pm the NCC will hold the Achievement Ceremony to share words of inspiration, encouragement and hope with Yonkers’ youth. By celebrating DJ Superior’s accomplishments and positive message of inclusion and community the NCC seeks to recognize Superior as a role-model for the youth of Yonkers.
DJ Superior said, “I am deeply honored by this recognition. I have never done anything for the accolades. I do what I do because I love my community. DMX and I raised ourselves in this community and this community, in turn, raised us up.”
Born and raised in New York, DJ Superior started his career as a DJ creating hot music that people could move to at house parties and through mixed tapes that filled the interiors of cars, headphones, and homes. In 1988, Superior started working with DJ Lord Kasun, who at the time was DJ’ing for DMX. After Kasun was incarcerated, Superior worked with DMX at both Mulford Gardens, a 550-unit MHACY property torn down in 2006, and School 12, located at 164 Ashburton Avenue. From the apartment at 34 Mulford Gardens to the community rooms at School 12, Superior worked with DMX to polish his rhymes and beats day and night. The two grew together to be major players in the creation of the Ruff Ryders and in the emerging hip hop scene in Yonkers. Many hip-hop greats have called Yonkers their home including Sporty Thievz, The LOX, Mary J. Bilge and DMX.
A tireless entrepreneur, Superior has created a multitude of successful companies over the years. Rowdy Punch, Superior Natural Spring Water and Most Hated Entertainment are among many of his best known businesses. However, he continues behind the scenes as an investor, partner and philanthropist in many minority and women-owned businesses.
Many of Superior’s philanthropic works have centered around the NCC. For instance, the NCC Youth Employment/Development program offers trainings to youth ages 15-21 in the areas of Workforce Development and Career Readiness, offering workshops in resume writing, interviewing skills, dressing for success and employment retention. In addition, they assist youth in the pursuit of summer employment based on the skills they have acquired. During their tenure, youth are given the opportunity to become proficient in on or more of their areas of interest. Over the years several of the youth have gone on to become professional trainers, lifeguards, social workers and IT professionals.
DMX was the first rapper to debut an album at No. 1 five times in a row on the Billboard 200 charts. He sold over 74 million records worldwide. DMX released his debut album, It’s Dark and Hell is Hot in 1998 and his best selling album, And Then There Was X in 1999. DMX was a Def Jam recording artist, which was a goal he and Superior set for themselves as young black men living in public housing in the 1970s and 1980s as the crack epidemic and other social ills threatened the lives of their friends and neighbors. DMX’s last album Exodus was produced with Swizz Beatz at Powerhouse Studios, the Ruff Ryders recording studio, at 33 South Broadway in Yonkers.
Wilson Kimball, President and CEO of MHACY, said, “I have been working with Superior on a number of community projects from food distributions and toy drives to the celebration of DMX’s birthday at School Street. He is a hard working, thoughtful and successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. But, mostly he is an incredible role model to the young people who are growing up in MHACY properties throughout Yonkers.”
Kevin D. McGill, Founder and President of Kevstervision.com adds, “I have known and worked alongside DJ Superior for the last ten of our twenty year friendship. We formed a bond and a lifelong friendship, and are affectionately known as “The Lit Brothers,” bringing entertainment to the local community with old school parties and live shows featuring the likes of: The Delfonics, The Dells ft. Petawane, The Persuaders, First Choice Revue, The Supremes Revue and Pam McPherson of Rose Royce, before her passing. I am known as “DJ Kev Boogie” and I am extremely honored to be working with such a legend as DJ Superior. Working alongside him has helped me to hone my deejay skills and to shoot pictures and video from my perspective, using his vision as a roadmap. This is a well-deserved, long-overdue honor for the Man, the Myth and the Legend, known as DJ Superior!”
