I recently had the opportunity to speak with DJ Zeke Thomas, son of NBA legend Isiah Thomas, and singer/reality star Po Johnson. As our conference call began I started speaking with only DJ Zeke, because Po was running late. Typically that’s not a good look, but Po had good reason, as she was currently overseas for the Kanye West and Kim Kardashian wedding. As my conversation with Zeke begins we start off by speaking about his early stages as a DJ. Zeke stated that he has been DJing since the age of sixteen and has now been DJing for the last eleven years. “My dad actually bought me my first set of…the most basic Gemini package,” Zeke laughs, “It was very basic and you couldn’t do much with it. Then I finally got my first set of turntables and it was off to the races.”
Zeke goes on to tell me that he got his official start in the music industry at a radio station in Indianapolis when he was sixteen. From there he went to work at Hot 97 and it all just kind of bloomed from there. “I love music and I really love being around it,” says Zeke. Nowadays Zeke is one of the official DJs for NBA All-Star Weekend events through the NBA Players Association and has been for the last five years. “Its been fun,” states Zeke.
With Zeke being the son of Isiah Thomas I had to ask him what it was like living under the same roof as an NBA star. He mentioned to me that he played some ball himself. “I always have loved basketball. I actually played AAU basketball and won a national championship. The team featured future NBA lottery picks Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Eric Gordon, Daequan Cook, and Josh McRoberts,” said Zeke. “I still watch basketball today,” says Zeke, “My father and I talk about it and have debates all the time. Zeke told me that the pressure to compare to his father was always there, but it normally came from outside. Both his father and mother never pressured him to do anything; they always encouraged him to find his own way.
The conversation between Zeke and I was directed back to music when I discovered that he was signed to Tommy Boy Records. The label gave him his own imprint, Gorilla Records, and with that opportunity he signed Po Johnson.
The story to how Zeke and Po actually met is pretty funny. According to Zeke, they originally met indirectly. Po was looking for some records for her project and Zeke submitted, but he couldn’t attend the studio session scheduled by Po and had one of his co–producers join the session. “The first time we actually met, Po was shady to me,” Zeke laughs. Zeke went on to say that while Po was hosting an event she kind of got “Hollywood” on him and the two really never spoke. In a later studio session, Po put two and two together and said, “Oh you’re Zeke, I’m sorry.” Po later confirmed this story to me.
Finally, the bubbly and lively Po Johnson joined in on the call and the energy of the conversation went to a whole new level. Again, at the time of this interview Po was currently in Paris and as she said, “It is live, all the way live!”
Once I had Po on the line I immediately asked her, “What lead you to sign with Zeke?” Po responded, “I like the energy that he puts on a track.” Po went on to say that she was always very comfortable with him and his team. She added, “We both are breaking into this industry together and we both have the same hunger.”
With Zeke and now Po on the line, I asked them about their new single “Monsters (Be Brave)”. The song was co-written by Po and Cannon Map and Zeke produced the track. The concept stems from Po and Cannon’s attempt to let their inhibitions be free and just be a monster. “I wanted people to be happy and just dance in the streets. That’s what I saw for this song,” said Po.
It has been long journey for Po. The reality star/singer told me that quitting her day job years ago was a great decision. Now her dreams are becoming a reality, but more importantly she continues to dream and set goals. The La La’s Full Court Life star stated, “When you remove that safety net of a check, you kind of have no choice but to make your dreams a reality.”
As the conversation came to a close, we spoke about Po’s friendship with La La, which is shown on the VH1 reality series, and then we spoke a bit about their upcoming performance at Brooklyn’s LifeBeat concert. The duo definitely has a lot going on right now and it seems to be just the beginning.
I hope that this article serves as a bridge for the people who plan to start their journey. The road less traveled is a unique journey for those who are lead to travel it.
Now that you have read up on Zeke and Po, take a minute to check out their new single “Monsters (Be Brave)” and let us at Hip Hop Enquirer know what you think.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/147908542″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Follow us on Twitter @hiphopenquirer
[…] these two- Zeke and Po! Zeke is basketball legend Isaiah Thomas’ son and a breakthrough DJ paired up with Po, a reality TV star / singer who recently collaborated on a track called ‘Monsters (Be […]