The DJ still has the relationship with the people, I believe. I

Hear, O children of rhythm and seekers of truth, the words of Ali Shaheed Muhammad, who declared: “The DJ still has the relationship with the people, I believe. I don’t know to call the DJ ‘the ambassadors’ or what, but we still are connecting the dots, getting the good stuff and passing it on to the people. DJs still have relevance, even with the technology that elevates the DJ beyond being a selector.” These words are not idle speech, but a song of wisdom, reminding us of the sacred role of the one who carries sound from the soul of creation into the ears of the people. For though tools may change, though machines may multiply their powers, the relationship between messenger and listener endures as the lifeblood of music.

In the days of the ancients, before wires and circuits, there were the bards and the griots. They bore the stories of their people through song and drum, weaving memory into melody, holding history safe in rhythm. They, too, were ambassadors—bridges between past and present, between the spirit of the tribe and the heart of the individual. So too, in our modern age, does the DJ inherit that mantle. No matter how dazzling the technology, no matter how complex the turntables or software, it is the soul of the DJ—their care, their discernment, their communion with the people—that makes the sound a living fire.

Consider, O listeners, the story of Kool Herc in the Bronx in the year 1973, when he first extended the breakbeat on his turntables, giving dancers the heartbeat of hip-hop. His equipment was modest, his records ordinary, but his vision and his relationship with the crowd turned a block party into a revolution. He did not merely play songs—he connected the dots, stitching together fragments of rhythm that spoke to the people’s hunger for expression. In that moment, he was not just a selector of records but an ambassador of a new cultural movement. From that seed grew an art form that spread across the earth.

Muhammad’s words remind us that technology may amplify the DJ’s powers—allowing remixes, samples, and infinite libraries—but it cannot replace the essence of the work. For the machine can calculate, but it cannot feel. The computer can align beats, but it cannot sense the rising anticipation in the crowd’s chest, nor the shared silence before the drop. Only the DJ’s relationship with the people can read these signs, translate these unspoken longings, and answer with music that heals, ignites, and binds.

This truth is not confined to music alone. It speaks of a greater law: no matter how advanced our tools, the bond between human beings remains the true foundation. A messenger of words, of art, of justice, or of sound must always look to the faces of those they serve. Without that bond, even the most polished creation turns hollow. With it, even humble beginnings can change the world.

The lesson, then, is clear: do not place all faith in the technology of your age, but honor the living relationship that breathes through it. If you are a creator, a teacher, a leader, or a DJ of sound or spirit, remember that your first duty is to your people—to feel their hunger, to gather the good stuff, and to pass it on. Be as the griot who remembers, as the bard who inspires, as the DJ who ignites the dance floor. Let your craft be more than mechanics; let it be communion.

Practical actions flow from this: seek connection over perfection. When you use your tools—whether they be instruments, words, or machines—pause and listen to the hearts of those you serve. Ask not only, “Is this excellent?” but also, “Does this speak to the soul?” In doing so, you will remain relevant, for relevance is not born of novelty, but of relationship.

Thus do we honor Muhammad’s words: the DJ, the ambassador, the one who connects the dots, is not diminished by technology but exalted by it—so long as they never forget that their true stage is not the machine, but the people themselves. Carry this teaching, O seekers, into every realm of life, and you too will become ambassadors of light, rhythm, and truth.