Today we’d like to introduce you to Tahje Gaskin.
Hi Tahje, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey starts back as far as 2012 in GA at Chattahoochee Technical College.
I was an up-and-coming dancer in the area, which was way left from what I was in college for, computer engineering. I never would have called myself an artist growing up. I was into sports. Basketball briefly in elementary school then I played football from middle school to 10th grade. The artist in me didn’t sprout until high school where I would get into drawing, poetry, spoken word, writing short stories, and then eventually dance team. After I graduated, I would go on to meet various people that would inspire me to pursue dance more seriously. Dance team was fun, but where I found my love for dance and the culture was in street dance.
I am proficient in Popping, Hip-Hop & House dance styles. I went from trying out for SYTYCD, entering every event I could and not getting very far in my early years. To performing on stage, teaching classes and private lessons for kids and adults and winning over 15 different dance competitions over the last 15 years. My most recent accomplishment was winning Juste Debute 2v2 Popping Qualifier in Washington, DC in 2020. A huge international street dance event where they hold qualifiers all over the world and the winners of each category are flown to Paris for the world finals.
Over the years I got to speak with, learn from and take classes and private lessons from some of the best veterans in street dance culture and some of our OGs from various dance styles. During this time, I started to slowly connect to music unlike I had ever before. I have always been told that my ear is unique, and I have an interesting way I listen and interpret music. At most dance competitions I would end up by, next to or behind the DJ booth trying to watch them do their thing because it was always fascinating to me what they were doing. I made many friends who were DJs and some of them were the DJ for the club or dance event we were at. I was so engulfed in wanting to understand DJing that by 2017 I had bought my own set of speakers a new laptop and a DJ Controller with no knowledge of what I was doing. But I was determined.
I would contact my favorite DJs I could speak with to get lessons and pointers on how to get started.
The moment I knew I was meant to DJ was at a friend’s birthday event that we turned into a dance competition. We were outside so the event was free and a part of small festival in Alabama, so anyone could just walk over and watch. Watching everyone that was there for the event react positively to the music I was spinning and the many people that walked up because they were enjoying the music from afar gave me something I never thought I was looking for. Everyone was brought together to have a good time because of music. That was powerful to me. That felt like Community. And from then on, I was hooked.
I moved to the DMV by the end of 2017. I was a store manager for a few years at GameStop. Left in 2019 after 10 years of working there to pursue art as a career. Then going through covid which made me get back into retail until 2026. Between 2021-2026 I would start working for 2 different entertainment companies and by the end of my time at both companies I had worked over 200 events. I was the DJ/MC for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Weddings, Dance events, Private parties, school events etc. I truly found a space I could combine all my favorite things into one, Music, Dance, MCing. And thus, with all the experience I now had, I applied for my LLC and Launched my company MonTahje Productions! We primarily provide professional DJ/MC services for many types of events but, by this time next year we are looking to expand our services a bit more with professional photography, a photo booth and event planning.
I am excited for the future and I’m looking forward to seeing myself, and my business grow!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road? More like a gravel road with many detours.
Anything artistic is not taken seriously in our country. At least not as seriously as it once was or should be.
The arts have been taken out in many schools or stripped down to bare minimum access to resources to help kids actually grow as an artist. So, to pursue a career in the arts in general is a major challenge in itself. If you are able to start making a living off of your artistic and creative brain you have to think about what your goods or services are worth as an artist to you. Not to mention other people telling you how much your art should be worth, or whether anyone would want to buy into what you are selling to begin with. Getting over pricing your art so that you value your creations, or services at the accurate values to not price out your target audience but also not under value your time, work, and effort that goes into your art is probably one of the biggest challenges for most of us. Due to this I have been severely underpaid for many jobs I have done in the past.
I have had people try and lie to get money back. Clients will hire you and then try and ghost you, which is why all work I do comes with a contract that both parties have to sign before work can be done. This was a huge turn around for me that minimized alot of challenges.
Building out your social media presence can be a challenge. Not having a social media presence at all can really hurt your business in the long run.
Many clients looking to book artist are looking for your work not just on a website but, also how you handle being on a social platform and what kind of attention you bring.
Handling all your finances, keeping up with all the fees you have to pay before you can get started as a business, doing all the work yourself and keeping yourself in check. Everything is now all on you so however much or little effort you put into it that’s what you will get out of it.
It may seem like you are failing at times or things are getting hard and you don’t see the light at the end. Just remember it’s about the journey not the destination. It’s what you do while on that journey that makes the outcome worth all the time and effort. Having control over your finances, being your own boss, doing the work you like to do and valuing your work for what it is actually worth. I can say I am happier day to day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a professional dancer, DJ, and MC.
I teach all ages in dance. The main styles I teach are Popping, Hip-Hop, and House dance. I teach begginer to expert classes and I do classes for people who are just trying to learn about movement not a specific dance style.
I DJ and MC various types of events and parties like Weddings, Mitzvahs, Proms, Homecoming, Private events, dance competitions etc. My favorite styles of music to spin are Funk, Hip-Hop and House music but I spin anything.
I’m known for my energetic personality, Unique approach to challenging situations, and my MC style. I don’t just sit behind the DJ booth at events. I’m a part of the party. I get out there and dance and have a good time with everyone involved. When people see me in action, they are amazed. I get told by at least one person at every event I do especially weddings that “they have never seen a DJ/MC like me. They’ll say “I’ve never seen a DJ get hype with the crowd, come out to the dance floor and also dance with us. And involve all the guest.” I have been told “You felt like part of the family” by many clients at weddings.
My mother got to see me do a live DJ stream on twitch and she text me after and said, “you look like you are in your happy place.”
The thing I am most proud of is starting this journey to begin with. All the cool cultural weddings I have done with big parades and horses. Being on Baltimore soundstage Djing a rave for the first time and being the main DJ people are referencing from that night. DJing for sneaker companies like Snipes or video game developers from Bethesda Game Studios. None of it would have happened if I didn’t take the leap.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My girlfriend for always being in my corner and biggest support system. This has not been an easy journey, and she has stuck with me through it all and really helped me keep focus and stay grounded. Idk where I would be without her.
My Mom for the way she raised me. I watched her HUSTLE all my life. I may not always want to hear everything she says but I still take everything into consideration. She absolutely passed down that never give up attitude.
DJ Alphatrion for being one of the first DJs to talk with me and allow me to watch over his shoulder at events while he was spinning. I appreciate him for allowing my interest grow. Never would have bought speakers and controller if not for his input.
DJ Mate Masie for getting me into the Mitzvah game here in the DMV. That gave me a constant space to hone my skills as a DJ. Without that I would probably not have my Company now.
DJ CPR (Captain Puerto Rico) for being my DJ mentor. He was the person to come over and give me pointers, critique what I’m doing, go over my sets with me and show me how to do things better and give me drills to work with to better my skills. Without him I most likely would have given up on trying to learn how to DJ altogether.
I am fortunate to have a friend circle that is big on support. When one of us got something going on we all try to show support in any way possible. Without them my name and company wouldn’t travel around as much. That kind of support is what keeps me going. It has helped me get more opportunities to work with more amazing clients! I’m Looking forward to the future!
Pricing:
- Wedding Reception Price range $1030-$1750 (subject to change)
- Small Private events base price $625 (subject to change)
- Halloween Parties $800 (subject to change)
- School events Range $500-$825 (subject to change)
- MC services only $525 (subject to change)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://montahjeproductions.com
- Instagram: montahje
- Youtube: MonTahje Productions
- Soundcloud: MonTahje Productions
