Culturist: Kitty Cash | DJ
Kitty Cash for AMMO Magazine

Culturist: Kitty Cash | DJ

Kitty Cash for AMMO Magazine

Photography by Jonne Johnson

“I am in love with imperfections, I think they are beautiful. I don’t find perfection to be beautiful or intriguing. I love gaps, freckles, wrinkles etc… things that maybe people hate about themselves; I try to find beauty in that. I think a person’s energy, attitude and personality also attributes to their beauty. It shines through them and it may be revealed through bright eyes, laughter, or a wide smile. That’s beauty to me,” said Cachee Livingston better known as DJ Kitty Cash.
The Brooklyn native has fearlessly positioned herself in the male dominated business of DJing. She is working with industry namesakes to produce, eclectic vibrations. Cash, is taking over DJ booths with a sense of swagga on a local as well as international level. AMMO Magazine spoke to Cash, about what keeps her going, what’s next and how she “does” daring yet feminine.

What’s your AMMO?
My AMMO is my rose quartz, anything off of The Velvet Rope by Janet Jackson, and a fierce pair of shoes!

How did you first get started DJing?
I started Djing after my best friend; Musician Kilo Kish; was scouting for a DJ and asked me to be her official DJ. That’s where it all began.

What has been one of your most memorials DJ experiences thus far?
Djing in London at Suffolk Warehouse with Sbtrkt; I had the best time there! The energy was insane.

Who is one of your favorite artist you’ve worked with?
I really don’t have a favorite right now. I really enjoyed working with everyone I have collaborated with.

What was the inspiration behind releasing your first mixtape?
During my last tour with Kilo Kish and The Internet I kept telling myself I wanted to do a mixtape. I grew up always trying to find the newest and hottest mixtapes, whether bought at the store or in the hair salon my friends and I were always excited to get the newest music first! (Ahh.. Memories…) Essentially, I wanted to recreate that same concept with alternative Hip-Hop and R&B hoping to create that feeling of excitement for my supporters and other avid music lovers. I also wanted to showcase talent that I felt was underrated and [that] contributed something new to the world of music. I wanted to be one of the first to merge all of these sounds and amazing artists in one space.

Tell me about the process of collaborating on Love The Free with so many amazing artists?
It took me about 4 months to finish Love The Free. When I initially started the project, I made lists of everyone I was listening to at the time and I reached out to all the artists. Once I received a response, or lack of response, I would go back to the drawing board because I had a very specific vision for the style and overall sound I wanted to create. It was very important for me to acquire exclusive, unreleased tracks from all of the collaborators. To me, it added to the uniqueness and overall excitement of the project. That is where most of the difficulty came into play, it is one thing to have 2 or 3 exclusive tracks but 19 definitely entails a lot of following up, organization and a lot of communication on the progress of the project because every artist played such a crucial role in the mixtape’s success as well as my project, they had a lot going on. It was definitely an intense creative process which allowed me to appreciate the final project even more. If I ever got stuck, I went straight to my friends who were always there giving me new ideas or connecting me with someone who they felt would be a able to contribute to the project. The goal was to finish. I also had the opportunity to work with Grammy Award winning musician and engineer Om’mas Keith and Chief Engineer of Red Bull Studios Chris Tabron who mixed and mastered Love The Free</> I was so stoked that they wanted to be a part of it as well. It all came together so organically.

How do you remain fearless yet feminine in such a male dominated industry?
In the words of Beyonce “Goddammit, I am comfortable in my skin!” Haha, but seriously, I love being feminine and being a young woman. I think we as women have to own that and as long as we don’t objectify ourselves in a way that is demeaning to our character, we shouldn’t compromise our sexuality or femininity in any industry. I strive to be seen as someone who has earned their success…once it is earned your gender shouldn’t matter…I stand by that.

Who are some of your favorite music artist?
Jay-Z, Tony Toni Tone, Sade, Janet Jackson, Anita Baker, Beres Hammond, and Lauryn Hill.

Have you ever been in love?
Yes…I love to love.

Who are your biggest supporters?
My siblings (Muneerah, Nejmah, and Ku) know about things before me sometimes…haha! They stalk all of my social media channels and personal calendar. As well as amazing friends and Ralph who is my partner in crime. I call my friends my little angels, they are always working miracles for me! I am beyond grateful for them.

Kitty Cash for AMMO Magazine

What is your favorite food?
I love a good steak.

What’s your favorite color and why?
Purple. I once read that purple is the color that wants to be loved; I want to say it was by Alice Walker. I don’t know it stuck with me and from that day I fell in love with purple.

What’s one of the most random things that have happen to you?
All random things somehow tend to happen to me, like in the middle of when Kish was having an interview and I was hanging out just minding my business on a chair. At the time I had the long box braids. A cat legit attacked my hair; I think one of my braids fell out. I don’t know if that’s random or just embarrassing.

What’s lined up for 2014?
Love The Free part 2, DJing, some production, and a lot of traveling.

For more from Kitty Cash, go to her Tumblr Page HERE.