Ever wondered how your favourite DJs got their names? We asked 19 of them, and the answers ranged from childhood cartoons to rugby legends to a dog that just would not stop chasing one guy. Some names carry deep family tributes while some are just from the minds of foodies. Either way, all of them are origin stories worth knowing.
1. KND
KND stands for King Nonso Duke. Codename Kids Next Door was one of my favorite cartoons growing up. I’ve dropped the CODENAME now because of potential future legal issues. So now I drop music under my actual government name, “King Nonso Duke”, and DJ under my initials “KND.”
2. PROTON
I was (not sure I still am) a chemistry nerd. I got the name back in secondary school because I was the only one to finish an assignment on the differences between a proton, neutron and electron.
3. DOGHOUSE TV
When I first started DJing, I used to rent decks from someone whose dog absolutely hated me. Every visit, it would chase me, but I kept coming back because I was determined to learn.
That experience is actually where the name Doghouse TV came from. No matter how many times that dog chased me, I never stopped showing up. Looking back, that’s when I realized I was truly in love with DJing. Nothing was going to keep me away from the decks. TV means The Vision.
4. 2Ponmo2Egg (2P2E)
I would love to tell you a deep story about it, but honestly, that’s just my go-to ewa agoyin order lol. I’ve always loved food aliases, though. My alter ego is fufu5wraps.
5. KRACKER
“Cracker Biscuit.” I just love eating cracker biscuits so much that I promoted my favourite snack to my identity. It’s a simple name that reflects something I genuinely enjoy. No backstory, just crunch.
6. Jujuofthe234
So my name is Olajuwon, and a lot of my friends used to call me Juju for short. But to be honest, my friend VOFO just started calling me Jujuofthe234 when we were in the studio making beats, and it kind of stuck. It felt like my nickname, based on Olajuwon, but also alluding to something mystical, spiritual and culturally rooted in West Africa, referencing “juju.” It felt like an identity that carried the weight of who I was and who I was trying to be, all in one.
7. DJ CORA
My stage name was inspired by my love for rugby. Growing up, one of my favourite players was Gómez Cora, and I admired his passion, energy and impact on the game. His name resonated with me so much that I adopted “Cora” as my own, and it has stayed with me ever since. Today, DJ Cora represents not just my music, but also the inspiration I drew from a sport and an athlete I deeply respect.
8. Azzi
What inspired my stage name was always wanting to be the king of myself, not for anyone else. But ‘Azzi’ came up back when I was dancing. I was the best dancer, so they gave me that. ‘Azzi’ is a Jos name that means captain, chairman or king.
9. Sunrise
‘Sunrise’ felt like a calling. It’s become a mantra and a symbol of inspiration for me, and hopefully for anyone who gets to experience her. The sun always rises. Even if you don’t see it, it rose somewhere, and no one can stop it. That is my confidence booster.
10. Axara
My name came to me through a TV screen lol. I was watching the “Lucifer” series, heard a character named Axara, and felt it before I could even explain why. I had already started DJing under a different name that I wanted to change anyway, so I looked up the meaning, loved it, and quietly retired my old DJ name that same week.
11. DJ Farati
It’s my name. From Oluwatofarati. My parents and family always called me Farati, not Tofarati, before everyone else caught on. I was too lazy to come up with a flashy DJ name, so I went with it. DJ Farati ” has too many syllables, and it kind of puts me in a box.
12. Frvky
Whenever I tell people my name is Frvky, they never forget. My stage name is my nickname, one I’ve rolled with since school.
13. Abiodun
Anything else wouldn’t feel original or like me, so I stuck with my name. Best decision.
14. Blackseid
The villain Darkseid, plus my dark skin. Remy Baggins put it together and said, ” Yup, that’s your name now.”
15. Billysroom
By default, I’m a designer, and some years ago, I created a space, the “room,” for expressive artwork that was different from what I regularly did. So when I decided to become a DJ, I felt adopting it was the best fit, since DJing was a new and different form of expression for me at the time. Plus, “Billy” originally came from “billionaire,” something my friends used to call me back in uni for always hustling and working while in school.
16. The Phremen
The name was inspired by the Fremen from the movie ‘Dune’, a tribe known for their resilience, freedom and deep cultural identity. We discovered the Fremen were actually rooted in real history, inspired by the Amazigh (Berber) people of North Africa. That African connection felt deeply aligned with our sound as Afro House and Afro Tech DJs. The name means “free people,” or in one word, freedom. That’s exactly what we want our music and event (Kultur People) to feel and sound like.
One more thing: it’s The Phremen, never The Phreman. There’s no singular. If it’s just one of us you meet, it’s still The Phremen.
17. Simss
My actual name is just four letters long (Simi), so I never had any nicknames growing up. Around SS3, my classmates started calling me “Sims” out of the blue. I guess that’s typical, adding an S or Z to someone’s name as a form of endearment. A year later, when I was asked to send in my DJ name for my first gig at university, I just told them Simss because it was the only nickname I had at the time. I added the extra S because I thought it looked better. I was right. I did intend on changing it once I thought of something “cooler,” but once people at school and my family started calling me Simss, I knew it had stuck. That was eight years ago. Simss is still a cool name.
18. Khalipha
My dad. I had to pick a name he’d approve of, something ‘responsible’, so to speak. So, I chose the Arabic word for “successor” or “firstborn”, which is Khalipha.
19. DCON
I got my stage name from a nickname my dad gave me. He’s the first one that ever called me DCON. He even named his company after me (Dispute CONsulting, he was a lawyer). This is all because my initials are DCON: Daniel (God is my king/judge), Chukwuemeka (God has done so much), Ohiorenuan (It is God that gives), Nwosu (Child of a person dedicated to God).
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