Olu Adelabi is known around Columbia’s campus as DJ Continental. He’s president of the Black Student Union and will be graduating with a advertising art design degree in the spring of 2011. Adelabi transferred to Columbia from Western Michigan University in 2007 and has been pushing himself as a product to DJ on-campus events such as Convocation, Big Mouth, Big Foot and most recently, the 24-Hour Night skate party.
Adelabi began making mix tapes for kids on the WMU campus and had a gig hosting its campus radio before relocating to Chicago. He said he found Columbia after showing interest in another school but Columbia proved as a better idea.
Three years later, he’s deejaying gigs on campus and around town and said “sticking in people’s ears” is how he got to where he is.
He joined BSU and after serving as its treasurer and in-house DJ and said it’s a cooperative effort and everyone involved has made the student organization what it has become.
Once Adelabi graduates, he’s going to New York and Miami to check out their advertising scene but says he loves and Chicago will return.
He also has a blog site called “The Imaginary Kids” which consists of a collaboration of his alter-egos; DJ BPM and Wheat Bread the Hot Buttered Toast.
While checking out a perspective DJ gig, the venue owner told Adelebi that he didn’t think he could appeal to his crowd. Not wanting to be defined to only being able to cater to one type of crowd, Adelabi wanted to prove otherwise. Although he has never deejayed under the names of his alter-egos, he says he’s a music lover and is very diverse.
Adelabi is also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated and is actively involved with community service.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Columbia Chicago chapter.