DJ Kwes was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Guyanese parents who instilled in him a great appreciation for many different musical forms while growing up. In his early teens, this love of music manifested itself through the turntables as he taught himself the art of DJing, and began to spin music in basement parties–joining now defunct DJ crew, Opposite Ends, as the go-to DJ for reggae and hip hop. Shortly after, his mastery of the crowd gained DJ Kwes some notoriety in the neighborhood and the demand for his skills increased, leading to stints at Club FX and other venues in Downtown Toronto like Roxy Blu, Red Square, Jet, Fluid, Money and NV, to name a few. Like most of Toronto’s great DJs, DJ Kwes also spent time working in Toronto’s ubiquitous Play De Record, furthering not only his knowledge of music, but also his music collection.
