Sixteen-year-old Guyanese-born Shaheed Afridi Batoolall, who now resides in Queens, New York, has been creating quite a vibe as one of the most promising and versatile deejays on Fire Fest Radio in the United States.
The programme titled, “Pretty Love Entertainment” also features Selector Brian and the host, Joshua. The show is aired on Sundays from 13:00h to 15:00h.
This ambitious young man hails from Better Hope on the East Coast of Demerara and was fathered by a music lover, himself; Annup Batoolall, also called “DJ Sunil”.
Shaheed was born on February 21, 2002 and after spending a few years of his early childhood in his homeland, he migrated to the United States of America.
While in Guyana he attended Queenstown Secondary School and described his childhood days as very exciting and interesting, since every new day was adventure to him. In the US, he now attends John Adams High School in Queens, New York and is in his senior year.
After completing high school, the talented young man will proceed to college where he intends to study business since he sees himself being an entrepreneur in the next 10 years.
Shaheed is part of a family that loves music. In fact, his father is the owner of Pretty Love Sound System in Guyana. While in Guyana, his father had his own television and radio shows. It is from his father’s love for music that Shaheed developed his own love for music.
“I was inspired by my father’s work and I chose to be a deejay because I wanted to make a name for myself and to be one of the best deejays in modern time”.
His mother, Rebecca Dookwah, is one of his biggest supporters. She has been his rock as he climbs to fame.
He recalled when he first started the radio programme, it did not go too well but on his third week, he caught the attention of his listening audience with his mixing and juggling skills. Today, he has a wide viewership on Facebook from the Caribbean and North America.
Meanwhile, on a lighter note, his favourite colours are purple, black, blue and red and he loves to eat fried rice. During his free time, he goes out with his friends, mixing his music at home or watches movies. Shaheed also has a Rakhi sister who he adores.
He advises his fellow young men and woman to stay away from doing the wrong things. “Never give up and always aim for the skies,” he encouraged.
