Chicago's own. A Hip Hop foundation with soul, house and neo-soul in the crates — and the range to rock any setup put in front of him: turntables, CDJs, controllers. Nearly three decades behind the decks, and class is still in session.
The short version: almost 30 years in, and still the voice of the people on deck.
With almost 30 years in the business, Chicago native DJ Joe Kollege is known for being more than someone who spins records or “gets the party started.” On deck, he becomes the voice of the people — someone who ignites souls and paves the road to a listener's fondest memories with unmatched selections of soul, house and hip-hop.
The foundation is Hip Hop, built since 1997, but the crates run deep: 80s and 90s classics, neo-soul, soulful deep house. And the craft travels across formats — Joe plays on turntables, CDJs, controllers alike. Two decks and a mixer, a full club rig, or an all-vinyl night pulled straight from the crates: the lesson plan adjusts, the standard doesn't.
He has played for media giants Essence and Uptown Magazine and Hidden Beach Recordings, performed in front of thousands at T.D. Jakes' Woman Thou Art Loosed conference and ONE Musicfest in Atlanta, and added “International DJ” to the résumé with events in Montego Bay, Jamaica and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The Roots · KRS-One · Doug E. Fresh · Slick Rick · Common · Robin Thicke · PJ Morton · Al B. Sure! · Ruben Studdard · Special Ed — and former President Bill Clinton
Grandmaster Flash · DJ Jazzy Jeff · Kid Capri · Questlove · Biz Markie · D-Nice
Essence · Uptown Magazine · Hidden Beach Recordings · ONE Musicfest (Atlanta) · Woman Thou Art Loosed
Hip Hop · Soul · Soulful & deep house · Neo-soul · 80s & 90s classics — read the room, then teach it something
Bio adapted from Joe's official artist bio — full version on Bandsintown and BESLA.
Portraits and recent flyers. New press photos from the next shoot land here.
Press play. The mixes live on Mixcloud — new sets posted as they drop.
This is the homework before the party: live sets and studio mixes straight from mixcloud.com/djjoekollege — Hip Hop foundations, soul and house journeys, and the all-vinyl sessions from Wax.
Bookers: this is exactly what the room gets. No studio tricks, no playlist on shuffle — selections, blends and timing, the way it happens live.
Where to catch him on a regular basis in Chicago.
Wax Vinyl Bar & Ramen Shop
Backspin Thursdays, powered by the SoulSelector DJs. All vinyl, all night — every record pulled live from the crates while the ramen stays hot.
1549 W Chicago Ave · Chicago, IL
Revolver
Classic Hip Hop and R&B, back to back with his brother Jay iLLa. Two DJs, one standard: nothing but the real.
1270 N Milwaukee Ave · Chicago, IL
Park Manor 75
In the rotating resident lineup for We Love Soul Thursdays — alongside Sean Alvarez, Duane Powell and special guests. Soul music for grown folks, every week.
600 E 75th St · Chicago, IL
Live from Bandsintown — the same list Joe updates himself, so it's never stale. Follow to get an email the moment a new show is announced.
The DJ is one chapter. The work in the community is the rest of the book.
By day, Joe builds leaders at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago — leadership programming for young people ages 6–18 covering self-esteem, civic engagement, service learning, violence prevention and conflict resolution, plus the Teen Resource Fair connecting teens to colleges, trades, employers and scholarships.
Youth · Leadership · ChicagoThe story doesn’t stop at the club doors — or the day job. More chapters are in the works, and they’ll land here when the time is right.
Stay TunedClubs, lounges, festivals, corporate and private events — in Chicago and on the road.
Tell us about the event and the request lands directly in Joe's inbox at jk@joekollege.com. The more detail you give — date, room, crowd, hours — the faster you get a real answer.
Prefer plain email? Write to jk@joekollege.com.
Press & dates: Bandsintown ·
Mixes: Mixcloud