Your Subtitle text
Period 3 Entertainment 1
Once ‘Quiet Dee’ is now ‘Fused’ into the World of Hip-Hop
By: Jeffrey Valfer
TeenNewsNet Editor
They always say it’s the quiet ones’ you have to watch out for! As she sits down with me you would never guess from her strong opinions on Hip-Hop, education and the entertainment industry that she wasn’t always this vocal. Those who knew her from high school are also shocked… Seven years later this former “quiet girl” has millions of listeners, hosting a weekly Hip-Hop Countdown on Fuse and as a DJ (Wednesday, 8-12PM) on one of Sirius Satellites’ more popular stations, Shade 45.
At the age of 25, Denise ‘Dee’ Vazquez is not only living her dream, but living it large in her hometown. Dee grew up in Queens, attended St. Michael’s Academy in Manhattan and then spent two years at Queensboro Community College. The reality of her sudden success is surprising, but something she says she “secretly planned.” Often when she logs onto her FaceBook or MySpace she sees postings from former classmates with comments such as, “Oh my God, quiet Denise!” Listening to Dee tell this story you can picture her glaring at the computer screen, smiling, leaning back in her chair and saying to herself, I knew “I was going to surprise the world – you’re not going to see me coming.”
However, Dee is not about vindication or even having the last laugh. Yes, she has revealed a secret identity and unmasked her inner self. She doesn’t look at her past and forget who she was…She embraces it. As an inner city child, Dee uses where she came from and the story of how she achieved her dream to inspire today’s youth; especially those who come from a similar community as her. “The best way to get a teen involved is a face to face,” explains Dee of her involvement with students. “I know the internet has had a big boom and everyone is on it. The internet tries to promote a lot of different things to children, but you can’t grab them that way. Also, at the same time, they are looking at whatever they want to look at and advertising whatever way they want to advertise themselves.”
In her quest to motivate youth Dee often speaks at schools. “I know what a big impact it can be on a child’s life. When I was in High School it was a very big deal when anyone would come to speak to us.” What’s even more inspiring is when she goes to inner city schools. “They want someone to get them and guide them. If they don’t get that they say ‘You know what? I don’t care.’ Then they let the streets guide them and that’s when it can be very dangerous. When I go to these schools I tell them I can relate because I came from the same community. I had a great family and a great foundation and I listened to my teachers because they showed that they cared. I had this, but there are others who don’t. It’s about reaching out your hand and giving them that.”
Not only Dee’s background, but power she has behind the microphone and in front of the screen gives her the opportunity to influence millions of listeners. “Today I am a young professional in an entertainment career that is looking to empower and represent the future [my generation],” stresses Dee with conviction. As many have yet to hear of her, is she someone whose once silent voice should be listened to? If you understand her message, the answer is “yes.” Like herself, she wants youth to believe in their dreams. Additionally, although she has been successful at a young age it did not come easily. As anyone in the entertainment business will tell you, “Before success comes much rejection.” “You just take it,” explains Dee of the experience. “One thing I learned is to audition as much as you can, so I went to everyone that I could. Most of them said ‘No.’ It’s about believing in yourself 100%. If something doesn’t feel right it’s not for you.”
When did a career in Broadcast Journalism “feel right” for Dee? When asked that question you can see in her eyes and the way her face lights up the irony of how one simple dream can change the course of someone’s life. If it was a few years ago she may not have let me this far inside. She not only opens up herself to me, but makes me feel as if I am in the dream with her as she narrates it. The scene starts with her given an opportunity to interview any artist. Being a big fan and perhaps even having a crush on him, which is never admitted, she chooses Usher. “I wanted to make it real, so we’re going to a carnival to go on a ride and talk about his album.” As she continues I feel like I am living the moment with her. I hear the familiar carnival sounds and see her on the Ferris Wheel with him. Prying further I ask if this ever became reality. The response is a quick ‘no” followed by a daydreamer’s belief that anything they desire will come to fruition. “Soon it will come,” says Vazquez of her Usher carnival interview. “Whatever dreams you have even if it sounds silly – pursue it.”
The pursuit of her dream is now entrenched in Hip-Hop with her TV and radio shows. Her program on Fuse is something she thought she would never land. Dee was one of 300 people that auditioned. Initially they told her she needed more “edge.” “I went to lunch with my Mother and cried,” she reflects. “I said what is going on? Why can’t they accept me for who I am”? Her Mother’s advice was to just be herself. Maybe a guardian angel heard this conversation because two days later she got the call that Fuse “loved her” and the show was hers’ to take.
What does the future hold for someone that has achieved so much so fast? Are there anymore dreams to be had? If not an interview with Usher, then what does she have planned? Currently, Dee foresees more people knowing her story and who she is. The Denise ‘Dee’ Vazquez story is like her definition of the Hip-Hop she is now married to. “It’s about self expression. It’s about people who are oppressed and don’t want to be oppressed anymore.”
For more information please visit – http://www.deevazquez.com
TeenNewsNet Editor
They always say it’s the quiet ones’ you have to watch out for! As she sits down with me you would never guess from her strong opinions on Hip-Hop, education and the entertainment industry that she wasn’t always this vocal. Those who knew her from high school are also shocked… Seven years later this former “quiet girl” has millions of listeners, hosting a weekly Hip-Hop Countdown on Fuse and as a DJ (Wednesday, 8-12PM) on one of Sirius Satellites’ more popular stations, Shade 45. At the age of 25, Denise ‘Dee’ Vazquez is not only living her dream, but living it large in her hometown. Dee grew up in Queens, attended St. Michael’s Academy in Manhattan and then spent two years at Queensboro Community College. The reality of her sudden success is surprising, but something she says she “secretly planned.” Often when she logs onto her FaceBook or MySpace she sees postings from former classmates with comments such as, “Oh my God, quiet Denise!” Listening to Dee tell this story you can picture her glaring at the computer screen, smiling, leaning back in her chair and saying to herself, I knew “I was going to surprise the world – you’re not going to see me coming.”
However, Dee is not about vindication or even having the last laugh. Yes, she has revealed a secret identity and unmasked her inner self. She doesn’t look at her past and forget who she was…She embraces it. As an inner city child, Dee uses where she came from and the story of how she achieved her dream to inspire today’s youth; especially those who come from a similar community as her. “The best way to get a teen involved is a face to face,” explains Dee of her involvement with students. “I know the internet has had a big boom and everyone is on it. The internet tries to promote a lot of different things to children, but you can’t grab them that way. Also, at the same time, they are looking at whatever they want to look at and advertising whatever way they want to advertise themselves.”
In her quest to motivate youth Dee often speaks at schools. “I know what a big impact it can be on a child’s life. When I was in High School it was a very big deal when anyone would come to speak to us.” What’s even more inspiring is when she goes to inner city schools. “They want someone to get them and guide them. If they don’t get that they say ‘You know what? I don’t care.’ Then they let the streets guide them and that’s when it can be very dangerous. When I go to these schools I tell them I can relate because I came from the same community. I had a great family and a great foundation and I listened to my teachers because they showed that they cared. I had this, but there are others who don’t. It’s about reaching out your hand and giving them that.”
Not only Dee’s background, but power she has behind the microphone and in front of the screen gives her the opportunity to influence millions of listeners. “Today I am a young professional in an entertainment career that is looking to empower and represent the future [my generation],” stresses Dee with conviction. As many have yet to hear of her, is she someone whose once silent voice should be listened to? If you understand her message, the answer is “yes.” Like herself, she wants youth to believe in their dreams. Additionally, although she has been successful at a young age it did not come easily. As anyone in the entertainment business will tell you, “Before success comes much rejection.” “You just take it,” explains Dee of the experience. “One thing I learned is to audition as much as you can, so I went to everyone that I could. Most of them said ‘No.’ It’s about believing in yourself 100%. If something doesn’t feel right it’s not for you.”
When did a career in Broadcast Journalism “feel right” for Dee? When asked that question you can see in her eyes and the way her face lights up the irony of how one simple dream can change the course of someone’s life. If it was a few years ago she may not have let me this far inside. She not only opens up herself to me, but makes me feel as if I am in the dream with her as she narrates it. The scene starts with her given an opportunity to interview any artist. Being a big fan and perhaps even having a crush on him, which is never admitted, she chooses Usher. “I wanted to make it real, so we’re going to a carnival to go on a ride and talk about his album.” As she continues I feel like I am living the moment with her. I hear the familiar carnival sounds and see her on the Ferris Wheel with him. Prying further I ask if this ever became reality. The response is a quick ‘no” followed by a daydreamer’s belief that anything they desire will come to fruition. “Soon it will come,” says Vazquez of her Usher carnival interview. “Whatever dreams you have even if it sounds silly – pursue it.”
The pursuit of her dream is now entrenched in Hip-Hop with her TV and radio shows. Her program on Fuse is something she thought she would never land. Dee was one of 300 people that auditioned. Initially they told her she needed more “edge.” “I went to lunch with my Mother and cried,” she reflects. “I said what is going on? Why can’t they accept me for who I am”? Her Mother’s advice was to just be herself. Maybe a guardian angel heard this conversation because two days later she got the call that Fuse “loved her” and the show was hers’ to take.
What does the future hold for someone that has achieved so much so fast? Are there anymore dreams to be had? If not an interview with Usher, then what does she have planned? Currently, Dee foresees more people knowing her story and who she is. The Denise ‘Dee’ Vazquez story is like her definition of the Hip-Hop she is now married to. “It’s about self expression. It’s about people who are oppressed and don’t want to be oppressed anymore.”
For more information please visit – http://www.deevazquez.com
