Kate Kemp

For nearly 30 years, DJ EZ Eddie D has built up his reputation as a powerful Dallas DJ and currently hosts Knowledge Taught, Lessons Dropped on 89.3 KNON: the second longest running hip hop show in the country. For Eddie, it's not about money or fame. It's about the thought-provoking moments created through the music he spins, opening up the eyes and hearts of people on dance floors and across airwaves. 

Back when he was growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, Eddie discovered his calling at The Apple and London Hall, two clubs that catered to teens. "I used to stand and watch the DJ. I'd see them put a record on and turn and look at the crowd and just watch the reaction," he says, "I thought that was pretty powerful — that communication between the DJ and the dance floor."

Determined to learn how to connect with a crowd through music, Eddie bought a Realistic mixer from Radio Shack, two turntables from a pawnshop and decided he was going to be a DJ. In 1982, a friend introduced Eddie to Dallas DJ The Master Mixer who he credits with teaching him how to blend records. "It took me about a year to figure it out. You have to reprogram your brain to hear two different things at one time and then bring them back together into one," he explains. "I can remember in the beginning my brothers and sisters and everybody laughing at me going 'Aw, you wanna be a DJ?! Oh, Lord!'" But instead of getting discouraged, Eddie worked harder and, thanks to his connection with KNON's Master Mixer and Nippy Jones, landed his own show on KNON in 1987.

"I'm very proud that it's the second longest running hip hop show in the country," Eddie says. "I've sacrificed a lot for it," Eddie says, "Jobs. Family. It's not easy." Because it's public radio, Eddie doesn't earn any money from his airtime, but he does get to pick his own playlists. "One of my favorite sayings when I started working at KNON was our motto, 'We play all the hits — none of the time.' That always stuck with me," says Eddie. He also uses the show as a platform to share his philosophies. "If I say something, you don't have to believe me, but I do expect you to go find out whether I'm right or wrong. I just want to spark something to make you go and figure something out about yourself."

In addition to hosting his show on KNON, producing and spinning at various clubs, bars and parties around Dallas, Eddie also spent about three years as the DJ for Decadent Dub Team. It was through that group that Eddie came to the scene in Deep Ellum where he has some of his best memories. "One night the last song I played at Blind Lemon was Al Green, Let's Stay Together," Eddie recalls. "It's like 2:00 in the morning. Everybody's hugging and dancing. I turned down the music and the whole club was singing. That was it. That was my DJ moment."

Eddie believes it's important to spin tracks that fall a little off the beaten path. "You're there to educate," he says. "You're supposed to break music and invite the audience into a new experience." On KNON, he'll often give airtime to locals who don't have another venue to share their music. Right now, he's a fan of the local female group Vicious Cycle, whom he feels will be the next big thing to come out of Dallas. At the clubs, bars and parties, he'll play whatever feels right for the room. "Dope is dope," he says. "I don't care if it's country, blue-grass, classical. If it has something fresh, I'll play it."

Because he's been in the industry for such a long time, Eddie's collection of vinyl is impressive. And he doesn't have much patience for the influx of pop up DJs who call themselves artists. "I'm all for technology, but the iPod thing ... look, just because you have 2 million billion trillion songs on your hard drive does NOT make you a DJ," he says. "Microwave DJs are everywhere. I think people deserve to get the best that they can when they go hear somebody play. I'm always going to give a show."

DJ EZ Eddie D continually puts on great shows every Saturday night at 8PM on 89.3 KNON, spins at various clubs around Dallas and can be reached for booking at ezeddied893@gmail.com. No matter where he's spinning, one thing remains consistent — the desire to connect with the audience in the most authentic way possible and to carry on conversations with the crowd through his music.

NOTE: Due to a lack of pledges, Knowledge Taught, Lessons Dropped has been cut back one hour. To show your support for DJ EZ Eddie D and KNON, please donate now at KNON.org/Pledge. Don't let the air waves go silent when there's still so much to be said.