Last month, DJ Six7even was among the most viral names on social media, as his iconic monthly day-party series, Even In The Day, brought Wizkid and Davido reuniting in public for the first time in years.
For followers of his disc jockey artistry, the entertainer’s legacy stretches beyond beachside peacemaking miracles; he is also revered as the sonic missionary that brought the gospels of Amapiano from South Africa to Nigerian dance floors.
Born David Etuk, DJ Six7even’s iconic rise to the top in the Afrobeats scene began from his humble childhood suburbs in Agege, Lagos, where he fawned over disc jockeys playing at street-side parties. Now, standing at six feet and seven inches, the acclaimed entertainer, nicknamed the Amapiano god, sits with a towering portfolio of performance gigs from Lagos to London and beyond, including the famous Ebro Show on Apple Music Radio 1.
Catching up with Guardian Music, the sonic mixologist talks through his intriguing come-up journey, from spending his scholarship on turntables to mixing playlists at NYSC camp, and eventually ditching a post graduate career in petroleum engineering; his acclaimed day-party series that’s giving nightlife a run for its money; releasing new music with Victony, Musa Keys, among others; and his dreams of empowering the emerging generation of DJs in the country.

How did you become a DJ?
It was straight up the jump from NYSC camp. Back in my final semester, I didn’t like anybody touching my playlists; I randomly made mixes that I would use to study. So, during NYSC I heard they were looking for someone that could make mixes for the morning parade, and I responded that ‘I do this in my room.’ I did it and everywhere went crazy. I was like, ‘I love this.’ I was actually doing something that I love and could chase. From there, I started researching, networking, building craft and started grinding.

Tell us about that gig
It was a gig in Ogba. I am from Agege. I was born and bred there. A lady was setting up a make-up shop and they called me to come and play music. However, my first major gig would have to be Planet One. It started getting serious then. I played at a birthday party there. That was the first time that I was ever getting paid significantly; it was about N50,000.

How did you develop your talent as a DJ?
Leaving school with a petroleum engineering degree, one could have had another life entirely. I could have pursued a cool 9-5 job or a master’s degree. When I made up my mind to be a DJ, it was when I used my scholarship money in the last semester of my final year that Chevron had paid me and I wasn’t even aware that they had paid it in. I went to the ATM and I was bored. I saw the money and I took it out and went to Alaba market the next day to buy my Turntable. I just started researching. From there, I was learning how to be the best DJ in the world. If I had to leave that life to do this, I had to be the best DJ in the world. So, my passion just drew me. I researched deeply into branding, packaging, craft, talent, baby scratches, mixing, harmonic mixing, labelling and arranging folders, hardware and everything. I knew then that I needed to find a job. I found my first boss and I started getting real life experiences. Shout out to DJ Kaki P. He took me around.

Was there any moment that you felt like giving up?
I have never had any. God has been faithful and has blessed me and my talent. There are doubtful days, though. There were days that there was no money. The gigs were not flowing. I just reminded myself that I am born to do this. Anytime I felt that way I just reminded myself of a favourite childhood memory; I was walking towards the DJ table during the end-of-year carnivals. It wasn’t even a standard DJ table; it was those ‘pako’ (wooden) tables used to sell bread. I was always gravitating towards the DJ set and watching what they were doing. So, I know I was born to do this.

You are renowned as the Amapiano god. Tell us how you built that legacy.
First of all, with the Amapiano god. It came off during COVID-19 period, during 2020. The previous year, I had gone to Dubai with my big brother Hillary. I was in my hotel room and I went to the pool area where I saw a DJ sitting with his laptop. He looked Nigerian. His name is DJ Cypher Lee. He knew about me. We exchanged folders and I got my laptop and thumb drive. He played a song for me that sounded like a Gqom song, but it was more melodic and it had a slower tempo. I asked what it was and he told me that it was Amapiano. I don’t know what it was at the time, but the bass lines and log drums were hitting me. When I came to Nigeria, I started playing it at Hotbox nightclub. I played a few Amapiano songs by South African acts, like Untold Stories by Vigro Deep, Jebson by Thebelebe, Baby are you coming by Zero12finest, Iskathi by Mas Musiq, and some other ones I can’t remember now. People were dancing to these songs. I started researching more songs from South Africa. I found out that there were so many of them. I started making mixes. COVID came and we couldn’t play shows anymore; so I started going on Instagram Live to play new music. A lot of people started joining in. One day, people started commenting calling me ‘Amapiano god’. It just stuck. Two weeks later, I released the mix and MTV Base and Soundcity Africa reached out to me for a Live video. The name just stuck.

You are also renowned for being the tallest DJ in the country. Tell us how you came to choose the name Six7even?
Back then I was a big fan of Phyno. I used to blast his music in the hostel at University. Then, my friends used to tease me by calling me DJ Obago, because I played that song a lot. But when I came into the real world, I wanted to start playing on radio. I knew I couldn’t go by that name again. I was looking for a unique name that stood out to me. One day I checked my height and I am 6 foot 7 inches tall. So, I decided to call myself DJ Six7even. After six is seven; it was easy to pronounce and difficult to forget. So, it just stuck. My mantra became the exceptional DJ Six7even, hashtag the tallest DJ ever.

Last December, you had Davido and Wizkid partying at your event, Even In The Day. Talk to us about how you started that day party series.
So, Even In The Day is a culture and a rave in the daytime. I founded it alongside my manager and partner, Dafe. Dafe is an absolute genius. I wanted to start dropping music, but he said no. He said that he wanted people to really feel who Six7even is. He suggested that we do daytime parties around me. After naming it Even Pool Clubs, and even Even Saturdays, we checked the Instagram handle we just opened titled Even In The Day, and we took off with that name. The first edition was February 2023, after so many back and forth. The first edition was very promising. The energy was genuine. It was like for the first time, in a while, people in Lagos were genuinely having fun.
As early as 4:00pm, half of the venue was already packed. The music was great. All our friends were outside to support us. When it started getting dark, I played my set – it was an Amapiano set. It started getting more packed. From nowhere, I noticed Black Sherif was standing behind me. I was like, ‘Wow! Black Sherif was in Lagos and he liked my party!’
The second edition was when the event finally exploded. I had over 1,500 people at a beach house. Then, I knew that we had to nurture the event. We started planning harder and expanding the team. We recorded more sets for YouTube. Our social media followers grew. Before we knew it, we had hosted an edition in Abuja. The reception was also heavy; it was over 2,000 people. In Ghana, the reception was heavy as well. In August, we returned to Lagos. In October, we had two editions. We took a break in November to plan for December. In December, we wanted to give the fans a different cultural experience. Dafe came up and we planned three editions – one in Abuja and two in Lagos. The one on the 16th with Skyla Tyla, an amazing DJ from South Africa, was the one Wizkid and Davido attended.
The event started great, and she started Deejaying. Then, Wizkid came into the show and there was a roar. Everybody was excited. The music was great. Then, DJ Tunez took me to meet Wizkid. Wizkid leaves his VIP section and comes to the stage. Skyla ends her set and I start playing my set. It starts getting interesting around 9:30pm.
Wizkid was still around. More people were coming in. From absolutely nowhere, I see Zlatan coming up. I look behind Zlatan and I see Davido. I was telling my friend Dr Caise that, ‘Wow! Wizkid and Davido together!’ All barriers were broken. People started running to Even In The Day.
The whole place became extremely packed again. He rotated songs from both artistes, one after the other, and it was an iconic moment.
Shout out to Zlatan and everybody that was supporting. It wasn’t like we schemed anything. It was just meant to be. It was divine. It was just me being in the presence of greatness. The both artistes stayed for a while and they really had fun. The effect was instant. We were still at the party when we started trending on social media. By the next day, we had gone viral on social media.

What are you up to next?
As DJ Six7even, aka The Tallest DJ, Pineapple Head, and, now, The Peacemaker – that was the title I was given after having Wizkid and Davido together at my party – I want to start releasing music this year. I have music with Victony, Musa Keys, Kashcoming, Smada, and more collaboration.
For Even In The Day, we are cooking a lot of more experiences. We are heading to South Africa for the first Even In The Day, Even In Jozi. I also have other nightlife experiences that would be coming from DJ Six7even. Also, 2024 has accumulated into being a year where a lot of attention is being paid to the DJ’s. It started in 2023. This year, I really expect that DJ’s will start getting massively represented on the global map.

What are some interesting tips you would give to an emerging DJ?
Firstly, you have to be original. Let the passion drive you. When the money started coming in, I didn’t even know. It is the happiest time for me in the world, when I am Deejaying. Most importantly, you have to sit back and look at the younger generation. The next David Guetta, Avicii, Black Coffee, or Six7even might be waiting outside the club to get in.
So, this is one piece of advice that a lot of DJ’s from this part of the world don’t pay attention to because they focus only on blowing up. Yes, the ambition is great, and the competition is healthy, but this advice is for relevance and longevity.
You can make money for the rest of your life by just playing as a DJ, but to be part of something iconic you have to look back at the younger generation and listen to them. Pay attention to their mashups, refixes, mixes and even original songs. Where you can show support, show support. Where you can show love, show love. Where you can put them on, put them on. And, don’t ever joke with the money.