Renowned artist and producer, DJ Finesse, has recently launched a new book titled “From Personal To Purpose: Finessing Life’s Lessons and Transforming Them Into Your True Calling.” The book is now available on Amazon, and it delves into DJ Finesse’s survival journey through cancer, and how he discovered his true purpose in life. DJ Finesse’s story is empowering and motivating, as he uses his own life experiences to support readers in overcoming life’s challenges and discovering their own true calling.

 Can you tell us about your experience working at Bad Boy Entertainment and how it influenced your career as a DJ? 

It showed me the power of branding! I was affiliated with one of the most prominent and successful record labels in the history of music! It gave me instant credibility. The networking opportunities were endless but again, I went into that situation looking to add value. 

I have to shout out Hen Roc who was the first person at Bad Boy to reach out to me after I came off of Rap City The Basement with Big Tigg. Sean Prez made the final decision but Rich Dollaz really made it happen. He and I became really cool so once I got the go-ahead, I made sure to create opportunities for him as I was creating opportunities for myself. This was long before he became a reality star on Love & Hip-Hop NYC. He was my guy at the label and co-signed everything I was doing. I made sure to reciprocate that love. We are friends still to this day and still talk about collaborating on ideas. 

In your book about surviving cancer, what was the most challenging part of your journey and how did you overcome it? 

In 2015 I had 2 mentors who introduced me to Personal Development. I found tremendous value reading books that helped me understand the power of positive thinking. I truly believe if I hadn’t invested that time into building myself, I wouldn’t have approached treatment the way I did. 

I had to undergo 35 radiation treatments and 5 Chemo treatments. The radiation treatments happened once a day for 5 days for 7 weeks. The 5 Chemo treatments happened each Monday for 5 weeks. The physical toll it put on my body was by far the most challenging. I lost 45 lbs in 4 months. I couldn’t eat anything by mouth and had to have a feeding tube. I lost all taste and I had third degree burns on my neck from the inside out. If you didn’t know I was battling “C”, you could tell by my physical appearance something was wrong.

I felt in the core of my soul, what I was going through was bigger than me. I had to be transparent and allow people to see my struggle and victory. I felt God chose me to be the person to give others hope and the strength to push through. I knew by telling my story, I was giving others permission to tell theirs. 

How has surviving cancer changed your perspective on life and your purpose as a DJ? 

It changed my perspective on life as a whole, not just as a DJ. I created a mantra that is now part of my merch. “Value Is The True Currency”. All I think about is ways to add value to the lives of others. Helping them achieve their goals is the currency. What I’ve 

come to realize is if you help enough people get what they want, you will have everything you want. So adding value is the true currency! 

Going through “C” helped me understand that everyone has a story worth telling. I thought my purpose was to be a world-renowned DJ. What I found was a higher calling. Dj Finesse is simply a vessel for change. The Dj Finesse brand that took me over 35 years to create was to get me to this space. Now, I use my platform, my voice, my struggle, and my pain to motivate and inspire the masses to cast aside fear and be the best versions of themselves. 

Can you share any lessons you learned while battling that you apply to your career as a DJ? 

I believe the biggest lesson I’ve learned is the power of being selfless. Going through “C” treatment was a moment in my life. That moment doesn’t define me. At that moment, I would have been justified in taking care of myself. Conversely, my thoughts centered around others. How can my story inspire the masses and what value could my story add to the lives of others? 

What inspired you to write a book about your experience surviving cancer and how do you hope it will impact readers?

To be clear, my book “From Personal To Purpose” “Finessing Life’s Lessons and Transforming Them Into Your True Calling” is not a tell all about my experience battling “C”. Only one chapter is dedicated to that moment in my life. As I stated in the previous question, having “C” doesn’t define me. There’s so much more to me than being a “C” survivor so my book had to embody that. The idea to finally write a book was inspired by my having been diagnosed but it wasn’t the only inspiration. 

I’ve had so many people in my career tell me I needed to write a book. I didn’t want it to be a memoir strictly about Dj Finesse. I felt that story wasn’t the story I was ready to tell. Humbly, I also wasn’t sure if the Dj Finesse story would be relevant and engaging to the reader. 

How did you balance your career as a DJ with your medical treatments during your battle with cancer? 

I didn’t do any Djing while going through treatment. It was way too much on my body. I missed a lot of opportunities but my health was most important. My treatment ended in August and I had a PET Scan 3 months after. As an athlete and a former college basketball player, I’ve always remained healthy. I’ve never smoked or entertained drugs. I believe that my healthy lifestyle helped in the healing process. I didn’t do any clubs or lounges when I first came back. As the official Dj for the Providence College Friars Men’s Basketball team, my sole focus was to be ready for the 2017-18 season. 

Can you discuss any support systems or resources that helped you during your cancer journey? 

My family was, and still are my biggest support system. My immediate family and my wife’s family were there if I needed anything at any time. My wife is a nurse so having her by my side was like having my very own personal nurse. 

I also had the most amazing doctors from Boston to Rhode Island. They were extremely knowledgeable, personable and very caring. They helped me understand the process of treatment and recovery. I was never in the dark about what was happening to my body and what to expect. 

Did your experience with cancer affect your approach to music or the way you perform as a DJ?

It didn’t affect my approach to music. I actually had more time to listen to more music, but it did affect the way I spun music. Like anything, if you don’t spend the time practicing your craft, you can’t expect to get better. Djing is no different. I hadn’t spun in months so as I started to return, my timing was way off. Going through treatment, I lost my voice for a few weeks so when I came back, my voice was different. My throat was still healing from the radiation so I wasn’t able to engage on the mic which is a huge part of my Dj style. In time it all came back so I’m blessed! 

How do you think your book and story can inspire and benefit others going through a similar experience? 

My book is in the category of Personal Development. It’s a book intended to motivate and inspire people to live the life they were created to live. I feel we were all born to win but programmed to lose. My book was written with the reader in mind. It’s definitely a book that will help you overcome life’s obstacles. A lot of people have limiting beliefs and what I know is we become what we think about most. I feel my book will give readers the confidence and courage to quiet those voices and thoughts holding them back from leading a life of fulfillment. 

Can you share any advice for someone who has recently been diagnosed with cancer and is struggling to cope? 

Everyone is different. Every diagnosis is different. For that reason, I’m cautious about what I say. What I know is your mindset is key! If you notice in this interview I call it “C”. I won’t call it by its name because I don’t feel it deserves my respect. I refuse to give it power. That is my approach and it works for me. 

My thought process throughout my entire treatment was I am going to proceed as usual, as humanly possible. I drove myself to every appointment. I went outside, I went fishing even when I was nauseous. I was determined to not let “C” beat me and I believe that mindset served me well. 

Listen to your doctors but don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions. Be your best advocate. In my book I talk about asking one of the doctors a tough question that changed the course of my treatment.

Lastly, have faith. It’s not my place to talk about what, or who you believe in. What I know is God got me. So much so that I had that statement tattooed on my chest. I believe if you put your faith in him He will have you too. I thank you for the time and 

space to talk about my book and journey. I truly hope your readers find value from this interview. Thank you for the support of my book From Personal To Purpose, Finessing Lifes Lessons and Transforming Them Into Your True Calling.