The DJ at the DNC Took Us All Through a Music-Heavy Version of the Roll Call

The 2024 DNC roll call was earnest, sincere, strange, and above all else, musical. Although the roll call was purely ceremonial, as Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are already formally the presidential and vice presidential nominees for the Democratic Party, it was nonetheless a celebratory moment for each of the states as they pledged their delegates to that ticket.

The vibes were good, and that was thanks in large part to DJ Cassidy , who was tasked with overseeing the roll call and providing music that was appropriate to each state. After his starring role at the convention, many wanted to know more about this magical DJ.

Who was the DJ at the DNC?

The DJ at the DNC was named DJ Cassidy. He is native to California and welcomed everyone to the roll call by playing Sister Sledge's "We Are Family."

"Now, we're going to pass the mic from state to state so that all our voices are heard all around the nation," he said at the top of the segment. As the states pledged their delegates in largely alphabetical order, Cassidy chose a song that represented each state.

California was treated to "California Love" by Tupac Shakur, and "Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar, while Vermont got an instrumental version of Noah Kahan's "Stick Season." Lil Jon even showed up live to perform "Turn Down for What" on behalf of the Georgia delegation, further adding to the party-like atmosphere in the room.

Cassidy's role was central to turning the whole affair into a celebration of every state.

Who is DJ Cassidy?

DJ Cassidy is actually a DJ with a history in Democratic politics. He started out DJing at school events, but eventually graduated to higher profile events, and was the DJ on tap for both of Barack Obama's inauguration ceremonies. He was also the DJ on tap for Obama's 50th birthday party and his wife Michelle's. He's also performed at a number of other high-profile events, including ones hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, and the Kardashians.

Perhaps his crowning achievement, though, was performing at Jay-Z and Beyonce's wedding.

Although the atmosphere at the DNC may have appeared spontaneous, DJ Cassidy said that it took four weeks of meticulous planning in order to pull it off.

"The whole night was truly surreal," he told Jen Psaki during an interview after the event. He also acknowledged that music had never been a part of the roll call until this year's event.

Given what an enormous success Cassidy was, it seems likely that he'll be back in four years to do the whole thing again. Whether he's back or not, though, the next person to provide music for a roll call is going to have to figure out what other songs can be used to represent each state. That'll be easy for states like California, but some states have a, shall we say, thinner musical resume.