What song do you like to sing at the top of your lungs?
It's actually a lyric from the Broadway play "Rent": "Let's Go Oooooouuuuttttt Tonight!"
What is your favorite song lyric, and from what song?
"Are we really living or just walking dead now? / Or dreaming of a hope riding the wings of angels / The way we live, / the way we die / What a tragedy, I'm so terrified / Day dreamers please wake up, we can't sleep no more" from "Sincerely Jane" by Janelle Monae.
Which teacher has had a lasting impact on you? How?
Hmm, it's tough to choose just one, but I'll go with my seventh-grade English teacher, Ms. Primrose. Homegirl was one of the few teachers that didn't allow me to weasel my way out of doing work. Enduring her policy of no excuses—when it came to handing in assignments on time—has definitely proven beneficial at Bowdoin.
Your proudest moment at Bowdoin?
I'd have to go with the success of the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity's "Anything But Straight in Athletics" event last April. To see a random idea I developed over Winter Break manifest into an impactful school-wide event was as equally mind-blowing as it was personally rewarding. The support that day received from the administration and the student body showed me what it meant to be a member of the Bowdoin community.
What do Shrek and Billy Joel have in common?
They're both like Bruno Mars and told me they love me, "Just the Way You Are."
Why did you decide to become a DJ?
I originally wanted to produce a talk show, but I never got around to creating a structure for it. By the middle of the semester I realized that my radio show was an opportunity for me to de-stress and relax via the lyrics and beats of some of my favorite artists. Since then I've definitely become more interested in finding music to share with others.
If you could meet any live musician or artist, who would you meet and why?
Definitely Erykah Badu. Who wouldn't want to be in the presence of someone with so much soul and funk? But the downside of meeting her would be that it would only be for a moment. She's an artist, a person I would want to be surrounded by for the rest of my life!
If you could travel in a time
machine, what year would you like to be in and why?
1968. I'm a self-proclaimed news junkie and I love to analyze how current events shape the lives of future generations. To be able to experience the world's reactions to the assassinations of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy would allow me the chance to directly experience the social circumstance of the time. This opportunity could then allow me to better speculate about some of the choices, motives current politicians possess. These are the individuals who are greatly influencing the lives of our offspring.
Your parents would be most proud of which of your accomplishments?
The better question is what wouldn't my parents be proud of? The answer would easily be nothing; they love their little monster...with the exception of a few Facebook photos.
If your favorite poem could be turned into a song, which artist would you like to have sing it?
I'm going to take a different approach and say David Guetta. He wouldn't sing, but he would put some underground club diva on the vocals, add an amazing dance beat, and my ears would be more than satisfied.
Who is your favorite professor? If you could dedicate an album title to him/her, what would the title be?
Another tough one, but I'm going to go with Professor Jennifer Scanlon. The title would be: "For You, Only the Highest Gratitude."
Favorite Bowdoin food/dish?
Plain chicken wings with Honey Dijon sauce on the side.
Favorite childhood cartoon?
"Rocket Power"—Everyone wanted to be Otto, right?
First impression of Racer X?
They can't be professors. Who knew '80s music was so freaking good?
If you wrote the song "Bowdoin College," give a lyric from it.
"Reggie Bush, Barefoot, what we use to get by."
If music be the food of love...
I would no longer mind being single!
-Compiled by Mariya Ilyas.
Tune in to "Kick-It With Branden" with DJ Branden Asemah '12 every Sunday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. on WBOR 91.1 FM or stream online at wbor.org. To listen to his playlist, visit the Orient Express at www.bowdoinorientexpress.com.