Since 2016, DJ Killa Squid has been making a name for herself in the world of music and style. Squid, as her friends and peers affectionately call her, has been blazing her career path influenced by the likes of Cam’ron, Vashtie Kola, and Instagram. She’s also the DJ for fellow Detroiter and rising star, Sam Austins.
Read on to learn about the Detroit Diplomat’s favorite BMW, her love of Nike SBs, and not being allowed to listen to Prince when she was growing up, in the latest installment of “Off the Top.”
The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
StockX: DJ Killa Squid, thank you so much for joining us. Would you please introduce yourself?
DJ Killa Squid: All right, I’m Ashley, aka DJ Killa Squid. I’ve been DJing for three and a half years. I DJ for Sam Austins, and I do my thing, man. I love shoes, the clothes, that’s my big thing, and I wear what I want.
Describe your job as a DJ with Sam Austins.
Well, I’m kind of like the hype person, and also making sure his music’s good. I run telecon as well; it’s like his auto-tune and stuff like that. I’m just the operator of everything that is on stage. I’m also his voice of reasoning when he needs advice about music, what we should put in the set, what we shouldn’t put in the set, and what sounds good. We bounce ideas off of each other. Being Sam’s DJ is like being his support and his voice of reasoning when he’s unsure of what to do.
How did you connect with Sam?
We’ve been best friends for like three years, and he was my neighbor, and we didn’t even know it! I got hip to his music through one of my friends in Dope Div, and I was like, oh, this is sweet. We linked on Twitter, and then one day I come out of the house, and he’s literally walking out of the house too. I’m like, “what are you doing?” And he’s like, “I’m your neighbor.” And then he moved like a month after that. But we were neighbors before we even knew that.
Working with Sam means you’re also working with Assemble Sound. Were you aware of Assemble Sound before working with Sam?
No, Sam brought me into the Assemble family. Whenever I’m working with Assemble, it’s because I’m working with Sam.
How’d you come up with the name Killa Squid?
The “Killa” part came from Cam’ron of Dipset; he’s one of my favorite rappers. The “Squid” part, my friends gave it to me, and I used to hate it. They used to tease me and call me Squid from “Rocket Power,” and I hated it. I hated it. And then one of my friends was like, “you might as well just run with it.” So I just ran with it, and that’s how Killa Squid was born.
Were you born and raised in Detroit?
So I was born in Detroit. My mom was a single mom, so I bounced around from Southfield and Detroit because my great grandmother, she stayed on Grant, which is like in the Dexter area [of Detroit]. So I was there in Southfield because my other grandmother she stayed in Southfield. So I was really back and forth. And then we moved to Oak Park, and then after that, we moved to Farmington hills, and then we moved to Novi. I’ve been all over.
What was it like growing up all over Metro Detroit?
Man, honestly, a lot of people probably didn’t have a great childhood because they grew up in a particular area. For me, it was kind of hood, but it was family-owned. Have you ever seen the [Spike Lee] movie “Crooklyn,” it was like that? It was like a block of families, so like multiple generations. So everyone was cool; it was safe. It was safe to be on that block specifically because everyone knew each other, and no one is going to let anything happen to you. It was family-based, so I loved it. But you get older, and people pass away and stuff like that. So it’s not the same anymore.
But I had a pretty good childhood. I was around good people, and I have this Detroit part, but I was also in the suburbs learning about different cultures. It was cool to get educated about different people and cultures. So I think I had a good experience growing up getting exposure to all types of people and culture.
What is your most vivid memory from growing up?
Looking back, I see this cool, loving, and safe childhood where I was able to experience a lot of different things growing up. But the most vivid thing that flashes to my mind are the block parties. I don’t remember how often we had them, but someone would come and open up the fire hydrant, and all the kids would be outside playing in the water—we would have ice cream trucks and stuff like that. That was probably one of the most fun times I had as a kid.
What was your first memory of music?
That is a good question. Honestly, music was always around me: my great grandfather was a drummer, and my great grandmother was cool with the Temptations and stuff like that. I was always around music, but I remember never being allowed to listen to Prince, though. But I was a big Frankie Lymon fan, The Temptations, and all those people. So I kind of just grew into it.
So when did you start to develop your taste in music?
Watching TV and seeing Bow Wow and 50 Cent. 50 cent used to be one of my favorite rappers. Also Dipset, Cam’ron, all those people. Wayne, Lil’ Wayne, was a big part of my life, too. So just listening to music and just searching on the Internet helped me develop my taste. Like once I got of age, like middle school, I was going on the internet and listening to stuff and finding things I liked.
How did you decide to become a DJ?
I couldn’t rap, and I couldn’t sing. I knew I would get into producing, eventually. So I was like, “what could I do?” Vashtie [Kola] and one of my friends, DJ Stacey J, really pushed me to do it, to become a DJ. I met Vashtie at A3C, and it was a life-changing moment. Meeting her was the turning point for me to realize that I needed to do this.
Tell me about the creative process that goes into filling out the sound and setlist when you perform?
Working with Sam can be hard sometimes because he’ll say that he “just wants to vibe out.” That’s great, but we have to have a balance. He’s all alternative, that’s his thing, and I love it. I love doing stuff that’s not entirely rap. Sam wants to pull from [Kid] Cudi, Tame Impala, or Toro y Moi, that’s his avenue. So the way we work is he handles the slower, more intimate music and I focus more on the hype music, making sure we add the hype, too. Also, we work to make sure everything is timed right, so we don’t go over our slot.
How have you been treated in the DJ community as you’ve developed as a professional musician?
My first year as a DJ, I experienced so many dudes who have such big egos when it comes to this DJ shit. I don’t like it when people use my equipment, but sometimes it just happens. When it does, there’ll be guys who will walk up and use my stuff and never say shit to me. And I’m like, “Bro, you using my stuff?” They better say something, at least “hi.” They think that they’re better than most people. Honestly, I love seeing men or women who have a female DJ. Having a woman as a DJ sets you apart from everybody else and it’s sweet. It’s sweet because it takes a lot to be a DJ and to see a woman doing it, and doing it well—when that happens, that’s it, I’m impressed.
What does music mean to you?
Music is an outlet. It’s one of those things you go to when you don’t have anything else. When I’m in a shitty mood or something like that, I go out and DJ or watch a music video, or listen to music, or something like that. It’s an escape place. I also use it a lot to study. Take Travis Scott, for instance, his shows are incredible. So I study his shows on YouTube to see how he does his thing and figure out how we can make our shows better and stuff like that.
How much of Detroit is in your music?
It’s Everywhere! I have a whole 30 minutes of Detroit music that I spin at every party. Even if it’s like “Fenty Formation” [Rihanna and Beyonce] or a “Drake Night,” I spin Detroit music, there’s only so much Beyonce I can listen to; I don’t want to listen to Beyonce the whole night. By the end of the night, I’ll do a bunch of Detroit stuff: Sada Baby, Drego and Beno are two of my favorites, and Baby Smoove is a great one, too.
You’re also heavy into style and fashion. How do your music and style intersect?
Honestly, I see DJs all the time, and very few stand out to me. I love Sam to death, but he knows I want to have my own identity separate from him. So to stand out, I have to stand out and look like my own person. I don’t want to be known as only a DJ. I want to be like Aleali May. Aleali can do anything, and I want to mesh DJing with fashion and look sweet with whatever I’m doing. I want to have that balance of style and DJing at the same time.
Would you like to have a Killa Squid clothing line, or something like that, at some point?
I would want to open up a store, but it probably wouldn’t be my stuff. It would be like the [Tyler, the Creator’s] GOLF store in L.A., where kids would be able to hang out, stay out of trouble, and there are cool clothes there, too. I would want to do something like that, but I don’t care about making my own stuff. I like wearing my friend’s stuff more than I would probably ever want to wear my own stuff.
So let’s talk about sneakers. What is your first memory of sneakers?
I had these purple Air Force 1s, but they were not regular Air Force 1s. They were a lilac color and some weird material; it wasn’t leather. I think my uncle got them for me, and I loved them. But I could never afford Jordans and those types of shoes. So I’m glad they’re retroing all these older shoes and bringing them back so I can have a chance to buy them.
In terms of your style, was it sneakers first and then everything else?
It was sneakers first. It was sneakers first because I base everything on my shoes and then I build up my outfit.
What brands do you like?
I like Joe fresh. I like Winona. My friend Meech has his brand You Matter, and it has a great meaning behind it. Chinatown Market is a good one too. But I really like the stuff that isn’t well known, because they are the most unique to me. They stand out, and people don’t know how to get it yet.
So how do you source the niche and emerging labels that you like?
Instagram is where I find a lot of stuff, all that stuff. You can’t go to a store and get it. You have to follow their Instagram or know about their web store. A lot of this stuff are gems you find, and I know a lot of people aren’t hip to it. I don’t want to be wearing anything everybody else is wearing.
When you find things you like on Instagram, what’s the next step for you, are you ordering right away or researching the brand?
I look and see what other stuff they have. Is it just this one shirt that you have that’s super sick, or do you have a whole collection? For the most part, I end up just buying it because I want to get it before other people find out about it. It’s a domino effect: one person finds it, then a bunch of people find out about it, and eventually, I’ll be sick that I didn’t buy the piece in the first place.
How would you describe your style?
I like colorful stuff—I mean I’d wear the Off-White Chicago even though they’re not that colorful—I like a lot of colorful shoes. I think that’s the best way, to sum up, my style, bright colors and stuff like that. My whole style is all about color. Bright color stands out, and that makes you stand out. I’m not one of those people that want to wear all black or whatever.
What does success look like to you? How will you know when you’ve made it?
Honestly, being able to live comfortably. I can make money in my sleep, and I don’t have to worry about anything. I can buy whatever I want and help whomever I need to. I think having the peace of mind knowing that you’re good financially means success for me. I don’t think money makes you happy, but it definitely gives you a type of it [happiness]. I want to take care of my people and stuff like that. But I’ll know I made it when I can buy my dream car.
What kind of car is your dream car?
It’s a 1990, 1991, or 1992 BMW M3. It’s that Supreme Hot Wheels car that they made. But I want a white version of the M3. That’s my dream car cause I’ve wanted that for a long time. “Paid in Full” inspired it; Frank Ocean inspired it. The M3 is one of those gems because you don’t see it that often. That’s the car I need.
Last but not least, what shoes will you splurge on once you’ve made it?
The “Paris” SBs. I love SBs. Those are unbreakable shoes. SB is one of my top three shoes, including Jordan 1s, and, damn, I don’t know what the third one is. I can’t even think of it. I guess I don’t have a third. So SBs and Jordan 1s, those are my top two [laughs].
Anything else people should know about you?
I just want to do it all; I want to do everything, that’s it.
