My Dad Is a DJ

Rising-star African American author-illustrator teams up with National Book Award winner to celebrate Black fatherhood, identity, and music through the generational rivalry of hip-hop vs. jazz.

Travis’s dad is a DJ, spinning silky jazz tunes at parties all over the neighborhood. The two of them have always enjoyed debating the great question: Which Black music tradition is the bestTravis’s boppin’hip-hopor Dad’s belovedjazz?

But Travis’s parents have divorced, and Dad lives on his own now. He’s only a few miles away, but for Travis, the distance between jazz and hip-hop feels greater than ever. Music doesn’t sound the same. Mom says they just need to find a new groove. But how? Maybe through a little hip-hoppin’, not-stoppin’, tunes-boppin’ DJing.

Based in part on Brown’s experience as a single father, this picture book deftly depicts modern divorce in a Black family, and is a heartwarming ode to how music can bring a father and son closer together.