A pursuit of sound & self

ROYSTA is a husband, girl dad, DJ, and remixer navigating family, culture, and self through an African-centered consciousness. Music is the center of that pursuit, but the conversation extends through literature, fatherhood, relationships, and the everyday experience of being a Black man in a materially corrupt, consumerist, and racist world.

His creative perspective draws on more than 20 years of backing entrepreneurs and projects in historically marginalized communities, making beats, and building community as co-founder of Open Crates, a grassroots vinyl label behind projects with DJ Center, John Robinson, Pat Van Dyke, and Bobbito Garcia.

Through performances, remixes, recordings, and residencies, ROYSTA digs through the sounds of Africa and its diaspora, connecting music, history, and lived experience in an ongoing pursuit of sound and self.

On Rotation