Exclusive: DJ Cassidy Talks “Pass the Mic” Series Ahead of Special BET Mother’s Day Episode

DJ Cassidy prepares for a special edition of his viral “Pass the Mic” series on Mother’s Day. The legendary DJ Cassidy debuted volume 1 of the series last year before any network became involved. Now, BET has aired three new volumes of the series, where DJ Cassidy literally passes the mic to some extraordinary talents, while dj’ing and mc’ing in between performances. He has featured 153 artists and entertainers throughout the series from Earth, Wind and Fire, Chaka Khan, Run DMC and LL Cool J. On Sunday, May 9, DJ Cassidy is prepared to do it all over again announcing that the legendary Patti Labelle and Johnny Gill are set to perform during the Mother’s Day special edition set.

We had the opportunity to speak with DJ Cassidy ahead of the next episode about how he’s created a space for virtual joy in a time of no live performances, one of his most memorable moments taping the series, and an inside look into this Sunday’s special Mother’s Day special.

After asking DJ Cassidy who his favorite performance has been thus far, his response was, “I would never use the word favorite because I love all 153, but I could tell you some stories about them.”  He continued with a beautiful story, “I’m going to tell you about one in particular.”

The iconic DJ, who has been requested to perform at events for Barack Obama, Jay Z, Beyoncé and Oprah alike, described a moment where he felt most supported by his all-star community of celebrity friends. LL Cool J undoubtedly responded to DJ Cassidy’s request to be involved with the “Pass the Mic” series and even went the extra mile to invite him on his Instagram live to further promote Cassidy’s efforts to honor legendary artist like himself.

We asked about how he feels to bring such ease and happiness in a time of desperation and sadness. Even though Americans and fans across the world have festivals and other live performances to look forward to after a year of no shows, DJ Cassidy was one of the first to spark a bit of virtual performance joy to cure the sadness even for a moment. He speaks on his feelings and the feedback from the thousands of fans enjoying the experience.

“I feel extremely grateful that I’ve been able to do something that has touched people,” Cassidy shares, ” I’m very careful not to say that I’m grateful that I’ve touched people. I don’t believe I’ve touched people. I believe that these artists and these songs have touched people. I’m merely the messenger and the middle man.”

He expressed that fans tune in to see their musical heroes. DJ Cassidy also mentions another reason why the series is getting such positive feedback from eager fans, “Another reason is because these are the greatest records of all time. They’re the greatest artists of all time but people get to experience the songs and the artists in a way that is intimate and personal and causal like never before.”

DJ Cassidy says that the experience of his “Pass the Mic” virtual series is like no other , “And because of that it enhances the emotion of the record.  It enhances the emotion of the artist. It allows the viewer to really feel a part of the music and a part of the experience. I think that’s what brought people around the world to an emotional place.”

When asked about fans reactions on social m media, “I’m really touched by the things people say. Some of the things people say are deep. People have lost their loved ones. They tell me on their loved ones final days they’ve watched pass the mic on loop.”

These comments don’t go unnoticed and seem to be touching for DJ Cassidy. He expressed that comments like this from fans keep him inspired to continue creating the show.

Sunday’s Mother Day special will be the sixth episode in the series and the third, which has aired on television. DJ Cassidy says, “We’re celebrating women. We’re celebrating mothers and we’re doing it by celebrating love. And all of these songs on this episode exude love. All of these artists on this episode exude love. And love on Sunday is what it’s all about.”

When asked if he could share any other guests ahead of the release, his response was: “I cannot. I have already broken tradition enough by announcing two artists. It is something I never do,” he continued, “I did it for mothers I was inspired to give mothers a little something extra to look forward to and for the other dozen or so surprise legendary guests you’ll have to tune in.”

Tune into a special edition of DJ Cassidy’s “Pass the Mic” series on BET premiering Sunday, May 9 at 9 pm ET.