Meet Thomas Isaiah Hammond jr

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Thomas Isaiah Hammond jr. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Thomas Isaiah below.

Thomas Isaiah , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
For a long time I could not answer this question because I was so focused on where I was not. I believe that we are suppose to find purpose within our gifts. Iam musically inclined and I found out recently that I’m great with music and it’s my second language. Music runs deep in my veins from my mom & dad both. It wasn’t until I attended Morehouse College that I found my purpose in life which is to inspire other though telling a story with music

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Iam known as DJ ham in the rollerskating community. As of right now Iam focused on expanding what DJ ham is. To me it’s a legacy & a lifestyle. Funny thing is the name derives from my last name which is “Hammond”. Iam currently producing music for rollerskating and hope one day to become one of the greatest to ever do it. As of now I Dj full time. I have an opportunity coming up this summer to Dj in Paris for a Rollerskating party for Rendezvous-Vous in Paris! Yes Iam now an international Dj.
This is very exciting because I’ve never been anywhere out of the USA. I want to leave a mark on them and show them how beautiful music is when you have a story to tell. This would be special to me because I come from a city where many people like me don’t make it out this would be a testimony for me my family and my 3year old son. That you can do anything you put your mind to if you trust in the process.
I will be launching my official DJ ham merchandise June 1st!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The 3 most impactful skills I have that helped me through my journey is Boldness, vision, & adaptability. Before moving to Atl in 2016 I came from being homeless multiple times, being in foster care not knowing what’ll happen to me and my siblings. i moved to Atl sleeping in my car for a month until I found out my aunt was living in atl. I slept on her couch for 2 weeks while going back and forth to school. I stopped going to school in 2018 because I didn’t have any money to pay for anything. Shortly after that I enlisted in the military as a last option thinking my situation would get better then covid happened. After being in the military I started working at metro fun center in the skate room passing out skates. I then realized that we listened to the same music everyday for years to come. I was inspired to Dj to show people that there is more to music . This experience was very helpful because not only did it make me resilient but it made me realize that you have to bet on yourself and keep pushing forward even if you don’t see where you’re going. Always bet on yourself

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
The hardest challenge that Iam facing right now is not being able to see my son more often. It’s challenging be sure I want him to have the best of both worlds with have a dad and mom but his mom tries to keep him from me because she does not like how i operate. It’s really sad because I don’t remember my dad being around until I was about 10 years old. I don’t want my son to go through the things I did. I saw what pain does to people and it’s not a pretty picture painted. I just want to be the best Dad to him and I feel as if Iam being robbed of being there

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Image Credits
Calvin Dawson, Solomon Snowden

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