Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Corona.
Jonathan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
So, I have always been really into music, When I was in middle school, I was part of the Orchestra playing violin, I also played the Drums and Trumpet in elementary and middle school. After graduating high school, I really got into EDM and started going to local shows and back in 2009, I went to a Skrillex show and I remember thinking that I really wanted to be the one on stage and not the one in the crowd anymore… so, I saved my money all summer and bought an APC and an MPD to learn how to produce and start mixing. One of my friends Nick Kelley a.k.a. DJ NuK was a local dj that was successful here in Atlanta and he taught me how to DJ with CDJ’s so I ditched the APC and bought some CDJ’s and went at it! Early on, I became obsessed with a genre called Riddim and since 2011, I have always made that a huge focus on my sets. I remember playing at Quad in Atlanta and playing riddim to only have the room clear out as it was too heavy for people back then and now, it’s all anyone wants to hear! It’s crazy.
But early on, I obtained a few sponsorship’s which really helped perpetuate my DJ career quickly. First, it was with an EDM based clothing company called Billionaires Apparel then a drink company called Rescue Water started helping share my stuff on Instagram and FB which really helped me get out of Georgia and get booked all around the US. Then, I became a resident with Iris Promotions located here in Atlanta which honestly has been the best thing for my career! They have really taken me under their wing to really push me to become a better producer, marketer and more! Since becoming a part of IRIS, they started a hometown music festival called Imagine Music Fest and I have had the honor of playing each year and just announced I will be on Disco Inferno Stage this year as well! Playing such a big festival and having had the honor of playing all over the US has been the most fun of my 31 years on this amazing planet. I just released my first single on Spotify which you can find under DJ White Rhino and is a collab with the homies Perma-Trip!
Make sure to keep it locked and favorite my profile as there will be more releases coming soon! Make sure to like and follow my Facebook dj page, Spotify and Soundcloud page!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing worth having is easy as they say! I wish I could say it was easy but it was worth it. When I was in college, I had people who were either jealous or bored or whatever the reason make a fake White Rhino Twitter and Instagram page that took forever to get taken down (to this day, I don’t understand why). Also, having friends and even professors in college tell me I would never be successful and to give up my dream of being a DJ so I could focus on school and get a “real job” which, in turn, would just motivate me more to make it!
I gave up some really great jobs to be able to dj full time a few years ago but it was totally worth it. I got to dj all over the southeast as well as Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and more because of passing those corporate jobs up and putting all my effort into marketing and networking.
Everyone thinks being a DJ is so awesome and fun but what people don’t see is getting home at 5 am after closing a set to only wake up at 7 am to go to work then do it all over again Thursday-Sunday so you can make rent and make a name for yourself. They don’t see the friends and sometimes, family telling you to “grow up” and to get a “real job.” They don’t see all the time and effort that goes into making edits, your own sounds, and songs and all the emotions that go into each set. It was and is all worth it just to see people smile while you play your own music though-nothing beats that high.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Other than my amazing beard, I would say that as White Rhino I am known for my heavy dubstep/Riddim based sets and for playing with 4 CDJ’s. As well as having 3-4 songs playing at once allowing me to make really fun and exciting transitions. I specialize in a genre called Riddim and Deep Vibe dubstep. Back when I started, I was one of like 3 dj who played that style and now, everyone plays it so it’s really awesome having the feeling of being one of the first to do that here in Atlanta.
What I am most proud of currently is having the collab with Perma-Trip on Spotify! That was one of my big goals this year and I got it accomplished early on this year so now, I am aiming to have one more collab and a single on my Spotify channel by December!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The ability to keep going. Never giving up is probably the biggest thing anyone could do. Never being complacent. Complacency means death to whatever you are doing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2uLQuv5nLFUpH4uAJ85ZYM?si=NuRBuBNSSHyzRr4txSYVVw
- Phone: 678-521-7484
- Email: whiterhinobooking@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/djwhiterhino
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/djwhiterhino
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/whiterhinoatl
Image Credit:
Photos by Think Photography and Imagine Music Festival
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