DickByAir: New York City’s Cultural Nightlife Guru
He’s more than a DJ; He’s a connoisseur putting artists on the radar.
Photo by Eddin
If you live in New York City or even anywhere in the country, you are likely aware of LeVar McDonald’s impact on the music and art scenes. He is much more than a DJ. McDonald, who is widely known as DickByAir, is a connoisseur at putting artists and musicians on the radar. Community preservation is his priority — ensuring protection, a significant impact, and a spotlight for everyone.
The Brooklyn native is not new to this exorbitant, on-the-go lifestyle. His career began as a nightlife promoter and videographer, and it didn't take much convincing for him to become a DJ after his friends like Odalys told him he’d make a great DJ once they heard him MC exclusive events. Since then, he’s been mentored by the late Virgil Abloh and DJed for iconic artists like Ca$h Cobain, Karrahbooo and Anycia, Chief Keef, and many more.
In addition to his unparalleled DJ career, McDonald founded No Negativity, an artistic collective to connect and expand emerging artists through events. What started as a Facebook group chat with hundreds of people soon became a community organization with physical events. Each No Negativity event includes an extensive lineup of artists, vendors, and hosts — literally bringing out the entire city. The next unannounced event is July 5, and people are already eager to RSVP. Despite this, McDonald has been hesitant to continue No Negativity as he doesn’t feel a strong sense of community throughout New York City’s art, music, and nightlife scenes.
Success didn’t come to McDonald quickly or easily. Before he remained booked and busy, he faced family hardships, trauma, and grief from a young age. “I also didn’t have a stable place to live, so I was hopping from couch to couch and sometimes even sleeping on the train,” he says. “My mom had a mental issue going on, so I had to live with my dad, who didn’t really approve of the things I was finding interest in as a teenager.”
Almost every morning, McDonald went to the Apple Store in SoHo to utilize the computers for job hunting, updating his resume, and editing videos he would film on his GoPro. When he learned that his mother was actually adopted, he felt the need to escape. His goal was to cross-country via bike to meet up with his friends in Los Angeles. McDonald crowdfunded his Cashapp and Venmo in every East Coast state, ending up in Miami for Art Basel. He met Dot Da Genius at a Kid Cudi party there, only to wake up the next day to the news of McDonald’s best friend passing away. His goal to head to Los Angeles came to an early end, making Miami the last stop. He hopped on a flight back to New York City, and soon after got booked to host events. One of his first hosting gigs was a Vashtie party collaborating with Electric Circus. He asked to hop on the mic, and it was instantly like he was born to MC and host. He had the crowd’s full attention.
Photo by Eddin
“After that, I was hosting release parties and private events for some of the hottest rising artists during that time,” McDonald says. “Shabazz, who was the founder of Electric Circus, had already had a good relationship with Versus and another friend of mine by the name of Odalys, who is another DJ in New York. So between them telling her about me and what I do and me just going out myself and building a name. It was only a matter of time before I took DJing seriously.”
Unlike most DJs who begin their journey on a Pioneer DJ set, McDonald started on his iPhone. Thanks to an app called EDJING, he could mix songs through SoundCloud. Because he’s Jamaican, he was taught at an early age to assemble equipment and adapt to music culture efficiently. The quickly learned skill and passion soon became an evasion of his inner demons and adversities, bringing joy and euphoria to those on the dance floor.
At first, McDonald only played hip-hop. But now, he loves to play anything and everything. “It wasn’t until I built my own audience that I was able to play house and garage and mix it all together with all the deep-cut favorites I loved,” he says. “If I had to choose a genre to play all the time, though, it would definitely be house.”
Although McDonald has DJed at many top-tier venues worldwide, one of his favorites was a house party called 568 Washington in Clinton Hill. The raw and gritty basement brought out all types of people: hipsters, kids from the hood, people in the LGBTQ+ community, and more, all in one space, partying in harmony. We’ve all been to a party like that at least once.
McDonald’s roster is boundless, limitless, and never-ending. Some of his most notable sets occurred at the Places+Faces Boiler Room party, On The Radar, Governor’s Ball, The Roots Picnic after party, Fashion Week after parties, DJing for artists at their concerts, and more. Regardless of where he is or what kind of event he’s DJing at, McDonald is the one DJ the entire city knows for having lines around the block, people bum-rushing the door, and filling a space out beyond capacity.
“I want people to feel refreshed,” McDonald says. “Normally, when we go out, we always hear the same repetitive sets over and over and over again. So when I play, I hope that people leave with either new songs to add to their library, maybe learn something about a song one of their artists sampled, or overall be able to leave and say, ‘Damn, I’ve never heard anything like that before.’”
Photo by Eddin
Having Abloh as a mentor has inspired and motivated him in ways McDonald could’ve never imagined. In addition to learning more about DJing and fashion, Abloh intertwined these concepts with the political landscape and how it impacts artists and consumers daily, such as the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. McDonald often had grim yet pragmatic conversations with Abloh, reshaping McDonald’s entire perspective on the fashion, music, and art industries.
“I felt as though there was a disconnect between him and his audience because of Sean Witherspoon being upset about kids looting his store,” he says. “I took the opportunity to explain to Virgil why these kids reacted the way they did in the first place. We had some agreements and disagreements, but my voice was heard, and it was the first time somebody of such high status gave me a chance and took an interest in what I wanted to do for the youth in my city. I’m forever thankful for everything I learned or experienced from him over those past three years.”
He also looked up to his late grandmother, who passed away when McDonald was in middle school. She helped him think big. As a librarian for 35 years, McDonald’s grandma would bring him new books, explore Brooklyn with him, care about the well-being of him and his friends, and be genuinely keen to make the youth happy.
“One of my biggest goals is to be able to spin at some of my favorite festivals like Tomorrowland Ibiza, Rolling Loud, and more,” McDonald says. “Not only to just DJ but to also bring out new talent and play new music during my sets. Most DJs don’t bring out new artists and try to break new records to the masses. It gets annoying hearing the same songs from the past 30 years over and over again every weekend. So, I try my best to stay out of the box and play what I think is hot.”
McDonald’s upcoming gigs are the Brunch and Swim pool party and LAAM’s LAAMily and Friends party. To stay up to date on McDonald’s gigs and contributions to the music, art, and fashion communities, follow him on Instagram.
