In this powerful Black History Month conversation, Val “The Voice” Johnson sits down with creative entrepreneur and former hip-hop artist Adolphus “Danja Mowf” Maples for a reflective dialogue on evolution, ownership, and legacy.

Once recognized nationally in hip-hop as “Danja Mowf,” Adolphus shares how his journey shifted from music industry momentum to building purpose-driven businesses rooted in storytelling and live experiences. As the founder of Maples Media Group and co-owner of premium event brands, he now channels creativity into impact, family, and long-term vision.

At the heart of this episode is a deeply personal discussion about his visual project, “Grandaddy’s Lynching Story: Experiments, Memory, Process, Reimagining.” Through archival voice recordings, photography, and the cultural weight of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” Adolphus explores how modern tools can preserve generational truth without erasing its humanity.

This episode explores the rhythm of DJ culture, the responsibility of storytelling, and what it means to build a legacy that your children can inherit with pride.

🎙️ Music. Memory. Meaning.

🔑 Episode Highlights

• From Industry Artist to Owner: What Adolphus learned from his early hip-hop career and how it shaped his transition into entrepreneurship and legacy-building.

• Honoring History Through Creativity: The intentional process behind “Grandaddy’s Lynching Story” and how modern media can amplify ancestral truth without diluting it.

• The Power of Music Beyond the Stage: How DJ culture connects celebration, healing, marriage, and community—and the universal songs that move every room.

Resources Mentioned:

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ABOUT VAL THE VOICE JOHNSON: "A DJ Saved My Life" is the book by Val "The Voice" Johnson. The debut book features a heartfelt tribute to the healing power of music and the therapeutic potential of podcasting, all with the ABCs of podcasting rolled into one.

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