Walking through a maze of black sofas and velvet ropes, the sound of sneakers sticking and unsticking with each step reverberates throughout the quiet space that was once known as the Nativ Nightclub but now goes by TheLobby. DJ Squizzy Taylor, the self-proclaimed "Mayor of Denver," walks behind the bar to serve himself a cup of water after a long day with his mother.
"I just came back from Hawaii," Taylor told us recently. "I can't remember the last time I went this long without music. That's probably the longest I went in 15 years without a party or a club or just loud music somewhere."
Earlier this month, on Taylor's 34th birthday, close friends and family helped set up a unique surprise: A day dedicated to him, presented by Mayor Michael Hancock and the city and county of Denver.
"By virtue of the authority vested in me," the proclamation reads, "do hereby officially proclaim May 15, 2023, to be known as: DJ Squizzy Taylor Day."
"Mayor Hancock wanted to use the opportunity to recognize DJ Squizzy Taylor for his philanthropic work and service to our residents here in Denver through his Celebrate Life Foundation and other community-focused programs," said Hancock spokesperson Michael Strott.
Taylor founded Celebrate Life Foundation in December 2022 with a vision of empowering a younger generation with resources and opportunities they need to create community partnerships through music, education and outreach.
"The end goal would be to start a school or an afterschool program," Taylor said. "Right now, it's just using my resources to give back and help kids."
DJing across the city is how Taylor is widely recognized, most notably serving as a longtime host on Hip Hop/R&B radio station, KS 107.5.
He's toured with artists like Trev Rich, TheyCallHimAp, he's curated playlists for the Denver Nuggets, supported concerts and festivals across Denver and played in cities like Miami, Austin, Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston and even Lagos, Nigeria to name a few.
Recently, Taylor opened for Ice Cube and Westside Boogie at Mission Ballroom and opened for his favorite artist, Lil Wayne, at the Fillmore Auditorium.
"I tell all my younger homies, 'Don't be good bro. Be great,'" Taylor said. "When you accomplish a lot of goals, you be like, 'Damn, I should have set this goal higher. Why was I even thinking so small?'"
Becoming one of Denver's hip-hop tastemakers, Taylor grew up in Park Hill and moved around Denver at a young age. A graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School and the historically Black college Langston University in Oklahoma, Taylor hadn't planned on making a career out of music despite growing up in a family of musicians.
"I got a degree in accounting," Taylor said. "When I told [mom] I wanted to be a DJ, she supported me to chase my dream, but I was always proving to her that this is what I'm here to do. This is what God put me here to do."
Taylor grew up in the Limewire era, searching through poorly labeled catalogs of music for new Lil Wayne music. Now 34, he admits to relying on friends and the nightclub scene to help keep his sound relevant while he personally rides around listening to Jay-Z's Black Album.
"I just intake music differently now, than when I was younger," Taylor said.
Now, Taylor's life isn't solely focused on DJing but also developing his philanthropic work in the city through his foundation.
Over the weekend, Celebrate Life partnered with GlassHouse Optical to provide free food and drinks and gave away 500 free eyewear and eye exams to kids aged 18 and younger at the Brother Jeff Cultural Center.
This year, in partnership with the Ktone Cares Foundation, Celebrate Life also helped launch its "Men Who Read Book Club" which is dedicated to inspiring men of all cultures and backgrounds to gather and bond over thought-provoking topics. The first book in their series was "The Way of the Superior Man" by author David Deida which is an examination of the contemporary masculine experience and challenges that face men's lives.
"I just want to use my reach to help people that are really the bosses in the community that are trying to do great things," Taylor said. "I be in the club like, 'If you could come party and drink with me, you need to read this book.' Cause if they gonna come see me for the fun, come see me for the community then."
Aside from his hats as a DJ and community leader, Taylor also recently stepped into the role as an owner of a prominent Denver nightclub.
Higher Power Entertainment group, composed of Taylor, Kevin Kain and Cowboy Cook, now lease the space that was once Nativ Nightclub. The group first took over in October 2022 and renamed it TheLobby.
"It's a real effort to take our culture back," Taylor said. "Hip-hop in Denver has been given a terrible stigma. So we stepping up to change that narrative because it's a lot of beautiful Black people in Denver that want to have fun the same way everybody else gets to have fun."
For the group, this means cultivating a safe space to convene and respect the community they are all a part of. Taylor said he ends every night that he's at TheLobby with a speech asking people to protect the space.
"We've put in the effort to make the changes of not being cheap on security," Taylor said. "Instead of 5, 6 security guards, let's have 12. Let's have 14. Let's overdo it so the audience sees the presence of security. It's not being money hungry but caring about people's safety and the product that you're putting out."
Taylor believes Denver music and culture is now at a place where it can compete with major markets, and he's excited to be a part of it.
For someone who is always moving around the city, getting a day dedicated to Taylor, he said, helped him appreciate the career and accomplishments he's stacked thus far.
"A lot of my DJ accomplishments, I'm there but I'm working," Taylor said. "Getting this day, I got to just be in the moment and be a human. I didn't have to be DJ Squizzy Taylor. I wasn't behind no turntables or nothing. I got to talk to people and they got to tell me how much they appreciated me and things that I've done for 'em. I cried a lot at the celebration."
