AS A CHILD, Arnuad Shema, mostly known as DJ Toxxyk, recalls loving everything that is entertainment related. His initial dream was to be in the music industry not necessarily being a DJ.

He was first, a sports lover, passionate about football, basketball and running. 

"I wasn't always paying attention in class and every time class was dismissed, I was always the one to get out first” he said 

In an interview with The New Times, he narrated how entertainment was always something that set his heart on fire. 

DJ Toxxyk got exposed to music after trying other fields to see what he would do best, like Master of Ceremony (MC) at events and dancing but after getting into music, he says it welcomed him and he knew it was the right field for him.

It took a lot of courage and faith 

The disc Jockey is one of the best entertainers in Rwanda currently, but he notes his journey has been tough. 

When he started to DJing however, some people welcomed him as a little brother, while others didn’t like him at all and didn’t want him in the game. 

"It took a lot of faith, courage and not giving up to really push everyday” he said.

Although he faced backlash from the people who had been in the business before him, he says it’s one of the things that made the journey amazing.

"There’s no industry that will welcome you with open arms, there’s always going to be mishaps but it’s about how you deal with that and I guess that’s what makes the journey amazing”. At a certain point in his career, DJ Toxxyk felt the urge to quit, and look for something else to do because he was feeling tired, most of the people didn’t like him and he wasn’t getting any money. 

"Five or six times I wanted to go and ask for a job at The Bank of Kigali, I was very tired” he said

Fortunately, his promise to his mother stopped him from quitting and kept him going.

"I couldn’t call my mom and say ‘Byaranze’ (nothing is working) please take me back. I guess what kept me going was a promise I made to my mom, I thought ‘this is what I want to do and I’m a man so I got to stick to my word.”

When he started working at the old Papyrus, whose owner was a very good friend, he would have to explain himself to the security to enter. Dj Toxxyk says there wasn’t room for him to negotiate because he was still young and was only offered peanuts, so he had to work his way up to prove to himself and others that he deserved a bigger salary.

Family opposed the idea of a DJ 

"I remember even my family, my close family didn’t want me to become a DJ, at one point they called my mom, and said ‘Umwana wawe abaye ikirara’ meaning your son has become a bandit”

He immediately called her mom too, and they had a conversation where his mom told him words that still push him even today. 

"l called mom and I was like "mom, do you really believe in me, do you really believe that the education you gave me when I was young is going to take me somewhere? She said yes, and told me to not make her look bad in the family, so that pushes me every day.

I haven’t asked her but I’m pretty sure, she is somehow proud of me,” he says.

Dealing with mental health

The entertainer talks about how he dealt with his mental health, as a teenager who started living on his own when he was 19. He says going through all of that when you’re young is not easy.

He believes that some of the things that helped him are the prayers from his mom, close friends and family who often checked up on him on a daily basis.

"My mom is a woman who prays a lot, she used to pray for me, I used to pray, and that helped.”

No turning back

Though DJ Toxxyk has become famous and earned a certain amount of good money, he still doesn’t think he has made it. 

"This is not it, they are here for the fame, for the money but stay on your grind because nobody is going to love you when you’re not successful or famous, they’re here for that specific time. When you go back home it’s all on you, you have to pay the bills by yourself so I stay focused by reminding myself that where I came from I don’t want go back.”

As a father of one, he wants his son to grow and become a good man, he pledges to always be there when his son needs him.

"I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on my son, he will go through everything, I’m going to be here, his mom is going be there and his family is going be there to support him on his choices, I just want him to become a good man.” 

Origin of the name DJ  Toxxyk

Back in high school his friend asked him what he wanted to do when he finished high school, he said they would do club or lounge, and when the DJ asked him what name they would give it, his friend came up with the name ‘Toxic.’ 

He tried different names, when he launched his DJing career, and because he knew toxic is not a positive word, he came up with an idea of twisting it to ‘Toxxyk’ which turned out to be unique. 

"Since my original names are Arnold Shema, I wouldn’t call himself ‘DJ Shema’ it would be very basic,” he said.