Through Interna$hional Bounce, DJ NA$H has built one of Philadelphia’s most dynamic cultural platforms, drawing tens of thousands each year and centering community through her events. Now, her work is receiving another layer of recognition, highlighted in Essence Magazine after winning Rémy Martin’s This Is My City microgrant. With $20,000 in funding and mentorship from industry veteran DJ Suss One, NA$H is poised to expand a model that proves nightlife can be both joyful and economically transformative.
While Interna$hional Bounce pulls in over 20,000 attendees annually, NA$H’s idea of success centers on how many artists receive pay for their work. At this year’s Juneteenth festival alone, more than 60 Black artists, DJs, and entrepreneurs earned compensation for their contributions. The entertainment industry has a long history of underpaying creatives, but NA$H has committed to building something different. With Interna$hional Bounce, she demonstrates that music spaces can be both creative and fair, setting a new standard for how artists are valued.
At a time when independent artists everywhere are fighting to find sustainable pay for their work, Interna$hional Bounce stands as living proof of another path forward. NA$H has shifted the standard away from “performing for exposure” to a culture of respect and reinvestment. Each event celebrates Black joy on the dancefloor while channeling resources back into the community that makes the culture thrive.
Essence’s spotlight matters because it places NA$H’s work in the broader conversation about how independent music economies can function. Independent artists often face steep barriers to securing financial support, which makes the This Is My City microgrant from Rémy Martin a powerful recognition of NA$H’s work. It validates her model and provides resources to expand it.
In NA$H’s own words, “Interna$hional Bounce has always been about more than music, it’s about building community and creating opportunities for others to shine.” The mentorship with DJ Suss One will sharpen her strategy, but the vision has always been clear: nightlife as a site of joy, equity, and economic justice.
What NA$H is building in Philly serves as a blueprint for how music spaces can sustain artists and communities alike. With Essence now amplifying that story to a national audience, the impact of Interna$hional Bounce is only just beginning to unfold.