22
Jul 08RIP K-Swift
Bmore club DJ, producer, promoter and homegrown local celebrity Khia Edgerton, aka the “Club Queen K-Swift,” passed away last night at the age of 29. Details are still forthcoming, but initial reports indicate she drowned in her swimming pool.
K-Swift was one of Baltimore’s hottest DJs and producers, and her stature in the club scene was unrivalled. Her approval could make artists, her 6-10pm radio show was one of the highlights of 92Q’s programming, and her “Jump Off” mixes were consistently outstanding (As of the 13th, Jump Off 14 was #6 in sales at DTLR, just behind behind Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter III). I never got a chance to see her live–I couldn’t stick out the heat at Artscape, which turned out to be her last live show. What’s worse, the club community, always small and close-knit, has been hit hard by her early death.
On Low-Bee.com, a message board that often features Bmore club, the response was immediate and almost idolatrous. “She carried a mysterious, almost mythic quality about herself and her craft to some of us club music fanatics outside of Baltimore…. Her Dj sets at the My Crew Be Unruly party at the Paradox, and at the Artscape festival the next day (with DJ Class) were nothing short of incredible. Friday night at the Dox was so devastating in fact, that her jaw dropping set actually had [Philly phenom DJ and producer] Diplo nervous about following her, and I’ve NEVER heard him admit anything similar of the sort before then. He and I literally talked about her all day yesterday…we’d compare notes about how effortlessly cool, and what an immensely talented dj she was.”
Condolences to her family, friends and labelmates at Unruly, and respect always to the late Club Queen.
Read the Sun story.