By DJ Lamont—
(Editor’s Note: This issue of the San Francisco Bay Times introduces a new column, “Life of the Music,” by DJ Lamont, a well-known Bay Area DJ and educator who has instructed and mentored numerous DJs at Fingersnaps Media Arts in the Mission District. He is also an artist and photographer as well as the host of The Fingersnaps Salon on KPOO-FM 89.5.
A mantra at Fingersnaps Media Arts is: “Create. Educate. Be Inspired!” The business was born in 2004 out of a spare bedroom DJ Lamont had and has since grown to become one of the most vibrant spaces in the city. While DJ Lamont is a favorite at many of the largest galas in the Bay Area, he is also just as passionate about his regular gig at the Mission Community Market.
His skills and enthusiasm carry through to his many students—past and present—who will be the focus of this column. For this initial article in the series, he introduces his first-ever student, DJ Rapture, who now has his own successful career in music and education.)
On January 19, 2004, Fingersnaps Media Arts posted its first promotion on Craigslist, as a home-based DJ school business. Five days later, I received a call from a prospective new student inquiring about my services. The person said on the phone, “Hey, I have been looking for someone like you who teaches DJ lessons.”
Ronnie Jones, aka DJ Rapture, was my first student. We worked together weekly for over a year in my DJ Studio. I gave her an overview of how the equipment worked, along with teaching beatmixing, scratching on turntables, and sharing philosophies of the art of the DJ mix.
Within the year of learning, Rapture experienced a minor foot injury and was confined to home. She invited me to continue teaching her DJ skills at her apartment. With my weekly visits, her first- and second-grade-aged boys would return from school. As I was guiding their mother’s hand on how to cue up a record and scratch, the boys would sit on my lap as we were all clustered around the turntables, learning together, making music.
Today, DJ Rapture is on the board of directors of San Francisco Pride and is the co-producer and DJ for the Hip Hop Hooray Community Dance Stage. DJ Rapture and I founded the stage and have spun music for the revelers of Pride Sunday since 2006.
DJ Rapture established Groove Theory, a nonprofit organization that hosts and celebrates dance events for the beauty of the LGBT+ community, but, most importantly, provides valuable developmental resources for creatives and artists aligned with mental health, nutrition, and general wellness.
Rapture has since transitioned and is now referred to as he/him/his, and his boys have served in the U.S. military.
For More Information
Groove Theory: https://bit.ly/3SV80qt
Email: rjones@thegroovetheory.org
Fingersnaps Media Arts is a DJ Studio in the heart and soul of the Mission District, San Francisco. DJ Lamont has been spinning music for over 47 years and has been teaching the art of the DJ mix for over two decades. Contact him via email at lamont@fingersnaps.net and check out his website at: https://www.fingersnaps.net/
Life of the Music
Published on September 10, 2026
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