On an exclusive edition of “Listen In With KNN” sports talk podcast and radio show with host and executive producer Kelsey Nicole Nelson, special guest Dante Kennedy joined the show to talk about music and the legacy of music producer Quincy Jones.
This show was dedicated to honoring the life of the late Quincy Jones after he passed away earlier this month at the age of 91-years-old.
Kennedy is the entertainment and music director for the Palazzo Versace Hotel and Q’s Bar & Lounge in Dubai. He is also the CEO of V4texx Music Group. Kennedy has worked with stars such as Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj and is committed to fostering artistic talent in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East.
Nelson began the conversation by asking Kennedy how he ended up in Dubai. Kennedy shared he was connected after hearing that Quincy Jones was looking for a drummer at his bar.
“That process was very nerve wracking,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy had to send a self-tape of himself playing the drums to Jones as part of the audition process for Q’s Bar.
“He had to watch me play every genre of music and then he gave his approval,” Kennedy said about Jones.
Quincy Jones, who passed away on November 3, 2024, opened the Bar & Lounge in late 2016.
“There was no type of music he did not touch or appreciate,” Kennedy said about Jones.
Nelson went on to ask Kennedy more about what kind of music people hear when they come to Q’s.
“We wanna give you the first hour of jazz. The second hour we go on a rollercoaster of Motown, Old school Al Green…we hit you with the classics. That last hour, depending on the energy, we make them [the patrons] dance,” Kennedy responded.
Kennedy also spoke about building on the wishes of Jones at Q’s Bar.
“They [Quincy’s team] understand that I’m going to do the best I can so that we carry his legacy and carry that torch of music he believed in forward,” Kennedy said.
The two then went on to talk about Kennedy’s future beyond Dubai after Kennedy mentioned how he felt his career catapulted recently
“I started finding myself in different conversations with people who would come to Q’s and be like ‘I want this where my hotel is!’”.
Kennedy mentioned specifically planning to bring his signature music experience to places within and outside of Saudi Arabia.
“It’s interesting coming from Philly and now going to these other places. It’s a blessing for sure,” Kennedy said. He continued, “this is not normal–this doesn’t just happen to young Black guys from Philadelphia or anywhere in the world–like it is a very great blessing.”
Kennedy also spoke about how inspiring it was to see the late Quincy Jones continue to work through his eighties and into his nineties, whether it was opening Q’s bar, appearing in music videos, or helping out with concerts.
With all that in mind, Kennedy left the audience with some parting words.
“Have the attitude to continuously move forward no matter what happens, because that’s what Quincy did.”
