Welcome back to Encourage The Creative’s Black History Month segment where I highlight current Black Creatives that are forging their own paths in the creative-sphere. I thought that it would be a great opportunity to shed light on the current baton carriers of the culture. The next creative, or should I say, creatives, that I would like to present go by:
The Lab3L, Chicago natives, Basia and Asia, DJ Duo
Asia and Basia are two of Chicago’s rarest finds. They combine to create a DJ duo, The Lab3L, a self taught DJ & Production Duo, that is destined for nothing short of world domination. They pride themselves as “sound selectors that leave no genre or decade untouched, making our performance style fresh and funky.” They don’t just stop at music, they also got moves, “Captivating. In-sync. Dance moves.”
They not only get the party started but they are skilled at maintaining the vibes all event long. Whether it’s their “signature mixes or a live performance, we are known to connect with our audiences and provide great energy.” Their journeys have been intertwined for a very long time starting from their friendship that they have been able to beautifully cultivate over the years. This friendship has led the two to combine their love for music, fashion, art, culture, and life to ultimately package it all up to form, The Lab3L. Whatever you are into, they cover all of your bases. These two combine to pack a mean punch of unique, creative flair and style.
The Lab3L debuted their duo at a self-created first gig in 2014 titled, Scariversary. According to Asia, “it was gutsy and they didn’t know much about the art form” but they both enjoyed playing with Virtual DJ in college and decided to officially throw themselves into the mix. Scariversary was hosted in the same attic where “some the legendary, Acid Rap, album by Chance The Rapper was conceptualized.
The Lab3L has since then been featured in Essence and has hosted sets in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Mexico, and New York City. The have even Dj’d at Coachella and are the DJ’s for White Sox Cares, which is the official charity of the Chicago White Sox that focuses on promoting youth education and advancement, sharing the love of the game through youth baseball initiatives, assisting children and families in crisis and championing those battling cancer. They have collaborated throughout Chicago with many platforms including The Lab3L brings with them extreme versatility in music tastes and an expertise in how different crowds like to experience music all over the world. Their determination to experience the world has given them a huge advantage in how to bring the best experiences to the crowd at their events.
Basia and Asia’s journey has been an inspirational ode to friendship and self expression. They are like watching a “feel good” film of two best friends on a divine assignment to go through life together and check every dream off of their checklists and actually do it. If I were ever to be asked to name people that I felt are really living their lives, these two would be my immediate response. They are living, walking, breathing examples of “live out loud” and reminders to simply just do the things that you love. Be intentional with making sure that you gain the experiences that you want. Asia and Basia are comparable to those cool older siblings that you look up to and want to be like, at least for me that’s how I’ve always viewed them.
The Lab3L proudly represents Chicago, Illinois, but their reach is far beyond that. These two are globetrotters and have given us many social media tours of cool destinations and events. They hit all of the festivals, concerts and tours and make us all wish we were there! Allowing us to see the world through their looking glass, which is an amazing view.
When people say that pictures are worth a thousand words, they definitely had Basia and Asia in mind. They then take it to the next level and turn pictures into visual means of world exploration. Whenever these two appear on your timeline be prepared to get swept into their worlds for a moment and live vicariously through their experiences. They do an excellent job at documenting their journeys through life. They are like a Pinterest board, except I actually know the people in the cool posts this time.
I’ve had the privilege to know Basia and Asia for a good amount of years now. When they announced that they were now a DJ duo it was not surprising to me. I used to play on the same basketball team as Basia in high school, and I have very vivid memories of her and Asia listening to music on the buses to games and they would be sharing songs and in their own worlds. Their sharing of the love of music has always been there. The Lab3L was always a part of their destiny. Even then, they were always uniquely themselves and trendsetters. The charisma, style, vibes, and strong senses of self have been very evident in their DNA.
While Basia and Asia blaze their way through life together, they also still find the time to partake in their own individual interests.
In addition to being a DJ, Asia is a host of other things. She is a huge advocate for spiritual connection and its ability to produce the life that you truly want to live. You can often find her on social media encouraging others to do just that. Asia is a Project Consultant, where she completely devotes and submerses herself into projects to see the intended goals come into fruition. Asia and William “Billy” Turner, NFL defensive tackle for the New York Jets, have teamed up to co-found Public Immunity, which is a platform for self-expression and activism. The goal of each collection created by Public Immunity is to “raise awareness and resources to tackle the chosen issue through wearable art.”
She also loves poetry and contributes to the art as a poet/writer. When she can, she likes to perform her written works in front of crowds at open mics. Asia also likes to dedicate time to documenting her encounters with amazing food.
Asia is a reminder that people are made up of layers. There are so many moving parts of life and she takes the time to embrace every one of them and doesn’t mind sharing the journey of her doing so. Her genuine approach to life is wonderful to see because it allows others to see that it’s okay to live free of all facades and fabrications.
When Basia isn’t wearing her DJ boots, she is busy being our fabulous fashion look book of outfit goals. She encourages people to conquer the world, and look unforgettable while doing it. She has a deep passion for fashion and spends time curating looks that not only look amazing on her, but inspire us to find our own unique styles.
Her love for art, music, and fashion stemmed from her parents who did an excellent job at steering Basia toward harnessing her inner creative powers. Basia frequently documents her style and we’ve been able to see it grow and change over the years. I would not be surprised if fashion designer, stylist, or consultant is later attached to Basia’s many titles. Limits are nowhere in sight for this superstar.
When you combine this amount of attributes and qualities, you can’t help but get an explosively brilliant product known as, The Lab3L. Asia and Basia embody staying true to yourself and building a brand out of that. Authenticity is one of the strongest attributes among the two. It’s so easy to get wrapped into doing what everyone else is doing, but it takes pure genius and audacity to follow your own path and do it so well that it inspires others to discover and follow their own.
When it comes to Chicago, it doesn’t get more Chicago than The Lab3L, who constantly represent their hometown. It’s important to have the youth of Chicago see Asia and Basia showing that there are so many reasons to push through and live this life. They are living reminders that the world is meant to be explored and it is totally an option no matter where you come from or what hands you’ve been dealt. They encourage not only the youth but just people in general that you are able to tailor make your lives and experience true happiness and fulfillment in this lifetime if that’s what you really want. The Lab3L reminds us all that it’s cool to be, YOU.
There are nothing but more inspiring and monumental moments coming from these two and what a blessing that will be for the world to watch unfold. From spearheading their DJ duo lane, to encouraging self expression and discovery, to encouraging others to build meaningful friendships, and showing that the world is just waiting to be discovered by those who dare to, these two are maneuvering the culture into great directions. I would like to give a special thank you to The Lab3L for allowing us to have a peek into “The Lab3L-land” as often as they do. They are truly an inspiration to us all. This write up only gives a mere glance of the gems that reside in The Lab3L’s treasure chest and I highly encourage everyone reading this to take the next steps in discovering more about the duo.
You can find more information to book, collaborate with or learn about The Lab3L on their website, https://www.thelab3l.com/ and can also follow The Lab3L on Instagram (@TheLab3L). You can also find the duo individually on Instagram, Basia (@lust_forlife) and Asia (@asiaashl3y). Please support these black creatives!
Happy Black History Month! Thank you for reading and please return to see the next highlighted Black creative for the month. Please comment any Black creatives that you think need to be highlighted in this segment!
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