Today we’d like to introduce you to Meagan “DJ Purple Smoke” Patterson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Born in Arkansas and rooted in Houston, I was always drawn to sound. During my upbringing my mother was more on the afrocentric/eclectic side and my dad was more into conscious art. I’m a Scorpio and they’re both Tauruses so their standards and expectations of me were that of no excuses lol. My mom was into Neo-Soul, Trap, and Reggae with her favorite artists being Prince, Shaggy, Boosie, Tupac, 8ball & MJG, and more (I know, what a blend lol) and my dad was into Jay-Z and later J.Cole etc. Although I grew up in a single-parent home, I was grateful because there was nothing like multiple Christmases and birthdays lol Plus, I enjoyed the uniqueness of their different perspectives.
Since I was a kid, I always told myself and believed I’d be a billionaire. Wanting to be a millionaire always felt so limiting to me. From a kid throughout high school, much of my childhood was filled with sports. I was into gymnastics, volleyball, softball, and basketball. By the time I made it to high school, I had chosen basketball as my primary sport. However, I had dreams of being in the WNBA and playing overseas in Barcelona like the Love and Basketball movie. I attended Parkview High School and later graduated from North Little Rock High School, my family’s alma matter.
After High School, I attended college at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In May 2015, I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation and Sports Management. In December 2016, I graduated with a Master’s Degree in Education.
Post-college I pursued a career in IT working for the #1 retailer in the world. I also established my career as a Radio DJ and an Artist/Tour DJ during this time; cultivating influences from Bob Marley, Prince, Sade, Lil Wayne, and more. I always say “my music career started with a pair of Gary Clark Jr. tickets!” because if I hadn’t reached out to the radio station to try my luck at winning a pair of concert tickets, I wouldn’t have connected with the radio station’s A and R Rep which then connected me to my first DJ mentor.
Today, I am a member of Houston’s very own Chopstars and I have my own businesses Higher Frequency 432 Sound and Higher Frequency 432 Wellness. All glory to God!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m definitely a faith-based entrepreneur/creative and I feel that faith alone is known to stir up some things. Having favor on your life and being a genuine person are known to stir up some things. Pursuing your purpose is known to stir up some things. Most importantly telling your truth really gets things riled up.
Some personal challenges I’ve had to face is with my identity as part of the LGBTQIA+ community in a Christian family/household. Long story short, it wasn’t accepted in my family growing up. So, my escape was to channel my emotions into writing poetry, playing sports, and curating playlists – things that made me FEEL good. By middle school, I didn’t even know that what I was doing was channeling. I just knew I needed an outlet from the daily struggles I encountered that made me believe I wasn’t “worthy” of acceptance and unconditional love, especially from those closest to me. This resulted in me people-pleasing and becoming a high-achiever for love and acceptance while simultaneously isolating myself because I didn’t feel understood and valued. Middle school and high school were very tough for me.
I also dealt a lot with people/places/situations constantly trying to dim my light. From my sports’ coaches to you-name-it, opportunities were taken from me left and right because of this. I’ve never been problematic and I’ve always been well-mannered. I was typically more quiet than most but the things I was good at, such as sports, tech, etc, I was REALLY good at and I always uplifted people along the way. However, I would face battle after battle of people feeling like “I didn’t need help, I could make my own way” because I didn’t grow up in poverty or the disregarded my personal struggles because I could still find a small reason to smile. My self-esteem and early people-pleasing ways took such a punch that I had to reparent and relearn a lot as I got older. I didn’t understand how being a good person meant experiencing so much pain, anger, lack of support, or being purposely overlooked, judged, criticized, etc. The math wasn’t mathing.
By college, dimming my light looked like people preying on me via relationships and friendships. Although I didn’t realize I was “allowing” certain things to happen to me, I became subject to people hanging around me for my potential, not because of genuine care or love for me. More than not, they wanted to “ride my coattails”. Meanwhile, I just wanted friends, real friends.
Mid to post-college, I had broken down completely. I couldn’t take it anymore. I’d had a few therapists but ultimately, I didn’t know who to trust. THIS was the real beginning of my relationship with God. In 2022, I found myself in a situation I never imagined I would. I was a survivor of the 2022 Dumas, Arkansas mass shooting that killed 1 and wounded 27 people. During the start of the incident, I was roughly 6 feet from the initial shooter (who had machine guns) and was blessed to not get hit by a single bullet. I experienced that fight or flight response I had heard about in my previous school years in regards to active shooters. The way God took control of my entire mind and body was beyond comprehension. I was even able to save a couple of people that day. Yet, something greater stood out to me. When we rushed to the hospital (because one of the people I was with had gotten shot) I was the ONLY person outside of the wounded, that the hospital let inside the building. Everyone was in a panic including the doctors and I was the only person that was calm. From there forward, I knew that this was now a gift from God for me to share, staying calm in high-stress situations.
Now, I thank those people/places/situations because they taught me to redirect my energy into more fruitful directions and they helped me connect with God on the deepest level. I still face plenty on my journey but now, I shine brighter than ever.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a DJ, Producer, Sound Healer, and Engineer. I’m one of the first female Chopstars of the Houston Chopstar legacy, which pays homage to the legendary DJ Screw, by continuing to keep his legacy alive. The pioneers of the Chopstars consists of the well known OG Ron C, DJ Lil Steve, DJ Candlestick, and DJ Hollygrove, so definitely shoutout to them for not only recognizing my gifts but also for supporting me and exposing me to new levels/artists at this stage of my journey. Since joining the Chopstars in 2024, I’ve had the opportunity to create a radio segment “AfroChop Radio” geared towards bringing the legacy to Afrobeats and Amapiano, which is a whole vibe in itself. I’ve been blessed to work with extremely talented artists such as Sunny Daye, Kyriq, DiversiD, and more.
Under my personal brands, Higher Frequency 432 Sound and Higher Frequency 432 Wellness, I guide professionals in high-stress high-demand occupations (Sports, Corporate, Artists/Musicians) to restore balance to the nervous system and regulate emotional flow through sound and meditation.
Prior to moving to Houston, I had my own radio segment with Fayetteville, Arkansas’ KissNWA 105.3, and 1340 radio station called “Female Fire” under the leadership and mentorship of DJ Tz OnThe Track and A and R Rep. Angela Harper. My segment highlighted emerging female artists, playing fresh new tracks from new artists weekly. I enjoy “putting people on game” haha so I really enjoyed this venture. I later began DJing for artist Amor The Artist at local venues around the Fayetteville area, which really helped kick off my career and establish me as a DJ.
With that said, I’d say I’m known for my signature sound and energy – earthy, sexy, and soulful – and for creating immersive sonic experiences that balance both wellness and performance. I specialize in merging sound healing frequencies with DJing and live soundscapes that help people feel good physically, emotionally, and spiritually. My background in IT also helps me bring a high level of quality and innovation to everything I create.
My mottos: “Tune In. Turn Up!” and “Show up for those you want to show up for you”.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Some of my personal favorite books are the Bible, The Artist’s Way, The Four Agreements, The Alchemist, Year of Yes, The Mountain Is You, and The Heartfulness Way. In fact, the Heartfulness App is one of my most-used apps. Heartfulness Meditation is a big part of my life.
Additionally, the MasterClass app is pretty cool. I enjoy how each “teacher” or course gives practical examples and instruction from people that have been in the game for a while, in their particular niche. I get a similar vibe from Youtube University as well.
Musically, Spotify is my go-to. We’ve been rocking for decades and I have over 1000+ Spotify playlists (from my combined profiles). Most of them are private of course lol but as a DJ it’s how I do what I love effortlessly, which is curate. Sometimes it’s easy for a DJ to stifle their creativity by focusing on BPMs, Keys, techniques, etc. What I do with Spotify allows me to be free and enjoy music for what it is and/or how an artist intends.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djpurplesmoke | https://www.instagram.com/higherfrequency432
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meagannpatterson
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialdjpurplesmoke
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4NkDxJcmlXnXCaE1ZBhFOc
