Meet Kid of the Year 2021 Nominee DJ Annie Red
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| ALEX AGNANT |
Who will become Kid of the Year for 2021? The answer will be revealed on February 9 during a TV special on Nickelodeon. In the days leading up to the show, Time For Kids will be introducing the top five nominees. Read on!
“Music is where everything started,” Samirah Horton says. The 13-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, is known to the world as DJ Annie Red. She has been rapping and performing since she was 6 years old. Through music, DJ Annie Red says, “I can express myself. I can let out my emotion.”
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| MUSIC MAKER Through her music, DJ Annie Red helps kids deal with and prevent bullying. COURTESY THE HORTON FAMILY |
The rising hip-hop star uses music to share a message about bullying. “I was bullied a lot,” she says. “I still am bullied now, especially because of my voice.” DJ Annie Red has a deep, raspy voice. People have told her she sounds like a boy.
But DJ Annie Red has found a way to rise above their insults. Instead of thinking of her voice as a weakness, she uses it to spread her antibullying message far and wide. She encourages kids of all ages, everywhere, to stand up to bullying. “You’re never too young to make a change,” she says.
Sharing Her Songs
DJ Annie Red has performed at youth-empowerment events, festivals—and Brooklyn Nets games, as the pro basketball team’s “kid resident DJ.” She posts her music online, too.
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| ROLE MODEL More girls should become DJs, says DJ Annie Red. She hopes to inspire them. COURTESY THE HORTON FAMILY |
She also performs at schools. She likes to give students “a catchy, rhythmic, interactive show” while teaching them how to overcome and prevent bullying. She says she wants to help kids who are suffering from bullying “feel like they’re not alone.”
During her presentations, DJ Annie Red has mixed music, held dance contests, and asked students to make an antibullying pledge. She has also read from her 2017 book, The Bully Stop. It’s based on her song “No You Won’t Bully Me.”
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| ONSTAGE DJ Annie Red speaks at schools. She gives students shirts, books, and bookmarks. COURTESY THE HORTON FAMILY |
Inspiring Change
DJ Annie Red believes that standing up to bullying is more important than ever. That’s partly because people can bully others on social media while hiding behind a username. “You don’t have to show your face at all,” she says. “Someone could easily be affected by that.”
But she sees a brighter future ahead. DJ Annie Red believes that kids of her generation can make things better by finding their passions—and using those passions to inspire change, as she has. “That’s something I really enjoy seeing,” she says. “Kids being more confident in themselves and wanting to do something that they really enjoy doing is something that motivates me to keep doing what I do.”
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| WE CAN DO IT Students pose for a photo with DJ Annie Red. They’re wearing her signature shirt. COURTESY THE HORTON FAMILY |
Tune into the brand new Kid of the Year special, simulcasting across Nickelodeon, TeenNick and Nicktoons on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)! Click HERE for more information!
From Patch:
Bed-Stuy Teen In The Running For TIME's 'Kid Of The Year'
Samirah Horton, better known as DJ Annie Red, is among five finalists for the Nickelodeon and TIME award, which will be announced next week.
BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Brooklynites might just see a neighbor from Bed-Stuy on the cover of their TIME magazine this year.
Bed-Stuy teenager Samirah Horton, better known by her stage name DJ Annie Red, is in the running to become 2021's TIME "Kid of the Year," an award given out by the magazine and Nickelodeon to young leaders making a difference.
Horton, 13, is up against four other finalists for the title, which will be announced on Nickelodeon on Feb. 9.
The award would be far from the first recognition for the young DJ, who has performed as the Brooklyn Nets' "kid resident DJ."
Horton has also written a book, "The Bully Stop," and speaks at schools or other venues about standing up to bullying, which she says has inspired her music.
"You're never too young to make a change," Horton told TIME in a profile.
Horton began rapping at 6 years old after she was bullied for her deep voice, according to the profile.
She has since won the Danny Glover Power of Dreams Music Award and recognition from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Horton serves now as a Global Ambassador for the Unstoppable Girls Foundation.
Should she win "Kid of the Year," Horton will be featured on the cover of TIME and in additional coverage in TIME For Kids. The five finalists were chosen from months of nominations of kids 8 to 16 for the award.
"Each of the finalists will receive funds to further their respective causes and serve as a TIME For Kids Kid Reporter, with exclusive access to a Nickelodeon event," according to the outlet.
Find out more about Horton and the other Kid of the Year finalists here.
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More Nick: Nickelodeon and TIME Announce Top Five Honorees and Finalists for Second Annual Kid of the Year!
Based on an original article by Allison Singer-Kushnir for TIME for Kids.
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