DJ Cassidy On His Mother’s Day 'Pass The Mic 'Special

On Sunday (May 9), BET is set to celebrate Mother’s Day with DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic: BET Mother’s Day Edition. In celebration of mothers around the world, DJ Cassidy will introduce a cast of iconic, legendary soul artists who will sing the hooks to some of their most uplifting, heartwarming, and prolific songs. 

In an unprecedented move, Cassidy recently revealed two of the participants before the event exclusively confirming to BET that he will pass the mic to “The Godmother of Soul,” Patti LaBelle and R&B icon and New Edition member, Johnny Gill. Over a dozen other surprise legendary artists will join LaBelle and Gill in this joyous celebration of mothers and women worldwide. 

During a recent interview with BET.com, DJ Cassidy revealed why he decided to make LaBelle and Gill a part of his Mother’s Day edition of “Pass the Mic.”

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“When you listen to Johnny Gill’s music, you want to dim the lights, light the candles, and you feel warm inside, you feel fuzzy inside, and you feel like he’s talking about love,” he said. “You feel it, even without listening to his words. And needless to say, the same goes for Patti LaBelle. Often referred to as the ‘Godmother of Soul’, it was so apparent and vividly clear to me that she had to be a part of the Mother’s Day edition.”

Sunday’s event, which starts at 9 p.m. EST on BET, will mark the second Pass the Mic special of 2021. Additionally, four more will follow. When asked about why the Mother’s Day edition was particularly important to him, Cassidy says it’s because women and mothers are the backbones of society.

“This one is special and unique in several ways,” he said. “First of all, it celebrates mothers and women. I do believe mothers and women are our backbone. They are our foundation. They are the centerpiece of our world and they make our world go round. I’m really excited to be afforded the opportunity to produce one of my specials as a dedication to mothers and women and celebrate this very special day.”

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He added: “When I sat back and thought about Mother’s Day and how to musically translate Mother’s Day, I didn’t want to choose songs that were simply about mothers – that was too easy, too simple and frankly too one dimensional. I wanted to really create something that exuded the emotion of what we feel on that day. And that is love. A love for one’s mother is a love above all other love.”

From his turntables in his living room, Cassidy connects virtually and intimately with some of the best R&B and Hip-Hop performers ever to grace a concert stage, as they sing along seamlessly to their classic records, each “passing the mic” to the next artist. The result is an emotionally uplifting, technologically innovative musical event initially created during the pandemic last year. Cassidy says his event may be virtual, but the mission remains the same; to actually bring people together.

“In ‘Pass the Mic,’ people interact with their musical heroes in an unprecedented intimate and personal way. I drop one of their iconic records and they sing along for a minute or two. And it’s so casual and so intimate and so personal, and the viewer feels that. They feel what I’m feeling – the excitement of connecting with your heroes. I’m as big of a fan as the viewer.”

This special comes on the heels of BET and DJ Cassidy’s partnership to produce six DJ Cassidy’s “Pass the Mic” specials throughout 2021. The first installment “DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic: The BET After Party,” followed the 52nd NAACP Image Awards on March 27th to overwhelming reactions.