Your passions don’t linger around, waiting for you to discover them. You both meet in the middle and like any relationship, you evolve, you iron out the kinks and problems and you succeed. In Donnie Houston’s case, the passion for creating and sharing with the world met him early – and the two never let go of one another.
As a podcast host, budding rap historian, DJ, and producer, the man born Dondric Joseph has constantly sought elevation out of his talents. From his bedroom picking through vinyl as a teenager to going on to graduate from Texas Southern University with a degree in Journalism, he always had a knack and desire for telling stories. Whether it be behind the turntables cueing up hits to put smiles on people’s faces, creating an atmosphere that transports you to a moment or scene in time with music production or simply a laugh or two via voice acting.
When asked if there was one quote that always stuck with him, he responded, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” A Wayne Gretzky line most athletes and entertainers use, Houston applied it to a new form of storytelling: podcasting. In 2017, he along with a group of close friends launched the What They Talkin’ Bout podcast, a weekly show highlighting pop culture and the world-at-large. It wasn’t until 2019 that the moment of evolution struck Donnie again and transformed a weekly podcast about current events into a podcast about the history of Houston culture, music, car, sneakers and more.
Rechristened as The Donnie Houston Podcast, the focus is more razor-sharp and that can be attributed to the show’s namesake. Guests like J. Prince and Matt Sonzala as well as others have given credence to the other side of Houston, Texas and Donnie has steered them there with a form of a questionnaire that is a mixture from a fan’s perspective but a knowledgeable insider as well.
Growing listenership, producing for the likes of hometown heroes such as Slim Thug, Paul Wall, and others, mixing with his monthly 99 & 2000s party – there isn’t a handle Donnie Houston isn’t capable of. The moment he finds one, he’ll adapt and grow into it. Always take a shot.