DJ Esentrik has a whole lot more people paying attention to him nowadays, and the inquiries are flooding his inbox. Esentrik, a Long Island producer whose real name is Jonathan Tuano, became a hot commodity after his fanmade mashup of the Beyoncé song “Cuff It” made the leap from viral online sensation to an official release, endorsed and circulated by the superstar artist herself.
“Soooo I’ve been hiding this for awhile and now I can finally say it!” Esentrik tweeted just a week ago. “CUFF IT WETTER REMIX IS OFFICIAL!”
The original version, a track from the 2022 Beyoncé album, “Renaissance,” earned praise from Grammy voters: “Cuff It” won Best R&B Song at this year’s awards last Sunday. But the mashup Esentrik created, which combined Beyoncé’s vocals with the song with Chicago rapper Twista’s 2009 “Wetter,” turned the upbeat dance song meant for summertime cookouts into a slow jam. His rendition went viral on Twitter and TikTok.
By the end of 2022, Esentrik’s mashup caught Beyoncé’s attention. She went back into the studio with her team to re-record her vocals, added a verse, and new background harmonies and arrangements on top of using the Twista song, the DJ recounted.
This version initially was only available for purchase via Beyoncé’s website. But it’s since been added to streaming services and the iTunes store, where the burst of new attention seems poised to propel “Cuff It” up the Billboard charts next week, according to Chart Data. Earlier this week, the superstar performer shared the new track herself on Instagram.
“I hope this inspires a lot of people especially in the DJ culture and the producer culture because not all of us are going to make it,” Esentrik, 39, told Gothamist in an interview. “But sometimes you get these little moments and it’s just inspiring people to say it’s possible.”
While it’s not uncommon for a song mashup to go viral online, it is pretty unusual for the artist to then…
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