On a typical weekday afternoon, Malcolm Davis is helping kids at Wilde Lake Middle School work through their homework, checking in with their teachers, and having conversations about things on the kids’ minds, like relationships, conflicts, and growth.
In the evenings, he goes by the stage name DJ Marcus El, and on December 3, he’s returning for his second year as DJ at the 3rd Annual JJCC Holiday BonBon Bash, CCC’s largest fundraiser of the year.
A Columbia kid with advice to share
Malcolm moved to Columbia in middle school and came up through Oakland Mills Middle and Oakland Mills High School. He met Tigana Duncan, director of the STAND (Stepping Towards a New Destiny) mentorship program while working at Enterprise.
“I gave him a ride home, and we got to talking. He had just moved to the area and asked me where I went to church,” Malcolm recalls. Over the years, Malcolm got to know Duncan, and a few years later, after time away at college, he ran into him again.
Duncan wanted to know what he’d been up to, “He was like, ‘Hey, how do you feel about working with kids?'”
Since then, Malcolm has spent two years with STAND’s after-school program at Wilde Lake Middle and has helped lead two summer programs. On a typical day, 20 to 25 students show up for a structured after-school program that starts with homework, followed by a lesson focused on personal growth or practical skills – anything from how to carry a conversation, to building a resume, and entrepreneurship. About once a month, a visitor comes in, from bankers to coaches and athletes.
And each session ends with free play, usually basketball or football, “That’s when the trash talk starts,” he jokes.
Participation in the program is voluntary, but Malcolm says the kids are eager to attend. On occasions where a student had to be excused for behavior, they are usually back the next day full of apologies.
He understands where these kids are coming from, and relates with his own life experiences, which has taken some turns. Malcolm studied biology at Hampton University with plans to become a doctor, then switched to business at Howard Community College and South Carolina State University. When the cost of school got to be too much, he came home and enrolled in Year Up, a career program that pairs six months of classroom training with a six-month corporate internship. That led to help desk work at Blue Cross Blue Shield. Today he’s teaching himself cybersecurity.
He’s a credible voice for students weighing their own next steps. “Been there, done that,” he says. “I can tell you what not to do.”
Mentoring has also opened doors he didn’t expect. “Working with STAND has been way more enlightening than I could ever imagine,” he says. It’s led to new career conversations, including interviews to work with middle school students in Washington, D.C.
From STAND to the BonBon stage
Malcolm met Erika Chavarria, Columbia Community Care’s founder and executive director, at a STAND event. When she learned he was a DJ, she asked him to play the BonBon.
Last year he shared the bill with Pete Rock and Treach of Naughty by Nature. This year, it’s Erick Sermon of EPMD and Dres of Black Sheep.
“What other day do I get to be on the same stage as Pete Rock?” he says. “Real hip-hop legends. I feel like I’m really part of the company of legends.”
Outside the BonBon, Malcolm stays busy and works to keep his DJ schedule full. This summer, he served as the Baltimore Ravens’ official DJ for a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium and is still in the running for a regular spot. He plays rooftops, lounges, and clubs across D.C. and Baltimore, and is heading to North Carolina for a gig in a few weeks.
Why you should be at the BonBon
Ask Malcolm for a reason to attend the BonBon Bash, and he has plenty. “I can’t come up with a reason not to!”
The food and drinks are phenomenal, he says, and the venue is a hidden gem. The crowd is there to have a good time, and of course the music with hip-hop legends on stage.
“You’re giving to a great cause while you’re having a good time. It’s a win-win,” he says. “I look forward to it every year. I really do.”
Get your tickets for the 3rd Annual JJCC Holiday BonBon Bash on December 3rd at Reckless Shepherd in Columbia, MD: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-jjcc-bonbon-holiday-bash
