Cello Joe

Cello Joe

Joey Chang — better known as Cello Joe (also CJ da DJ or DJCJ) is a genre-defying performance artist from the Bay Area who blends cello, beatboxing, live looping, singing, and MCing into a singular style he dubs “Classical Hip Hop.” He crafts fat beats using only his cello and voice, creating spontaneous compositions that span dubstep, folk, rock, classical, and hip-hop—all in real time. His lyrics often weave themes of sustainability, environmental justice, and social awareness into the groove, engaging both heart and mind. In addition to his musical innovation, Cello Joe is celebrated as the world’s first long-distance musical bike-touring cellist, having pedaled well over 10,000 miles across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia to bring his art to audiences far and wide.