Described by VanityFair.com as "a spirit of promise and hope and harmony" DNA's band Derrick N. Ashong and Soulfège is a critically-acclaimed, refreshingly original and exciting group of musicians who produce an eclectic blend of Hip-Hop, Reggae, Funk, World Beat and West African Highlife music that has been featured in such major media as MTV Africa, NPR, the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, MNet Africa, ABC Chronicle and BBC Worldservice, reaching 146 million listeners worldwide. Leveraging the power of social media and proven techniques of grassroots political organizing, they have launched the Million Download Campaign, with a mission to give away one million downloads of songs and remixes from their new album AFropolitan by Christmas 2012. The goal of the campaign is to connect people around the world through the electrifying, consciousness-raising songs of AFropolitan; to "break a band" without a corporate label; and in so doing, to change the music industry.

An established media personality, DNA is the television host of “The Stream” on Al Jazeera English. “The Stream” premiered in May 2011 and it integrates new and traditional media, tapping into the extraordinary potential of social media to disseminate news. This show aggregates on-line sources and discussion, while seeking out unheard voices, for new perspectives from people on the ground. More information about “The Stream” can be found at stream.aljazeera.com. Derrick also served as the host of "The Derrick Ashong Experience" on SIRIUS XM's Oprah Radio.

A true Renaissance man, DNA has lived in such locations as Brooklyn, New York, Voorhees, New Jersey and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and currently resides in Washington DC. As a college student he was cast in Stephen Spielberg’s 1997 film, “Amistad.” He returned to Cambridge to finish his degree requirements before pursuing a Ph.D. focusing on how trends in open source software can inform a theory of “open source content.” He later left the doctoral program to pursue his artistry and advocacy full-time.