Gary Hardie, known professionally as DJ GQ, recently hosted a Bob Marley birthday celebration from a SiriusXM studio in Miami Beach, moving between the mixing console and the microphone throughout the broadcast. Between songs, he cued classic dancehall records, interviewed Quino McWhinney of Big Mountain, and entertained a small live audience gathered for the taping.
Hours later, he was back behind the decks at a South Florida event, shifting from reggae to hip-hop to Top 40 without missing a beat.
For DJ GQ, that split schedule — part radio host, part working DJ — has become routine.
Based in South Florida, DJ GQ has spent more than two decades carving out a career that reflects Miami’s musical identity: Caribbean rhythms, American pop and club culture blended into one sound. Today, he hosts programming on SiriusXM’s Bob Marley–branded Tuff Gong Radio and serves as a mixshow DJ on iHeartRadio’s Y100 Miami, giving him both national reach and a steady presence on local airwaves.
“I’ve always tried to play everything,” GQ said. “That’s what this city sounds like.”
Born in Miami to Cuban and Chinese-Jamaican parents and raised in Jamaica, he grew up around reggae and dancehall sound system culture before returning to South Florida as a teenager. By the 1990s, he was DJing house parties and clubs, developing an open-format style that moved easily between genres.
That versatility led to early radio opportunities while he continued performing live. Over the years, DJ GQ has shared stages with artists including DMX, appearing at festivals, nightlife venues and private events.
More recently, he has shifted focus toward original music. In 2020, DJ GQ released the EP Is It You?, which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart — his first appearance on a national chart.
The project marked a turning point, he said, from playing other artists’ records to producing his own.
Now, DJ GQ is working on a new EP. The upcoming release blends traditional reggae influences with contemporary club production.
“It’s still reggae at the core,” DJ GQ said. “But it has a current feel.”
Despite the studio work, radio remains central. On Tuff Gong Radio, he curates dancehall and reggae programming for a national audience, while his Y100 mixshows introduce Caribbean sounds to mainstream pop listeners.
“Radio lets you reach people who might not step into a reggae party,” GQ said. “You can introduce them to the culture through the music.”
After decades behind the decks, DJ GQ says his goal hasn’t changed much: reflect the city he represents.
“Miami’s always been a crossroads,” he said. “My job is just to soundtrack that.”
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