For most Filipino Americans, being raised in Long Beach usually meant you had Navy blood. For Emmanuel “E-Man” Coquia, it was his father who served in the Navy and was raised by a mom (who family members call “Tita Jane”). He has two younger brothers: Virman and Michael. What started as a “typical” Filipino childhood and teen life in Long Beach, California reached a turning point in the mid 1990’s as E-Man took his Djing to another level.
FACCOC Ambassador Neil Estrada who’s a first-cousin of E-Man’s recalls, “We were so proud of him. I remember many of us gathering around a car and blasting the radio because E-Man was a guest DJ on Friday Night Flavas. From there, it just got bigger and better.”
Today, DJ E-Man does Power 106’s morning show with the famous “Big Boy.” The show has been #1 in the area for numerous consecutive years. In addition to being the morning show DJ, E-man is the music director and assistant program director for the station. Additionally, he has a full plate with various DJ spots at nightclubs and concerts around the world, celebrity parties, and his famous Power 106 basketball team that visits local high school campuses.
E-Man knew that talent and hard work alone wasn’t enough. Like most successful careers, it took key relationships in the music industry to reach new heights.
His two younger brothers Virman and Michael are enjoying their own success as DJs in different capacities. Virman is a member of the famous “Far East Movement” while Michael is the music director and DJ on 105.1 Jamz along various gigs in Arizona and in the clubs.
Aside from DJing, E-Man’s impact on the music industry is huge. Many artists know how he can make a song an instant hit from simply including it in a regular rotation of songs.
Listen to E-Man share his story at FACCOC’s 6th Annual Secrets to Success on April 16th!