Royce da 5'9"
Royce da 5'9" performing live at Rock the Bells 2011
Background information
Birth name	Ryan Daniel Montgomery
Also known as	Bad, Nickel Nine
Born	(1977-07-05) July 5, 1977 (age 34)
Origin	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, midwest hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, songwriter, record producer
Years active	1997–present
Associated acts	Eminem, Bad Meets Evil, Slaughterhouse, DJ Premier, Yelawolf, Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, Kid Vishis, Sherif
Website	http://www.royceda59.com

Ryan Daniel Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), better known by his stage name Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper. He is known for his longtime association with Eminem and for his solo career, recording primarily with Carlos "6 July" Broady and DJ Premier, as well as ghostwriting for the likes of Diddy and Dr. Dre. Royce is one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with Eminem and also a member of hip hop group Slaughterhouse. The editors of About.com ranked him #33 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007).^[1]

Career[link]

Early acclaim[link]

Ryan Montgomery was born and raised on the West side of Detroit, Michigan on W. McNichols & Wyoming Ave. He moved to Oak Park, Michigan when he was 10 years old, later acquiring the nickname "Royce" during high school after wearing a Turkish link chain with an R pendant resembling the Rolls Royce symbol. He started rapping at age 18, influenced mainly by Ras Kass and Redman.^[2] He signed his first deal in 1998 with Tommy Boy Records, after the label shut down, he signed a deal with Columbia where he started recording an album called Rock City, referring to Detroit's former status as home to Motown Records. When the project was heavily bootlegged, Royce left the label for Koch to re-record some of the album, eventually releasing it in 2002 as Rock City (Version 2.0). While the album did not sell very well, the DJ Premier-produced single "Boom" gained Royce some underground recognition and eventually resulted in the two working together more closely.

Through his manager, Royce was introduced to Eminem in 1997, and the two formed a working relationship; they formed up as a duo, Bad Meets Evil, and released several tracks together. Royce appeared on Eminem's major-label debut studio album The Slim Shady LP, in which he was featured on a song called "Bad Meets Evil". Royce and Eminem also released a track called "Renegades", from which Royce's vocals would later be replaced with Jay-Z's on the latter's The Blueprint. Through Eminem, Royce would also be introduced to both Dr. Dre and execs at Game Recordings. After his manager Kino stated: "I’ve seen Em sit Dre down like a pupil and coach him on rhymes" on a phone interview,^[3] Dr. Dre requested that Royce cut ties with his manager. Royce refused to fire his manager, thus his relationship with Dre ended.

Feud with D12[link]

Royce had a falling-out with Eminem's hip hop group D12, including mutual friend and group member Proof. This resulted in a drawn-out, public rivalry between the rapper and five of the six members, with Royce releasing three diss tracks aimed at the group. The first diss track, "Shit on You", was recorded over instrumental of D12's song with the same name and mainly attacked group member Bizarre. "Malcolm X" was the second diss track, which featured Tré Little. D12 responded with "Smack Down" which was recorded over 50 Cent's "Back Down" instrumental. Proof also recorded a diss track entitled "Many Men". This was recorded over 50 Cent's "Many Men (Wish Death)" instrumental. Proof later released another diss with The Purple Gang called "Beef Is Ova". Royce responded with his third diss track, which was recorded over 50 Cent's "In Da Club" instrumental titled "Death Day". In the summer of 2003, D12 member Proof confronted Royce outside a club in Detroit. Violence erupted between the rappers' entourage, leading to the Police being called, and Proof and Royce's arrest. The two were detained overnight in adjacent cells where they talked out their differences and ended the feud^[4]. A few years later Royce was featured in a mixtape of D12 released in 2008 called Return of the Dozen. They also went on tour in Europe and Canada together.

Solo work[link]

Royce signed with Game Recordings, for whom he had recorded several tracks for the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001. The in-game radio station, Game Radio FM, prominently featured Royce's "I'm the King", an The Alchemist-produced solo track that (along with the publicized beef) helped elevate Royce's name beyond his association with Eminem. In 2004, he released his second and most critically successful album to date, Death Is Certain, charting with another Premier-produced single, "Hip-Hop".

Royce in 2002.

After the relative success of his sophomore effort, Royce put out a third solo project, Independent's Day, in 2005. This was met with less acclaim than either of his previous releases. During this time, the rivalry between Royce and former friend Proof reached a boiling point in the streets of Detroit, on an occasion where the two rappers drew guns; they were subsequently arrested and left to work out their differences while spending the night in neighboring cells in jail. The time spent in jail led to the artists ending their feud and subsequently embarking on two overseas tours together.^[5] Though Royce had planned other projects involving Nottz and his former crew, D-Elite, these were cut short after a sentencing to one year in prison for a DUI.^[6].

Release from prison[link]

After his release in 2007, Royce with DJ Premier and Statik Selektah released the mixtape The Bar Exam. He also announced an album with Premier; in an interview with Elemental Magazine, Royce stated that, contrary to rumors, Premier would not be producing the entirety of his upcoming album, but will be overseeing the project as executive producer, handpicking all of the beats. Following The Bar Exam, Royce wrote the single for Diddy's album Press Play, "Tell Me". Following this, the producer expressed interest in signing the lyricist to Bad Boy;^[7] Nas has also stated that he would like to sign Royce to his Def Jam imprint, The Jones Experience.^[8] Neither of these deals, however, materialized.

In early 2008 Royce confirmed that he had officially resolved misunderstandings between himself and Eminem.^[9] He released The Bar Exam 2 with DJ Green Lantern later in the year, as well as a retail version of the mixtape The Album; the projects featured production from Green Lantern, 9th Wonder, DJ Premier and 6 July, among others. Later worked on his Premier-assisted retail release, Street Hop, the lead single of which was "Shake This", also produced by DJ Premier. The video to the song circulated the internet, and the project was released October 20, 2009.^[10]. On May 26, 2012, Royce announced that he will release a mixtape before his next album via twitter.^[11].

Slaughterhouse[link]

Joe Budden collaborated with Crooked I, Joell Ortiz, Royce da 5'9" and Nino Bless on a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, Halfway House. Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a supergroup, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together.^[12] They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album, which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009.^[13] The album features production from DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter and The Alchemist, plus guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K. Young and The New Royales. The group signed with Shady Records on January 12, 2011.

Bad Meets Evil reunion[link]

After Royce reconciled with Eminem, the duo started working again on new music and released Hell: The Sequel on June 14, 2011. The EP has released two singles, "Fast Lane" and "Lighters" featuring Bruno Mars.

Personal Life[link]

Royce da 5'9" has 3 kids: 2 sons and a daughter.

Growing up as a kid he had a variety of different jobs including working as a store clerk, working at a gas station, and even at a zoo.

Royce is never really keen in searching for certain collaborators for his songs unless other people make offers to feature themselves on any of his songs.

Whilst in high school, Royce da 5'9" was generally a good student in class. He recalls in an interview by saying, "In high school I would usually excel in class depending on the teacher, I will admit I did have a bit of attention issues but actually I was a well appreciated student."

Technique[link]

Royce Da 5'9" has been known for his rhyme structure - often two or more of his lines will rhyme exactly start to finish. He has also been known to move from one set of rhymes to another, then coming back to the first set later on in the verse. Complex phrasing is another aspect of his style, which looks to avoid delivering lines in simple or common terms.^[14]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Collaboration albums[link]

• 2009: Slaughterhouse (with Slaughterhouse)
• 2011: Slaughterhouse EP (with Slaughterhouse)
• 2011: Hell: The Sequel (with Eminem as Bad Meets Evil)
• 2012: Welcome to: Our House (with Slaughterhouse)
• TBA: Motown 25 (with Elzhi)

Mixtapes[link]

• 2003: Build & Destroy
• 2004: M.I.C.: Make It Count
• 2007: The Bar Exam (with Statik Selektah and DJ Premier)
• 2008: The Bar Exam 2 (with DJ Green Lantern)
• 2010: The Bar Exam 3 (with DJ Whoo Kid)
• TBA: TBA

Singles[link]

Featured singles[link]

Guest Appearances[link]

• 1999: "Bad Meets Evil" - Eminem feat. Royce da 5'9"
• 2008: "Slaughterhouse" - Joe Budden feat. Royce da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, Crooked I & Nino Bless
• 2008: "Losing Out" - Black Milk feat. Royce da 5'9"
• 2008: "Motown 25" - Elzhi feat. Royce da 5'9"
• 2010: "Deadly Medley" - Black Milk feat. Royce da 5'9 & Elzhi"
• 2011: "Nightmares" - Professor Green feat. Royce da 5'9" & Kobe
• 2011: "Finish What You Start" - Joell Ortiz feat. Royce da 5'9"
• 2011: "Life's A bitch" - Elzhi feat. Royce da 5'9"
• 2011: "See You in Hell" - Omar LinX feat. Royce da 5'9" & Joell Ortiz
• 2012: "Spazz Out" - Drew32 feat. Royce da 5'9"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Royce da 5'9" on Twitter
• Royce da 5'9" on Myspace
• Royce da 5'9" at MTV
• 'Bad Meets Evil' Interview

DJ Premier
Background information
Birth name	Christopher Edward Martin
Born	(1966-03-21) March 21, 1966 (age 46) Houston, Texas, United States
Origin	Houston, Texas, USA
Genres	Hip hop, East Coast Hip Hop
Occupations	Record producer, DJ
Instruments	Drum machine Keyboard Sampler Turntable
Years active	1984 – present
Labels	Wild Pitch/EMI (1987–1990) Chrysalis/EMI (1991–1998) Virgin/EMI (1998–2003) Year Round (2003–)
Associated acts	Gang Starr Foundation, M.O.P., Royce da 5'9", Christina Aguilera, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Nas, Kool G Rap, Blaq Poet, Apathy, Big L, Bun B, D.I.T.C., Game, Termanology, AZ, Buckshot LeFonque, Mobb Deep, Torae
Website	DJ Premier on Myspace

Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966),^[1] better known by his stage name DJ Premier (also known as Preem, Premo, or Primo for short), is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru. Born in Houston and raised in Prairie View, Texas, he has lived in Brooklyn, New York, for much of his professional career. Rolling Stone identified Premier as arguably Hip-Hop's greatest producer of all time.^[2]

The Source named DJ Premier one of the five greatest producers in hip-hop history,^[3] while the editors of About.com ranked him #1 on their Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers list.^[4] He also made the "Finals" in the search for The Greatest Hip-Hop Producer of All Time by Vibe.^[5] He attended Prairie View A&M University.^[6]

Productions[link]

Premier is known for producing all of Gang Starr's songs as well as many of the Gang Starr Foundation's songs. His work also includes production for heavyweight rappers such as (alphabetic order) Apathy, Big L, Bun B, Canibus, D.I.T.C., Fat Joe, Game, Jay-Z, Kanye West, KRS-One, Lord Finesse, M.O.P., Mos Def, Nas, Rakim, Royce Da 5'9", The LOX, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, rock band Limp Bizkit, Big L, Big Daddy Kane, Ill Bill, Joell Ortiz, and pop/R&B singer Christina Aguilera, among many others.

Premier collaborated with MC Jeru the Damaja on the album The Sun Rises in the East, released in 1994, as well as the 1996 follow-up, Wrath of the Math.^[1] Also from the Gang Starr Foundation, Premier produced and supervised Group Home's Livin' Proof; although overlooked at the time of its 1995 release, the album has since come to find similar acclaim.^[1] Among others in that are closely tied to the Gang Starr Foundation who have worked with DJ Premier include Afu Ra, Bahamadia, Krumbsnatcha, Big Shug, Smiley the Ghetto Child, and NYGz. He recently produced the majority of Blaq Poet's Tha Blaqprint in 2009 and will produce the entirety of NYGz debut album.

Style and influences[link]

DJ Premier's style of production epitomizes the New York sound of his earlier peers. He is known for sampling jazz, funk, and soul artists, as well as sampling an artist's past work when creating a new track for that same artist. For example, on Jay-Z's "So Ghetto", from the 1999 album, Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter, Premier samples an older Jay-Z song, 1997's "Who You Wit II".^[7] In addition, his encyclopedic memory of hip-hop lyrics allows him to distinctively speak with his hands by scratching in lyrics from several different songs to construct new phrases.^[8] Premier's beats are known for his oft-imitated combinations of short vocal samples, often from multiple artists, to create a chorus. Premier has also experimented with atonal samples that are not confined to soul, jazz, and funk. For example, he sampled chopped up seminal electro-acoustic music from the 1960s on the track “Mental Stamina” by Jeru the Damaja.

In an interview with XXL Magazine, DJ Premier was asked how his sound evolved, to which he replied, "Marley Marl is my number one inspiration. Jam Master Jay, Mixmaster Ice and UTFO. Grandmaster D and Whodini. DJ Cheese, Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa. Jazzy Jay, even Cut Creator. Seeing them do what they do. It’s black music, it’s black culture, it comes from the ghetto. How can you not relate to ghetto people when that’s the rawest form of blackness? Even though it’s not a good place in regards to the economy and how bad people have it in the neighborhood, the realism’s there, and that’s what we were born out of. So I very much pay respect by doing the same type of music in return." DJ Premier attended Prairie View A & M University and may have been influenced by the musical atmosphere at the university.^[9]

Relationships with artists[link]

The early line-up of the Gang Starr Foundation in the mid-1990s included Jeru The Damaja, Group Home, Big Shug, and Gang Starr. DJ Premier was fully responsible for the production of Jeru the Damaja's first two albums, The Sun Rises in the East and Wrath of the Math. Jeru released three albums since then, with Premier having nothing to do with any of them.^[1]

As far as Group Home was concerned, Premier commented, "They don't respect what fed them," in a 2003 interview, going on to say that the only reason he produced a track on their second album was because Guru said he would rhyme on it.^[10]

Besides the Gang Starr Foundation, Premier is closely affiliated with M.O.P., which he names as one of his all-time favorite groups. The relationship started with the remix of “Rugged, Neva Smoove” in 1994, a single from the group's first album, which also included the exclusive B-side “Downtown Swinga.” From then, Premier produced about one-third of the songs on each subsequent album and overseeing and mixing the projects. On M.O.P.'s 2009 Foundation album, however, DJ Premier provided only one track, which was called "What I Wanna B."

Recent and future projects[link]

DJ Premier has his own record company named Year Round Records. Among its artists are New York group NYGz, New Jersey rapper Nick Javas, and Houston rapper Khaleel. Tha Blaqprint by Blaq Poet, which has thirteen Premier productions, was released by Year Round Records through Fat Beats Records. On December 7, Premier's label Year Round Records released a digital compilation album titled Get Used to Us. At the moment Year Round plans to release a debut album fully produced by DJ Premier with the NYGz tenatively called Hustla's Union: Local NYG along with a Nick Javas debut album named Destination Unknown. Khaleel, another label-mate of Year Round Records, is planned to release a debut album titled Already!.

DJ Premier hosts a weekly 2 hour show Live From HeadQCourterz on SIRIUS Satellite Radio's Hip-Hop Nation on Fridays.

DJ Premier was one of the artists followed in the 2012 documentary Re:GENERATION music project. The film followed his production of the song Regeneration using live performance of his work by the Berklee Symphony Orchestra [1]

In a recent interview, DJ Premier said he will produce a beat for Immortal Technique's upcoming album, titled The Middle Passage. He contributed a song on Game's last album The R.E.D. Album called "Born in the Trap." and a song on Bushido's last album Jenseits von Gut und Böse.^[6] In an interview in 2012, DJ Premier confirmed on Shade45 that he is working with Eminem on his upcoming album.

Discography[link]

• The Sun Rises in the East (with Jeru The Damaja) (1994)
• Livin' Proof (with Group Home) (1995)
• Wrath of the Math (with Jeru The Damaja) (1996)
• Beats That Collected Dust (2008)
• Tha Blaqprint (with Blaq Poet) (2009)
• DJ Premier Presents Get Used To Us (2010)
• Beats That Collected Dust Vol. 2 (2011)
• Premo Pimpin' EP (with Wais P) (2011)
• StOoDiOtYmE EP (with Bumpy Knuckles) (2012)
• The Kolexxxion (with Bumpy Knuckles) (2012)
• TBA (with Nas)
• TBA (with M.O.P.)
• Pete Rock v.s. Premier (with Pete Rock)
• Return Of The Boom Bip (with KRS-ONE)

References[link]

External links[link]

• DJ Premier on Twitter
• DJ Premier at Allmusic
• DJ Premier discography at Discogs
• Fansite/newsite about DJ Premier

DJ Khaled
Background information
Birth name	Khaled Bin Abdul Khaled
Born	(1975-11-26) November 26, 1975 (age 36) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Origin	Miami, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Disc jockey, radio personality, record producer & rapper
Years active	1998–present
Labels	We the Best, Terror Squad, Cash Money, Universal Republic
Associated acts	Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Akon, Cool & Dre, T-Pain, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Trick Daddy, Ace Hood, Pitbull, Ludacris, Drake, Birdman, Young Jeezy, Busta Rhymes, Plies
Website	www.myspace.com/djkhaled

Khaled Bin Abdul Khaled (born November 26, 1975),^[1] better known by his stage name DJ Khaled, is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, rapper & record label executive. He is a radio host for the Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR and the DJ for the hip hop group Terror Squad. In 2006, Khaled released his debut album Listennn... the Album. He went on to release We the Best (2007), We Global (2008), Victory (2010), and We the Best Forever (2011). In 2009, Khaled became the president of record label Def Jam South.

Biography[link]

Khaled was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[2][3] He is of Palestinian descent^[1] and lives in Sunny Isles, Florida.^[4] Currently, he hosts the weeknight program TakeOver on Miami-based urban music radio station WEDR with fellow host K. Foxx; Khaled states that he has worked for the station professionally since 2003. Early in his career he dj'd for a south Florida regional station Power 96.5 FM.^[2] In 1998, Khaled worked as a "sidekick" for Miami rapper Luther Campbell for Campbell's Friday night WEDR radio show The Luke Show.^[5] In his albums, Khaled usually provides "shoutouts" that assert his representation of "the ghetto" and urges people to listen.^[6] From 2004 to 2006, Khaled assisted in the production of the hip-hop albums Real Talk by Fabolous, True Story by Terror Squad, All or Nothing by Fat Joe, and Me, Myself, & I by Fat Joe.^[7] Many of DJ Khaled's songs are known to entice the listener by hip hop chanting his name before the song starts. Khaled represents the Kendall area of Miami. He is Muslim. He is currently engaged to Nicole Tuck.

[edit] 2006: Listennn... the Album

On June 6, 2006, his debut album Listennn... the Album was released by Koch Records; it premiered on the Billboard 200 chart at #12.^[8]

[edit] 2007: We the Best

We the Best followed in 2007 with singles "I'm So Hood" with T-Pain, Trick Daddy, Plies, and Rick Ross and "We Takin' Over" with Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman, and Lil Wayne. "We Takin' Over" peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 20, 2007.^[9] Khaled made a guest appearance on the single "100 Million" from Birdman's 2007 album 5 * Stunna; the single also featured Rick Ross, Dre, Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne. That year, Khaled won two Ozone Awards: one for Best Video ("We Takin' Over") and another for Best Radio DJ.^[10]

[edit] 2008–2009: We Global

In 2008, Khaled's third album We Global came out with singles "Out Here Grindin" with Akon, Rick Ross, Lil' Boosie, Trick Daddy, Ace Hood, and Plies, followed by "Go Hard" featuring Kanye West and T-Pain. RIAA certified the single "I'm So Hood" Platinum on June 4, 2008.^[9] That year, Khaled won DJ of the Year awards from the BET Hip Hop Awards and Ozone Awards.^[11][12]

He was appointed the president of Def Jam South in 2009.^[13]

[edit] 2009–2010: Victory

His fourth studio is titled Victory and was released in early 2010. The album featured guest appearances from Drake, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Nelly and more. The single "All I Do Is Win" featuring Ludacris, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg and T-Pain was certified as a double-platinum single. Other singles include: "Put Your Hands Up" featuring Ross, Young Jeezy, Plies and Schife, and "Fed Up" featuring Usher, Drake, Ross and Jeezy. The album had low sales and debuted at #12 on the Billboard 200.

[edit] 2011–present: We the Best Forever & Kiss the Ring

DJ Khaled announced the title of the album, We the Best Forever, on Twitter.^[14] On August 19, Khaled signed to Cash Money Records along to Universal Motown, the album will be released under the label, also under E1 Entertainment, Terror Squad, Def Jam South and Khaled's own label We the Best Music Group, with confirmed guests as Fat Joe, Chris Brown, Keyshia Cole, Cee Lo Green, Cool & Dre, Rick Ross, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nas, Birdman, Lil Wayne, T.I., Akon, Drake and Nicki Minaj^{[15][16][17][18]} The first single titled "Welcome to My Hood", featuring Rick Ross, Plies, Lil Wayne and T-Pain was released in January 13 of 2011, which was produced by The Renegades, and co-produced by DJ Khaled himself and The Nasty Beatmakers. The song is the first released under Cash Money Records and Universal Motown,^[19] a music video was filmed in Miami, Florida and directed by Gil Green, featuring cameos by Flo Rida, Bow Wow, Busta Rhymes, and other artists.^[20] The next single, "I'm On One", featuring Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne, was released on May 20, 2011. It debuted at #10 on the Hot 100, becoming Khaled's and Ross' highest charting song. "I'm The One" also reached the number-one spot on the Rap and Hip-Hop/R&B Songs charts, becoming Khaled's first #1 song on both charts. It was #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart for 11 non-consecutive weeks, and on the Rap chart for 13 consecutive weeks, the third most of any rap song on the latter chart. The song also got a triple-platinum certification, which is Khaled's and Ross' first. We the Best Forever debuted on the Billboard 200 at #5, selling 53,000 copies. It is his most successful album. The album also debuted at #1 on the Rap Albums chart, becoming his first number-one album on that chart. On December 10, 2011 DJ Khaled announced the title of his next album, Kiss The Ring, via a video, with the release date as "coming soon", presumed 2012.^[21] DJ Khaled is working on the project with T-Pain, R. Kelly, Nas, Plies, Ice Cube, Ace Hood, Kanye West, Ryan Leslie, Rick Ross & Maybach Music Group artists (Meek Mill & More), Drake, Young Money & Cash Money artists and many more. Khaled mentioned that he has a verse from someone very special. The first single released was "Take It to the Head" featuring Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne.

Performances[link]

DJ Khaled performed at BET Awards 2011 with Drake, Rick Ross, and Lil Wayne which aired on June 26, 2011.^[22]

Discography[link]

• 2006: Listennn... the Album
• 2007: We the Best
• 2008: We Global
• 2010: Victory
• 2011: We the Best Forever
• 2012: Kiss the Ring^[21][23]

Awards and nominations[link]

• BET Awards
  • 2008, Best Collaboration ("I'm So Hood (Remix)") with Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman, & Rick Ross (Nominated)^[24]

• BET Hip Hop Awards
  • 2009, DJ of the Year (nominated)
  • 2008, DJ of the Year (Won)^[25]
  • 2008, MVP of the Year (nominated)^[26]
  • 2008, Best Collabo ("I'm So Hood (Remix)") with Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman, & Rick Ross (Won)^[27]
  • 2007, People's Champ Award ("We Takin' Over") with Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman, & Lil Wayne (nominated)^[28]
  • 2007, Best Hip-Hop Collabo ("We Takin' Over") with Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman, & Lil Wayne (nominated)^[29]

• Grammy Awards
  • 2012, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: "I'm On One" (nominated)w/ Drake, Lil' Wayne, Rick Ross & Birdman

• Ozone Awards
  • 2008, DJ of the Year (Won)^[30]

References[link]

External links[link]

• DJ Khaled on Myspace
• DJ Khaled on Twitter
• DJ Khaled at Allmusic

Joell Ortiz (born July 6, 1978) is an American independent rapper from Brooklyn, New York, and a member of the group Slaughterhouse.

Biography[link]

Joell Ortiz was born to Puerto Rican parents. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label. He was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of The Source Magazine and was also selected as Chairman's Choice in XXL Magazine. During the same time Joell also went on to win the 2004 EA Sports Battle which earned his song Mean Business a spot on the NBA Live 2005 soundtrack. The same year he was offered a contract to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label. The deal quickly went sour which caused Joell to start beef with Jermaine. Joell has since collaborated with KRS-One and Kool G. Rap. Joell released his street album called "The Brick: Bodega Chronicles" April 24, 2007, on Koch Records. The album was recorded while Joell was trying to get signed and going through some tough times personally. Even though he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, Dr. Dre allowed him to release the street album on Koch Records. The Brick features productions from Showbiz, The Alchemist, Domingo, Ho Chi from Killahertz Productions, Lil' Fame of M.O.P., Novel, and Moss, among others. Guest spots include Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, M.O.P, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, Ras Kass, Stimuli, and Novel. Joell Ortiz is 1/4 of supergroup Slaughterhouse who released their highly anticipated Slaughterhouse EP on February 8, 2011. The group are also releasing their highly anticipated second studio album "Welcome To: Our House" in late June.

Music career[link]

The Brick (Bodega Chronicles)[link]

Though signed to Aftermath, Ortiz released an album titled The Brick (Bodega Chronicles) April 24, 2007 on Koch Records.^[1] The Brick features production by Showbiz, Street Radio, and The Alchemist, among others. Guest artists include rappers Big Daddy Kane, Styles P, Big Noyd, Akon, Immortal Technique, Grafh, and Ras Kass.^[2][3]

Ortiz performing in Amager Bio, Denmark in 2007.

Departure from Aftermath and joining Slaughterhouse[link]

Ortiz parted ways with Aftermath Entertainment on April 15, 2008.^[4]

Joe Budden reached out to Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, Halfway House.^[5] Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a super-group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together.^[5] They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009.^[6] The album features production from Alchemist, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter, Streetrunner, plus guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, K-Young, and The New Royales.^[7] In 2010 the group signed to Shady Records and left E1 Entertainment.^[8]

A remix of Joell Ortiz' "Hip Hop" featuring Jadakiss and Saigon appeared on a fictitious urban radio station in the popular video game GTA IV.

[edit] Free Agent and new labelr

Ortiz started to have problems with E1 Entertainment and after almost a year, Ortiz left the label on November 5, 2010.^[9][10] In August 2010 Ortiz was in talks, about signing a deal with Steve Rifkind's label SRC Records. However the deal was never finished.

In an October 31, 2010, interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Ortiz discussed his relationship with Eminem and the flood of record labels that have flocked to sign him after his Free Agent album is released. He also spoke of Eminem's excitement at working with him.^[11]

In 2011, Ortiz became an unsigned independent artist, after failing to sign with SRC Records.

During Slaughterhouse 2012 tour, the group stopped in Las Vegas, Nevada at Bootleg Kev's radio show, where they talked about their upcoming album Welcome to: Our House, their work with Eminem, and was revealed that Ortiz is now signed to Shady Records as a solo act.^[12]

Controversy[link]

Following the release of his 2011 song "Big Pun Back", Ortiz received criticism from Liza Rios (Pun's widow) along with Tony Sunshine and Cuban Link of Terror Squad, claiming the song was "disrespectful" to the late rapper's memory. Ortiz claims the song was meant to be a tribute, and later Fat Joe spoke up in his defense.^[13]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link] Year Title Peak chart positions US US R&B US Rap US Heat US Ind 2007 The Brick: Bodega Chronicles Released: April 24, 2007 Label: E1 Music — 49 23 16 40 2011 Free Agent Released: February 22, 2011 Label: E1 Music 173 33 15 2 22 2012 Yaowa[14] Released: TBA, 2012 Label: E1 Music TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA EP's[link] 2010: Farewell Summer EP Collaboration albums[link] 2009: Slaughterhouse (with Slaughterhouse) 2011: Slaughterhouse EP (with Slaughterhouse) 2012: Welcome to: Our House (with Slaughterhouse) Mixtapes[link] 2007: Who The F*@k Is Joell Ortiz? (Hosted Big Mike) 2009: Joell Ortiz Covers the Classics 2009: Road Kill 2010: Defying The Predictable (with Novel) 2010: Me, Myself, & I 2010: Pre-Agent 2010: Project Boy 2010: Me, Myself & I (Part 2) 2011: Me, Myself & I (Part 3) TBA: The Life and Times of Sebastian Rios Singles[link] Year Song Chart positions Album U.S. U.S. R&B U.S. Rap 2007 "Hip Hop" — — — The Brick: Bodega Chronicles 2010 "Call Me (She Said)" (featuring Novel) — — — Free Agent 2011 "So Hard" (featuring Ana Yvette) — — — Featured Singles[link] Year Song Chart positions Album U.S. U.S. R&B U.S. Rap 2011 "We Keep It Rockin" (Maino featuring Swizz Beatz, Jim Jones, Jadakiss & Joell Ortiz) — — — The Day After Tomorrow 2011 "Currency" (Emcee Composition featuring Joell Ortiz) — — — Garden Statements 2012 "Venomous Ink Emcees" (J1Three featuring Joell Ortiz & Canibus) — — — TBD References[link] ^ XXL Magazine. Joell Ortiz: A Hip-Hop Happy Ending by Brandon Edwards. November 2007 ^ "News - "Joell Ortiz Set to Release The Brick"". Hiphopgame.com. http://www.hiphopgame.com/news.php3?id=1469. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ AftermathMusic.com News - "JOELL TO RELEASE "THE BRICK" // Jan 16, 2007[dead link] ^ "[News] Joell Ortiz Speaks On Leaving Aftermath". Defsounds.com. 2008-01-31. http://www.defsounds.com/news/Joell_ortiz_speaks_on_leaving_aftermath. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ a b "FEATURE: Crooked I, The Freestyler[Definitive Dozen". Xxlmag.Com. 2009-08-14. http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=53509. Retrieved 2012-03-30.  ^ Jeffries, David (2009-08-11). "Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1596722. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ Kuperstein, Slava (2009-08-10). "Slaughterhouse - self-titled | Read Hip Hop Reviews, Rap Reviews & Hip Hop Album Reviews". HipHopDX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.1237/title.slaughterhouse-self-titled. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ G5 (2010-04-28). "Slaughterhouse Signs To Shady Records | HipHop-N-More". Hiphop-n-more.com. http://hiphop-n-more.com/2010/04/slaughterhouse-signs-to-shady-records/. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ Joell Ortiz Leaves E1 « Thomas' Official Blog (2010-11-05). "Joell Ortiz Leaves E1 | HipHop-N-More". Hiphop-n-more.com. http://hiphop-n-more.com/2010/11/joell-ortiz-leaves-e1/. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ Langhorne, Cyrus (2010-03-23). "Joell Ortiz Disses Slaughterhouse's Record Label, "E1 Is F*cking C*ckblocking Us From Doing Something Monumental"". Sohh.Com. http://www.sohh.com/2010/03/joell_ortiz_disses_slaughterhouses_recor.html. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ October 30, 2010 07:34 AM PDT (2010-10-30). "Joell Ortiz discusses Eminem Oct 31st Uncensored Radio Interview". Conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com. http://conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com/entry/index/2010-10-30T08_58_34-07_00/. Retrieved 2010-11-11.  ^ http://rapradar.com/2012/04/18/bootleg-kev-interviews-slaughterhouse/ ^ Horowitz, Stephen. "Joell Ortiz Addresses "Big Pun's Back" Controversy". Blog Article. Hip Hop Dx. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.15550/title.joell-ortiz-addresses-big-puns-back-controversy. Retrieved 2011-10-19.  ^ Joell Ortiz Shares His Tips For Success, Talks "Yaowa" Album HipHopDX. External links[link] Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joell Ortiz Official website Champmag.com v t e Joell Ortiz Studio albums The Brick: Bodega Chronicles Free Agent Collaborations Slaughterhouse Slaughterhouse EP Extended plays Farewell Summer EP Mixtapes Who The F*@k Is Joell Ortiz? Covers The Classics Road Kill Defying The Predictable Pre-Agent Singles "Hip Hop" "Call Me (She Said)" "So Hard" Related articles Slaughterhouse Shady Records v t e Slaughterhouse Crooked I Joe Budden Joell Ortiz Royce da 5'9" Studio albums Slaughterhouse Welcome to: Our House Extended plays Slaughterhouse EP Singles "The One" "Microphone" "Hammer Dance" "My Life" Crooked I albums Hood Star Joe Budden albums Joe Budden Padded Room The Great Escape Joell Ortiz albums The Brick: Bodega Chronicles Free Agent Royce da 5'9" albums Rock City Death Is Certain Independent's Day Street Hop Success Is Certain Related articles Shady Records v t e Aftermath Entertainment Founder Dr. Dre Current artists Eminem 50 Cent Slim the Mobster Kendrick Lamar Black Hippy Former artists Bishop Lamont Busta Rhymes Eve Game Hittman King Tee Joell Ortiz Marsha Ambrosius Raekwon Rakim RBX Stat Quo The Firm The Last Emperor Truth Hurts Related articles Interscope Records Persondata Name Ortiz, Joell Alternative names Short description Date of birth July 6, 1978 Place of birth Date of death Place of death

9th Wonder
Background information
Birth name	Patrick Douthit
Also known as	9th Wonder, 9thmatic
Born	(1975-01-15) January 15, 1975 (age 37) Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Record producer, record executive
Instruments	Akai MPC 2500, Turntables, Pro Tools, FL Studio[1]
Years active	1997–present
Labels	It's A Wonderful World Music Group, Jamla Records
Associated acts	Little Brother, Murs, David Banner, Buckshot, Erykah Badu

Patrick Douthit (born January 15, 1975 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina),^[2] better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, lecturer, and lyricist from Durham, North Carolina, U.S. He began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother, and has also worked with Mary J. Blige, Jean Grae, Wale, Jay-Z, Murs, Drake, Buckshot, Chris Brown, Destiny's Child, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, Ludacris, Mac Miller, and David Banner. As of 2010, 9th Wonder raps under the name of 9thmatic.^[3]

9th Wonder has a smooth and soulful production style that relies on samples from artists such as Al Green and Curtis Mayfield.^[4] He attributes the bass lines that he uses in production to DJ Premier, Pete Rock and J Dilla, while he claims to have learned "Aahs" from RZA.^{[4][clarification needed]}

Music career[link]

9th Wonder's first significant career breakthrough came in 2003 when, as an up-and-coming producer, he released an unofficial remix album of Nas' 2002 album God's Son entitled God's Stepson.^[5] Released through internet outlets, the album garnered significant attention and acclaim.^[5] The producer has said that he was not thinking in terms of using it to generate a buzz or promote his skills and that at that point: "I never thought any of this of me as a producer was going to happen."^[5] The album has since been credited as starting the now regular trend for unofficial 'home-made' remixes of whole albums.^[5]

9th Wonder began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother. As part of Little Brother he gained recognition and critical acclaim for his production on their debut 2003 release, The Listening. [Jay-Z]]'s studio engineer Young Guru was impressed with his work, and contacted 9th Wonder, which led to 9th Wonder producing "Threat" for Jay-Z's 2003 The Black Album.^[5] The cut proved to be a mainstream breakthrough for 9th Wonder, most immediately in the major production role he secured on Destiny's Child's 2004 Destiny Fulfilled album that Jay-Z was instrumental in helping bring about.^[5] On the album, 9th Wonder produced the tracks "Girl" and "Is She the Reason," plus the bonus track "Game Over".

9th Wonder left Little Brother in 2007.^[6][7]

On October 29, 2007, 9th Wonder made a rare public appearance on BET's Rap City, alongside collaborator Talib Kweli. Madlib, Jean Grae and Erykah Badu appeared as well. In 2010, he appeared on BET's 106 & Park countdown with David Banner.

9th Wonder, E. Jones, and rapper J. Cole served as the lead producers of the soundtrack to the EA Sports video game NBA Elite 11. 9th Wonder and J. Cole also appear as "secret characters" in NBA Jam with a team name of Cole & Wonder.

9th Wonder debuted his rapping alter-ego 9thmatic in late 2009. 9thmatic appeared on songs with Khrysis and Sean Boog, Big Remo, Murs and Thee Tom Hardy.

9th Wonder worked with Mississippi rapper David Banner on a collaborative album entitled Death of a Pop Star which was released on December 21, 2010.

It's A Wonderful World Music Group, Jamla Records[link]

In January 2009, 9th Wonder announced plans to start two independent record labels, Jamla and The Academy, under his imprint It's A Wonderful World Music Group (IWWMG). Jamla originally consisted of Skyzoo, GQ, Rapsody, Tyler Woods and Big Remo, while The Academy consisted of Thee Tom Hardy, Actual Proof (Sundown & Enigma), TP, and The Away Team (Khrysis & Sean Boog). The Academy artists were later folded into the Jamla label. Halo and Heather Victoria were announced as the newest members of IWWMG in October 2010.

In July 2010, 9th Wonder officially debuted his production team for IWWMG. The Soul Council consists of Khrysis, E. Jones, Fatin "10" Horton, Ka$h Don't Make Beats, AMP, eric g., and 9th Wonder himself.

Recent and current projects[link]

In 2010, independent filmmaker Kenneth Price documented 9th Wonder's travels for an entire year. This included his times in the studio, classes he taught at Duke University, and performances with Murs at the 2010 Rock the Bells Festival, along with interviews with 9th Wonder about his life and career. All of this was compiled in a Lifted Research Group-sponsored documentary film titled The Wonder Year. The film features appearances by Drake, DJ Premier, DJ Green Lantern, J. Cole, Murs, Lucas Rivers, Sha Money XL, Young Guru, The Alchemist and others. Price went on to direct music videos for artists on 9th Wonder's Jamla Records label.

In August 2010, Drake exchanged tweets with 9th Wonder on Twitter, expressing his desire to work with him again (the first time being the production of "Think Good Thoughts" featuring Phonte and Elzhi for his 2007 mixtape Comeback Season). It was revealed in October 2010 that 9th Wonder would be producing for Drake on his sophomore album Take Care, which was released on November 15, 2011.^[8] However, a month prior to the release, 9th Wonder said in an interview that he would not appear on Take Care due to A&R issues.^[9]

Singer Chris Brown recorded a series of rap freestyles over 9th Wonder beats. The first was released on July 18, 2011 on YouTube under the title "Real Hip Hop #3." This was followed a day later by "Real Hip Hop #4" featuring Kevin McCall. These tracks were included in Brown's rap mixtape Boy In Detention, released on August 5, 2011.^[10]

Hip hop professor[link]

2007 saw a sideline move into music academia for 9th Wonder when, along with Christopher "Play" Martin from hip hop group Kid-n-Play, he was appointed Artist-In-Residence by the Chancellor of North Carolina Central University, and began instructing a hip hop history class in NCCU's Music Dept.^[11]

His role as a music professor has proven an ongoing one as in January 2010 it was announced that 9th Wonder would co-teach a class titled "Sampling Soul" with Dr. Mark Anthony Neal at Duke University.^[12] In an interview with HitQuarters, he explained the reason for the move into academia: "Educating the youth on where hip-hop comes from and the history of it, using the records we use, gives hip-hop a longer life. I decided to become an advocate of that."^[5]

9th has only continued his trek into the world of education, recently receiving acceptance from Harvard University to become a fellow in the Hip Hop Archive. 9th will spend three years working on a research project at Harvard’s W.E.B. Dubois Institute. For 9th's project titled "These Are The Breaks" he will be researching the original records that created his top 10 produced albums. He recently told XXL that he one day hopes to leave producing behind for good to focus on academics. A documentary will also be created by Kenneth Price, chronicling 9th's journey as a Harvard fellow. The blog www.theharvardfellow.com will help fans follow the progression.

P'Tones Records[link]

9th Wonder and Black Jeruz are the spokespeople for the Durham-P'Tones Records Studio which is partnered with North Carolina Central University. The new location for the P'Tones studio is currently being decided. 9th Wonder still resides in North Carolina. He has announced his dedication to the community in Durham, NC by joining P'Tones Records, whose Mission Statement statement is "to create constructive opportunities for inner city youth through no-cost neighborhood music programs." The organization's goal is to give students the opportunity to run a record label, creating music and merchandise while learning about the music industry. Former Professor Kawachi Clemons and founder (of P'Tones) Oren Rosenbaum opened the NCCU-P'Tones studio. The program is set to begin February 2010. Dr. Smith has replaced Dr. Clemons as the point man from NCCU. As of August 1, P'Tones is fundraising through the Pepsi Refresh Project.^[13]

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

• 2005: Dream Merchant Vol. 1
• 2007: Dream Merchant Vol. 2
• 2010: 9th's Opus: It's a Wonderful World Music Group Vol.1
• 2011: The Wonder Years
• 2012: Tutankhamen (Valley of the Kings)

Collaboration albums[link]

• 2003: The Listening (with Little Brother)
• 2003: Shake N Beats (Instrumental LP) (with Spectac)
• 2003: Legsclusives (with L.E.G.A.C.Y.)
• 2004: Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition (with Murs)
• 2005: The Minstrel Show (with Little Brother)
• 2005: Chemistry (with Buckshot)
• 2005: Spirit of '94: Version 9.0 (with Kaze)
• 2005: 9th Gate (with Access Immortal)
• 2006: Murray's Revenge^[14] (with Murs)
• 2006: Cloud 9: The Three Day High (with Skyzoo)
• 2007: Class is in Session (with Pete Rock)
• 2008: The Formula (with Buckshot)
• 2008: Jeanius (with Jean Grae)
• 2008: Sweet Lord (with Murs)
• 2008: The Corner of Spec & 9th (with Spectac)
• 2010: Fornever (with Murs)
• 2010: Death of a Pop Star (with David Banner)
• 2012: The Solution (with Buckshot)

Collaboration mixtapes[link]

• 2006: Battle of the Beats Round 1–2 (with The Alchemist & DJ E.Nyce)
• 2007: 9th Year Freshman (with CHOPS)
• 2007: The Graduate (with Kanye West, Mick Boogie & Terry Urban)
• 2008: The W.ide W.Orld of W.Rap (with E.Ness)
• 2008: Album Mixtape Volume One (with Cans)
• 2008: 9 Wonders (NYOIL verses 9th Wonder) (with NYOIL)
• 2009: The R&B Sensation Mixtape (with Tyler Woods)
• 2009: Back to the Feature (with Wale & LRG)
• 2009: The Hardy Boy Mystery Mixtape: Curse of Thee Green Faceded (with Thee Tom Hardy & Don Cannon)
• 2010: To Hanses Mall (with Akello Light)
• 2010: Album Mixtape Part 2 (with Cans)
• 2010: The (Free)EP (with Actual Proof)
• 2011: TP is my Hero (with TP)
• 2011: Spring Cleaning (with Mike Schpitz)^[15]

Compilation and remix albums[link]

• 2003: 9th invented the Remix
• 2003: God's Stepson – Nas (remix of Nas's album God's Son)
• 2004: Black Is Back! – Jay-Z (Remix of Jay-Z's The Black Album)
• 2005: The Remix EP (Remixed Songs of Smif-N-Wessun)
• 2009: Wonder Years – 9th Wonder Golden Years Remix LP
• 2010: 9th invented the Remix...Again
• 2010: Loose Joints
• 2010: Food for Thought
• 2012: Tutankhamen

References[link]

External links[link]

• 9thwonder.com