Wikipedia

DJ Premier

This article is about the American hip hop producer and DJ. For the Ghanaian radio personality, seeDJ Premier (radio DJ).

Christopher Edward Martin(born March 21, 1966),[1]known professionally asDJ Premier(also known asPreemo), is an Americanrecord producerandDJ.He has been frequently lauded as one ofhip hop's greatest producers by publications such asVibe.He formed the hip hop duoGang Starralongside American rapperGuru,with whom he has released seven albums. He formed another hip hop duo,PRhyme—with American rapperRoyce da 5'9 "—in 2014, with whom he has released two albums.

DJ Premier
DJ Premier in 2019
DJ Premier in 2019
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Edward Martin
Also known as
  • Preem
  • Preemo
Born(1966-03-21)March 21, 1966(age 58)
Houston,Texas,U.S.
GenresHip hop,boom bap[1]
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • disc jockey
DiscographyProduction discography
Years active1987–present
Labels
Member of
Websitepremierwuzhere.com

Premier has produced each of Gang Starr's releases, as well as many of those by theGang Starr Foundation.Alongside this, he has been credited with production work on releases forASAP Mob,AZ,Common,Eminem,the Game,Griselda,Jeru the Damaja,J. Cole,Jay-Z,Joey Badass,Kanye West,Limp Bizkit,M.O.P.,Mos Def,Nas,the Notorious B.I.G.,O.C.,Rakim,Royce Da 5'9,Run the Jewels,andShowbiz & A.G.,among others. Despite mainly working inunderground hip hop,he has producedBillboardHot 100-charting singles including "Ain't No Other Man"(2006) byChristina Aguilera,"The Actual"(1998) byAll City,"Mass Appeal"(1994) and"You Know My Steez"(1997) by Gang Starr,"MC's Act Like They Don't Know"(1995) byKRS-One,and "Nas Is Like"(1999) by Nas.[1]

Martin founded the record label, Year Round Records in 2010. He has signed acts including New York group NYGz, New Jersey rapper Nick Javas, and Houston rapper Khalil.Tha Blaqprintby Blaq Poet, which features 13 Premier productions, was released by Year Round Records through Fat Beats Records in June 2009.[2]

Early life

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Christopher Edward Martin was born inFifth Ward, Houstonon March 21, 1966. He was then raised inPrairie View,before moving toBrooklyn,during his teenage years.[3]He attendedPrairie View A&M University,where he honed his musical skills as the campus DJ, and he also occasionally performed with the Marching Storm band.[2]

Musical career

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DJ Premier in 1999

The early line-up of theGang Starr Foundationin the mid-1990s includedJeru the Damaja,Group Home,Big Shug,and Gang Starr. Premier was fully responsible for the production of Jeru the Damaja's first two albums,The Sun Rises in the EastandWrath of the Math.Jeru released three subsequent albums that did not include Premier's involvement.[1]In terms of his Group Home collaboration, Premier commented in a 2003 interview: "They [Group Home] don't respect what fed them." He further explained that he only agreed to produce the track "The Legacy" because of Guru's involvement.[4]

Other artists closely tied to the Gang Starr Foundation who Premier collaborated with include:Afu-Ra,Bahamadia,[5]Krumbsnatcha,[6]Big Shug,[7]Smiley the Ghetto Child,[8]and NYGz.[9]

Premier collaborated with MCJeru the Damajaon the albumThe Sun Rises in the East,released in 1994, as well as the 1996 follow-up,Wrath of the Math.Premier produced and supervisedLivin' ProofbyGroup Home,also from the Gang Starr Foundation; although overlooked at the time of its 1995 release, the album eventually received acclaim. He produced several tracks on fellow Gang Starr Foundation memberAfu-Ra's debut albumBody of the Life ForceandKRS-One's debut solo albumReturn of the Boom Bap.[1]

Besides the Gang Starr Foundation, Premier is closely affiliated withM.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 2009Foundationalbum, Premier provided only one track, which was called "What I Wanna B."

DJ Premier's studio atD&Din 2000

In 2006, pop/R&B singerChristina Aguilerarecruited Premier to produce her albumBack to Basics.[10]Premier explained the reservations he heard from people regarding the collaboration:[11]

When Christina [Aguilera] had me work with her, people were like, "Oh no. Please don't." Then, when they heard "Ain't No Other Man," "Back In The Day," and all the other records were still constructed like Premier tracks they were like, "Yo, I really love this album. I was really impressed. I was worried, but you totally sound like what we love about you." Until you hear it, don't say a word. I never want to be just attached to hip hop. I want to be attached to music—country, rap, soul, jazz, blues, it doesn't matter, gospel music—I come from all of that.

Performing in Germany, 2001

In 2008, Premier appeared inGrand Theft Auto IVas himself – the host for radio stationThe Classics 104.1.

Premier produced the majority ofBlaq Poet'sTha Blaqprint,which was released in mid-2009.[2]Premier contributed a song onGame's 2011 album,The R.E.D. Album.[12]Also in 2011, Premier appeared on the song "Gangster", onBushido's albumJenseits von Gut und Böse.[13]

Premier was one of the artists followed in the 2012 documentary,Re:GENERATION.The film followed his production of the song "Regeneration," for which he used a live performance of his work by the Berklee Symphony Orchestra.[14]

In September 2012,Immortal Techniquesaid that a song called "Born in the Trap," on his upcoming album, titledThe Middle Passage,would feature production by Premier.[15]

In early 2014, Premier revealed that he was working with Aguilera again in an interview with New Zealand'sRip It Upmagazine.[16]Premier producedY'all Ready KnowbySlaughterhouse,from theShady Recordsalbum,Shady XV,and the music video was published in November 2014.[17]

In mid-2014, Premier collaborated with Korean hip-hop groupDynamic Duoon two singles "AEAO" and "Animal", which were both warmly received.[18]

A mid-January 2015 announcement from Premier stated that the producer's studio, D&D, also known as "The HeadQcouterz," will cease to be operational and relocated to a recording space in Astoria, New York City, U.S.[19]

DJ Premier served as one of the three curators for the soundtrack to the video gameNBA 2K16,alongsideDJ KhaledandDJ Mustard.[20]

On May 16, 2019, DJ Premier released a collaboration withBuffalo (New York)rappersConway The Machine,Westside Gunn,andBenny the Butcher,called "Headlines."

In June 2020, DJ Premier produced a track forPublic Enemycalled "State of the Union (STFU)".[21]

DJ Premier hosted a weekly two-hour show,Live From HeadQCourterz,onSirius Satellite Radio'sShade 45.The show ended in 2022.[22]

In August 2023, DJ Premier's collaboration clothing collection with AMIRI was released, marked with "PREEMO" alongside the Amiri typography, with a record print.

Style and influences

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DJ Premier in 2019

DJ Premier's style of production epitomizes the New York sound of his earlier peers. He is known forsamplingjazz,funk,andsoulartists, 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 albumVol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter,Premier samples an older Jay-Z song, 1997's "Who You Wit II".[23]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.[24]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 withatonalsamples that are not confined to soul, jazz, and funk. For example, he sampled and chopped up seminalelectro-acousticmusic from the 1960s on the track "Physical Stamina" by Jeru the Damaja.

In an interview withXXL Magazine,DJ Premier was asked how his sound evolved, to which he replied, "Marley Marlis my number-one inspiration.Jam Master Jay,Mix Master Ice, andUTFO.Grandmaster D, andWhodini.DJ Cheese,Grandmaster Flash,Kool Herc,Afrika Bambaataa.Jazzy Jay—evenCut 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. "[25]DJ Premier attended Prairie View A&M University and may have been influenced by the musical atmosphere at the university while serving as the campus DJ and occasional performer with the world-famous Marching Storm band.[2]He was a major progenitor of theboom-bapstyle of hip-hop production.[26]

Legacy

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For its 20th-anniversary issue in 2008,The Sourceselected DJ Premier for its list of the 20 greatest producers in the magazine's history.[27]He also made the finals inVibemagazine's 2010 search for the greatest hip hop producer of all time—he finished second after Dr. Dre received 62 percent of the votes.[28]

Afu Ra explained Premier's influence in a September 2014 interview with the "Lyrically Fit" website:[29]

Premier definitely coached me when I was in the booth. "harder..stronger..more this..more that" —I was an untamed artist and rapping next to recording your vocals are different. He gave me this knowledge through the work we did.

Discography

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See also:DJ Premier production discographyandGang Starr discography

References

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  1. ^abcdeJohn Bush."DJ Premier Biography".Allmusic.com.RetrievedMay 19,2015.
  2. ^abcdAmbrose, Patrick (September 2009)."DJ Premier: Hope to the Underground".The Morning News.RetrievedFebruary 12,2012.
  3. ^"DJ Premier".redbullmusicacademy.com.Red Bull Music Academy Daily.RetrievedAugust 12,2016.
  4. ^TheFormula.com (posted by organik) (April 6, 2003)."DJ Premier Interview"(Message board).Tribe.Tribe Communications, Inc.RetrievedFebruary 4,2015.
  5. ^Steven J. Horowitz (June 2, 2011)."Bahamadia Announces Fourth Album" HERE, "Features Foreign Exchange".Hip Hop DX.Cheri Media Group.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
  6. ^"Hip-Hop, Rap Interviews: Krumbsnatcha".Riotsound.com.Riotsound. 2002–2009. Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2016.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
  7. ^Slava Kuperstein (April 26, 2010)."DJ Premier, Big Shug Speak On Guru".Hip Hop DX.Cheri Media Group.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
  8. ^Justin Ivey (February 24, 2010)."Smiley The Ghetto Child: I'm Legend [prod by DJ Premier]".Kevin Nottingham.kevinnottingham.com. Archived fromthe originalon October 18, 2014.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
  9. ^"Hip-Hop, Rap Interviews: NYG'z".Riotsound.com.Riotsound. 2002–2009. Archived fromthe originalon May 26, 2012.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
  10. ^"DJ Premier Reuniting With Christina Aguilera On Her New Album".The Urban Daily.Interactive One. May 5, 2011.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
  11. ^Gabrielle Nicole Pharms (May 12, 2014)."DJ Premier Talks Legacy, Production, and Nas Collabo Album".Life + Times.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
  12. ^"Game* – The R.E.D. Album".Game on Discogs.Discogs. 2014.RetrievedJanuary 13,2015.
  13. ^"Bushido (2) – Jenseits Von Gut Und Böse".Bushido (2) on Discogs.Discogs. 2014.RetrievedJanuary 13,2015.
  14. ^Hunter Daniels (2011)."DJ Premier Talks RE:GENERATION MUSIC PROJECT".Collider.Complex Media.RetrievedNovember 5,2014.
  15. ^"Immortal Technique Gives Middle Passage Update — Paid Dues 2013"(Video upload).Fuse on YouTube.Google Inc. April 2, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on November 17, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 13,2015.
  16. ^gimantalon (May 8, 2014)."DJ PREMIER WORKING WITH CHRISTINA AGUILERA AGAIN".DJ Premier Blog.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
  17. ^"Slaughterhouse — Y'all Ready Know"(Video upload).slaughterhouseVEVO on YouTube.Google Inc. November 3, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on November 17, 2021.RetrievedNovember 5,2014.
  18. ^Oak, Jessica."Dynamic Duo Team With DJ Premier for 'A Giant Step' Album, Korean Showcase".Billboard.
  19. ^Patrick Lyons (January 13, 2015)."DJ Premier Shutters Studio, Announces New Album" Last Session @320 "".Hot New Hip Hop.RetrievedJanuary 13,2015.
  20. ^Makuch, Eddie (July 9, 2015)."NBA 2K16 Has 50+ Song Soundtrack Curated By DJ Khaled, DJ Premier, DJ Mustard".GameSpot.Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  21. ^Minsker, Evan (June 19, 2020)."Public Enemy Share New Song" State of the Union (STFU) "".Pitchfork.com.RetrievedJune 22,2021.
  22. ^"DJ PREMIER – LIVE FROM HEADQCOURTERZ RADIO SHOW FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 28th, 2022".July 2, 2022.RetrievedJuly 1,2023.
  23. ^"Jay-Z's 'So Ghetto' – Discover the Sample Source".WhoSampled.com.RetrievedJune 22,2021.
  24. ^"Exclaim! Canada's Music Authority".Archived fromthe originalon May 13, 2006.RetrievedJune 22,2021.
  25. ^"FEATURES. DJ Premier: Remedy".XXL.November 21, 2006.
  26. ^"The 25 Best DJ Premier Beats".Complex Networks.
  27. ^JLBarrow (August 19, 2008)."Source Mag Picks Twenty Greatest Producers".NodFactor.com.Archived fromthe originalon March 16, 2016.RetrievedNovember 5,2014.
  28. ^"Dr. Dre Is VIBE's Greatest Producer Of All Time, Speaks On Win".Vibe.June 1, 2010.RetrievedNovember 5,2014.
  29. ^Dread Solo (September 29, 2014)."Afu-Ra Recalls Early Days w/ Dj Premier, Martial Arts & His Classic 'Body of The Life Force' Album".Lyrically Fit.Archived fromthe originalon October 14, 2014.RetrievedOctober 14,2014.
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