DJ Green Lantern

Last updated

DJ Green Lantern
DJGreenLanternWeb (cropped).jpg
D'Agostino in 2010
Background information
Birth nameJames Christopher D'Agostino
Born (1975-07-07) July 7, 1975 (age 48)
Origin Rochester, New York, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Disc jockey
  • record producer
Labels

James Christopher D'Agostino (born July 7, 1975), professionally known as DJ Green Lantern, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by American rapper Eminem, to become the official DJ for Shady Records, after DJ Head stepped down for undisclosed reasons. [1]

Contents

Biography

Rise to fame

DJ Green Lantern came to prominence in the late 1990s–early 2000s with his signature brand of mixtapes. The creativity of these tapes caught the ear of many industry power players, one of which was Eminem. The first set of officially sponsored mixtapes from Eminem's Shady Records. On the series, spanning three mixtapes (later to be spun off into the Armageddon series), the DJ broke several diss records, furthering the issues between Eminem and Benzino/ The Source , as well as the entire Shady camp and Ja Rule/Murder Inc.

He is also recognized as a producer, featuring on his own mixtapes several "Green Remixes," including, most notably, a remix of the Nas and Tupac Shakur collaboration, "Thugz Mansion." He also produced D-Block's "2 Guns Up", an acclaimed street single, which originated as a freestyle rap on his Hot 97 radio show, "In the Lab" (the most memorable of which has also appeared as a mixtape, "The Best of In the Lab"). "In the Lab" is formatted as a one-hour (with commercials) mix show, in which DJ Green Lantern blends a cappella and instrumental tracks from various artists, as well as breaking new and underground music (such as the Ghostface Killah and El-Producto collaboration "HideYaFace").

"Bin Laden"

D'Agostino also produced Ludacris' "Number One Spot," the second single from his album The Red Light District , and Immortal Technique's "Bin Laden" single, which blames the Reagan Doctrine and U.S. President George W. Bush for the September 11, 2001 attacks.

With the Shady Records family

As a member of the Shady Records family, D'Agostino also hosted a show on Eminem's Sirius Satellite Radio channel, Shade 45, along with an accompanying mixtape released in the fall of 2004. As Eminem's DJ, D'Agostino was responsible for touring with him and spinning at shows such as the Shady National Convention and The Game's album release party. D'Agostino's much anticipated album Armageddon was set to be released under Shady Records, but controversy and an eventual parting would put the release in limbo.

Hip-Hop Nation

In summer 2007, D'Agostino returned to Sirius Satellite Radio on the Hip-Hop Nation channel. He hosts a show called The Invasion.

Bar Exam 2

D'Agostino recently put together and mixed the highly anticipated Bar Exam 2 mixtape by acclaimed Detroit MC Royce da 5'9". Green took over for DJ Premier and Statik Selektah who hosted and mixed Royce's first Bar Exam Mixtape. The Bar Exam 2 was pushed back several times because of Green Lantern's inability to mix the tape due to his touring. After several stated released dates, Bar Exam 2 was finally released on September 15 as a free download on HipHopDX.com. Due to the high anticipation of the mixtape, Royce gave the mixtape the slogan "Happy Bar Exam 2, It's a Holiday" prior to its release.

Pulse of the People

D'Agostino collaborated with Dead Prez on their latest album, Pulse of the People: Turn Off The Radio, Vol. 3, released in June 2009 [2]

GTA IV

Together with Mister Cee, he is featured as host of the hip-hop radio station "The Beat 102.7" in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. The station is essentially a parody of Hot 97. [3] Instead of using existing songs, Green Lantern produced the songs exclusively for "The Beat 102.7". [4]

Discography

Mixtapes

Other releases

Singles produced

List of singles produced, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name [9]
TitleYearPeak chart positions [10] Certifications Album
US US R&B US Rap US Bubbling
UK
"Number One Spot"
(Ludacris)
20051921630 The Red Light District
"In the Ghetto"
(Busta Rhymes featuring Rick James)
200650 The Big Bang

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D12</span> American hip hop group

D12 was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of de facto leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swifty McVay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shady Records</span> American record label

Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's The Slim Shady LP in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royce da 5'9"</span> American rapper from Michigan

Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, and is one half of the hip hop duo PRhyme with producer DJ Premier. He was also one quarter of the Shady Records hip hop group Slaughterhouse with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Kxng Crooked. Alongside his recording career, Montgomery served as a ghostwriter for Puff Daddy and Dr. Dre. Online magazine About.com ranked the rapper as one of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Alchemist (musician)</span> American record producer, DJ and rapper

Alan Daniel Maman, professionally known as the Alchemist, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and songwriter. He began his music career in 1991 in the hip hop duo the Whooliganz under the moniker Mudfoot, along with now-actor Scott Caan. He has produced music since the 1990s.

Philip Anthony Bernard better known by his stage name Grafh, is an American rapper. He has released a collection of mixtapes and an album, Autografh, which was released through EMI Records and Virgin Records. He is currently an independent artist.

<i>Street Hop</i> 2009 studio album by Royce da 59"

Street Hop is the fourth studio album by American rapper Royce da 5'9", released in the United States on October 20, 2009, on One Records. It is the follow-up to his previous album Independent's Day (2005). At the release of Success Is Certain, Street Hop sold approximately 24,000 units in the United States via HitsDailyDouble. Despite being formally released in 2009, the singles "Shake This" and "Part of Me" were leaked online in late 2008.

Ramone Johnson, better known by his stage name Cashis, is an American rapper who was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Irvine, California. He was most notably featured on the Shady Records album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up with Eminem and the record label, and released The County Hound EP in 2007. The County Hound EP sold 6,700 copies in its first week and debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number 106. He's best known for appearing on Eminem's song, "You Don't Know", featuring 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Envy</span> American disc jockey and radio personality

RaaShaun Casey, known professionally as DJ Envy, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record producer, and radio personality. He is one of the two hosts of the syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club, alongside Charlamagne tha God, on Power 105.1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royce da 5'9" discography</span> Hip hop recording artist discography

This is the discography of American rapper Royce da 5'9" consists of 8 studio albums, 6 collaboration albums, 11 mixtapes and 30 solo singles, including 14 as a featured artist, and 18 music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slaughterhouse (group)</span> American hip hop group

Slaughterhouse was an American hip hop supergroup consisting of rappers Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I and Royce da 5'9". They released two studio albums as a group: Slaughterhouse (2009) independently and Welcome to: Our House (2012) under Shady and Interscope Records.

<i>Welcome to: Our House</i> 2012 studio album by Slaughterhouse

Welcome to: Our House is the second and final studio album by hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, consisting of Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5'9". The album was released on August 28, 2012 via Shady Records and Interscope Records. This would also be their only major label album before disbanding on April 26, 2018.

<i>The Lost Tape</i> (mixtape) 2012 mixtape by 50 Cent

The Lost Tape is a mixtape by American rapper 50 Cent. The mixtape, hosted by DJ Drama, is 50 Cent's first "Gangsta Grillz" mixtape. It was released as a free download on May 22, 2012.

<i>On the House</i> (album) 2012 mixtape by Slaughterhouse

On the House is the debut mixtape by hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. It was released on August 19, 2012, as a warm up to their second studio album Welcome to: Our House with a release of August 28, 2012. The mixtape is hosted by DJ Drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Webby</span> American rapper

Christian Walcott Webster, better known by his stage name Chris Webby, is an American rapper from Norwalk, Connecticut. Chris Webby has released many mixtapes such as the DJ Drama-hosted Bars On Me (2012) and his EP There Goes the Neighborhood (2011), which peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200. He has worked with various artists such as Freeway, Mac Miller, Joell Ortiz, Big K.R.I.T., Method Man, Apathy, Prodigy, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Jarren Benton, and Kid Ink. In 2013 he and his label, Homegrown Music, signed a deal with E1 Music. He then released Homegrown, another EP, in November 2012. Webster released his debut studio album Chemically Imbalanced on October 27, 2014.

Mitchelle'l Sium is an American singer and songwriter from Houston, Texas. He was discovered on Myspace.com and brought to Grand Hustle Records by general manager, Hannah Kang. In 2008, Sium signed a record deal with Atlanta-based record label Grand Hustle Records, founded by American rapper T.I. Sium has collaborated with some of the most prominent artists in the hip hop industry, such as TI, Jeezy, Ty Dolla $ign, BJ The Chicago Kid, Charlie Wilson, Lil Duval, B.o.B, Yo Gotti, 8Ball & MJG and Nelly, among others.

Yves Mondesir better known by his stage name DJ Whoo Kid, is a Haitian-American hip-hop DJ. He is currently signed to G-Unit Records and its subsidiary label, Shadyville Entertainment. He is the host of The Whoolywood Shuffle on Sirius/XM Radio Shade 45. His mixtapes often incorporate a soundbite of him shouting his own name. He's had two albums chart on the Billboard 200, XXL Presents: Bad Season with Tech N9ne and The Whoodlum Ball with Smith and Hay and Ranna Royce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lazarus (rapper)</span> American rapper

Kamran Rashid Khan, known professionally as Lazarus, is a Detroit-based American rapper, songwriter and physician of Pakistani descent. He is known for his singles "GODFLOW", "Break the Walls" and "Man on a Mission" along with his songs "Drug of Choice", "Open Heart Surgery", "Underdog", "MTBK" and "Decapitation Chamber" featuring Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Bizarre, Royce da 5'9", Bohemia and Ghostface Killah respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westside Gunn</span> American rapper from Buffalo, New York

Alvin Lamar Worthy, known professionally as Westside Gunn, is an American rapper. He is a co-founder of independent hip-hop label Griselda Records. He is the brother of rapper Conway the Machine and cousin of rapper Benny the Butcher, both of whom he frequently collaborates with. Westside Gunn has released four studio albums in addition to an extensive catalog of mixtapes. Gunn was affiliated with Shady Records from 2017 to 2020, but has since returned to independent status.

Brian Honeycutt, best known by his stage name Kobe or Kobe Honeycutt, is an American R&B singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he is perhaps best known for his collaborations with American rapper Eminem, including 2010's "Talkin' 2 Myself" and "Cinderella Man", as well as 2014's "Die Alone".

Demond Price, known professionally as Conway the Machine, is an American rapper. Alongside his paternal half-brother, Westside Gunn and cousin, Benny the Butcher. Conway was a member of Griselda Records. On February 21, 2022, Conway announced his departure from Griselda Records.

References

  1. "Lighting the way: DJ Green Lantern rocked the Roc before landing with Eminem". Rochester City Newspaper. December 23, 2003. Retrieved December 10, 2007.
  2. DeadPrez.com – Official Website Archived July 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Stephen Totilo (May 2, 2008). "'Grand Theft Auto IV' Music Man Explains How Those 214 Songs Made The Soundtrack". MTV. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  4. Antony Bruno (April 26, 2008). "Crime pays for music biz with new Grand Theft Auto". Reuters. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  5. "Mitchelle'l – IRENE – DJ Green Lantern". LiveMixtapes.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  6. "Inherited Beef Vol.1 Mixtape by Ronald Hosted by Dj Green Latern [sic]". Datpiff.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  7. [ dead link ]
  8. "beng803". December 16, 2013. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  9. "Cardo – Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  10. "Billboard – Music Charts, News, Photos & Video". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2018.