Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966),[1] known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He has been frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest producers by publications such as Vibe. He formed the hip hop duo Gang Starr alongside American rapper Guru, with whom he has released seven albums. He formed another hip hop duo, PRhyme—with American rapper Royce da 5'9"—in 2014, with whom he has released two albums.
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 Blaqprint by Blaq Poet, which features 13 Premier productions, was released by Year Round Records through Fat Beats Records in June 2009.[2]
Early life
Christopher Edward Martin was born in Fifth Ward, Houston on March 21, 1966. He was then raised in Prairie View, before moving to Brooklyn, during his teenage years.[3] He attended Prairie 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
DJ Premier in 1999
The early line-up of the Gang Starr Foundation in the mid-1990s included Jeru 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 East and Wrath 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]
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, Premier provided only one track, which was called "What I Wanna B."
In 2006, pop/R&B singer Christina Aguilera recruited Premier to produce her album Back 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.
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 Technique said that a song called "Born in the Trap," on his upcoming album, titled The 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's Rip It Up magazine.[16] Premier produced Y'all Ready Know by Slaughterhouse, from the Shady Records album, Shady XV, and the music video was published in November 2014.[17]
In mid-2014, Premier collaborated with Korean hip-hop group Dynamic Duo on 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 game NBA 2K16, alongside DJ Khaled and DJ Mustard.[20]
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
DJ Premier in 2019
DJ Premier's style of production epitomizes the New York sound of his earlier peers. He is known for samplingjazz, 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".[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 with atonal samples that are not confined to soul, jazz, and funk. For example, he sampled and chopped up seminal electro-acoustic music from the 1960s on the track "Physical 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, Mix Master 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."[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 the boom-bap style of hip-hop production.[26]
Legacy
For its 20th-anniversary issue in 2008, The Source selected DJ Premier for its list of the 20 greatest producers in the magazine's history.[27] He also made the finals in Vibe magazine'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.
Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston, Massachusetts rapper Guru.
Daily Operation is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr. It was released by Chrysalis Records on May 5, 1992. It peaked at number 65 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, they became acquainted in 1997 and formed the hip hop duo, Bad Meets Evil the following year. Their 2011 single, "Lighters" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of their debut extended play (EP), Hell: The Sequel (2011). The song and its parent EP, which debuted atop the Billboard 200, have yielded Montgomery's furthest commercial success.
Kendrick Jeru Davis, known as Jeru the Damaja, is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for his 1993 single "Come Clean" from his debut album, The Sun Rises in the East, ranked as one of the 100 greatest hip-hop albums of all time by the editors of About.com. He has worked extensively with Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr, whom he has known since he was in high school.
The Sun Rises in the East is the debut album by American hip hop rapper Jeru the Damaja, released May 24, 1994, on Payday Records. It was produced by DJ Premier. The album features fellow Gang Starr Foundation member Afu-Ra. The album cover depicts the World Trade Center on fire only one year after the 1993 bombing of the North Tower.
D&D Studios was a recording studio at 320 West 37th Street in the Garment District and Hudson Yards neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. Artists who recorded there included Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, The Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, Nas, Gang Starr, Jeru the Damaja, Afu-Ra, KRS-One, Frankie Cutlass, Violadores del Verso, Big L and Black Moon.
Wrath of the Math is the second album by the hip hop artist Jeru the Damaja. The album spawned the 2 singles "Ya Playin' Yaself" and "Me or the Papes". The album peaked at number 3 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums, and number 35 on the US Billboard 200.
Omar Gerryl Credle, better known by his stage name, O.C., is an American rapper and member of the group D.I.T.C. He has been involved with several underground hip hop groups, namely Crooklyn Dodgers '95, Luv NY, and Perestroika.
The following list contains songs produced, co-produced or remixed by hip-hop producer DJ Premier.
Hard to Earn is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Gang Starr. It was released on March 8, 1994, by Chrysalis and EMI Records in North America. The album featured the singles "Dwyck", "Mass Appeal", and "Code of the Streets". Guest appearances on the album include Group Home, Jeru the Damaja, and Big Shug. At the time, all were part of the Gang Starr Foundation, which made the album a stepping-stone for future DJ Premier-helmed projects by Group Home and Jeru. Hard to Earn received acclaim and commercial success upon release.
Livin' Proof is the debut studio album by the American hip hop duo Group Home. It was released on November 21, 1995, through FFRR/Payday Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York. Production was handled by Gang Starr and Big Jaz. It features guest appearances from Absaloot, Big Shug, Guru, Brainsick Enterprize and Smiley the Ghetto Child.
Aaron Ocosice Phillip, better known by his stage name Afu-Ra, is an American underground rapper. A member of the Gang Starr Foundation, he has worked closely with its members, including Gang Starr, Jeru the Damaja, Big Shug and Group Home.
Gang Starr Foundation is a collective of East Coast hip-hop artists led by the hip hop group Gang Starr. It was co-founded by Boston legend Big Shug. It was established in 1993.
Heroz4Hire is the third studio album by hip hop artist Jeru the Damaja. It is entirely produced by Jeru the Damaja himself unlike his first two albums which were produced by DJ Premier.
Divine Design is the fourth album by hip hop artist Jeru the Damaja. It is produced by Ed Dantez and Luis "Sabor" Tineo as opposed Jeru's earlier albums which were produced by DJ Premier and Jeru himself.
PRhyme is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo PRhyme, consisting of Royce da 5'9" and DJ Premier. The album was released on December 9, 2014, through their own record label PRhyme Records. The album features guest appearances from rappers Killer Mike, Jay Electronica, Common, Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, Slaughterhouse, Mac Miller and soul singer Dwele. PRhyme features production by DJ Premier, as well as samples from psychedelic soul composer and producer Adrian Younge. The album was supported by the single "Courtesy". A sequel, PRhyme 2, was released on March 16, 2018.
"D. Original" is a song co-written and performed by American hip hop musician Jeru the Damaja, issued as the second single from his debut studio album The Sun Rises in the East. In 1994, the song peaked at #22 on the Billboard rap chart but it fared better on the dance chart, where it peaked at #6.
Payday Records, Inc. is a New York-based hip hop label that was launched in 1992 by Patrick Moxey. The label began in association with FFRR/London Records, and released in the UK and Europe via London/PolyGram Records. Artists launched via Payday Records include Jeru the Damaja, Jay Z, Mos Def, Showbiz & A.G., WC and the Madd Circle. Other associated productions include the works of DJ Premier and Guru of Gang Starr.
PRhyme is an American hip hop duo composed of Detroit-based rapper Royce da 5'9" and New York–based record producer DJ Premier. They created their own record label PRhyme Records and released their first album, PRhyme, on December 9, 2014, and its follow-up, PRhyme 2, on March 16, 2018. The production of each album is based on sampling a single artist's compositions: Adrian Younge for PRhyme and AntMan Wonder for PRhyme 2. When the concept was originally pitched to Premier, he viewed it as a challenge since he recognized that he was previously known for his beats from obscure samples from many different sources, and this project forced him to find what he needed from a single catalogue of work. For PRhyme 2, Royce described the process of receiving compositions to work off of directly from AntMan Wonder as being "like sampling from Mozart but Mozart is actually giving you the music". The duo also appeared on the Southpaw soundtrack. In 2021, DJ Premier confirmed PRhyme 3 is in the works.
PRhyme 2 is the second studio album by American hip hop duo PRhyme, consisting of Royce da 5'9" and DJ Premier. Produced entirely by DJ Premier, the album features samples composed by producer AntMan Wonder. It was released on March 16, 2018 via their own record label PRhyme Records and INgrooves Music Group, and is a sequel to the eponymous album PRhyme. The album features guest appearances from rappers 2 Chainz, Big K.R.I.T., Dave East, Rapsody, Roc Marciano, Yelawolf, Chavis Chandler, bassist Brady Watt and singers Novel, CeeLo Green and Denaun Porter.
↑ "DJ Premier". redbullmusicacademy.com. Red Bull Music Academy Daily. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
↑ TheFormula.com (posted by organik) (April 6, 2003). "DJ Premier Interview"(Message board). Tribe. Tribe Communications, Inc. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
↑ "Slaughterhouse— Y'all Ready Know"(Video upload). slaughterhouseVEVO on YouTube. Google Inc. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
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