Easy Mo Bee | |
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![]() Mo Bee in 2017 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Osten S. Harvey Jr. |
Born | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. | December 8, 1965
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1987–present |
Labels |
Osten S. Harvey Jr. (born December 8, 1965), better known by his stage name Easy Mo Bee, is an American hip hop and R&B record producer and DJ, known for his production work for artists such as Big Daddy Kane and Miles Davis, as well as his affiliation with Bad Boy Records in its early years, and his production involvement in The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album, Ready to Die . He also produced two songs on 2Pac's album, Me Against the World .
Easy Mo Bee was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, [2] and raised in the neighborhood's Lafayette Gardens projects. [3] He began producing after hearing music by Ced Gee of Ultramagnetic MCs and Marley Marl, producer of early hip-hop hits for the Juice Crew and LL Cool J. [4] His first production placement came on Big Daddy Kane's breakthrough album, It's a Big Daddy Thing , after which he was approached to work with another Cold Chillin' Records artist, The Genius — an early alias for Wu-Tang Clan co-founder GZA. [5] Mo Bee produced the majority of the rapper's debut album, Words From the Genius , as well as produced "Sexcapades", a track that featured on the B-side of fellow future Wu-Tang co-founder RZA's first single, "Ooh I Love You Rakeem", which the rapper/producer released under the alias Prince Rakeem. [6]
Around that same time, Mo Bee had a group with neighborhood friends A.B. Money and J.R. called Rappin' Is Fundamental. [7] The trio released only one album on A&M Records in 1991: The Doo-Hop Legacy. [8] Jazz pioneer Miles Davis approached the young producer to help fuse jazz and hip-hop. These sessions would become his last studio album, 1992's Doo-Bop . The project, released posthumously after Davis died during the recording process, leaving the project unfinished, garnered generally mixed reviews. [9]
Mo Bee first linked up with Sean Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment in 1993, when he produced the first single for Combs' up-and-coming artist, the Notorious B.I.G., "Party and Bullshit". [10] Easy also went on to produce much of the label's two flagship releases: Project: Funk da World by Craig Mack, and Ready to Die by B.I.G. [10] Additionally, Mo Bee produced the "Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)," a driving single for both projects, featuring Craig Mack, the Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, Rampage and LL Cool J. [10]
In 1994 and 1995, Mo Bee was also associated with 2Pac, having produced songs for both, including one called "Runnin' From tha Police," featuring both Pac and B.I.G. as well as rapper/producer Stretch and 2Pac's crew Dramacydal. [10] In addition to featuring 2Pac and B.I.G. on the same record, the song is notable for inventive production techniques he described in an interview with HipHopDX . "There’s a bassline in the original version. Go back and listen to that record. I played the bassline live all the way through that record from the SP-1200 through multi-pitch. It was like a bass guitar strumming, and if I messed up, it was like 'Yo bring it back, and plug me in.'" [7]
Mo Bee went on to produce two songs for Pac's 1995 album Me Against the World , [10] although the two recorded several other songs that did not make the cut. [11] During this time period, he also crafted moderate radio hits for the Lost Boyz ("Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz"); Das EFX ("Microphone Master"); and Busta Rhymes ("Everything Remains Raw"). [10]
In 1997, Mo Bee produced for Biggie's double-disc album, Life After Death . The producer crafted two songs, "I Love the Dough" and "Going Back to Cali"; [12] these songs would mark the last time Easy would produce for Bad Boy.
In 2000, he put out an album called Now or Never: Oddysey 2000, featuring East Coast staples Busta Rhymes, Raekwon, Prodigy, Smif-N-Wessun, Kool G Rap, and Sauce Money, along with Goodie Mob and Kurupt. Over the next decade he would craft songs for Big Daddy Kane, Ras Kass, the Wu-Tang Clan, Mos Def, Black Rob, Sean Price, Wiz Khalifa and others, eventually winning a Grammy for his work with Alicia Keys on her album, The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003). [11] [13]
Easy Mo Bee's younger brother is the producer The LG Experience, [14] who produced the Ill Al Skratch album, Creep Wit' Me . [15]
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop musical collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, Ol' Dirty Bastard. Close affiliate Cappadonna later became an official member. They are credited for revitalizing East Coast hip hop and are considered one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time.
Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, on Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, the Lox, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits the Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre. The album is a sequel to his first album, Ready to Die, and picks up where the last song, "Suicidal Thoughts", ends.
Mohandas Dewese, better known by his stage name Kool Moe Dee, is an American rapper, songwriter and actor. Considered one of the forerunners of the new jack swing sound in hip hop, he gained fame in the 1980s as a member of one of the pioneering groups in hip hop music, the Treacherous Three, and for his later solo career. During his career he released a total of seven studio albums, with 1994's Interlude being the last to date.
Antonio Hardy, better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper, producer and actor who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hip hop. Rolling Stone ranked his song "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" number 25 on its list of The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, calling him "a master wordsmith of rap's late-golden age and a huge influence on a generation of MCs".
Joseph Anthony Hernandez, professionally known as Tony Touch, is an American hip hop break dancer, rapper, record producer and DJ of Puerto Rican descent.
It's a Big Daddy Thing is the second full-length album by American rapper Big Daddy Kane. It was released on September 19, 1989, by Cold Chillin' Records and Warner Bros. Records.
The Hip Hop Honors is an annual event that airs on VH1. The television special honors old school and golden age hip hop rappers and contributors for their long-term influence and importance in the history of hip hop culture. It features live performances by most of the honorees along with new artists who have been influenced by them in tribute. The show is taped at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York City.
Rashia Tashan Fisher, known professionally as Rah Digga, is an American rapper and actress. She is best known as a longtime member of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. Her debut album, Dirty Harriet (2000), peaked in the top-20 of the Billboard 200, and she released her second album, Classic, in 2010. She starred in the horror film Thirteen Ghosts (2001) as Maggie.
The Coming is the debut studio album by the American rapper and record producer Busta Rhymes. It was released on March 26, 1996, by Flipmode Entertainment and Elektra Records. The album contains contributions by the Def Squad members Redman, Keith Murray, and Jamal; as well as Q-Tip, Zhané, Leaders of the New School, and several Flipmode Squad members. It was produced by DJ Scratch, Easy Mo Bee, and the Ummah, among others. It serves as Rhymes's first solo album after the breakup of Leaders of the New School two years prior, and his first full-length project after numerous guest appearances on other songs with artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, the Notorious B.I.G., Heavy D and the Boyz, and Mary J. Blige.
"Protect Ya Neck" is the debut single by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, originally released on December 14, 1992, through Wu-Tang Records and later re-released May 3, 1993 through Loud Records. The song appears on the group's debut studio album Enter the Wu-Tang . It was produced by RZA and features eight of the original nine Wu-Tang members.
Daddy's Home is the sixth album by emcee, Big Daddy Kane. It is Big Daddy Kane's only album on MCA Records, released in September 13, 1994. Like his previous album Looks Like a Job For…, Daddy's Home was generally well-received, but lacked in sales. Despite the positive reviews, the album saw a large drop in Kane's commercial popularity, and produced no crossover hit singles, like 1993's "Very Special".
"It's a Party" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes featuring American R&B duo Zhané. It was released as the second single from Rhymes' debut studio album The Coming on June 4, 1996, by Flipmode Entertainment and Elektra Records. The song was written by Rhymes and Zhané member Rene Neufville, and produced by Easy Mo Bee. Peaking at number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100, it was a moderate success. The song was released as a double A-side single with several remixes and the album cut "Ill Vibe" featuring fellow rapper Q-Tip, which also appears on The Coming, as its B-side.
"Party and Bullshit" is a song by the American hip hop artist The Notorious B.I.G., credited as BIG. Released on June 29, 1993, as the fourth single from the soundtrack to the film Who's the Man? (1993), "Party and Bullshit" was the rapper's debut single.
"Turn It Up (Remix) / Fire It Up" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released as the fourth and last single from his second studio album, When Disaster Strikes... (1997), and as the second single from the Can't Hardly Wait soundtrack on May 15, 1998, by Flipmode Entertainment and Elektra Records. The song was written and produced by Busta Rhymes, and contains co-production by Flipmode Squad member and Busta's hype man Spliff Star.
Christian J. A. Faloye, known by his stage names Ilacoin, is an American rapper and producer.
"Thank You" is a song by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released on November 7, 2013 by Cash Money Records and Republic Records as the intended second single from his tenth studio album, Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God. The album, released October 30, 2020 by Conglomerate and Empire, excluded both "Thank You" and "#Twerkit", the album's intended lead singles.
"Flava in Ya Ear" is a song by American rapper Craig Mack. It was released as the lead single from his debut studio album Project: Funk da World on July 26, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. It was remixed with the addition of rappers The Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes.
Todd Eric Gaither also known as Sauce Money, is a rapper who worked with Jay-Z in his early career. He was also featured on Big Daddy Kane's album Daddy's Home; he appears on the track "Show N' Prove", alongside Scoob Lover, Jay-Z, Shyheim the Rugged Child, and Ol' Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan.
The following is a discography of production by Easy Mo Bee, an American hip hop musician and record producer.