Focus... | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Bernard Edwards Jr. |
Born | Manhattan, New York City, U.S. | November 6, 1972
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Record producer |
Years active | 1999–present |
Labels |
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Bernard Edwards Jr. (born November 6, 1972), [1] professionally known as Focus..., is an American music producer from New York City. He gained major recognition in the music industry when he signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, in 2002. Since then he has produced tracks for several prominent artists, including Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, John Legend, The Game, Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes, Fabolous, 50 Cent, Schoolboy Q, Joe, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, Ameriie, Christina Millian, Mac Dre, Marsha Ambrosius among others. [2]
Focus... is the son of the late Bernard Edwards, co-founder of disco and R&B band Chic. [2] He was born in Manhattan, New York City, and raised in the Tri-State Region. [2] Edwards Jr. credits his father with his love for the production side of music, which he developed from an early age, attending numerous studio sessions with his father. [2]
Focus...'s production talents were first recognized by Dr. Dre when an artist Edwards Jr. had produced, Daks, greatly impressed the Aftermath label head. [3] He later signed Focus... so that the two could then continue working together. [3]
The beginning of 2009 saw Focus leave Aftermath after seven years with the label. [4]
In 2014, Focus returned to Aftermath Entertainment as an official staff producer where he worked side by side with Dr. Dre and collaborators to help craft the Grammy nominated, highly anticipated album Compton . Compton was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Focus is now the CEO of his own entertainment company N|VZXN Entertainment.
Andre Romell Young, known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and was the president of Death Row Records. Dr. Dre began his career as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru in 1985 and later found fame with the gangsta rap group N.W.A. The group popularized explicit lyrics in hip hop to detail the violence of street life. During the early 1990s, Dre was credited as a key figure in the crafting and popularization of West Coast G-funk, a subgenre of hip hop characterized by a synthesizer foundation and slow, heavy beats.
Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek, is an American rapper and record producer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band, whom Hi-Tek featured on his second album, Hi-Teknology 2.
Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Interscope Records.
Marsha Ambrosius-Billups is an English singer and songwriter from Liverpool, England. She embarked on her musical career as a member of Floetry. Ambrosius released her debut solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings in March 2011. She also has a brother, Marvin Ambrosius, a television presenter in the United Kingdom.
The Big Bang is the seventh studio album by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released on June 13, 2006, by Aftermath Entertainment, Flipmode Records and Interscope Records. Production for the album took place during 2005 to 2006 at several recording studios and was handled by Dr. Dre, Swizz Beatz, Mark Batson, DJ Scratch, J Dilla, Timbaland, Mr. Porter, will.i.am, Sha Money XL, JellyRoll, Black Jeruz, Nisan Stewart and DJ Green Lantern. The official cover artwork was revealed on May 7, 2006. The tracklisting was released on the 15th.
Chris Robinson is an American film director, commercial director, and music video director. He has directed films such as Netflix original Beats (2019). He has directed commercials for brands such as iPod, Coca-Cola and Verizon and music videos for songs like "Fallin'" and "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys, "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z, the Grammy nominated video for "One Mic" by Nas, and "Bonnie & Clyde '03" by Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé Knowles. Robinson made his debut as a music video director by helming the 1991 clip "Doo Doo Brown" by the group 2 Hyped Brothers & a Dog.
Philip Brandon Martin, better known as Bishop Lamont, is an American rapper from Carson, California. He was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label and released one project under the label, eventually leaving in 2010.
"Hail Mary" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur from his fifth studio album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996). It was released after his September 1996 murder under the Makaveli stage name as the album's third single. Hail Mary features rap verses by Kastro, Young Noble and Yaki Kadafi of the Outlawz rap group and vocals from reggae musician Prince Ital Joe. A music video was shot for the song and can be found on the DualDisc of The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.
Christopher "MINK" Wingfield Morrison is a British American film director, writer, producer and comic book novelist.
Dawaun Parker is an American record producer and rapper. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2005, he became a producer for Dr. Dre’s record label Aftermath Entertainment. He received his first formal credit on 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin' soundtrack, and contributed to several songs on Busta Rhymes' number 1 album, The Big Bang, as well as Jay-Z's return record, Kingdom Come. Parker co-wrote the number 1 single, "Crack a Bottle", by Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent, and co-produced nearly every track on Relapse.
The following list is a discography of production by Just Blaze, an American hip hop record producer from Paterson, New Jersey. It includes a list of songs produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artist, album and title.
The Up in Smoke Tour was a West Coast hip hop tour in 2000 which was headlined by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, also featuring artists and disc jockeys Ice Cube, Eminem, Proof, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, D12, MC Ren, Westside Connection, Chilldrin of da Ghetto, Mel-Man, Tha Eastsidaz, Doggy's Angels, Devin The Dude, Warren G, Crucial Conflict, TQ, Truth Hurts, Xzibit, The D.O.C., Hittman, DJ Crazy Toones, Six-Two, Ms. Toi, & DJ Jam.
The following list is a discography of production by American rapper and hip hop record producer Dr. Dre. It includes a list of singles produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artist, album and title.
The following list is a discography of production by DJ Khalil, an American hip hop and R&B record producer. It includes a list of songs produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artist, album and title.
Persona is the seventh studio album by the American hip-hop artist and actress, Queen Latifah. Persona was released on August 25, 2009, by Flavor Unit Entertainment. The album marks Queen Latifah's return to hip-hop music since 2002. Persona includes a mix of Latifah rapping and singing and features guest verses by Missy Elliot, Marsha Ambrosius, Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, Busta Rhymes, and Mary J. Blige.
Anthony Johnson, better known by his stage name Slim The Mobster, is a Los Angeles-based rapper. He signed with Gang Module Records. Slim The Mobster was known as Dr. Dre's protégé. Johnson's manager is John Monopoly, who ushered in Kanye West's rapping career. His influence includes gangsta rap acts like The D.O.C and The Notorious B.I.G. He took his rap name from notorious pimp Fillmore Slim and from having the mindset of a Mobster.
Elijah Blue Molina, better known by his stage name Scoop DeVille, is an American record producer, rapper and DJ. DeVille has produced records for rappers such as Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hussle, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Fat Joe. He produced Kendrick Lamar's "Poetic Justice" featuring Drake, as well as Snoop Dogg's "I Wanna Rock" featuring Jay-Z, both of which charted in the top 50 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Compton is the third studio album by American hip-hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on August 7, 2015, on Apple Music and the iTunes Store, with the physical editions released on August 21, 2015. It is the follow-up to his second album 2001 (1999) after the cancellation of the long-planned Detox.
"Medicine Man" is a song by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre from his third studio album Compton. It was released as the album's fifteenth track on August 7, 2015 via Aftermath/Interscope Records along with the rest of the album. Recording sessions took place at Record One in Sherman Oaks and at Effigy Studios in Michigan. Produced by Dem Jointz and Focus..., the song features vocals from American rapper Eminem, South African singer Candice Pillay, and American recording artist Anderson .Paak, with additional vocals from Sly Jordan.
The Super Bowl LVI halftime show, officially known as the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show, was the halftime entertainment of Super Bowl LVI, which took place on February 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The show was headlined by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, and included guest appearances by 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak. It is the first Super Bowl halftime show to be centered entirely around hip hop music, as well as the last halftime show to be sponsored by Pepsi, with Apple Music taking over the sponsorship beginning with Super Bowl LVII. The show was televised nationally in the U.S. by NBC.