Qmillion | |
---|---|
Birth name | Keith Lewis |
Also known as | Qmillion Riddim |
Genres | Soul, R&B, pop, jazz, alternative, dancehall, reggae, hip hop, electronic, |
Occupation(s) | Record producer, mix engineer, composer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, keyboards, bass, guitar programmer |
Years active | 1984–present |
Website | qmillion |
Qmillion (born Keith Lewis, in the US),[ citation needed ] is an American record producer, mix engineer, composer, and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Qmillion's achievement for recording and mixing recording artist Robert Glasper's critically acclaimed Black Radio album, gained him a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 55th Grammy Awards in 2013. [1] and most recently nominated for Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical [2] for Black Radio III by Robert Glasper on the 2023 Grammys.
Qmillion's professional musical career began in Minneapolis where he collaborated with Jesse Johnson as a member of Johnson's band before he wrote and produced songs with Johnson for TaMara and the Seen, Paula Abdul, Cheryl Lynn, and After 7. In 1992 Qmillion moved to Los Angeles, produced and wrote songs for, Brownstone, Shello, Paula Abdul, George Howard, Billy Preston, E-Dee, Ms. Triniti, Beenie Man, Wayne Wonder, Kurupt among others.
In 2011, Qmillion carried several credits in "Out the Gate" [3] a feature film loosely based on the life of E-Dee; writing the screenplay and composing the score to the picture. The film was released to theaters in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Toronto, as well as Jamaica. [4] Newspaper Atlanta Daily World wrote the movie "appears to be on its way to becoming a classic". [5]
In 2013 Qmillion's achievement for recording and mixing recording artist Robert Glasper's critically acclaimed Black Radio album, gained him a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 55th Grammy Awards. [1]
In 2022 Qmillion was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical [6] for Black Radio III by Robert Glasper on the 2023 Grammys, and won for or Black Radio III by Robert Glasper Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 65th Grammy Awards. To date, he has mixed projects with 14 Grammy nominations, 4 of those projects have won.
Amongst the many composed by Qmillion, several were written especially for film. It began with The Five Heartbeats, "Nights Like This", written by Johnson and Qmillion (under the name Keith Lewis). The song, performed by After 7 rose to Top Ten Billboard R&B. [7] Writing songs specific for feature films continued with White Men Can't Jump, Beautiful, The Sweetest Thing, Center Stage 2 all leading to him composing the score to Hurricane in the Rose Garden, [8] and Out the Gate.
A select list of Film and Television shows featuring Qmillion compositions include: America's Got Talent, biography, Blue Bloods, The Bad Girls Club", Born to Style, Bring It!, Challengers, Dish Nation, Dr. Oz Show, The Fabulous Life of, Greek, [9] Happyland, Hey Paula, [10] Kardashians, Leeza Show, LOL Comedy Series", [11] Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta, Marrying the Game, New Atlanta, Nick Studio 10, One Tree Hill, The Queen Latifah Show, Vibe, Yo Mama, The Five Heartbeats, [12] The Sweetest Thing, [12] Phat Beach, White Men Can't Jump, [12] Pootie Tang, Center Stage 2, [8] Out the Gate
and Grammy Award-winning Robert Glasper's 2020 Best R&B Song "Better Than I Imagined" featuring H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello
Afrobeat is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Nigerian and Ghanian music, with American funk, jazz, and soul influences. With a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rhythms, and percussion, the style was pioneered in the 1960s by Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who popularised it both within and outside Nigeria. At the height of his popularity, he was referred to as one of Africa's most "challenging and charismatic music performers."
Meshell Ndegeocello is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on some of her mid-career work. Her music incorporates a wide variety of influences, including funk, soul, jazz, hip hop, reggae and rock. She has received significant critical acclaim throughout her career, being nominated for eleven Grammy Awards, and winning two. She also has been credited for helping to "spark the neo-soul movement".
Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician born in London and raised in Lagos. He is the eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and a grandchild of political campaigner, women's rights activist and traditional aristocrat Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.
Antibalas is an American, Brooklyn-based afrobeat band founded in 1998 by Martín Perna. Initially inspired by Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band and Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive Orchestra, the music generally follows the musical architecture and language of afrobeat and incorporates elements of jazz, funk, dub, improvised music, and traditional drumming from Cuba and West Africa.
Bilal Sayeed Oliver is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is an independent artist, noted for his wide vocal range, work across multiple genres, and intense live performances.
Derrick Hodge is an American composer, musical director, bandleader, producer bassist and advocate. To date he has been awarded two Grammys, named a Sundance Composer Fellow, received a Motif Award; one of world's highest honors for Child Advocacy, and his playing on Common's BE has been recognized as one of top 20 basslines in Hip Hop History.
Robert Andre Glasper is an American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and musical arranger. His music embodies numerous musical genres, primarily centered around jazz. Glasper has won five Grammy Awards from 11 nominations.
Ropeadope Records is an American record label known for recordings in a variety of genres including jazz, hip hop, gospel, and electronic music. The label, now led by Louis Marks, was founded in 1999 by Andy Hurwitz in New York City and later moved to Philadelphia.
Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known Seun Kuti, is a Nigerian musician, singer and the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. Seun leads his father's former band Egypt 80.
Jeanette-Triniti Marilyn Bhaguandas, better known by her stage name Ms. Triniti, is a Soca - Ragga - fusion singer-songwriter who mixes the Soca, dancehall, reggae and pop genres.
Terrace Jamahl Martin is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, the Game, Busta Rhymes, Stevie Wonder, Charlie Wilson, Raphael Saadiq and YG, among others. Martin is a multi-instrumentalist whose music production embodies funk, jazz, classical and soul. Martin released his sixth studio album, Velvet Portraits, on his label, Sounds of Crenshaw Records, through Ropeadope Records.
Snarky Puppy is an American jazz fusion band led by bassist Michael League. Founded in 2004, Snarky Puppy combines a variety of jazz idioms, rock, world music, and funk and has won five Grammy Awards. Although the band has worked with vocalists, League described Snarky Puppy as "a pop band that improvises a lot, without vocals".
Black Radio is an album by Robert Glasper, recorded with his electric quartet, the Robert Glasper Experiment. Released on February 28, 2012, on the Blue Note label, the album won Best R&B Album at the 55th Grammy Awards and also received a nomination for Best R&B Performance from the album cut "Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)", which featured R&B singer Ledisi, in February 2013.
Out the Gate is a 2011 Jamaican action film that follows Everton Dennis, played by Everton Dennis as he leave his home in Jamaica to make it big in the United States in music. It stars Paul Campbell, Oliver Samuels, Shelli Boone, and Everton Dennis, was written by Qmillion and Everton Dennis and directed by R. Steven Johnson and Qmillion. The picture had its official limited release in the United States and Jamaica Distributed by Far I Films in 2011 followed by the DVD in 2012. The film was released to theaters in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Toronto, as well as Jamaica. Newspaper Atlanta Daily World wrote the movie "appears to be on its way to becoming a classic."
Black Radio 2 is the sixth studio album by American jazz pianist and R&B producer Robert Glasper, released on October 29, 2013 by Blue Note Records. It is the follow-up to the Grammy Award winner Black Radio released in 2012, and won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the album cut "Jesus Children of America" featuring Lalah Hathaway and Malcolm-Jamal Warner in 2015.
Mike Marciano is a two-time Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, and six time Grammy nominated, multi-platinum and gold record award, GMA and Junos award recipient. He started his career in 1980, recording, mixing and mastering exclusively at Systems Two Recording Studio in Brooklyn, New York. Early in his career, he worked with many well-known rock and heavy metal groups, including Type O Negative, Carnivore, Agnostic Front, Life of Agony. Many of his hardcore and metal credits are noted in Encyclopaedia Metallum. His work with Type O Negative was used in multiple movie soundtracks and other media. Since the early 90s, he has worked with some of the top musicians in the jazz field, including jazz greats like Wynton Marsalis, Robert Glasper,Clark Terry, Elvin Jones, and Steve Coleman. His work with Don Braden was used as the theme song for Cosby.
We Are King, is an American R&B duo based in Los Angeles, California, consisting of twin sisters Amber and Paris Strother. Originally named King, the group also included their close friend Anita Bias. The Strother sisters are the nieces of the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based electric bluesman, Percy Strother, and are originally from Minneapolis.
Mark Colenburg, is an American drummer and percussionist.
Black Radio 3 is an album by American musician Robert Glasper. It was released on February 25, 2022, via Loma Vista Recordings, serving as the follow-ups to 2012's Black Radio and 2013's Black Radio 2. It was produced by Glasper along with co-producers Terrace Martin, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jahi Sundance, and mixed by Qmillion.
Blue Lab Beats are an English, London-based music duo composed of NK-OK and Mr DM.