wait what | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Charlie Kubal |
Born | June 27, 1985 |
Origin | Atherton, California, United States |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Mashup artist |
Instrument(s) | Laptop |
Years active | 2010–present |
Website | Official website |
Charlie Kubal, better known by his stage name wait what, is a San Francisco music producer specializing in mashups, most notable for his creation of the notorious xx . The album paired the music of The Notorious B.I.G. with the debut album of The xx and was named "the best mashup album of 2010"by The Guardian . [1] He has released three albums and has performed with artists including Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Mötley Crüe, and Taking Back Sunday. [2]
Born in Palo Alto, California, Kubal began DJing at age 15 while attending Crystal Springs Uplands School in a suburb outside San Francisco, California, both playing in the band Jubala and DJing parties. He began producing music when he moved to New York to attend Columbia University in 2004. While studying English literature and psychology there, he recorded and produced hip hop from his dorm room, and hosted a hip hop show on WBAR college radio. Later he took courses under Brad Garton and Terry Pender at the Computer Music Center with other Columbia musicians, including Reni Lane. Given 24-hour access to the 125th St. studio, he created his first sample-based tracks in 2008 in Digital Performer and later in Logic Pro. [3]
Upon graduating in 2008, Kubal moved back to San Francisco, where he was employed at Google on the Calendar team and played a handful of local shows before beginning work on the notorious xx in early 2010. [4] He created the record over a period of three weeks in January 2010 while he was traveling, creating it on flights and airports while in Williamstown, Aspen, New Orleans, Zurich, London, Denver, Chicago and finally in his San Francisco apartment. [5]
Following its release on March 25, 2010, the album attracted the attention of New York Magazine, [6] Prefix Magazine, [7] Sputnik, [8] and The Guardian . [9] Within ten days of the album's release, several of the tracks were voted to the top of The Hype Machine's [10] popular chart, and it received one million downloads. [4] On April 6, 2010 he received a takedown request from Warner Music Group and was forced to remove official download links from his site. [4]
Shortly after the takedown, he began work on material for a live set and a mixtape, eventually releasing this is real life on August 31, 2010. He asked fans to call and leave him voicemails at a Google Voice number (347-WTWHT-01) [11] to be sampled on the record, and in two weeks received messages from dozens of countries that he cut up to create the intro and interludes on the mixtape. Additionally, he created the mixtape as a pay what you want project on Bandcamp, with all profits going to Dave Eggers' youth writing non-profit, 826 Valencia. As of September 2011, he had raised $8500 for the organization. [12]
The mixtape paired a number of hip hop artists with indie rock tracks in an A vs. B style, and included vocals from 50 Cent, DMX, Eminem, Jagged Edge, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, Lupe Fiasco, Mase, Nas, Nelly, Obie Trice, P Diddy, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, and The-Dream paired with instrumentals from Crystal Castles, DFA, Justice, LCD Soundsystem, Madonna, MGMT, MIA, Miike Snow, OneRepublic, Phoenix, Placebo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Say Hi, Sleigh Bells, Something Corporate, The Big Pink, The Notwist, and The Swell Season. [13]
To accompany the mixtape's release, he headlined a sold-out show with fellow Google employee Hoodie Allen at Kimo's in San Francisco, marking the first time he incorporated drummer Will Paulus into the live show.
In the week following the release of this is real life, Kubal left Google to attend graduate school at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He finished the year by performing in Toronto for Fashion Week and at a club in Kigali, Rwanda, and sold out another San Francisco warehouse show. In 2011 he played in Portland at Lewis & Clark College's Sunburn Music Festival with Astronautalis and Andrew Jackson Jihad, [14] headlined Public Assembly in Brooklyn and bed supperclub in Bangkok, Thailand, and played all three days of The Bamboozle festival at Giants Stadium with Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Mötley Crüe, and Taking Back Sunday.
In September 2011, he lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for a month [15] before resuming second-year classes at Stanford, working with technology angel investors there. [16] During this time, he completed work on his third album, nasd out, featuring Nas's vocals with Washed Out's debut full-length, Within & Without . The album received positive critical praise, with blogs calling it "another masterpiece" [17] and "equally great [as the notorious xx]." [18] To celebrate the album's release he headlined a sold-out album release show at Public Works in San Francisco with Capital Cities. [19]
On November 7, 2011, Kubal announced he would be releasing a new track each Wednesday until the end of the year, dubbing the series wait what wednesdays.
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. Regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation by XXL, he has often been cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wayne's career began in 1997, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label. From then on, he was the flagship artist of Cash Money Records before ending his association with the company in June 2018.
Kimberly Denise Jones, better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, she would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Leslie Edward Pridgen, better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper known as a member of the rap group State Property, during his time with Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Jay-Z. In 2009, Freeway was briefly signed to Cash Money Records, but returned to work again with Jay-Z at the mogul's entertainment organization and record label, Roc Nation, with his 2018 album Think Free.
Kasseem Daoud Dean, known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the age of 18, he started to gain recognition in the hip hop industry through his family's record label, Ruff Ryders, as well as his friendship and work with East Coast rapper DMX. Working with DMX as his producer, DJ and hype man, helped Dean gain prominence as a high-profile personality in hip hop.
Hip Hop Is Dead is the eighth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 19, 2006, on Def Jam Recordings. His first album for the label, it was co-financed by Nas's previous label, Columbia Records, which once distributed for Def Jam. The album's title was inspired by Nas's view of the music industry and the state of hip hop music at the time. The album features appearances from Nas's then-wife Kelis, Def Jam label-mates Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Chrisette Michele, as well as will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, and The Game, among others.
Terrence LeVarr Thornton, better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 2010, alongside his older brother No Malice. As Clipse, the two released three studio albums and a number of mixtapes, and had hit singles including "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time".
DeAndre Cortez Way, known professionally as Soulja Boy, is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence after his self-released debut single "Crank That " peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven non-consecutive weeks in 2007. He then released his debut album, Souljaboytellem.com (2007), which also included the single "Soulja Girl".
"Roc Boys ..." is the second single from Jay-Z's tenth studio album, American Gangster. The song is produced by Skyz Muzik, Diddy and two of his producers known as LV and Sean C from his production team, The Hitmen. It features additional vocals by Beyoncé, Kanye West and Cassie. The song samples "Make the Road by Walking" by The Menahan Street Band. On December 11, 2007, Rolling Stone named it the best song of 2007.
The Hood Internet is an American record production duo based in Chicago, Illinois, specializing in mashups. It is composed of Aaron Brink (ABX) and Steve Reidell.
Micheal Ray Stevenson, known professionally as Tyga, is an American rapper. After a number of independent releases, Tyga signed a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records in 2008. His major label debut Careless World: Rise of the Last King was released in 2011 and included the successful singles "Rack City", "Faded", "Far Away", "Still Got It", and "Make It Nasty". The album's success was followed up with Hotel California (2013) and Fan of a Fan: The Album (2015), in collaboration with singer Chris Brown.
We Global is the third studio album by Miami based mixtape DJ and Terror Squad member, DJ Khaled. The album was released on September 16, 2008. This was his third album distributed by Koch Records, and the first released on his We the Best Music Group label. The album's guest appearances from Game, T-Pain, Bun B, Rick Ross, Ace Hood, Plies, Akon, Trick Daddy, Lil Boosie, Nas, Kanye West, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Sean Paul, Busta Rhymes, Pitbull, Casely and Flo Rida among others.
Brandon Christopher McCartney, professionally known as Lil B and as his alter ego The BasedGod, is an American rapper. Lil B has recorded both solo and with Bay Area group The Pack. His solo work spans several genres, including hip hop, new age, jazz, indie rock and choral music. He describes his work as "based", a term which denotes a lifestyle of positivity and tolerance; and is noted for his extensive use of social media to build an online cult following.
We the Best Forever is the fifth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released under We the Best Music Group, Terror Squad Entertainment, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown Records on July 19, 2011 instead of June 28, 2011. It is his first album to be released on a major label, his first four albums being released on the independent label Koch Records, which later changed its name to E1 Music.
Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., better known by his stage name Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. In May 2011, he signed a two-year deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music production branch. With this stimulus, he produced chart-topping singles such as the Diamond Certified "Niggas in Paris" by Jay-Z and Kanye West, "Trophies" by Drake, "Clique" by GOOD Music, and "Racks in the Middle" by Nipsey Hussle featuring Roddy Ricch. "Racks in the Middle" won Best Rap Performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
Daniel Dwayne "Diggy" Simmons III is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, model, and actor and the fourth child of Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons of Run DMC. He currently stars as Doug Edwards on Grown-ish. He, along with his parents and five siblings, were the primary subjects of the MTV reality television show Run's House. Diggy was also the youngest member of Lupe Fiasco's short-lived rap collective, All City Chess Club.
the notorious xx is a mashup project that pairs the music of Notorious B.I.G. with the debut album of The xx, xx. It was released on the web March 25, 2010 and at a San Francisco listening party. Since its release, the album received one million downloads, press from thousands of blogs and magazines, including New York Magazine and LA Weekly, and The Guardian called it "the best mashup album of 2010".
Brake Lights is the ninth mixtape by West Coast rapper Game released as a free online download on August 3, 2010. The mixtape is hosted by DJ Skee. The mixtape includes all new tracks and was released in promotion to Game's upcoming album The R.E.D. Album. Production is handled by DJ Khalil, Cool & Dre, Dr. Dre, Lex Luger, J.R. Rotem and more. Features on the mixtape include Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Nas, Akon, T.I., Robin Thicke, Shawty Lo, Yung Joc, Waka Flocka Flame and more.
"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.
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to a record deal with Def Jam Recordings. The company would release his debut studio albums, Remember My Name (2015) and Lil Durk 2X (2016) before parting ways with the label in 2018.
Jordan Timothy Jenks, known professionally as Pi'erre Bourne, is an American record producer, audio engineer, beatmaker, and rapper. He is best known for producing the singles "Magnolia" by Playboi Carti and "Gummo" by 6ix9ine, entering the Top 30 of the US Billboard Hot 100.