Zaytoven | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Xavier Lamar Dotson |
Born | Frankfurt, West Germany | January 12, 1980
Origin |
|
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | |
Website | zaytovenbeatz |
Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), known professionally as Zaytoven, is an American record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. [1] [2] [3] [ non-primary source needed ] He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Mane, Usher, Future, Young Dolph, Migos, Lecrae, Lil Yachty, Chief Keef, Young Scooter, B.o.B, Boosie Badazz, Waka Flocka Flame, Jack Harlow, and Deitrick Haddon. [4]
Zaytoven signed a deal with rapper Gucci Mane to become 1017 Brick Squad's in-house producer and then went on to win a Grammy Award in 2011 for his contribution to Usher's album Raymond v. Raymond , [5] [6] as a co-producer and writer for the single "Papers" along with Sean Garrett. [7] [8]
Dotson spent a lot of time at church growing up, as his father was a preacher when not working for the army. [9] He learned to play instruments through the church bands along with his three younger siblings. He gravitated toward playing the piano and organ. [10]
Dotson was introduced to rap in middle school by a friend. He learned to produce music while attending high school in his spare time between school and basketball, Dotson played the keyboard during halftime at his high school football games. While he was performing one day at the game, rapper JT the Bigga Figga liked what he heard, and invited Dotson to his studio, where Dotson had unlimited access to his keyboards. [10] He truly began to utilize his skills as a producer while making beats in JT's studio before he started making a name for himself in Atlanta.
Zaytoven started going over to JT the Bigga Figga's studio every day to make beats and learn how to use the equipment. He began to sell beats to JT and went on to collaborate with Bay Area artists such as Messy Marv and E-40 while still in high school. [9] During his senior year in high school, Zaytoven's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, due to his father's retirement. Zaytoven decided to stay in San Francisco, California, finish his senior year, and continue his producing for local rappers. He realized that he needed a studio of his own where he could produce with his own equipment and work at any time of the day. [11]
Having saved up money from his day job as a barber, Zaytoven began to buy equipment for producing. He would ship this to his parents' house in Atlanta, to which he eventually moved, and set up his own studio there. [11] He enrolled in a local barber college in Atlanta and got a job as a barber to help finance the rest of his studio. While attending barber school, a classmate of his introduced Zaytoven to Gucci Mane, who would become his right-hand man in his career as a producer. [10] Zaytoven and Gucci Mane began to work together every day after meeting each other. Zaytoven said in an interview with Fader that Gucci Mane would call him at 7 a.m. asking if he was ready to start making music for that day. [10] Zaytoven and Gucci Mane spent the majority of the early 2000s making music together and selling mixtapes out of the trunks of their cars in Atlanta. It wasn't until 2005 that the two gained mainstream recognition from their hit song "Icy", with features from Young Jeezy and Boo. [9] This recognition gave Zaytoven's career the boost it needed to take off, landing the hit song "Papers" with Usher in 2010 on Usher's certified platinum album Raymond v. Raymond . [12]
Zaytoven's work on Usher's album Raymond v. Raymond earned him a Grammy Award in 2011 and a serious reputation in the hip-hop world. He started to work with more artists as his popularity grew in the Atlanta rap scene. He helped shaped the careers of artists such as OJ da Juiceman, Yung L.A., Yung Ralph, Shop Boyz, Lil Scrappy, Jagged Edge, and Gorilla Zoe. [12]
Zaytoven collaborated with hip hop trio Migos. He produced several tracks on their 2013 mixtape, Y.R.N. (Young Rich Niggas) , including the hit track "Versace", which peaked at 53 on the Billboard chart. [9] Zaytoven's collaboration with Migos continued; he helped produce their followup mixtape No Label 2 , released on February 25, 2014. [13]
In 2015, Zaytoven provided exclusive production for ten mixtapes, including Future's Beast Mode , released on January 15. He also worked on Future's album DS2 , which debuted on July 17. [14]
In July 2016, Zaytoven produced or co-produced seven songs on Gucci Mane's first album since being released from prison, Everybody Looking . [13] In the same month, Lil Uzi Vert's The Perfect LUV Tape was released, containing the Zaytoven-produced songs "Money Mitch" and "SideLine Watching (Hold Up)". [13] In 2017, Zaytoven contributed to projects such as Gucci Mane's Mr. Davis , 21 Savage's Issa Album , Migos' Culture , Moneybagg Yo's Heartless , and Yo Gotti's I Still Am . Zaytoven also released two independent projects, Wake Up & Cook Up and Where Would the Game Be Without Me. [13]
Zaytoven was scheduled to release his debut album Trap Holizay on May 25, 2018, [15] and a collaborative album with Lecrae titled Let the Trap Say Amen on June 22, 2018. [16]
Zaytoven made his acting debut in the 2012 film Birds of a Feather, co-starring with Gucci Mane. The sequel Birds of a Feather 2 was released in 2018.
In 2018, Zaytoven joined the Creators Advisory Board of Tracklib. [17]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
US [18] | US R&B/HH [19] | NLD [20] | ||
Let the Trap Say Amen (with Lecrae) |
| 49 | 26 | — |
A (with Usher) |
| 31 | 19 | 135 |
Lost Tapes (with B.o.B) [21] |
| — | — | — |
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Zaytoven Presents: Fo15 [22] (with Fo15) |
|
Title | Album details |
---|---|
GucTiggy (with Gucci Mane) |
|
Greatest Gift (with Deitrick Haddon) | |
Drip & Zay (with Kountry Wayne) |
|
Only One |
|
24 the EP (with Damon Fletcher) |
|
Title | Mixtape details | Peak chart positions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [18] | US R&B/HH [19] | CAN [26] | FRA [27] | NLD [27] | UK [28] | ||
World War 3 (Lean) (with Gucci Mane) |
| — | 33 | — | — | — | — |
Beast Mode (with Future) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Juggathon (with Young Scooter) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
For Trappers Only (with Shy Glizzy) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Trapping Made It Happen [29] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Trapholizay |
| 78 | 43 | — | — | — | — |
Beast Mode 2 (with Future) |
| 3 [30] | 3 | 13 | 130 | 49 | 55 |
6Toven (with Foolio) [31] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
GloToven (with Chief Keef) |
| 153 | — | — | — | — | — |
Camp GloTiggy (with Chief Keef) [32] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Bad Azz Zay (with Boosie Badazz) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
A-Team (with Lil Keed, Lil Gotit, and Lil Yachty) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Pack Just Landed Vol. 1 [33] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Pack Just Landed Vol. 2 [34] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Zaystreet (with Young Scooter) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
GrinchToven Stole The Trap |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Moetoven [35] (with Moe) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Pack Just Landed Vol. 3 [36] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Keys To the Streets [37] (with Luh Soldier) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
GhostToven [38] (with Ghostluvme) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Streetz Got No Heart [39] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Loverz n Friendz [40] |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US R&B [41] | |||
"Stay at Home" (with Usher featuring Future) | 2018 | 22 | A |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B/HH | US Rap | |||
"Icy" (Gucci Mane featuring Jeezy and Boo) | 2005 | — [upper-alpha 1] | 46 | 23 | Trap House |
"Pillz" (Gucci Mane featuring Mac Bre-Z) | 2006 | — | — [upper-alpha 2] | — | Hard to Kill , No Pad, No Pencil |
"I'm a Dog" (Gucci Mane featuring DG Yola) | 2008 | — | — [upper-alpha 3] | — | Chicken Talk 2, Bird Money, The State vs. Radric Davis |
"Bricks" (Gucci Mane featuring Yo Gotti and Yung Ralph or OJ da Juiceman) | — | — [upper-alpha 4] | — | EA Sportscenter, The State vs. Radric Davis | |
"Make tha Trap Say Aye" (OJ da Juiceman featuring Gucci Mane) | — [upper-alpha 5] | 22 | 13 | The Otha Side of the Trap | |
"I Don't Love Her" (Gucci Mane featuring Rocko and Webbie) | 2011 | — | — [upper-alpha 6] | — | The Return of Mr. Zone 6 |
"Versace" (Migos) | 2013 | 99 | 31 | 23 | Y.R.N. (Young Rich Niggas) |
"3500" (Travis Scott featuring Future and 2 Chainz) | 2015 | 82 | 25 | 18 | Rodeo |
"Guwop Home" (Gucci Mane featuring Young Thug) | 2016 | — [upper-alpha 7] | — [upper-alpha 8] | — | Everybody Looking |
"No Sleep (Intro)" (Gucci Mane) | — | — [upper-alpha 9] | — | ||
"Waybach" (Gucci Mane) | — | — [upper-alpha 10] | — | ||
"Too Much Sauce" (DJ Esco featuring Future and Lil Uzi Vert) | 50 | 21 | 15 | Project E.T. | |
"Used to This" (Future featuring Drake) | 14 | 5 | 4 | Future | |
"St. Brick Intro" (Gucci Mane) | — [upper-alpha 11] | — [upper-alpha 12] | — | The Return of East Atlanta Santa | |
"What the Price" (Migos) | 2017 | — [upper-alpha 13] | 41 | — | Culture |
"Get Right Witcha" (Migos) | 72 | 29 | 19 | ||
"Big on Big" (Migos) | — [upper-alpha 14] | 47 | — | ||
"Brown Paper Bag" (Migos) | — [upper-alpha 15] | 40 | — | ||
"When I Was Broke" (Future) | — [upper-alpha 16] | — [upper-alpha 17] | — | Future | |
"Feds Did a Sweep" (Future) | — | — [upper-alpha 18] | — | ||
"Famous" (21 Savage) | 94 | 41 | — | Issa Album | |
"Nothin New" (21 Savage) | — [upper-alpha 19] | — [upper-alpha 20] | — | ||
"Wifi Lit" (Future) | 2018 | 53 | 26 | 23 | Beast Mode 2 |
"31 Days" (Future) | 64 | 34 | — | ||
"Cuddle My Wrist" (Future) | 70 | 38 | — | ||
"Racks Blue" (Future) | 76 | 42 | — | ||
"Red Light" (Future) | — [upper-alpha 21] | — [upper-alpha 22] | — | ||
"Some More" (Future) | — [upper-alpha 23] | — [upper-alpha 24] | — | ||
"Doh Doh" (Future featuring Young Scooter) | — [upper-alpha 25] | — [upper-alpha 26] | — | ||
"When I Think About It" (Future) | — [upper-alpha 27] | — [upper-alpha 28] | — | ||
"Hate the Real Me" (Future) | — [upper-alpha 29] | — | — | ||
"Problems" (Lil Wayne) | 57 | 33 | — | Tha Carter V | |
"Moana" (G-Eazy and Jack Harlow) | 2020 | — [upper-alpha 30] | — | — | Non-album single |
"RIP Luv" (21 Savage and Metro Boomin) | 76 | 32 | — | Savage Mode II | |
"Real Baby Pluto" (Future and Lil Uzi Vert) | 54 | 17 | 16 | Pluto × Baby Pluto | |
"Million Dollar Play" (Future and Lil Uzi Vert) | 67 | 25 | 23 | ||
"Roadrunner" (Migos) | 2021 | — [upper-alpha 31] | — | — | Culture III |
"Better Believe" (Belly, The Weeknd, and Young Thug) | 88 | 31 | 25 | See You Next Wednesday |
Notes
Year | Film | Role |
---|---|---|
2012 | Birds of a Feather [50] | Himself |
2018 | Birds of a Feather 2 [51] | |
American singer Usher has released eight studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 80 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive and RCA record labels. Usher has sold more than 23 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 100 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, producing three singles that had moderate chart success, and the album sold more than 500,000 copies. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one "You Make Me Wanna..." and first US Hot 100 number-one song "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001 with his third studio album 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles—"U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified four-times platinum in the US for sales of 4 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.
The discography of Ludacris, an American rapper, consists of eight studio albums, two compilation albums, one extended play (EP), six mixtapes, 89 singles and nine promotional singles. Thirty-five of those singles have charted in the Top 40 of the US Hot 100 chart.
American rapper Gucci Mane has released 16 studio albums, 3 collaborative albums, 10 compilation albums, one soundtrack, 8 extended plays (EPs), 77 mixtapes and 100 singles and 16 promotional singles.
"Papers" is a song by American urban recording artist Usher. The song was a buzz single for his sixth studio album Raymond v. Raymond. It was written by Usher, Alonzo "Gorilla Zoe" Mathis, Sean Garrett and Zaytoven, and was produced by the latter two. Although it was never identified as a track from the album, or as the lead single, it was released to U.S. urban and rhythmic radio stations on October 12, 2009, and subsequently available for digital download on October 16, 2009.
The discography of American rapper Wale consists of seven studio albums, three compilation albums, ten mixtapes, one extended play, sixty-five singles, two promotional singles and forty-one music videos. In 2005, Wale started his music career by releasing mixtapes in the Washington, D.C. area. His debut mixtape was titled Paint a Picture. Following that, Wale released his second mixtape in 2006, Hate Is the New Love. In the same year, Wale signed with a local record label in Studio 43. In 2007 Wale was discovered by Mark Ronson, and was signed by Allido Records, which released his third mixtape, 100 Miles & Running, featuring artist Daniel Merriweather.
The discography of American rapper Yelawolf consists of seven studio albums, five collaborative albums, six mixtapes, nine EPs, 50 singles and 82 music videos. His music has been released on record labels Interscope Records, Shady Records and DGC Records, including independent record label Ghet-O-Vision and Slumerican which has released some of his independent material.
The discography of American rapper Future consists of nine studio albums, one collaborative album, 24 mixtapes, two extended plays, and 117 singles.
The discography of American rapper 2 Chainz, consists of seven studio albums, two collaborative studio albums, 10 mixtapes, 5 extended plays, 119 singles, 14 promotional singles and 75 music videos.
The discography of American rapper Chief Keef consists of five studio albums, four extended plays, thirty-eight mixtapes, and twenty-eight singles. Chief Keef released his first studio album Finally Rich in 2012, which contained several successful singles, including "I Don't Like", "Hate Bein' Sober", and "Love Sosa". The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Billboard Rap chart. In 2013 he was featured on several hit songs by other rappers. In 2014 he released his mixtape Back from the Dead 2, which was critically acclaimed. In 2015 he was featured on Travis Scott's debut album Rodeo on the song "Nightcrawler". He later released the album Bang 3 in two parts. Following this Chief Keef decided go on a one-year hiatus. In 2017, he released three mixtapes and then released the album Dedication. He then released more mixtapes in 2018. In 2019, he released his collaborative album with Zaytoven called GloToven which has a sole feature from Lil Pump. He then went on a hiatus for around 2 years, to return with his fourth album 4NEM.
American rapper Lil Wayne has released 285 singles including 19 promotional singles. Lil Wayne attained his first singles chart entry in 1999 as a featured artist on Hot Boys member Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up", which peaked at number 19 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and became a top ten hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts. Wayne later released his debut solo studio album Tha Block Is Hot in November 1999. Its title track and lead single, which features B.G. and Juvenile, reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lights Out followed in December 2000 and produced the singles "Get Off the Corner", "Everything" and "Shine". "Way of Life", the lead single from Wayne's third studio album 500 Degreez, peaked at number 71 on the Hot 100 and became a top 20 hit on the Hot Rap Songs chart. In 2004, Wayne was featured on the single "Soldier" by American girl group Destiny's Child, which became his first top ten hit on the Hot 100 and enjoyed commercial success internationally.
The discography of American rapper Young Thug consists of three studio albums, two compilation albums, twelve self-released mixtapes, seven commercial mixtapes, three extended plays, and sixty-nine singles.
The American hip hop group Migos has released four studio albums, one extended play (EP), twelve mixtapes and fifty-three singles. Migos was first listened to by Rayshun Smith (Friootherussian) in 2010. On July 31, 2015, Migos released their debut studio album, Yung Rich Nation. On January 27, 2017, Migos released their second studio album, Culture. On January 26, 2018, Migos released their third studio album, Culture II, tied The Beatles for most simultaneous Hot 100 songs by a group on the Billboard chart with 14. On June 11, 2021, Migos released their fourth and final studio album, Culture III.
American rapper Fetty Wap has released three studio albums, two extended plays, twelve mixtapes, 68 singles, and six promotional singles.
Trentavious Zamon White, better known by his stage name Bankroll Fresh or Yung Fresh, was an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. Fresh is best known for his 2015 single "Walked In". He starred in the independent short film Take Over Your Trap in 2016.
The discography of Lil Yachty, an American rapper and singer, consists of five studio albums, three mixtapes, one collaborative mixtape, ten extended plays, ten music videos, thirteen guest appearances and thirty-two singles.
The discography of Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage consists of two studio albums, three collaborative albums, two mixtapes, three extended plays, and 31 singles.
Shane Lee Lindstrom, known professionally as Murda Beatz, is a Canadian record producer. He has produced hit singles including "Butterfly Effect" for Travis Scott, "Back on Road" for Gucci Mane, "Nice for What" for Drake, and "Motorsport" for Migos.
"Party" is a song by American singer Chris Brown featuring fellow American singer Usher and American rapper Gucci Mane. It was released by RCA as the second single from the former's eighth studio album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon (2017) on December 16, 2016. "Party" was the only top 40 hit from the album, peaking at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The discography of American rapper Offset consists of two studio albums, one collaborative album, two compilation albums, two extended plays and twenty-five singles. In 2017, he released Without Warning, in collaboration with fellow Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage and American record producer Metro Boomin. The album entered at number four on the US Billboard 200. The album spawned the single "Ric Flair Drip", which has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
Lontrell Donell Williams, Jr., better known by his stage name Pooh Shiesty, is an American rapper. He is signed to Gucci Mane's 1017 Records and Atlantic Records. He rose to fame in 2020 from his collaborations with the rapper and other artists within the label. He is perhaps best known for his 2020 single, "Back in Blood" featuring Lil Durk. Pooh Shiesty released his debut commercial mixtape, Shiesty Season, on February 5, 2021, which peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200. His stage name was given by his late brother, and it comes from his childhood nickname "Mr. Pooh", and the name "Shiesty", referring to his lifestyle.
|}