Deaglan
New Member
Wide O & Trinity Ents presents
DJ PREMIER (GANG*STARR)
+ guests
POD & Lobby Bar 2 room special
Thurs 10th Feb 2005. Doors 11pm
More details to come
There's an old saying: Rap is something you do; hip hop is something you
live. No truer words have been used to describe this music and culture.
And no individual more truly embodies the second part of this maxim than
DJ Premier: turntable technician, producer, and now, record label founder.
Preem has been a crucial figure in the early development of some of rap
music's modern legends-specifically, the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Nas
when all were still relatively unknown, emerging artists, and went on to
collaborate on classic records with each.
It's in this spirit of breaking rap music's significant voices of tomorrow
that Year Round Incorporated carries its mission.
"I've always felt that it's important to have a name - whether it's my
publishing, production company or email address - that has some real meaning
to it," says Premier of how he christened his imprint.
No more than three producers (Dr. Dre, RZA, and Prince Paul) can test DJ Premier's status as the most important trackmaster
of the '90s, and no style is more distinctive. Aggressive and raw, a Premier
track was an instantly recognizable soundclash of battling loops and heavy
scratching -- all of them perfectly timed -- that evoked the sound of
Brooklyn better than anyone. Besides helming tracks for his main concern,
Gang Starr, since their 1989 debut, Premier's productions appeared on many
of the East Coast's most important records: Nas' Illmatic, the Notorious
B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, Jeru the Damaja's The Sun
Rises in the East, and Mos Def's Black on Both Sides.
Premier, born Chris Martin, spent time in Brooklyn and Houston while growing
up, and studied computer science at Prairie View A&M outside Houston. Known
as Waxmaster C, he'd already learned to play a variety of instruments and
also managed a record store. After moving back to Brooklyn, around 1987-1988
he came into contact with Guru, a Boston native. Guru had already formed a
group named Gang Starr two years earlier (and recorded with the 45 King),
but his former partner, Mike Dee, had returned to Boston. DJ Premier and
Guru signed to Wild Pitch and released a debut single ("Manifest") and album
(No More Mr. Nice Guy). Gang Starr's interest in melding hip-hop with jazz
informed the record, and they were invited to add to the soundtrack for
Spike Lee's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. Their subsequent work was much more
mature and unified, with a pair of instant East Coast classics (1991's Step
in the Arena and 1992's Daily Operation) arriving in short order.
DJ Premier had been working with other vocalists for years, and his
productions for the 1990 landmark Funky Technician by Lord Finesse and DJ
Mike Smooth cemented his status as one of the best producers around. He soon
began recording exclusively at D&D Studios, a spot soon to become a shrine
for hip-hop fans (thanks in large part to his own work). The year 1994 was a
huge one for Premier, probably the best year for any rap producer ever; in
addition to dropping another Gang Starr classic, Hard to Earn, his
productions appeared on five-star, all-time classics by Nas (Illmatic), the
Notorious B.I.G. (Ready to Die), and Jeru the Damaja (The Sun Rises in the
East), as well as Big Daddy Kane and Branford Marsalis' Buckshot LeFonque
project. Though his workload dropped off considerably during the late '90s,
he still managed to place tracks on three of the first four Jay-Z albums,
and returned in force with the new millennium, including shots with Common,
D.I.T.C., D'Angelo, Jadakiss, and Snoop Dogg. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
DJ PREMIER (GANG*STARR)
+ guests
POD & Lobby Bar 2 room special
Thurs 10th Feb 2005. Doors 11pm
More details to come
There's an old saying: Rap is something you do; hip hop is something you
live. No truer words have been used to describe this music and culture.
And no individual more truly embodies the second part of this maxim than
DJ Premier: turntable technician, producer, and now, record label founder.
Preem has been a crucial figure in the early development of some of rap
music's modern legends-specifically, the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Nas
when all were still relatively unknown, emerging artists, and went on to
collaborate on classic records with each.
It's in this spirit of breaking rap music's significant voices of tomorrow
that Year Round Incorporated carries its mission.
"I've always felt that it's important to have a name - whether it's my
publishing, production company or email address - that has some real meaning
to it," says Premier of how he christened his imprint.
No more than three producers (Dr. Dre, RZA, and Prince Paul) can test DJ Premier's status as the most important trackmaster
of the '90s, and no style is more distinctive. Aggressive and raw, a Premier
track was an instantly recognizable soundclash of battling loops and heavy
scratching -- all of them perfectly timed -- that evoked the sound of
Brooklyn better than anyone. Besides helming tracks for his main concern,
Gang Starr, since their 1989 debut, Premier's productions appeared on many
of the East Coast's most important records: Nas' Illmatic, the Notorious
B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt, Jeru the Damaja's The Sun
Rises in the East, and Mos Def's Black on Both Sides.
Premier, born Chris Martin, spent time in Brooklyn and Houston while growing
up, and studied computer science at Prairie View A&M outside Houston. Known
as Waxmaster C, he'd already learned to play a variety of instruments and
also managed a record store. After moving back to Brooklyn, around 1987-1988
he came into contact with Guru, a Boston native. Guru had already formed a
group named Gang Starr two years earlier (and recorded with the 45 King),
but his former partner, Mike Dee, had returned to Boston. DJ Premier and
Guru signed to Wild Pitch and released a debut single ("Manifest") and album
(No More Mr. Nice Guy). Gang Starr's interest in melding hip-hop with jazz
informed the record, and they were invited to add to the soundtrack for
Spike Lee's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. Their subsequent work was much more
mature and unified, with a pair of instant East Coast classics (1991's Step
in the Arena and 1992's Daily Operation) arriving in short order.
DJ Premier had been working with other vocalists for years, and his
productions for the 1990 landmark Funky Technician by Lord Finesse and DJ
Mike Smooth cemented his status as one of the best producers around. He soon
began recording exclusively at D&D Studios, a spot soon to become a shrine
for hip-hop fans (thanks in large part to his own work). The year 1994 was a
huge one for Premier, probably the best year for any rap producer ever; in
addition to dropping another Gang Starr classic, Hard to Earn, his
productions appeared on five-star, all-time classics by Nas (Illmatic), the
Notorious B.I.G. (Ready to Die), and Jeru the Damaja (The Sun Rises in the
East), as well as Big Daddy Kane and Branford Marsalis' Buckshot LeFonque
project. Though his workload dropped off considerably during the late '90s,
he still managed to place tracks on three of the first four Jay-Z albums,
and returned in force with the new millennium, including shots with Common,
D.I.T.C., D'Angelo, Jadakiss, and Snoop Dogg. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
