DJ Premier

Active since 1987, the year he debuted behind Guru as one-half of Gang Starr, DJ Premier is one of the most crucial figures in hip-hop. No more than three producers (Dr. Dre, RZA, and Prince Paul) can test Premier's status as the most important trackmaster of the '90s, and no style is more distinctive. Aggressive and raw, a Premier track is an instantly recognizable soundclash of battling loops and heavy scratching -- all of them perfectly timed -- that evokes the sound of Brooklyn better than anyone else. Besides helming Gang Starr's seven albums, including the remarkable sequence of Step in the Arena (1991), Daily Operation (1992), and Hard to Earn (1994), Premier has productions on many of the East Coast's other important records of the '90s, such as 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. In the following decades, Premier attained his highest level of pop success -- scoring a Top Ten hit with Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" (2006) -- while continuing to power the nationwide rap underground. Prolific throughout his career, Premier continues to lengthen his production discography with veteran and up-and-coming rappers alike. He has recorded extensively with Bumpy Knuckles (2012's Kolexxxion) and Royce da 5'9" (2014's PRhyme and 2018's PRhyme 2) while unloading occasional solo projects (2022's Hip Hop 50, Vol. 1) and co-billed releases (2023's 2 Sides to Every Story with Teflon and Jazimoto). Collaborative singles with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Russ, and Lil Wayne appeared in 2024.

From 🇺🇸 United States