Dame Grease
Dame Grease | |
---|---|
Birth name | Damon Blackman |
Also known as | Damon "Grease" Blackman, Grease |
Born | Harlem, New York City, New York, United States |
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Composer, record producer, record executive |
Instruments | Korg keyboard, sampler |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | Vacant Lot Records, Lotmusik, Babygrande Records |
Associated acts | Ruff Ryders, The LOX, DMX, Max B, Swizz Beatz, DJ King Assassin, Riff Raff |
Website | www.damegrease.com |
Damon Blackman (born 1973),[1] professionally known as Dame Grease, is an American record producer from Harlem, New York City.[2]
Music career
1996–2006:Career beginnings and Vacant Lot
Grease has produced several artists throughout his career. He has worked extensively with East Coast hip hop group, The LOX. Their use of Grease's sounds helped them acquire the street buzz that landed them their deal on Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records in 1996. Grease produced several songs on LOX's debut album, Money, Power & Respect, including the hit We'll Always Love Big Poppa.[3][4] He was a producer on fellow Bad Boy artist Mase's quadruple platinum album Harlem World (1997). This led to Grease's work as the primary producer on DMX's debut It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998),[1][5] producing thirteen of its nineteen tracks.[3] With this project Grease helped Ruff Ryders Entertainment build its image. During this time, Grease mentored Bronx-bred disc jockey Swizz Beatz, who soon became another sample-free producer.
Dame Grease then landed a deal with Priority Records to release music through his own label, Vacant Lot,[1] despite offers to be one of Puff Daddy's legendary Hitmen[1] or an in-house producer on Ruff Ryders.
In 2001 Dame Grease began composing music, providing the score for the Steven Seagal/DMX blockbuster Exit Wounds, as well as for the 2003 box-office hit, Cradle 2 the Grave, starring Jet Li, DMX, Gabrielle Union, and Anthony Anderson, and for Never Die Alone (2004).[3][6]
Dame Grease also teamed up with DMX on the "Ain't No Sunshine" soundtrack, a remake of Bill Withers 1972 classic of the same name.
Grease put in work on several music projects throughout 2004 and 2005, including albums from LL Cool J, Kelis, DJ Kay Slay, DJ Envy, Slick Rick, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and an artist on Dr. Dre's Aftermath label named Aimee Terrin. Grease also kept the underground bubbling with "Crown Me", a collaboration between T.I., Cam’ron, and Juelz Santana. In 2006, Dame Grease produced "Life Be My Song", a track on DMX’s sixth studio album Year of the Dog... Again.[7]
2007–present
After a break in the mid-2000s, Grease reemerged in 2007, securing DJ Drama's lead-off "Takin’ Pictures" (featuring Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Jim Jones, T.I., and Young Buck) and Freeway’s single Big Spender (featuring Jay-Z).[1] Grease also produced several tracks on Hell Rell's debut album For The Hell Of It.[1]
In 2009, Dame Grease produced the track "Lamborghini Dreams" for Curren$y which was to have been included on Curren$y's This Aint No Mixtape: (Championship Edition) but which was never released.[8]
In a 2010 radio interview, Dame discussed projects with The LOX, DMX and his Max B project, pairing Max with unreleased verses from Notorious B.I.G. and 2 Pac.[9] In that year he also collaborated with Magix Music Maker, a software, online services and digital content provider, to create a signature software called the Grease-A-Lizer (MAGIX Music Maker Greasealizer Version), which allows users to create their own tracks using "customized loops and keyboard samples" produced by Dame Grease.[1][6] The product was released March 15, 2010.[10]
Since 2010, Dame Grease has been producing French Montana.[1][6] Dame launched Lot Musik Recording Studio dedicated to fostering young talent.[3]
Dame released his own album, Goon Musik in 2011. It includes the single, "Sour Diesel," which features N.O.R.E. and Styles P. Meeno, Bigga Threat and Tony Wink provided vocals for the album.[3] Dame was executive producer on DMX's seventh studio album, Undisputed, which was released in September 2012.[6]
In 2013 Dame Grease has started working with the "New Outlaw Order" a Faction of 2pac's Outlawz ( Makaveli Records/ Thug Life 365). In 2014 Dame Grease had started working with outlaw order members Outlaw muszamil and outlawed Misfit313, Outlawed misfit313 contract has expired in jan 1st of 2015 being picked up by vacant lot records (Dame Grease) and followed up with the album "The Uprising' Produced by Dame grease and Niamson Released on 12-25-2015. Shortly after Outlawed Misfit313 launched his official website www.itsLOM.com in 2015. Prior to the releases under Vacant Lot Records Outlawed Misfit313 has numerous successful projects.
Discography
Albums
Mixtapes
- Goon Music 1.5 (The Doomship) (2008) with Max B
- Goon Music 2.OWWW (2009) with Max B and French Montana
- Dame Grease & JUiCY RNB Presents Tanya aka T6: "The Introduction (with Tanya T6) (2009)[14]
- Strip Club Music (2010)
- Wave Gang 4 (2010)[15]
- Hologram Panda (with Riff Raff) (2012)[16]
Scored soundtracks
- Turn It Up (New Line Home Entertainment 2000)
- "Ja Rule, Pras, Robert Adetuyi"
- Exit Wounds (Warner Home Video 2001) - Producer[3]
- "Steven Segal, DMX, Andrzej Bartkowiak"
- Cradle 2 the Grave (Warner Home Video 2003) - Producer[3]
- "Jet Li, DMX, Andrzej Bartkowiak"
- Never Die Alone ( Fox Home Entertainment 2004)
- "DMX, David Arquette, Ernest R. Dickerson"
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cornish, Melanie (4 March 2011). "Producer's Corner: Dame Grease". Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. "Biography: Dame Grease". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strickland, Khalid J. (12 April 2011). "Rap maestro Dame Grease comes off slick with a hot new album". Amsterdam News. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ↑ Harling, Danielle (19 March 2010). "Dame Grease To Serve As Executive Producer On LOX Album". Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ↑ Drake, David; Macready, Marty (18 July 2013). "The 25 Best Max B songs". Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 Reid, Shaheem. "Mixtape Mondays: Dame Grease When not busy blessing feature-film circuit with hip-hop-based scores, Dame Grease acts as vanguard for what's good in the 'hood". Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ↑ Watkins, Greg (7 August 2006). "Year Of The Dog, Again". Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ↑ "Curren$y - Lamborghini Dreams (prod. Dame Grease)". 1 July 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ↑ "Dame Grease interview 2010 - DMX, The Lox and Max B". Conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com. 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ↑ "MAGIX Music Maker Greasealizer Version – Your own beat maker". Magix.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ↑ Matt Conaway (2000-07-18). "Live on Lenox Ave. - Dame Grease | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ↑ "Dame Grease - Dame Grease's "Live On Lenox Ave." The Album (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ↑ "Live on Lenox: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ↑ "TANYA AKA T6 - The Introduction Of T6 Hosted by JUiCY RNB , DJ BENIHANA // Free Mixtape @". Datpiff.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ↑ Life, Lavish (2010-02-03). "Dame Grease & DJ Delz - Wave Gang 4 - lexlevi.com". Lexlevi.ning.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
- ↑ "Riff Raff & Dame Grease - Hologram Panda // Free Mixtape @". Datpiff.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
External links
- Official website
- Official soundcloud
- Official Wave Gang website
- Dame Grease at AllMusic
- Damon "Grease" Blackman discography at Discogs