Al Eaton (born Alfred Eaton; also known as Al "Baby Jesus" Eaton) is an American music producer,

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

, and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

based in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. He is known for his influential work in the

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

and rap genres, spanning from the late 1970s through the 2000s. Eaton is the owner of One Little Indian Studios and has been involved in numerous prominent projects in the industry.

Career

Eaton began his music career in the late 1970s. His early work established him as a significant player in the development of

West Coast hip-hop West Coast hip-hop is a regional genre of Hip-hop, hip-hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip-hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during th ...

. In the 1980s, Eaton made his mark on the hip-hop scene with pioneering work. He collaborated with

Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by his stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late ...

on seminal albums such as '' Life Is... Too $hort'' and '' Freaky Tales''. His innovative use of sampling and beat production helped define the sound of early West Coast rap. During the 1990s, Eaton continued to influence the genre with a diverse range of projects. Notable collaborations include Kid Rock's ''

Grits Sandwiches For Breakfast ''Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast'' is the debut studio album by American musician Kid Rock. Released on November 27, 1990 by Jive Records, the album is marked by a straightforward hip hop style, in contrast to the rock-oriented sound of his lat ...

'', as well as contributions to various No Limit Records releases. Eaton also worked with prominent artists like The Click,

Rappin' 4-Tay Anthony H. Forté (born March 2, 1968), known professionally as Rappin' 4-Tay, is an American rapper from San Francisco, California. Early life Anthony Forte was born March 2, 1968, and grew up in San Francisco's Fillmore District. He has a t ...

and

Spice 1 Robert Lee Greene Jr. (born July 2, 1970), better known by his stage name Spice 1 (an acronym for "Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash and Entertainment"), is an American rapper from Hayward, California. He began releasing albums in 1991, where he gained p ...

. In the 2000s, Eaton's career continued to flourish. He contributed to George Benson's ''Absolute Benson'' and worked with Spice 1 on ''The Last Dance''. Eaton operates One Little Indian Studios in Oakland, California, where he continues to be active in the music industry.

Discography

Eaton's discography includes a wide array of roles:{{Cite web , title=B.J. Eaton Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More ... , url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bj-eaton-mn0001764183#credits , access-date=2024-08-29 , website=AllMusic , language=en * Production: ''Life Is... Too $hort'' (Too Short), ''Grits Sandwiches For Breakfast'' (Kid Rock), ''Deep N2 The Game'' (E-40) * Technical Engineering: Contributions to albums like ''The Mail Man'' (Too Short) and various No Limit Records releases * Remix and Additional Contributions: Work on tracks for artists including Queen Latifah and Zhané

References

Living people 21st-century American songwriters 21st-century American engineers Year of birth missing (living people) Songwriters from California Rappers from Oakland, California American rappers