Da Beatminerz are a hip-hop production crew from

Bushwick, Brooklyn Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland ...

, and are known for their dark, gritty sound that is very popular with the underground hip-hop scene.Allmusic
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History

The crew, originally composed of brothers Mr. Walt (born June 2, 1968) and DJ Evil Dee (born May 24, 1971), formed in 1992, making their production debut with Evil Dee's group

Black Moon Black Moon may refer to: * Black moon, one of four astronomical events involving new or dark moons * Black Moon (person) (c. 1821–1893), Lakota (American Indian) headman * Black Moon or Lilith (hypothetical moon), a hypothetical natural satelli ...

, on its debut single, "Who Got Da Props?" The duo produced the entirety of Black Moon's acclaimed debut album, ''

Enta Da Stage ''Enta da Stage'' is the debut album by American East Coast hip hop group Black Moon, released on October 19, 1993, through Nervous Records. The album was produced by Black Moon member DJ Evil Dee along with Mr. Walt of Da Beatminerz. ''Enta da S ...

'', in 1993, then continued production work with Black Moon's

Buckshot A shotgun shell, shotshell or simply shell is a type of rimmed, cylindrical (straight-walled) cartridges used specifically in shotguns, and is typically loaded with numerous small, pellet-like spherical sub-projectiles called shot, fired thro ...

and his crew

Boot Camp Clik Boot Camp Clik is an American hip hop supergroup from Brooklyn, New York City, which is composed of Buckshot (of Black Moon), Smif-N-Wessun ( Tek and Steele), Heltah Skeltah (Rock and Sean Price) and O.G.C. (Starang Wondah, Top Dog, and Louiev ...

. In 1995, along with its third official member, Baby Paul, the group produced the entirety of Smif-N-Wessun's debut album, ''

Dah Shinin' ''Dah Shinin is the debut studio album by American East Coast hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun. It was released on January 10, 1995 via Wreck/Nervous Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York City. Production was handled by Da B ...

''. It continued work with fellow Boot Camp members

Heltah Skeltah Heltah Skeltah was an American hip hop duo which consisted of rappers Jahmal "Rock" Bush and Sean "Ruck" Price. The two were also members of New York supergroup Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C. Biography He ...

and

O.G.C. O.G.C. (an initialism for Originoo Gunn Clappaz) is an American hip hop trio composed of members Starang Wondah, Top Dog and Louieville Sluggah. The group is mostly known through their membership in the Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smi ...

in 1996, contributing multiple beats for their respective debuts, ''

Nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

'' and ''

Da Storm ''Da Storm'' is the first studio album by American hip hop trio Originoo Gunn Clappaz. It was released on October 29, 1996 through Duck Down/Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at Chung King Studios, at D&D Studios, at Platinum Islan ...

''. In the late 1990s, da Beatminerz expanded its client list, producing popular hip hop artists such as Afu-Ra,

Black Star Black Star or Blackstar may refer to: Astronomy *Black star (semiclassical gravity), a theoretical star built using semiclassical gravity as an alternative to a black hole *Saturn, referred to as "Black Star" in ancient Judaeic belief Literature ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing Hip hop music, hip hop in Middle America (United Sta ...

, Flipmode Squad, M.O.P.,

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternati ...

Mic Geronimo Michael Craig McDermon (born September 14, 1973, in Queens, New York), better known by his stage name Mic Geronimo, is an American rapper who was acquainted with Irv Gotti of Murder Inc. Gotti and his brother met Mic Geronimo at a Queens high ...

, and O.C. Also in 1996, they appeared on the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

's compilation CD, '' America is Dying Slowly'', alongside

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

, and

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

, among many other prominent hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The

Source magazine ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

. By 2001, the crew expanded to five members, with producers Rich Blak and Chocolate Ty joining Baby Paul, Evil Dee, and Mr. Walt. That year, the group released its debut album, ''Brace 4 Impak'', on popular independent label

Rawkus Records Rawkus Records was an American hip hop record label known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustrial (Dystopia One). Label heads Brian Brater and Jarret Myer then si ...

, featuring guest appearances from

Royce Da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, a ...

Ras Kass John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is also a member of the ...

Diamond D Joseph Kirkland (born April 5, 1968), better known by his stage name Diamond D, is an American hip hop MC and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, and one of the founding members of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew, abbreviated as D.I.T. ...

, Cocoa Brovaz,

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ ...

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

, Freddie Foxxx,

Jean Grae Tsidi Ibrahim (born November 26, 1976), known professionally as Jean Grae (formerly What? What?), is an American rapper from Manhattan, New York City. Jean rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has built an international f ...

, and Naughty by Nature. The album's lead single, "Take That," became a hip hop hit in 2001, hitting the Top 5 on the

Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stati ...

chart. By 2004, the crew narrowed back to its original members, Evil Dee and Mr. Walt, and the duo released its second album, ''Fully Loaded w/ Statik'', on Copter Records. In the new millennium, the group has crafted beats for artists such as

Akrobatik Jared Bridgeman, better known by his stage name Akrobatik, is an American rapper from the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He is also a part of the hip hop collective named The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif and DJ Fakts One, whic ...

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in ...

, Craig G,

Dilated Peoples Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. They have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song " This Way", a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West. Better known in the UK, they reached t ...

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

, Naughty By Nature, Smif-N-Wessun, and Wordsworth. Currently, Da Beatminerz are running their own

internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...

station. They are currently set to produce the entirety of Black Moon's next LP, 'Dark Side Of The Moon'.

Discography

Albums

* ''

Brace 4 Impak ''Brace 4 Impak'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop production team Da Beatminerz. It was released in 2001 via Rawkus Records, and was produced entirely by Da Beatminerz. The album featured guest appearances from Apani B, Black Moon, ...

'' (2001,

) * '' Fully Loaded w/ Statik'' (2004, Copter Records) * '' Unmarked Music Vol. 1'' (2007, Raw Deal Records) * '' Rah Deluxe (2022, Supremacist ) Single

Production

References

External links

Bushwick’s Finest: Forgotten Heroes of the Brooklyn Hip Hop
Red Bull Music Academy

on Andrew Meza's BTS Radio
Dox: BEAT DIGGIN´
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatminerz, Da African-American musical groups African-American record producers American hip hop record producers Boot Camp Clik Five percenters Hip hop groups from New York City Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups from Brooklyn Record production duos Record producers from New York (state)