Kevin Gilliam (born April 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Battlecat, is an American

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. Hip- ...

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

and DJ from

South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown. It is de ...

, California.

Biography

He started out as a battle DJ, notably competing in the 1988 New Music Seminar DJ Battle for World Supremacy and the 1990 DMC US Mixing Finals, both in NYC. He is well known for producing artists such as

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American rapper and singer. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals on several hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning him the ...

, The Game,

Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "''exhibit''), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, radio personality, and record executive. He began his musical career in 1992, ...

and

Tha Eastsidaz Tha Eastsidaz is a hip hop duo consisting of Tray Deee and Goldie Loc put together by Snoop Dogg, who often featured on their songs. Their first appearance was on Tommy Boy Records ''Ride'' soundtrack with Crooked Eye Q on a Battlecat-produce ...

, along with a number of other West Coast rappers and artists. Battlecat has also produced a number of noted R&B artists, including

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...

Brian McKnight Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...

, Tyrese and Jon B.. His aesthetic is a progression from the early-'90s

G-Funk G-funk, short for gangsta funk, (or funk rap) is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre is heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic (aka P-F ...

sound pioneered by Above the Law and

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

, characterized by fat synth bass lines and soulful keys, as well as the occasional use of a vocoder/talk box revolutionized by the late

Roger Troutman Roger Lynch Troutman Jr. (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999), also known simply as Roger, was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the founder of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the funk movement and infl ...

. He is also the concert DJ for

. As a youth he was a member of the Neighborhood Rollin 60s crip, because of this he has also produced instrumentals for the 1993 album "Bangin' on Wax" by rap collaboration Bloods & Crips, which went Gold. In 2009, Battlecat produced a special song called "A Soldier Never Dies", dedicated to fallen Marine, Anthony Vargas. Battlecat is a DJ member of The Worldwide DJ organization, The Core DJs. The music video was directed by Paolo Ongkeko and produced by Don Le. One of the video's leads was portrayed by Sonny Ayon.

Discography

*1988: "D.J. N-Effect" *1999: ''Gumbo Roots'' *2009: ''G' & Sexy Vol. 1'' *2013: South Central Funktion

References

External links

* American hip-hop record producers Businesspeople from Los Angeles American hip-hop DJs Living people Maverick Records artists Record producers from Los Angeles Crips 1968 births {{US-hiphop-bio-stub