Oladipo Omishore, known professionally as Dot da Genius is an American
record producer and
audio engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
from
Brooklyn,
New York City. He first gained recognition in 2008 for producing "
Day 'n' Nite" by American musician
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
, with whom he is a longtime friend and frequent collaborator; the two would later form a
rock band
A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
in 2010, known as
WZRD.
Engaged in various entrepreneurial pursuits, Omishore launched his own trans-media company HeadBanga Muzik Group which has collaborated with numerous brands and labels, such as: Universal Music Group, BMG, Nike, and Splice. His
production has been featured on albums by several prominent artists in the music industry, including
Nas,
Kanye West,
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 in middle America and is critically acclai ...
,
Denzel Curry,
Lil Nas X,
JID,
6LACK, and
Jhené Aiko
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American singer who embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in several music videos for R&B group B2K. In an effort to promote Aiko and cultivate a following for he ...
,
among others.
[Paul Tingen, "Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Dot Da Genius".](_blank)
SOS.
Life and career
1986–2005: Early life
Oladipo Omishore is from the
Brooklyn borough of
New York City. He is of
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba consti ...
(
Nigerian) heritage.
His parents always encouraged his interest in music, and at the age of seven, his father sent him to the Brooklyn Music School for
piano lessons, where he studied with Tom Coote. Omishore preferred playing the guitar, but learning how to play a
keyboard instrument was very beneficial later in life when he started producing. He attended
Polytechnic Institute of New York University in New York, where he studied
electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
and graduated in 2009.
2006–2009: Career beginnings and producing for Kid Cudi
Omishore began his career in sound-mixing in 2003 at New York University by using
Image-Line's
FL Studio
FL Studio (previously known as FruityLoops before 2003) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line.
FL Studio features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. The program is avail ...
program. In 2004, Omishore created a studio in his basement with equipment bought by his parents and would later call it "Head Banga Muzik Studios." After gaining attention for his production, he decided to change locations to the Brewery Recording Studio. In May 2009, Da Genius partnered up with Andrew Krivonos, owner of Brewery Recording Studio, and helped move the studio to North Brooklyn in a new facility.
Omishore and
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...
met in 2006, and they lived together for two years. Both artists found a genuine liking for one another, and chose to work with each other on several music productions. "Day N' Nite" turned out to be the biggest hit production that both of them worked on together, with Omishore providing the beats and Cudi rapping and singing over the music. He produced the song in Head Banga Muzik Studios, and used several different methods of mixing and synthesizing the beats on this track. The song took a total of two days to complete, from the
instrumental being made to the track's final arrangements. No edits were made after that two-day process ended. It was finished in 2007 and became popular two years later, in 2009.
"Day N' Nite" reached the top three in the
United States and the
United Kingdom.
It was released under the labels
GOOD Music,
Fool's Gold Records,
Universal Motown Records, and
Data Records
Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio.
...
. It is featured on the album ''
Man on the Moon: The End of Day''.
2010–2018: WZRD
WZRD is Omishore and Kid Cudi's collaboration
alternative rock band. Kid Cudi focuses on the vocals, while Omishore is responsible for the production.
[Jesse Fairfax, "WZRD (Kid Cudi x Dot Da Genius)"](_blank)
, HiphopDX, February 28, 2012. Together, they produced a self-made album titled WZRD. Much of their inspiration behind the album came from their love for Nirvana, The Pixies, and Pink Floyd.
They recorded much of the album in either their tour bus while they were on the road, or Cudi's basement studio in
Hollywood Hills. This album contained absolutely no profanity, including the "n word" that many rappers loosely use. The album was first released on February 28, 2012. It reportedly sold 70,499 copies in its opening week. Although Cudi finds the marketing and promotion of the album weak by
Universal Music Group, it landed the number three spot on the album sales chart. Universal Music Group also allegedly under-shipped copies of the album. While "Dose of Dopeness" was released prior to the release of WZRD, it was not featured on the album.
2018–present: Solo debut album
In 2018, Omishore and Woodro Skillson announced the signing of James Japan to their label, HeadBanga Muzik Group.
In 2020, Omishore scored his first number-one hit single on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, when "
The Scotts," a collaborative effort between Cudi and his protege
Travis Scott, debuted at the top spot in the US chart.
On June 24, 2022, Omishore released "Talk About Me", the lead single from his upcoming solo debut album. The song features vocals from American rappers Kid Cudi,
Denzel Curry, and
JID. In July 2022, ''
Complex'' interviewed Omishore on his upcoming debut album.
Artistry
Musical style
Omishore is a
self-taught music producer and engineer.
Influences
Among Omishore’s favorite albums of all time are
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
's ''
The Dark Side of the Moon'',
Dr. Dre's ''
The Chronic'',
Outkast's ''
ATLiens'', and
Coldplay's ''
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends''.
Personal life
Omishore has one daughter, from a previous relationship. In September 2014, American singer-songwriter
Jhené Aiko
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American singer who embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in several music videos for R&B group B2K. In an effort to promote Aiko and cultivate a following for he ...
, revealed she and Omishore were in a relationship. The two revealed their marriage in March 2016.
[ On August 9, 2016, Jhené Aiko filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized in October 2017.]
Discography
Soundtrack albums
Singles
Production discography
Awards and nominations
BET Hip Hop Awards
Grammy Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
mtvU Woodie Awards
Filmography
* ''A Man Named Scott
''A Man Named Scott'' is a 2021 documentary film centered on American musician and actor Scott Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi. Directed by Robert Alexander, it was released on Amazon Prime Video on November 5, 2021. The title of the film, whi ...
'' (2021) - Himself
References
External links
*
*
Dot da Genius
on Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dot Da Genius
1986 births
Living people
21st-century American musicians
American hip hop record producers
American rock musicians
East Coast hip hop musicians
Musicians from Brooklyn
Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni
American people of Yoruba descent
Yoruba musicians
American people of Nigerian descent
21st-century Nigerian musicians
American male pianists
21st-century American keyboardists
21st-century American pianists
Record producers from New York (state)
21st-century American male musicians
African-American DJs
DJs from New York City
African-American record producers
WZRD (band) members
American male film score composers