Dwayne Allen Abernathy Jr. (born July 17, 1976), known professionally as Dem Jointz, is an American record producer, songwriter and singer. He has been credited with production work for artists including

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

, Anderson .Paak,

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

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 ...

EXO Exo (; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay Zhang, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen (singer), Chen, Chanyeol, ...

, NCT,

Aespa Aespa ( ; , stylized in Letter case#All lowercase, all lowercase or as æspa) is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of four members: Karina (South Korean singer), Karina, Giselle (singer), Giselle, Winter ...

, and

Itzy Itzy (; Japanese language, Japanese: イッチ; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group consists of five members: Yeji (singer), Yeji, Lia (South Korean singer), Lia, Ryujin (rapper), Ryujin, Chae ...

, among others. He served as in-house talent for

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 ...

Aftermath Entertainment Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre in 1996. It operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed through Interscope Records. The label's roster includes artists ...

in 2015, during which he produced four tracks on Dre's third album, '' Compton'' (2015). That same year, he produced several tracks on

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

's ''Billboard'' 200-number one album, ''

Unbreakable Unbreakable may refer to: Books * ''Unbreakable'' (book), the 2017 autobiography of Australian tennis player Jelena Dokic * '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', the 2013 autobiography of singer Jenni Rivera Film and television * ''Unbreakable' ...

'' (2015). Since 2020, Abernathy has contributed production or backing vocals to West's albums ''

Donda ''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on August 29, 2021. The album features a broad range of guest performances from artists, including The Weeknd, Jay-Z, Maril ...

'' (2021) and ''

Donda 2 ''Donda 2'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It has also been described as a Demo (music), demo, having been released in an unfinished state with four songs on Kano Computing's Stem Player on February 23, 2022, with a ...

'' (2022), as well as on his 2020 single "

Nah Nah Nah "Nah Nah Nah" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. It was released for music download, digital download and streaming media, streaming through GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings, Def Jam on October 16, 2020. The song served as the "theme song" ...

". His record label, U Made Us What We Are, was founded in 2015 and has signed artists including Maryland-based rapper K.A.A.N., gospel singer

Keedron Bryant Keedron Bryant (born July 3, 2007) is an American singer. He is best known for his 2020 protest song, "I Just Wanna Live", which earned viral popularity following the murder of George Floyd. Life and career Keedron Bryant was born in Sicily, Ita ...

, and his spouse, singer Stalone. He formed the supergroup Read the PDF with fellow Aftermath producers,

Mr. Porter Denaun Montez Porter (born December 7, 1978), also known by the stage names Mr. Porter, Kon Artis, or Denaun, is an American rapper and record producer. He was a member of Detroit hip hop group D12. He has a close association with rapper Emin ...

and

Focus… Bernard Edwards Jr. (born November 6, 1972), known professionally as Focus..., is an American record producer from New York City. He gained major recognition upon signing with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment in 2002. During his tenure with the ...

in 2022. He has won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

from two nominations.

Early Life

Dem Jointz was Born on July 17, 1976, in

Compton, California Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...

. He was inclined to music at an early age, playing drums in his local church.

Career

Prior to fully committing to music, Dem Jointz worked at a telecommunications company. In 2005, he was unexpectedly fired, which motivated him to pursue music seriously. In 2015 he was recruited as an in-house producer for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. That same year, he contributed to four tracks on Dre’s d album Compton (2015), which featured an all-star lineup including Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem. In 2015, he also co-produced several tracks on Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Over the years, he went on to work with Kanye West, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Anderson , Paak, Eminem, and Brandy, among many others. His contributions to Kanye West’s Donda (2021) and Anderson, Paak’s Ventura (2019) earned him multiple Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards. Dem Jointz founded his own record label, U Made Us What We Are, in 2015. The label was created to support and develop emerging talent. Around the same time, Dem Jointz began making waves in the

K-pop K-pop (; an abbreviation of "Korean popular music") is a form of popular music originating in South Korea. It emerged in the 1990s as a form of youth subculture, with Korean musicians taking influence from Western Electronic dance music, danc ...

industry. His first major K-pop placement came with Red Velvet’s " Don’t U Wait No More" from their debut studio album, The Red (2015). The success of the track resulted in collaborations with

SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...

, leading to a long-term partnership with the powerhouse label. He produced major hits for

NCT 127 NCT 127 () is the first fixed and second overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT (group), NCT, formed and managed by SM Entertainment. They originally debuted on July 7, 2016, with their debut extended play ''NCT 127 (EP), NCT#127'', ...

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...

, TXT, and

IVE Ive or IVE may refer to: Music * Ive (group), a South Korean girl group * I've Sound (aka "I've"), a Japanese musical group People * Ive (given name), a Croatian and Slovenian given name * Bert Ive (1875–1939), British-born Australian cinema ...

. EXO’s "Obsession" was named K-Pop Song of the Year by Billboard, while Aespa’s "Supernova" dominated the charts for 11 weeks at No. 1 and won Song of the Year at the Korean

MAMA Awards The MAMA Awards (, formerly Mnet Asian Music Awards) is a major Music award, music awards ceremony presented annually by entertainment company CJ ENM. First held in South Korea, the majority of prizes have been won by K-pop artists, although ...

Producer tag

Abernathy's productions can be identified by his "Incoming!"

producer tag A producer tag (sometimes simply called a tag) is the element of a song, typically at the beginning of it, inserted there by the song's producer – a short sound meant to familiarize the listener with who is responsible for the production of the ...

, which can be heard in the beginning of his productions—namely

's "

". He also uses the tag "Now, the breakdown" before the bridge of many songs, including

Taeyeon Kim Tae-yeon (; born March 9, 1989), known mononymously as Taeyeon, is a South Korean singer. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one ...

's " Something New" and Lee Chaeyeon's "Hush Rush".

Personal life

On November 6, 2021, Dem Jointz announced on Instagram that he's engaged to his partner, Stalone, a Grammy-winning vocalist.

Discography

Awards and recognition

Grammy Awards

62nd Annual Grammy Awards The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 26, 2020, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from October 1, 2018, to August 31, 2019. Ali ...
(2020)

* Winner –

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the Contemporary R&B, R&B mus ...

– Ventura (Anderson. Paak) – em Jointz contributed to "Reachin’ 2 Much"

64th Annual Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...
(2022)

Sources: * Winner – Best Rap Song – "

Jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

" (Kanye West ft. Jay-Z) * Nominee – Album of the Year –

(Kanye West)

Emmy Awards

* Awarded to the Aftermath production crew: Dr. Dre, Fredwreck, Dem Jointz, Focus…, Blu2th, and Trevor Lawrence, Jr.

Billboard Honors

* 2019: K-Pop Song of the Year – "

Obsession Obsession may refer to: Psychology * Celebrity worship syndrome, obsessive addictive disorder to a celebrity's personal and professional life * Obsession (psychology), a persistent attachment to an object or idea * Fixation (psychology), persist ...

" (EXO)

Korean Music Awards

* 2024: Song of the Year – "Supernova" (AESPA, 11 weeks at #1 on Korean charts)

References

External links

Dem Jointz credits on AllMusic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jointz, Dem 1976 births Living people American male musicians Record producers from California Songwriters from California Musicians from Compton, California American male songwriters