K-Def (full name Kevin Hansford) (born June 17, 1970) is an American,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

based, hip hop producer/ DJ who has been actively involved in the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, trai ...

since the early 1990s. He has recently produced music for

artists An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the ...

such as

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...

and

Puff Daddy Puff may refer to: Science and technology * Puff, a small quantity of gas or smoke in the air ** Puff, a light gust of wind ** Exhalation ** Inhalation * Puff model, volcanic ash tracking model developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks ...

. K-Def earned critical praise early in his career for his work with

Marley Marl Marlon Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. Marlon grew up in Queensbridge housing projects ...

on the

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'' Here Come the Lords'' by the hip hop group

Lords of the Underground The Lords of the Underground (L.O.T.U.G.) is an American hip-hop trio based in Newark, New Jersey. The group is composed of Dupré Kelly (professionally known as DoItAll) (born January 14, 1971), Al'Terik Wardrick (professionally known as Mr. F ...

. Among the songs from that album that benefited from K-Def's production work include the hits " Funky Child" and "

Chief Rocka "Chief Rocka" is the third single released from the Lords of the Underground's debut album, ''Here Come the Lords''. The song was produced and featured scratches by K-Def, with K-Def and Marley Marl mixing it. "Chief Rocka" became the group's most ...

Biography

K-Def was also member of the duo Real Live, which released one album ''The Turnaround: A Long Awaited Drama'' on

Big Beat Big beat is an electronic music genre that usually uses heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns – common to acid house/techno. The term has been used by the British music industry to describe music by artists such as t ...

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...

in 1996. "Real Live Shit (Remix)" featured

Cappadonna Darryl Hill, better known by his stage name Cappadonna, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip-hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan and is a member of the rap group Theodore Unit together with Ghostface Killah. Career Cappadonna (also known ...

Killa Sin Jeryl Grant (born April 2, 1976) better known by his stage name Killa Sin is considered the best-known member of Killarmy and is regarded as one of the most skilled Wu-Tang Clan affiliates. Biography ''Killa Sin'' has appeared on gold and platin ...

and

Lord Tariq Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz were an American hip hop duo, composed of rappers Sean "Lord Tariq" Hamilton and Peter "Peter Gunz" Pankey, from The Bronx, New York. They are best known for their 1997 single " Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)", which reached th ...

. In April 2018,

Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was original ...

issued a digital download of the album. K-Def is mostly known for his blues-soul sampling style. While the majority of his early-mid 1990s productions were produced using the Akai MPC sampler/sequencer, around 1997 he started incorporating computers into his work flow and now exclusively uses a software based setup. In 2004 K-Def produced "Its Over" on the Ghostface Killah release ''The Pretty Toney Album''. He then contributed tracks to another Ghostface project, '' Theodore Unit'', and

Ol' Dirty Bastard Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known by his stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated as ODB), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily fr ...

's ''The Osirus Mixtape''. He was a contributor to Diddy's 2006 release ''Press Play,'' and, in 2007, he produced a track on

UGK UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, ''Too Hard to Swallow'', in 1992, followe ...

’s album ''Underground Kingz.'' In 2006, K-Def released an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...

album called ''Willie Boo Boo The Fool.'' The album was originally only available on CD and

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from viny ...

, but it was digitally re-released in 2008. In 2008, K-Def released a collaborative EP with the rapper Dacapo under the name the Program, which was titled ''The Article''.

Discography

Albums

*'' The Turnaround: A Long Awaited Drama'' (1996), (with Larry-O as Real Live) *''Willie Boo Boo The Fool'' (2006) *''The Article EP'' (2008), (with DaCapo as The Program) *''Beats From The 90's Vol. 1 '' (2008) *''Beats From The 90's Vol. 2 '' (2009) *''Gangster Instrumentals'' (2010) *''Night Shift'' (2011) *''One Man Band'' (2013) *''The Exhibit'' (2013) *''The Meeting EP'' (2013)

Production

''Reverse Chronological'' *

- ''

Underground Kingz ''Underground Kingz'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo UGK. The album was released on August 7, 2007, by Jive Records. The album includes collaborations with Z-RO, T.I., Talib Kweli, Rick Ross, Jazze Pha, Kool G Rap, Big Dadd ...

'' - "Next Up" - (Jive/SME) 2007 *

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 ...

– ''

Hip Hop Lives ''Hip Hop Lives'' is the collaborative studio album by American rapper KRS-One and record producer Marley Marl. It was released on May 22, 2007 via Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at House Of Hits in New York and at Westlake Recording ...

'' - "The Teacha" - (Koch) 2007 * Diddy- '' Press Play'' – "We Gon Make It" - (Bad Boy/Atlantic) 2006 *

El Da Sensei William E. Williams, also known as El Da Sensei is an American rapper from Newark, New Jersey. During the 1990s he was a member of the hip hop duo, Artifacts. Since then he has released several solo albums. In 2015, at The 14th Annual Indepen ...

– ''

The Unusual ''The Unusual'' is the second album by Artifacts member El Da Sensei. It was released on February 28, 2006 under Fat Beats Records. Background Tame and El's graf-rap was well received by underground audiences and continued in the New Jersey ra ...

'' – (Fat Beats) 2006 *

– '' Osirus'' – "Rock It Out" - (Sure Shot) 2005 **Who Can Make It Happen Like Dirt **High In The Clouds" **Pussy Keep Calling **Fuck Y'all * Theodore Unit – ''

718 __NOTOC__ Year 718 ( DCCXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 718 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...

'' – (Sure Shot) 2005 **Paychecks **Wicked With Lead **Pass The Mike *

– ''

The Pretty Toney Album ''The Pretty Toney Album'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Ghostface. The album was released on April 20, 2004, by Def Jam. It is the only album from the artist to be released solely under the title of "Ghostface" ("Killa ...

'' – It's Over – (Def Jam/IDJMG/Universal) 2004 *

Jayo Felony James Savage (born December 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Jayo Felony, is an American rapper from southeast San Diego, California. Career In 1994 Jayo Felony was signed to the label owned by Jam Master Jay from RUN DMC called Jam ...

– ''

Crip Hop ''Crip Hop'' is the fourth studio album by San Diego-based American rapper Jayo Felony. It was released on October 23, 2001 via American Music Corporation. The nineteen-track record was produced by DJ Battlecat, K-Def, Rick Rock, Soopafly, Ty Fyffe ...

'' - True'd Up (Remix) (Loco) 2002 *

– Bulletproof Love - True’d Up – (Motown/Universal) 2001 *

– ''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

'' – If You - 2000 *

– This Cold World – (not on label) 2000 *

Craig Mack Craig Jamieson Mack (May 10, 1971 – March 12, 2018) was an American rapper and record producer, and was famous during his tenure under Bad Boy Records. Early life and career Craig Jamieson Mack was born in The Bronx, New York, and raised on ...

– Please Listen To My Demo – (not on label) - 2000 * Artifacts– It's Gettin Hot (Remix) – (Big Beat/Atlantic) 1997 *

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 ...

– ''

Vendetta Vendetta may refer to: * Feud or vendetta, a long-running argument or fight Film * ''Vendetta'' (1919 film), a film featuring Harry Liedtke * ''Vendetta'' (1950 film), an American drama produced by Howard Hughes * ''Vendetta'' (1986 film), an ...

'' – For Tha Family – (TVT) 1998 *

World Renown In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the wor ...

– How Nice I Am – (Warner Bros., unreleased) 1995 *DE’1 – I’m Rather Unique - (Reprise/Warner Bros.) 1995 *A.D.O.R. – One for the Trouble – (Atlantic) 1994 *

Nonchalant Tanya Pointer, also known as Nonchalant ( born October 18, 1970) is an American female rapper, and songwriter from Washington, D.C. who was signed to MCA Records. Nonchalant is best known as Nassim for her hit single " 5 O'Clock", which peak ...

– 5 O’Clock (Remix) – (MCA) 1995 *

Shabba Ranks Shabba Ranks (born Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon; 17 January 1966) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throughout his prominence in his home cou ...

- Ting A Ling (REMIX) - '' Rough and Ready Volume 1'' (Epic/SME) - 1994 * Da Youngstas – '' No Mercy'' (East West America/Atlantic) – 1994 * **Mad Props **Backstabbers **Stayed Away **Illy Philly Funk **Reality *

– ''

Keepers of the Funk ''Keepers of the Funk'' is the second studio album by American hip hop group Lords of the Underground. It was released on November 1, 1994 via Pendulum Records. Recording sessions took place at House of Hitz in Chestnut Ridge, New York. Product ...

'' – (Pendulum/EMI) - 1994 **Steam From The Knot **What I'm After **No Pain **Frustrated **Faith **What I'm After (Remix) *

– '' Here Come the Lords'' – (Pendulum/Elektra) - 1993 **From The Bricks **Funky Child **Mad Skillz **Lotug **Lord Jazz Hit Me One Time **Chief Rocka *

Positive K Positive K (sometimes stylized as +K) (born Darryl Gibson on August 9, 1967) is an American MC and songwriter from the Bronx, New York City, New York, and one of the original artists of the First Priority Music camp. He is best known for his hit ...

- Ain't No Crime (K-Def DL Mix) - (Island/PolyGram) 1993 *Sah-B - Some Od' Sah-B Shit – (Reprise/Warner Bros.) 1994 *

Tragedy Khadafi Percy Lee Chapman (born August 13, 1971), known by his stage name Tragedy Khadafi (formerly Intelligent Hoodlum), is an American rapper and record producer. Chapman hails from the Queensbridge Housing Projects in Queens, New York City,Brown, Mar ...

– Street Life - Return of The Life (Remix) – (Tuff Break/A&M/PolyGram) - 1993 *

– '' Tragedy: Saga of a Hoodlum'' – (Tuff Break/A&M/PolyGram) - 1993 **Shalom A Leck **Pass The Teck **Uunderground **Funkmode **Grand Groove **Mad Brothas Know His Name *

Monie Love Simone Johnson or Simone Gooden (born 2 July 1970), better known by her stage name Monie Love, is a British rapper, actress and radio personality from London. Best known for her singles during the late–1980s through the 1990s, Monie Love curre ...

- In A Word Or Two – (Warner Bros.) - 1993 **There’s a Better Way **For da Children **Let a Woman be a Woman

References

{{Reflist

External links

K-Def's Official Website
Musicians from New Jersey American hip hop record producers 1970 births Living people Wu-Tang Clan affiliates