Craig Stephen Lawson (born July 15, 1969), known professionally as KLC, is an American record producer, DJ, and
drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums.
Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...
. He found fame as a member of
No Limit Records
No Limit Records is an American record company founded by Master P. The label's albums were distributed by Priority Records, Universal and Koch Records. The label included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Mercedes, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mi ...
' in-house production team
Beats by the Pound
The Medicine Men (or Beats by the Pound) are a New Orleans, Louisiana-based American music production team made up of KLC, Mo B. Dick, Craig B, Carlos Stephens, DJ Daryl, and O'Dell.
The collective helped sell 30 million records for Master P' ...
. Since leaving the label, he has been a member of the Medicine Men and has his own record label Overdose Entertainment aka Overdose Empire.
Early years
Lawson grew up in the
Melpomene Projects
The Melpomene Projects, officially called the Gustavo Apartments or The Guste Homes, and colloquially The Melph, are a housing complex located in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans.
The complex occupies ten city blocks, bounded roug ...
Third Ward. His father was a saxophonist, and KLC took up music as well. Nicknamed the Drum major even before he joined the band at Green Middle School, KLC became strongly attached to the cadences of the marching band's snare-the sound would later influence his hip-hop beats.
In high school, KLC got into
breakin'
''Breakin (also known as ''Breakdance'' in the United Kingdom and ''Break Street '84'' in other regions) is a 1984 American breakdancing-themed musical film directed by Joel Silberg and written by Charles Parker and Allen DeBevoise based on ...
, one of his rivals being Michael "
Mystikal
Michael Lawrence Tyler (born September 22, 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper.
Early life and education
Tyler grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana's 12th Ward. His father, who ran a small neighborhood store, d ...
Mike" Tyler. Tyler would ultimately become a long-term musical associate.
After graduating high school, KLC and his friend Dartanian "MC Dart" Stovall started recording in a makeshift studio in the basement with
Roland TR-808
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patte ...
drum machine of KLC's home. Both had full-time, hourly jobs and one day decided to quit their jobs and devote their time to making music. They pooled their last paychecks and completed their first cassette. From these modest means, the teens established Parkway Pumpin' Records.
Parkway Pumpin'
On Parkway Pumpin' there were no contracts, and artists including KLC himself often simultaneously worked at other labels. In 1994, KLC played keyboards and 39 Posse produced EXD's No Elevation for In the House Records.
Mystikal
Michael Lawrence Tyler (born September 22, 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper.
Early life and education
Tyler grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana's 12th Ward. His father, who ran a small neighborhood store, d ...
recorded his debut album with Big Boy Records, where KLC also produced a track for veteran
Soulja Slim
James Adarryl Tapp Jr. (September 9, 1977 – November 26, 2003), better known by his stage name Soulja Slim, was an American rapper and songwriter. He is perhaps best known for featuring on the U.S. number one hit "Slow Motion".
Early life
Jam ...
recorded The Dark Side EP (produced by KLC and featuring 6 Shot) at Hype Enough.
Fiend
Fiend may refer to:
* An evil spirit or demon in religion or mythology
* A person addicted to either a pernicious act, a cause, a hobby or sport
Music
* ''Fiends'' (album), by Christian post-hardcore band Chasing Victory
* Fiend (rapper) (born ...
followed Mystikal to Big Boy Records and recorded his debut album on that label.
Discography
From 1988 to present, KLC is credited (solo and with other
Medicine Men
A medicine man is a traditional healer and spiritual leader among the indigenous people of the Americas.
Medicine Man or The Medicine Man may also refer to:
Films
* ''The Medicine Man'' (1917 film), an American silent film directed by Clifford ...
team members) on close to 300 studio recordings covering over 100 studio albums. Lawson's
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
accolades include eighteen gold albums, twelve platinum albums, four double-platinum albums, two triple-platinum albums, and one quadruple-platinum album as well as two gold singles, two platinum singles and one double-platinum single. Lawson has two Grammy nominations, both at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album (''
Word of Mouf
''Word of Mouf'' is the second studio album by American rapper Ludacris; it was released on November 27, 2001, by Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. It contains the singles, "Rollout (My Business)", "Area Codes", "Move Bitch", and "Saturda ...
'' by
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
and ''
Tarantula
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
'' by
Mystikal
Michael Lawrence Tyler (born September 22, 1970), better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper.
Early life and education
Tyler grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana's 12th Ward. His father, who ran a small neighborhood store, d ...
)Grammy Nominations"> and two BMI Awards - one for the hit single ''
Move Bitch
"Move Bitch" (marketed as "Move B***h" or simply "Move") is the fourth official single from American rapper Ludacris' album '' Word of Mouf''. The single features American rappers Mystikal and I-20. The single reached number 10 on the ''Billbo ...
'' (by
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
) and one for the associated album ''
Word of Mouf
''Word of Mouf'' is the second studio album by American rapper Ludacris; it was released on November 27, 2001, by Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. It contains the singles, "Rollout (My Business)", "Area Codes", "Move Bitch", and "Saturda ...
''. Finally on March 5, 2021 KLC drops his solo album The Drummajor Pt.1 under Overdose Empir