Keith Matthew Boxley (born January 2, 1962), better known as Keith Shocklee or Wizard K-Jee, is an American record producer and DJ. He was an original member of

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

and

the Bomb Squad The Bomb Squad were an American hip hop production team known for its work with hip hop group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad is noted for its dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. The ...

. He has contributed his talent to several albums including ''

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back ''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back'' is the second studio album by American Hip hop music, hip hop group Public Enemy, released on June 28, 1988, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. It was recorded from 1987 to 1988 in session ...

'' and ''

Fear of a Black Planet ''Fear of a Black Planet'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was released on April 10, 1990, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records, and produced by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expan ...

''. Shocklee also co-produced the singles " Bring the Noise” and "Fight The Power," which were included on

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

's list of the “500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.”

Early life

Shocklee was born and raised in

Roosevelt, New York Roosevelt (historically known as Greenwich and Rum Point) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 18,066 at the 20 ...

. He was a childhood friend of rappers

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped crea ...

and

Flavor Flav William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav (), is an American rapper and hype man. Known for his yells of "''Yeah, boyeeeeee!''" when performing, he rose to prominence as a founding member of the rap ...

."Power5 Worldwide",
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", 08-23-2011

Career

Shocklee began his career DJing at various parks, house parties and clubs in New York City during the early 1980s. He also cites Fatback Band's ""

King Tim III (Personality Jock) "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" is a 1979 song by the Fatback Band from the disco album ''XII''. Released on March 25, 1979, a few months before "Rapper's Delight" (which is widely regarded as the first commercially released hip hop song), th ...

" as the pioneering rap song that triggered his interest in recording. The Bomb Squad's first songs were produced in Shocklee's mother's basement and recorded on tape and

acetate An acetate is a salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. alkaline, earthy, metallic, nonmetallic or radical base). "Acetate" also describes the conjugate base or ion (specifically, the negatively charged ion called ...

. He has since gone on to work with the following recording artists:

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be p ...

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 choreog ...

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, '' The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want Wha ...

and many other big-name acts. September, 21 2021 Keith announced his own imprint Spectrum City Records and will be releasing new music.

Discography

The 7A3 The 7A3 was an American hip hop group based out of Los Angeles, California, United States, which released one album in 1988 called ''Coolin' in Cali''. It was originally composed of brothers Brett and Sean Bouldin, and DJ Muggs, who later achie ...

* Coolin' in Cali (1988)

Walking with a Panther ''Walking with a Panther'' is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist LL Cool J, released June 9, 1989, on Def Jam Recordings. Background While his previous album ''Bigger and Deffer'' (1987) was produced by The L.A. Posse, ...

(1989)

3rd Bass 3rd Bass was an American hip hop group that was active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Formed by MC Serch, Pete Nice, and DJ Richie Rich, the group was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip hop acts. Along with Be ...

The Cactus Album ''The Cactus Al/Bum'' (also known as ''The Cactus Cee/D'' and ''The Cactus Cas/Ette'' depending on release format) is the debut album by hip hop trio 3rd Bass, released on Def Jam Recordings on November 10, 1989. The album received positive rev ...

(1989)

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograp ...

* Cold Hearted Quiverin' (1989)

* Welcome to the Terrordome (1989) * Fight the Power (1989) *

(1990) *

He Got Game ''He Got Game'' is a 1998 American sports drama film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington and Ray Allen. The film revolves around Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington), father of the top-ranked basketball pro ...

(1998) K-9 Posse * It Gets No Deeper (1989)

Young Black Teenagers Young Black Teenagers (YBT) was an American hip hop group from Long Island, New York that consisted of ATA, First Born, Tommy Never, Kamron, and DJ Skribble. Despite their name, none of the group's members were black. YBT had the support of ...

* Nobody Knows Kelli / Proud to be Black (1990) *

(1991) * Roll with the Flavor (1993) * Dead Endz Kidz Doin' Lifetime Bidz (1993)

Bell Biv DeVoe Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts, formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe. The band is best known for their debut album, the multi-pl ...

Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

(1990) * BBD (I Thought It Was Me)? (1990) * Let Me Know Something?! (1991)

* AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990) Son Of Bazerk * Change the Style (1991)

Debelah ''Debelah'' is the first album by American singer Debelah Morgan. It was released in the United States by Atlantic Records on June 14, 1994. Atlantic Records released the album in the United States and Japan. It includes two singles: "Take It ...

* Free (1994) Film & Television Soundtracks *

House Party A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...

(1990) *

Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such ...

(1991) *

Mo' Money ''Mo' Money'' is a 1992 American comedy -drama film directed by Peter Macdonald, and written by Damon Wayans, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Stacey Dash, Joe Santos, John Diehl, Harry Lennix, Bernie Mac (in his film debut), ...

(1992) * The Meteor Man (1993)

References

External links

Keith Shocklee's Myspace
*
DJ Keith Shocklee Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2020) {{DEFAULTSORT:Shocklee, Keith 1962 births Living people American hip hop record producers People from Roosevelt, New York American DJs Record producers from New York (state)