Dorsey Wesley, better known by his stage name Megahertz, is an American record producer, composer and songwriter. '' Vibe Magazine'' dubbed Megahertz one of music's "10 Most Valuable Producers", while

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...

ranked him on its list of the "Top 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Producers". Described by ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...

'' as a "Powerful Producer", Megahertz has enjoyed commercial success producing music for television, film, video games, mixtapes & songs that have been certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum. Associated with artists such as P. Diddy,

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 ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

, R. Kelly,

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

& ''Saturday Night Live's''

Robert Smigel Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object called a puppet to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The pup ...

– it has been said that Megahertz "..brings the wattage."

Early career

Megahertz is a native of Willingboro, New Jersey. He was raised in a "Christian household that didn't allow rap music." Trying to keep his passion hidden, he would get "extra church time" if his mom heard him rapping. Despite his rigid religious upbringing, Megahertz immersed himself in what his mother called "evil music". But as Megahertz admitted to ''

'', "Not being able to listen to music only made me want to hear it more." Tired of rapping over other people's beats, Megahertz began to purchase his own equipment and secretly keep it at his friend's house. Before long, producing music took precedence over rapping. One of his first breakthrough hits was " Bad Boy for Life". According to ''Vibe Magazine'', "...Megahertz's bionic rubber-band beat for 'Bad Boy for Life' put Diddy back in the winner's circle." Grammy nominatedpublisher=allcharts.org
/ref> and certified four times platinum, it was the second single from P. Diddy's '' The Saga Continues'', which peaked at number two on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40. The " Bad Boy for Life" music video featured cameo's by actor

Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known for his blend of slapstick humor and sharp wit, Stiller rose to fame through comedies such as ''There's Something About Mary'' (1998), ' ...

, rock drummer

Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician, songwriter, and music producer who is the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has collaborated with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Transplants ...

, NBA star

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

and others.

Commercial success

Described by ''

'' as a "powerful producer", Megahertz has enjoyed commercial success producing music for television, film, video games, mixtapes & songs that have been certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum. Associated with artists such as P. Diddy,

, R. Kelly,

& ''Saturday Night Live's''

– it has been said that Megahertz "..brings the wattage." Megahertz made history when he produced "Gotta Make It to Heaven" for the fourth highest selling U.S. rap album of all-time,

's ''

Get Rich or Die Tryin' ''Get Rich or Die Tryin'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Eminem's Shady Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After si ...

''. With over 12 million copies sold, it is on one of the best selling albums of the decade.

Production style

Music writer Raqiyah Mays wrote, "There's power in Megahertz's name: a million cycles per second, to be exact. And when you buy his beats it's as if that power electrocutes whomever he's working with, shocking them into accelerating their skills." Megahertz's genre-bending production style uses original composition, in combination with the occasional use of sampled sounds or songs, performed over programmed drums. One such track was the

single " Got Ur Self a Gun", which used "Woke Up This Morning" – the theme song from HBO's ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

''. Referencing the music Megahertz created around that sample,

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's Shaheed Reid wrote, "Megahertz molded pianos and strings that sound like they could've been played at the coronation ceremony for an 18th century king." Another example of his knack for reinterpreting popular music occurred when Megahertz created a track for

Tony Yayo Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978), better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends, 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his debu ...

's debut album using a sample made popular by

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

. In the words of one fan, "'Love My Style' is probably one of the album's craziest tracks as Megahertz flips the same sample used on Britney Spears's '

Toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

.' What was once sugar-sweet pop takes on a menacing and minister tone and Yayo takes full advantage as he attacks the beat with confidence." Megahertz's diverse production style, opened the door for collaborations with rock groups like P.O.D. &

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

. Attracted to unusual musical pairings, Megahertz told '' Source Magazine'', "I like System of a Down and I wouldn't mind doing something with them....I'd work with

Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto (drummer), John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers (bassist), Sam ...

and I'm a

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

fan. I'll do Calypso. I'll do some Indian music, whatever, just bring it on. I'll do it." Resolute that his music continue to evolve, Megahertz said, "I'm not into repeat joints- I want to be re-discovered for new sounds each time."

Performer

As a performer Megahertz grew up rapping, a talent that blossomed into creating jingles, commercial spots and ultimately led to songwriting & singing. In one such performance, Megahertz drops a cameo on the chorus of "Superstar", a song that features

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

, WC &

Mack 10 Dedrick D'Mon Rolison (born August 9, 1971), better known by his stage name Mack 10, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He was a member of hip hop supergroup Westside Connection along with WC and Ice C ...

Controversy

One of the most high-profile feuds in American hip hop history was the rivalry between

. ''Vibe Magazine'' writer Dave Tompkins recounts, "When Jigga's (a.k.a.

's) publicized beef with

reached nasty proportions, everyone waited on a response from God's Son (a.k.a. Nas). And he came out swinging with the Megahertz produced " Got Ur Self A Gun" – a killer cut laced with a violent harpsichord." The track was the second single on

' ''

Stillmatic ''Stillmatic'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Nas, released on December 18, 2001, by Ill Will and Columbia Records. In contrast to his previous work's gangsta rap themes, the album contains socially conscious and philosophical them ...

'' album, and just days after its release,

retaliated by putting out " Supa Ugly", a combative freestyle, performed over " Got Ur Self A Gun" and

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 ...

's song "Bad Intentions."

Later years

At the height of his production career, he suddenly disappeared from the music industry. According to Megahertz, the reason was due to the death of his father around the time of his success.

Awards and nominations

* MTV Awards ** Best Rap Video "Bad Boy For Life" ominated* MVPA Awards ** Best Rap Video "Bad Boy For Life" ominated*

Grammy Awards 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 a ...

** Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "Bad Boy For Life" ominated*

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of '' Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

** R&B/Soul Album Group, Band or Duo "The Best of Both Worlds' " ominated*

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...

** Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " on*

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...

** Album of the Year "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " on*

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

R&B/Hip-Hop Awards ** Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " on*

R&B/Hip-Hop Awards ** Top Rap Album "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " on*

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...

** Best Album "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " on*

The Source Awards ''The Source'' is an American music magazine and website specializing in hip-hop and entertainment. Founded in August 1988 by Harvard University students David Mays and Jonathan Shecter, it began as a black-and-white, one-page newspaper pro ...

** Album of the Year "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " on* Vibe Awards ** Dopest Album "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " on

References

External links

Megahertz
discography at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

Megahertz
Thir13en Ghosts Soundtrack on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Megahertz
Lakeview Terrace Soundtrack on

Megahertz
Death of a Dynasty Soundtrack on

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

Megahertz
Death on Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Megahertz Music Group American rappers of Jamaican descent African-American composers African-American male composers American hip-hop musicians American rhythm and blues musicians American rock musicians East Coast hip-hop musicians American remixers People from New Jersey American hip-hop record producers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians