Nicholas Craven is a Canadian

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

from

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. He has worked with artists such as

Roc Marciano Rahkeim Calief Meyer (born February 11, 1978), better known by his stage name Roc Marciano, is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for his intricate internal rhymes and wordplay detailing mafioso and pimp themes over sample bas ...

, Billy Woods,

Your Old Droog Dmitry Kutsenko, known by his stage name Your Old Droog, is a Ukrainian-born American rapper and producer from Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. He first gained public attention in June 2014 when online rumors were circulated that his self-p ...

, and

Navy Blue Navy blue is a dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color name, ...

. He is also known for his work with Griselda artists such as

Boldy James James Clay Jones III (born August 9, 1982), better known by his stage name Boldy James, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop collective Griselda. Recognized for his deep voice and laid-back delivery of vivid stories, he often ex ...

Benny The Butcher Jeremie Damon Pennick (born November 27, 1984), known professionally as Benny the Butcher, or simply Benny, is an American rapper and songwriter. He came to prominence in 2018 following the release of his debut album, '' Tana Talk 3''. Along w ...

, as well as their former associates,

Conway The Machine Demond Price (born February 16, 1982), known professionally as Conway the Machine, or simply Conway, is an American rapper and co-founder of the hip hop label Griselda Records, alongside his paternal half-brother Westside Gunn. Acclaimed for h ...

, and

Mach-Hommy Mach-Hommy is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for concealing his real name and face in all public appearances, a practice that has led him to be described as "one of hip-hop's most elusive artists". Mach-Hommy has gained a ...

Early life

Craven was born and raised in

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...

, a Western Quebec city near

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, which provided exposure to

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

at a young age. At first, Craven was "making

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

music and listening mainly to

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

." When he was 13, he learned how to produce and sample from his friend's older brother. During his

adolescence Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age o ...

, Craven would attend local shows, collect

vinyl records A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...

, and learn more about

rappers Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing b ...

such as MF DOOM and

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon ( ), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of the ...

, sparking his love in hip-hop and producing.

Musical style

With the inspiration of raw lyricism and soulful beats from artists such as

J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

and

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

, Craven adopted a melodious production style that rarely relied on drums. His musical style, which includes sample chops, is regarded as "fealty to the gritty sound of New York Hip-Hop."

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Craven N'' (2017) * ''Craven N 2'' (2019) * ''Craven N 3'' (2022)

Collaborative projects

* ''Trout & Brussels Sprouts'' (with Jimmie D) (2016) * ''Light Work'' (with Jimmie D) (2017) * ''Good Man'' (with Jimmie D) (2017) * ''Dump Olympics Vol. 1'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2018) * ''Rockhead Paradise'' (with Jimmie D) (2018) * ''Valenti & Rizzuto'' (with Eto) (2018) * ''Habitants'' (with Vincent Pryce) (2018) * ''Tha Myth Who Never Quit'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2019) * ''Director's Cut'' (with Ransom) (2020) * ''Director's Cut Scene 2'' (with Ransom) (2020) * ''Director's Cut Scene 3'' (with Ransom) (2020) * ''Deleted Scenes'' (with Ransom) (2020) * ''Crime Scenes'' (with Ransom) (2020) * ''Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2021) * ''Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King, Vol. 2'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2021) * ''Boulangerie'' (with Raz Fresco) (2022) * ''Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King, Vol. 3'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2022) * ''Dump Gawd: Triz Nate'' (with

) (2022) * ''Latin Quarter, pt. 1'' (with Akhenaton) (2022) * ''Latin Quarter, pt. 2'' (with Akhenaton) (2022) * ''Hoop Dreams 2'' (with J. Arrr) (2022) * ''Fair Exchange No Robbery'' (with

) (2022) * ''Shot Clock King 4'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2022) * ''Shadow Moses'' (with Mike Shabb) (2023) * ''YOD Wave'' (with

) (2023) * ''Gia... À La Carte'' (with Raz Fresco & Estee Nack) (2023) * ''Director's Cut 4'' (with Ransom) (2023) * ''Deleted Scenes 2'' (with Ransom) (2023) * ''Penalty of Leadership'' (with Boldy James) (2024) * ''Tha Myth Who Never Quit 2'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2024) * ''Tha Myth Who Never Quit 3'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2024) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2024) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 2'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2024) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 3'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2024) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 5'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 6'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 7'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 8'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 9'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 10'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 11'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Good Music Hypnotizes'' (with Jimmie D) (2025) * ''Ultimate Dump Gawd'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025) * ''Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 13'' (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)

Instrumental Projects

* ''Jeudi & Françoise'' (2014) * ''Art Dealing'' (2015) * ''Lendemain & Françoise'' (2016) * ''Monitors'' (2016) * ''Sinaloa Stamps'' (2016) * ''Kagemusha'' (2017) * ''Aurevoir, Françoise'' (2017) * ''Vendome'' (2017) * ''Death Soul'' (2017) * ''Necklace Craving'' (2017) * ''Sleep Sessions Vol. 1 (5-14-2017, 2AM-7AM)'' (2017) * ''Niko Bellic'' (2017) * ''Art Dealing Pt. II'' (2017) * ''Beatlemania'' (2018) * ''The Land'' (2018) * ''Chronicle of the Years of Fire'' (2018) * ''Art Dealing Pt. III'' (2018) * ''Manon'' (with KATA Fashion Company) (2018) * ''Niko Bellic 2'' (2018) * ''Artisanal Hip-Hop'' (2019) * ''La Valse'' (2019) * ''The Early Years: 2007 - 2009'' (2019) * ''Diddy Bop'' (2019) * ''Death Soul 2'' (2020)

Remixes

* ''Invented The Remix'' (2016) * ''Conway Remixes 1 & 2'' (2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craven, Nicholas Living people Canadian record producers Musicians from Montreal