Nicholas Marcell Speed (born August 12, 1980) is an American rapper, record producer, and disc jockey from

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, United States. He has produced tracks for

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, ...

Mopreme Shakur Maurice Shakur ( né Harding; August 16, 1967), better known by his stage name Mopreme Shakur, originally known as Wycked, is an American rapper. He was a member of the hip-hop group Thug Life and is the stepbrother of rapper Tupac Shakur. He wa ...

Lloyd Banks Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip-hop, East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, which he formed with childhood friends ...

M.O.P. M.O.P. (short for Mash Out Posse) is an American hip-hop duo composed of rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, best known for their song " Ante Up." The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier. The group is part of the Gang Starr Fou ...

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

Phat Kat Ronald Christopher Watts (born August 26, 1971), better known by his stage name Phat Kat, is a rapper from Detroit, Michigan, best known as a favorite collaborator of the late J Dilla. Biography His career began in the mid-1990s as part of 1st ...

Musiq Soulchild Taalib Hassan Johnson (born September 16, 1977), better known by his stage name Musiq Soulchild (or simply Musiq; pronounced "music") is an American singer-songwriter. His music blends Rhythm and blues, R&B, funk, blues, jazz, and Gospel music, ...

Bishop Lamont Philip Brandon Martin (born October 31, 1978), better known as Bishop Lamont, is an American rapper from Carson, California. He was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label and released one project under the label, eventually le ...

Danny Brown Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known as Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He was described by MTV in 2011 as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory". After amassing ...

and many more.

Career

During the late 1990s, Nick Speed formed a hip-hop crew called 9-2-5 Colony with classmates Magestik Legend and iLLite, both of whom would go on to become part of the Subterraneous Records stable of artists. While still in high school, Speed and Magestik spent a significant amount of time with DJ House Shoes, who assisted them with their first production experiments while also introducing them to other like-minded artists in the Detroit hip-hop community. Among these artists were

Elzhi Jason Powers (born May 12, 1978), better known by his stage name Elzhi (stylized as eLZhi), is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He is a former member of Slum Village and now records as a solo artist. In his youth, he made numerous visi ...

, who was then part of the Breakfast Club, and

One Be Lo Nahshid Sulaiman (born Raland Scruggs; November 7, 1976), better known by his stage name One Be Lo, is an alternative hip hop artist from Pontiac, Michigan. He is well respected for being one half of the rap duo Binary Star, and has released a n ...

, who was part of

Binary Star A binary star or binary star system is a system of two stars that are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other. Binary stars in the night sky that are seen as a single object to the naked eye are often resolved as separate stars us ...

. Speed and Magestik Legend invited Elzhi to become a part of the 925 Colony in 1999, shortly after Elzhi had completed recording his unreleased EP, ''Out of Focus''. The new trio recorded only a few songs, none of which were released. Among these are "Farewell," produced by Lacks, "Oh Shit," and "Gun Talk." With Magestik Legend's growing involvement with the Subterraneous crew, and

's affiliation with

Waajeed Robert O'Bryant, also known as Waajeed is an American music producer from Detroit, and one half of the hip hop and R&B group Platinum Pied Pipers, and a founding member of Tiny Hearts. He formed the Bling47 record label in 2002, which has rel ...

and

Slum Village Slum Village is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. The group was formerly composed of the rappers Baatin (1974–2009), T3, and rapper / producer J Dilla (1974–2006). J Dilla left in 2001 to pursue a solo career with MCA Record ...

, the 9-2-5 Crew found little time to write, record or perform music. Nick Speed became a freelance producer for many underground artists. Among the projects Speed worked on during this era was the unreleased record ''Inside Out'' by iLLite. This fruitful collaboration inspired the pair to work on a separate, full-length project, dubbing themselves the "People Movers".

G-Unit and Libido Sounds

Towards the end of 2004, friends and longtime collaborators Nick Speed and Elzhi teamed up to release ''Witness My Growth'', a double-CD mixtape chronicling Elzhi's long, secretive history as a solo artist. To facilitate the release of this long-gestating project, the two created "Libido Sounds," an independent imprint dedicated to releasing quality hip-hop music. A collection of Speed's beats found its way to the hands of Sha Money XL, who offered Nick an in-house production contract and management deal. Through this deal, Nick has produced tracks for many of today's most popular and influential emcees. He worked with

the most during his time at g-unit and recurrently produced on "Cold Corner 2"

also contacted Nick for his third studio album "The Hunger For More 2" where he produced "Home Sweet Home. Nick has been quoted as saying he has produced at least 10 records for Lloyd Banks alone. Some are on albums some are on mixtapes".
In August 2007, Nick Speed released the ''D-Tour'' Mixtape which showcases his versatility as a producer as well as an emcee. The double CD features many of Speed's collaborations with mainstream stars like 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks, but also displays the talents of other Detroit artists such as 87 and Fes Roc. During his time at G-Unit Nick developed a relationship with

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 ...

protege at the time

and despite both parties no longer being associated with G-Unit/

Aftermath Aftermath may refer to: Companies * Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing * Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre * Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company * Aftermath Services, an America ...

they recently collaborated on a record called "Don't Stop" featuring

Nick Speed & Seven the General

Nick & Seven the General first worked together as a writer/producer team in 2010 on K'Jon Present's Nick Speed & the Detroit Connect. Later that year "Seven the General" was named one of 11 "Hottest Local Talent" by

WJLB WJLB (97.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts an urban contemporary radio format. Its studios are on Halsted Road in Farmington Hills. In morning drive time, WJLB carries ...

for his Nick Speed produced "I Get It In" feat. K'Jon released on Seven's "the Sanctum Sanctorum" LP. In early 2013 Nick Speed produced "A.R.T the DIA project" for Detroit emcee Seven the General. The album would go on to be nominated for a

Detroit Music Award The Detroit Music Awards Foundation is a Michigan 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission is to recognize Detroit area musicians working on national, regional, and local levels. The Foundation supports and nurtures the musical community in Detroit ...

"Outstanding Electronic/Dance Recording" based on the track "Knowhere". Entirely produced by Nick Speed "A.R.T. the DIA project" also features the songs "Show Up" & "Detroit City Blues" by Seven the General featuring

Guilty Simpson Byron Dwayne "Guilty" Simpson is an American rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan whose recording career spans more than 20 years. He is signed to Stones Throw Records, and is known for being one of the late producer J Dilla's favorite r ...

& Bizarre that became the official promotional anthem for "The Detroit Design Festival" held annually in Detroit. Seven the General would go on to win the Detroit Music Award for "Outstanding Rap Recording" in 2016 In August 2014 Seven the General & Nick Speed released "A.R.T. the DIA project" Documentary. The 23 minute film documents the creation of A.R.T. the DIA project (Seven the General's 4th solo LP) and gives an in-depth look into the producer and songwriters musical partnership and dedication to Detroit and Hip-Hop as a genre. The Detroit Underground hip-hop awards in 2015 presented the two with "Best Full Length Project" for the "A.R.T. the DIA project" LP. Subsequently, In October 2016 Nick Speed & Seven the General were added to the

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is a museum institution located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It has list of largest art museums, one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it cove ...

permanent archive. The museum purchased the photograph shot by Jenny Risher as representation of the Detroit Hip Hop as art which was the goal set by Seven & Nick

Discography

Studio albums

* ''The Beat Down'' (2013, Vinyl only) * D-Cyphered (2017)

Production

- "What If" *

- "Anotha Dolla", "Stranger", "Home Sweet Home" (featuring

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice, Malice. M ...

), "Cold Corner 2 (Eyes Wide)", "Victims Of Society", "Everywhere You Go", "A Lil Bit Colder", "Love Shots" *

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

- "Biboa's Theme" *

- "NY Weather Report", "Tater Tot" *

- "Vessels" (featuring

Truth Hurts Truth Hurts or The Truth Hurts may refer to: Film, television and radio *''The Truth Hurts'', a 1993 skateboard film from '' Thrasher'' magazine *"Truth Hurts", a 2006 episode of '' McLeod's Daughters'' * "The Truth Hurts" (''Kim Possible''), a '' ...

) *

- "Detroit 187" and almost all of ''Hot Soup.'' *

- "Don't Stop" (featuring

) * Bizarre - Rock Out *

Rapper Big Pooh Thomas Louis Jones III (born February 12, 1980), better known by his stage name Big Pooh (or Rapper Big Pooh), is an American rapper, who, along with fellow rap artist Phonte, is a member of the acclaimed North Carolina hip hop group Little Brot ...

- Dusty *

Obie Trice Obie Trice III (born November 14, 1977) is an American rapper. He signed with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem's Shady Records, an imprint of Interscope Records in 2000 to release his first two albums, ''Cheers'' (2003) and '' Second Round's on Me' ...

- "Gangster", "Dope", What You Gonna Do (featuring

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

) * Seven The General - "A.R.T. the DIA project" LP (2012) *

The Regiment The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...

- "Live From The Coney Island (2014)"

Vocals

- "We'll Get By" *

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 ...

- "Dillatroit" *

- "She Love It"

Mixing, writing and arrangements

- "Rebirth Of Detroit" *

- "Tater Tot" *

- "Home Sweet Home" (featuring

), "Stranger" *

- "Searching for Jerry Garcia" *

- "What If"

Features

- Rebirth of Hip-Hop *

- Hot Soup *

- Get Rich or Die Tryin (Official Sound Track) *

- The Big Withdrawal, Rotten Apple, The Hunger For More 2, The Cold Corner 2 *

- "Recovery" (Mixtape)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Speed, Nick American hip-hop record producers G-Unit Records artists Living people Musicians from Detroit 1980 births American audio engineers Midwest hip-hop musicians American hip-hop DJs