Dominick J. Lamb, (born February 21, 1977) better known by his stage name Nottz (or Nottz Raw), is an American
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. Hip- ...
producer and rapper from
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
.
Life and career
Some of Nottz's earliest production work was on the
Rawkus Records
Rawkus Records (or Rawkus Entertainment) is an American hip hop record label, owned by James Murdoch, known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustrial (Dystopia One) ...
compilation ''
Lyricist Lounge, Volume One
''Lyricist Lounge, Volume One'' is the second hip hop compilation album by American record label Rawkus Records. The double-disc was released on May 5, 1998, as the first installment of the ''Lyricist Lounge'' album series, based on New York's '' ...
'', in 1998. From there he landed three tracks on Busta Rhymes' ''
Extinction level Event
An extinction event (also known as a mass extinction or biotic crisis) is a widespread and rapid decrease in the biodiversity on Earth. Such an event is identified by a sharp fall in the diversity and abundance of multicellular organisms. It occ ...
'' LP, after Rhymes stumbled across one of his beat tapes.
Like many other hip hop producers to emerge before the 2000s, Nottz samples from old (primarily soul) records and film soundtracks to reconstruct new beats. West Coast hip hop icon,
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 ...
, has named Nottz as one of his favorite producers, and has selected him as one of the few guest producers on his much delayed, yet anticipated ''
Detox
Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period o ...
'' album that never was released.
Nottz assisted in the production of the singer
Bilal __NOTOC__
Bilal may refer to:
People
* Bilal (name), or Belal or Bilel, including a list of people with the name
* Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad, made calls for prayers
* Bilal (American singer)
* Bilal (Lebanese singer)
Places
* Bi ...
's second album, '' Love for Sale''.
Nottz has a group called D.M.P., which stands for "Durte Muzik Prahdukshun". They released an EP in 2004, a full-length album on
Koch Records
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...
, titled ''Nottz Presents D.M.P.'', in 2005 and an album titled ''God Made Durt'' in 2013, under Raw Koncept.
In 2010, Nottz released his first solo album, ''You Need This Music'', under Raw Koncept. The album features Nottz as an MC, as well as a producer. Nottz also worked with rapper
Asher Roth
Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper from Morrisville, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his 2009 debut single " I Love College," which peaked at number 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and foresaw the birth of frat ra ...
on the collaborative ''Rawth EP'', released as a free download, on December 27, 2010, under Raw Koncept and School Boy.
In 2011, Nottz worked with The Game on his fourth album ''
The R.E.D. Album
''The R.E.D. Album'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper The Game (rapper), Game. It was released on August 23, 2011, by DGC Records and Interscope Records, which serves as Game's first release under DGC and his first album for Intersc ...
'', after having three of his beats on The Game's two previous albums ''
Doctor's Advocate
''Doctor's Advocate'' is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist the Game, released on November 14, 2006, through Geffen Records. The album is his second major-label release, following 2005's ''The Documentary'', which was ...
'' and ''
LAX
A lax is a salmon.
LAX as an acronym most commonly refers to Los Angeles International Airport in Southern California, United States.
LAX or Lax may also refer to:
Places
Within Los Angeles
* Union Station (Los Angeles), Los Angeles' main tr ...
''. On June 15, 2012, Nottz and Kardinal Offishall released the collaborative mixtape ''
A.M.T.R.I.M.
''Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself'', also known as ''A.M.T.R.I.M.'',Blu and Nottz Raw released their collaborative EP, ''
Gods in the Spirit
''Gods in the Spirit'' is a collaborative Extended play, EP by Los Angeles Rapping, rapper Blu (rapper), Blu and Virginia record producer Nottz, released on October 22, 2013 through Coalmine Records. The six-track record was entirely produced by ...
''. That same year, Nottz worked with
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
to produce Pusha T's
Nosetalgia
"Nosetalgia" (a portmanteau of the words "nose" and "nostalgia") is a song by American hip hop recording artist Pusha T from his debut studio album ''My Name Is My Name'' (2013). "Nosetalgia" features vocals from American rapper Kendrick Lamar, w ...
, which features fellow rapper
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...
.
On August 9, 2014, 9th Wonder announced that Nottz became a part of The Soul Council production team. A longtime admirer of his production work, 9th Wonder has spoken very highly of Nottz in the past. In 2010, he referred to Nottz as "the best beat maker on Earth right now" and claiming him as "the best producer in the game".
Discography
* ''You Need This Music'' (2010)
* ''Sounds of Meadowbrook'' (2023)
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 ...