David Anthony Willis, known professionally as Ski Beatz, is an American

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

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

, mainly working in hip hop.

Biography

Discovered by DJ Clark Kent,Ski Beatz Speaks: The Exclusive Interview
/ref> Ski was originally known as "MC Will-Ski" in the late 1980s. He began his recording career in one of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

's first hip hop groups ''The Bizzie Boyz'', alongside Mixmasta "D" (Darius Owens, also from NC), Fanatic, and dancers Move & Groove. In the early 1990s, Ski moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and was a member of the group

Original Flavor Original Flavor was an American hip hop group active in the early to mid 1990s. The group, which originally consisted of Ski and Suave Lover, released two albums—'' This Is How It Is'' (1992) and '' Beyond Flavor'' (1994). On ''Beyond Flavor'' ...

, the first group managed by future recording industry executive

Damon Dash Damon Anthony Dash (born May 3, 1971) is an American entrepreneur and record executive. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z and Kareem Burke in 1994, and co-founded the fashion retailer Rocawear with the former in 1999. Early life ...

. In the mid-90s, Ski was working on duo

Camp Lo Camp Lo is an American hip hop duo, formed in 1995, which hails from The Bronx, New York. The duo consists of rappers Sonny Cheeba (Salahadeen Wilds) and Geechi Suede (Saladine Wallace). The duo is perhaps best known for their 1997 hit " Luchi ...

's debut album ''

Uptown Saturday Night ''Uptown Saturday Night'' is a 1974 American action comedy and crime comedy film, written by Richard Wesley and directed by and starring Sidney Poitier, with Bill Cosby and Harry Belafonte co-starring. Cosby and Poitier teamed up again for ' ...

'' when Dash called him in to work on the debut album of his own artist,

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 ...

. Jay-Z's album, ''

Reasonable Doubt Beyond (a) reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the standard of balance of probabilities (US English: preponderance of ...

'', was released in 1996, marking Ski's first major production placement. Ski produced four tracks off the album, including the singles "

Dead Presidents ''Dead Presidents'' is a 1995 American crime film co-written, produced and directed by the Hughes brothers, Hughes Brothers. The film chronicles the life of Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate), focusing on his teenage years as a high school graduate a ...

" and " Feelin' It". After the critical success of ''Reasonable Doubt'', Ski formed Roc-A-Blok Productions in affiliation with Jay and Dame's label,

Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records was an American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Carter issued his debut album, '' Reasonable Doubt ...

, working with Camp Lo and

Sporty Thievz Sporty Thievz is a Yonkers, New York–based hip-hop duo—originally a trio—composed of King Kirk (a.k.a. Thieven Stealburg), Big Dubez (a.k.a. Safecracker) and Marlon Bryant Brando (March 19, 1979 – May 11, 2001; a.k.a. Robin Hood). Biog ...

. The producer crafted most of Camp Lo's debut, which dropped in 1997, and produced the

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of Hip-hop, hip hop group D.I.T.C., Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a sol ...

single "John Blaze"; Ski continued to work with Jay-Z, on his second album '' In My Lifetime, Vol. 1'' as well as non-solo albums and compilation projects, until 1998, when Jay released his third project '' Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life'' without beats from any of his former producers except for

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He has been frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest producers by publications such as '' ...

. Though Roc-A-Blok Productions had since folded, Ski remained somewhat active in music. Relocating to his home state of

for a break from

's fast-paced lifestyle, he continued producing for artists such as

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

, members of the

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

crew The Outsidaz,

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

, Foxy Brown,

Ras Kass John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop Supergroup (music), supergroup The Hrsmn, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is als ...

and

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 ...

. The producer has also continued to produce for Camp Lo, providing most of the production for their second album ''Let's Do it Again'', as well as their third album, ''Black Hollywood''. In 2010, Ski linked back up with Dame Dash, joining the entrepreneur's

DD172 DD172 is a media collective founded by American entrepreneur Damon Dash. DD172 encompasses ''America Nu'', a magazine; and VNGRD79, a web design firm. It also includes an art gallery. DD172 is named for Dash's initials and its original street addr ...

collective, subsequently nicknamed the 24-Hour Karate School. Since the foundation of the studio enclave, Ski has worked with

Mos Def Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social an ...

Jay Electronica Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as ), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he first saw recognition wit ...

Jean Grae Tsidi Ibrahim (born November 26, 1976), known professionally as Jean Grae, is a multidisciplinary artist and writer. She emerged in New York City's underground hip-hop scene and developed an international following. Throughout her music career, ...

and others. On April 30, 2010, he announced that he would produce upcoming albums for Jean Grae,

Joell Ortiz Joell Christopher Ortiz (born July 6, 1980) is an American rapper and former member of the group Slaughterhouse. Raised in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn's Cooper Park Houses, he first gained recognition after appearing in the Unsigned Hype colu ...

, and

, as well as all but three songs on

Curren$y Shante Scott Franklin (born April 4, 1981), better known by his stage name Currensy (stylized as Curren$y), is an American rapper. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, he signed with the local record labels Cash Money Records and Young Mo ...

's third album

Pilot Talk ''Pilot Talk'' is the third studio album by rapper Curren$y. It was released under Damon Dash's DD172 record label division, BluRoc Records.24 Hour Karate School ''24 Hour Karate School'' is the debut album by hip hop record producer, Ski Beatz. Originally, the album was set for a March 30, 2010 but was pushed back due to sample clearance issues. The project was then given a September 7, 2010, release da ...

'' in honor of the collective. On July 14, 2012, Ski announced he had secured his own label deal, named "The Fresh Air Fund Music Group".

Discography

Studio albums * ''

24 Hour Karate School ''24 Hour Karate School'' is the debut album by hip hop record producer, Ski Beatz. Originally, the album was set for a March 30, 2010 but was pushed back due to sample clearance issues. The project was then given a September 7, 2010, release da ...

'' (2010) * ''24 Hour Karate School 2'' (2011) * ''24 Hour Karate School Presents: Twilight'' (2012) Collaboration albums * '' Love & Rockets Vol. 1: The Transformation'' (with

Murs Murs may refer to: People * Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs (1804-1878), French ornithologist * Olly Murs (born 1984), English singer-songwriter * Murs (rapper) (born 1978), American rapper Places * Murs, Indre, France * Murs, Vaucluse, Fr ...

) (2011) * ''Embedded'' (with

Locksmith Locksmithing is the work of creating and bypassing locks. Locksmithing is a traditional trade and in many countries requires completion of an apprenticeship. The level of formal education legally required varies by country, ranging from no formal ...

) (2011)

References

External links

Ski Beatz 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 ...

*
Interview, HitQuarters Nov 08
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ski Year of birth missing (living people) American hip-hop record producers American music industry executives Hip-hop record producers Living people Rappers from North Carolina Businesspeople from Greensboro, North Carolina Musicians from Greensboro, North Carolina 21st-century American rappers Grimsley High School alumni