Larry Darnell Griffin Jr. (born August 3, 1976), professionally known as Symbolyc One or S1, is an American record producer from

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the List ...

. He founded the group

Strange Fruit Project Strange Fruit Project is an underground hip hop group from Waco, Texas, which consists of producer and emcee Symbolyc One (also known as S1, born Larry D. Griffin Jr.), his cousin emcee Myth (short for Mythological, born Kevin Gaither) and emc ...

and is signed to

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Very GOOD Beats GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement wit ...

as a producer.

Origin

Griffin was born August 3, 1976 in

, and grew up there in a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

household. In junior high school, he learned alto saxophone and played

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

throughout his teen years, including for

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. S ...

at his local church. After forming a hip hop group in 2007 with his cousin, Myth, Griffin started making beats and producing recording. In 2010, he received his

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. Th ...

in audio engineering from McLennan Community College. From 2007-2008, S1 competed in national U.S. beat competitions such as iStandard, Red Bull Big Tune, and Sha Money's One Stop Shop.

Music career

In his role as main producer of the group

, Griffin's style and production range includes R&B, soul, underground and urban/crossover pop. As a

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

-selling producer, S1 has worked with many musical artists, as well as being a core member in singer

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

’s electronic band The Cannabinoids. Prominent collaborations include

's “ Power” from the

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning album ''

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010, following a period of public controversy for West. Re ...

'', and Beyoncé’s “

Best Thing I Never Had "Best Thing I Never Had" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé for her fourth studio album, '' 4'' (2011). It was released by Columbia Records on June 1, 2011, as the second single from the album. "Best Thing I Never Had" was com ...

” off her album '' 4'', both tracks certified platinum. He also worked on West's Grammy-nominated albums ''

Yeezus ''Yeezus'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on June 18, 2013, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production, ...

'' and ''

Watch the Throne ''Watch the Throne'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, collectively known as The Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to th ...

'', a joint project with Jay-Z. As half of the duo The Dividends (with Dallas-based singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe), Griffin co-wrote and co-produced the

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

song " Bad Guy" from ''

The Marshall Mathers LP 2 ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on November 5, 2013 by Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The album is Eminem's last to have the involvement of inde ...

'', another Grammy-winning album. He also worked on the Madonna album '' Rebel Heart''.

Discography

;Studio albums * 2008: ''The Music Box'' ;Collaboration albums * 2005: ''The Art of Onemind'' (with Illmind) * 2009: ''Cloud Nineteen'' (with

Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille display ...

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Symbolyc One 1976 births Living people Roc Nation artists Record producers from Texas People from Waco, Texas GOOD Music artists