Kanye West

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Kanye West’s ‘All of the Lights’ Remixed by Prince Fox & Hotel Garuda

Kanye West
 
Rising producer duo Hotel Garuda has teamed with New York producer Prince Fox for a cover of Kanye West’s hit single, “All Of The Lights.” Their future house version features Prince Fox on vocals and was released in celebration of Hotel Garuda’s one-year anniversary. Fans of Tchami or Oliver Heldens will probably dig this.
 

 
Download: Kanye West – All Of The Lights – Prince Fox & Hotel Garuda Remix
 
Related: A-Trak Explains Why Kanye West Hired Him

| Tracks
Hotel Garuda, Kanye West, Prince Fox, Remix,
Saturday, November 22, 2014

How No I.D. Went From Struggling Producer to Def Jam’s Head of A&R

No I.D.
 
No I.D. is often referred to as the “godfather of Chicago hip-hop” and “Kanye’s mentor,” but the former G.O.O.D. Music president and current Def Jam executive struggled along the way. A recent interview with the Juan Epstein podcast tells his inspiring journey from the early days to the present.
 
Despite achieving fame for producing Common’s first three albums, No I.D.’s momentum stalled in the late 90s, and he came close to falling off. Eventually, the Chicagoan rekindled his career through collaborations with Jermaine Dupri and reconnected with Kanye West, who he previously mentored.
 
By 2009, No I.D. and Kanye had co-produced 808s & Heartbreak and Jay Z’s The Blueprint 3. He went on to serve as president at Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music label for a couple years, and earlier this month, Def Jam promoted him to Head of A&R.
 
No I.D.’s story is a lesson in humility and perseverance. His experience proves that no matter how bad things can get, there’s always a way to change course and achieve greater heights.
 
Listen to the interview below:
 

 
Here’s a breakdown of the topics:
 
0:02:10 – His beginnings as a producer
0:09:50 – Co-producing Common’s first album Can I Borrow a Dollar?
0:15:00 – Producing Common’s breakout single, “Soul by the Pound”
0:19:00 – Learning about record digging from The Beatnuts and Buckwild
0:22:00 – Producing Common’s groundbreaking album Resurrection
0:26:30 – Parting ways with Common
0:39:15 – Mentoring Kanye West
0:45:15 – Period of struggle
0:48:20 – Revitalizing his career with the help of Jermaine Dupri
0:55:20 – Co-producing Jay Z’s The Blueprint 3 and Kanye’s 808s & Heartbreak
1:00:00 – How producing Jay Z’s “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” changed his career
1:03:15 – His role at Def Jam and mission to change the major label system
 
Related: No I.D. on Making of Jay Z’s ‘D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)’

| DJ Culture, Music Industry
Common, Interview, Juan Epstein, Kanye West, Music Production, No I.D.,
Thursday, November 20, 2014

Pusha T Releases Kanye West-produced ‘Lunch Money’

Pusha T
 
Pusha T has been in the studio with Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and Hudson Mohawke working on his next album, reportedly titled King Push. The album’s lead single, “Lunch Money,” is now available to download. Grab the clean, dirty and intro versions below:
 
[djc url=”http://www.djcity.com/digital/pusha-t-lunch-money—40922.htm”]

Download: Pusha T – Lunch Money
 
Related: A-Trak Explains Why Kanye West Hired Him

| Tracks
Kanye West, Pusha T,
Thursday, November 6, 2014

Big Sean Drops Video for ‘IDFWU’ ft. E-40


 
Big Sean’s unapologetic banger “IDFWU” has finally received visuals. The video for the DJ Mustard and Kanye West-produced single takes place at a high school football game and features a cameo from our boy Mo Beatz (Big Sean’s DJ).
 
“IDFWU” is currently the 8th most-Shazamed track in the US.
 
Download: Big Sean ft. E-40 – IDFWU
 
Related: Calvin Harris Enlists Big Sean for New Track, ‘Open Wide’

| Tracks, Videos
Big Sean, DJ Mustard, Kanye West, Music Video,
Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Craze Flips Kanye West’s ‘New Slaves’


 
Remember Craze’s Instagram post from back in August about the definition of “#RealDJing”? Well, now the three-time DMC World Champion has expanded on his thoughts with a four-minute routine based on Kanye West’s hit single, “New Slaves.” It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a new video from Crazearoni but today he blessed us with something special, reminding us all that he’s still one of the best.
 
Follow Craze: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
 
Related: Big Once Juggles Kanye West’s ‘Black Skinhead’

| Turntablism, Videos
Craze, Kanye West, Routine,
Thursday, October 2, 2014

A-Trak Explains Why Kanye West Hired Him


 
Many fans of A-Trak are aware that he toured with Kanye West in the 2000s but how did the legendary DJ score the gig? In a recent interview with VladTV, A-Trak discussed how he met Kanye and why his accessible approach to turntablism attracted the rapper/producer. A-Trak also recalled how an impromptu scratch routine at a concert led to him recording the scratches for Kanye’s number one hit, “Gold Digger.”
 

“[Kanye] wanted to just have me show off my tricks in a way that his audience would understand.”

 
Related: A-Trak Praises Pitbull & David Guetta for Blending Genres

| Videos
A-Trak, Interview, Kanye West,

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