PRODUCER MIXTAPE: The best of Just Blaze (Jay-Z, Cam'Ron, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and more)

by Aaron Zorgel

November 8, 2012

0

0

0

0

0

Email this article to a friend

When you hear the signature “Just Blaze!” beat tag, the listener reflexively prepares his or herself for a flipped soul sample with hard hitting drums; it’s a Pavlovian response that has made Just Blaze a legend in the hip-hop production world. Though he has a few up his sleeve, Just Blaze isn’t known for producing hit singles. Instead, his deep album cuts become cult classics, reaching the most discerning hip-hop heads without the aid of radio play.

Justin Smith was born in Paterson, New Jersey in 1978, to very musical parents. Smith’s mother was a singer, and his father was a jazz musician. His obsession with vinyl records started at a very young age. Before he could even walk, his parents would find him playing with the family record collection. One of his early favourites was the disco/R&B band A Taste Of Honey, which earned him the nickname “Boogie Oogie Oogie.”

As a teenager, Justin became infatuated with hip-hop, gravitating towards iconic New York hip-hop outfit EPMD, and local hip-hop DJs like DJ Red Alert, and DJ Chuck Chillout. Becoming an emcee was out of the question for Smith, because he hated the sound of his own voice. For this reason, Smith focused on becoming a hip-hop DJ, and following the example of DJs-turned-producer idols like Pete Rock and Marley Marl, he started producing beats for aspiring hip-hop artists.

Taking on the moniker Just Blaze, Smith’s first production work was featured on a compilation called New York State Of Rhyme. His early work was heavily influenced by the boom bap production style popularized by KRS-One, as can be seen on the 1999 song “I Really Like It” by Harlem World, his first beat placement on a major label.

Just Blaze’s career was solidified when he met Jay-Z while interning at a New York studio called The Cutting Room, where he would assist producers and sit in on sessions. After placing five beats on Jay-Z’s The Dynasty, Just Blaze dropped out of Rutgers University, and became an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records.

Suddenly, Just Blaze was working with the biggest names in hip-hop, and became an integral part in Jay-Z’s empire, saving his best beats for Roc-A-Fella artists like Kanye West, Cam’Ron, and Dipset. He quickly gained a reputation for hard-hitting MPC programming and inventive soul sample flips as the mastermind behind hits like “Oh Boy,” by Cam’Ron and “Touch The Sky” by Kanye West.

Just Blaze is a self-proclaimed music nerd, with a vinyl collection that amounts to over 20,000 pieces. Here are eight of Justin “Just Blaze” Smith’s classic beats for this edition of the Producer Mixtape.


Tags: Music, Featured, News, Cam'ron, Dipset, Dr. Dre, Jay Electronica, Jay-Z, Just Blaze, Lupe Fiasco, Meek Mill, Rick Ross, The Diplomats

0

0

0

0

0

Email this article to a friend