DJ Premier is a US hip hop producer and DJ from Houston, Texas. Born Christopher E. Martin in 1966, he is also known as Primo and is associated with boom bap, east coast hip hop and hip hop.

Career

Premier begins DJing while attending Prairie View A&M in Houston. He first uses the name Waxmaster C, with the “C” taken from his first name, before changing to DJ Premier by the time he joins Gang Starr. He is the instrumental half of Gang Starr and later PRhyme, and he is also linked with Gang Starr Foundation, Buckshot LeFonque and DJ Premier and The Badder Band.

He is widely known for production that shapes the New York sound, using jazz, funk and soul samples, including material from an artist’s earlier recordings. His tracks often use short vocal samples from multiple sources to build a chorus, along with repeated two-bar melodies, chopped drums, strings, chimes and other layered details. He also scratches lyrics into new phrases and uses unusual sounds such as xylophones and ambient nature effects.

Production work

Since the early 1990s, he produces for many groups and solo artists. His credits include Jay-Z on “D’Evils” and “So Ghetto”, Big L on “The Enemy”, The Notorious B.I.G. on “Unbelievable”, “Kick In The Door” and “Ten Crack Commandments”, Nas on “N.Y. State of Mind” and “Nas Is Like”, Pitch Black on “It’s All Real”, M.O.P. on “Downtown Swinga”, Jeru the Damaja on “Come Clean” and “My Mind Spray”, KRS-One on “MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know”, Mos Def on “Mathematics”, Non Phixion on “Rockstars” and Royce da 5’9” on “Boom”.

He is closely associated with Jeru the Damaja and Group Home. With Jeru the Damaja, he works on The Sun Rises in the East and Wrath of the Math, which includes “Ya Playin’ Yaself”. Group Home’s Livin’ Proof also becomes highly regarded after its release. He also works extensively with Buckshot Lefonque on their debut album in 1994, collaborates with D’Angelo on “Devil’s Pie”, and co-produces Christina Aguilera’s Back to Basics in 2006.

Labels

He owns Year Round Records and Works of Mart Productions, Inc. Year Round Records is founded in 2002 and releases DJ Premier mixtapes as well as singles by NYG’z and Blaq Poet. Works of Mart, also his publishing company, is founded in mid-2006 and releases singles by Tef, also known as Teflon, and F.A.B.I.D., credited as H. Stax and Mike Rone.

Additional projects

Premier has a planned solo album titled A Man Of Few Words, and he is also linked with a full-length collaboration with Nas, Blaq Poet’s The Best That Never Did It, Tef’s Contraband and NYG’z’ Pros and Cons.