ARTISTS WE'VE WORKED WITH
AFROMAN
ARTIFAKTS
ARIUS
APASHE
AMP LIVE
ATTAK
BARELY ALIVE
BIG GIGANTIC
BLACK TIGER SEX MACHINE
BOOMBOX
BORN I MUSIC
BORGORE
BORGEOUS
BREAK SCIENCE
CADE
CAL SCRUBY
CARDI B
CARNAGE
CHEAT CODES
CYHI THE PRYNCE
CHOO JACKSON
CHOPPY OPPY
CORRUPT
COUSIN STIZZ
C2&THEBROTHERSREED
DABIN
DECADON
DELTA HEAVY
DIRTY MONKEY
DJ AFTERTHOUGHT
DJ DIRTY
DJ SILVER
DJ SNAKE
DODGE & FUSKI
DOPAPOD
DOWNLINK
DREZO
DYL
ELIMINATE
EUMATIK
FLETCHER'S GROVE
FREDDY TODD
GALANTIS
GETTER
GHASTLY
HATCHA
HEADY RUXPIN
HEROBUST
HI I’M GHOST
HUEY MACK
HUNTER SIEGEL
HYTYD
HYDRAULIX
H3RN
iLLGATES
INFEKT
JACK HARLOW
JANTSEN
JAUZ
JAYCEEOH
JESSIE LAINE POWELL
JOYRIDE
JVST SAY YES
KELLER WILLIAMS
KENT JONES
KENNEDY JONES
KEYS N KRATES
KOMPANY
KRAYZIE BONE
KRIMER
LANCELOTT
LARY OVER
LATE NIGHT RADIO
LAXX
LETTUCE
LEVEL UP
LIL DICKY
LIL JON
LIL PUMP
LIL UZI VERT
LIQUID STRANGER
LIZZY JANE
LOSA
LUCA LUSH
LUCI
MARIACHI FLOR DE TOLOACHE
MARSHMELLO
MANIC FOCUS
MEGALODON
MIGOS
MIKE JONES
MR. YUKK
MT. EDEN
MURDA
MYRO
NAPPY ROOTS
NGHTMRE
NIYKEE HEATON
OOLACILE
PAPADOSIO
PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG
PEGBOARD NERDS
PHASEONE
PHISO
P0GMAN
PORTER ROBINSON
RAVEN FELIX
RESTLESS LEG STRING BAND
REZZ
RHIANNON ROZE
RiFF RAFF
SALEM MOON
WAKA FLOCKA
THE CHAINSMOKERS
SAINT JHN
SAMMY ADAMS
SHYGUYSAYS
SASSAFRAZ
SLANDER
SLUSHII
SNARKY PUPPY
SPACE JESUS
STEVE AOKI
SULLIVAN KING
THE BORDERLINE SOMETHING
THE FLOOZIES
THE LOST KINGS
THE WERKS
TIGERLILY
TRITONAL
TOADFACE
TROLLPHACE
TRUTH
TURKUAZ
WES WALKER
WICK-IT THE INSTIGATOR
XILENT
YACHT CLUB
VIRTUAL RIOT
ZAXX
ZEDD
ZEN SELEKTA
3LAU
AFROMAN
Foreman's musical career began in the eighth grade, when he began recording homemade songs and selling them to his classmates. "The first tape I made was about my eighth-grade teacher," he once recalled. "She got me kicked out of school for sagging my pants, which was a big deal back then. So I wrote this song about her and it sold about 400 copies: it was selling to teachers, students, just about everybody. And I realized that, even though I wasn't at school, my song was at school, so in a way I was still there. All these people would come by my house just to give me comments about how cool they thought the song was. Foreman also performed in his church at a young age, playing both the drums and guitar.
Ramenofsky produced and released Afroman's album Because I Got High in 2000 on T-Bones Records; it was distributed primarily through concerts and the file-sharing service Napster before its title track was played on The Howard Stern Show. Afroman was inspired to write the song's lyrical content by his unwillingness to clean his room, and he ran with the idea of everyday tasks being derailed by drug use In late 2001, the song became a hit and was featured in the films Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, The Perfect Score, and Disturbia later in the 2000s. "Because I Got High" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 2002.
Certified Multi Platinum World Wide
2002 Grammy Nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance
CARDI B
Certified Platinum World Wide
2018 AMA - Favorite Artist Rap/Hip-Hop - Winner
2018 AMA - Favorite Song Rap/Hip-Hop - Winner
2018 AMA - Favorite Song Soul/R&B - Winner
2018 Billboard Music Awards - Top Rap Female Artist - Winner 2018 Grammy Award Winner - Best Rap Album
Many More!
An American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in The Bronx, New York City, she became an Internet celebrity after several of her posts and videos went viral on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to 2017, she appeared as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York to follow her music aspirations, and released two mixtapes—Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
Cardi B has earned three number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100; "Bodak Yellow" made her the second female rapper to top the chart with a solo output—following Lauryn Hill in 1998, "I Like It" made her the first female rapper to attain multiple number-one songs on the chart, and her Maroon 5 collaboration "Girls Like You" extended that record. Her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy (2018), on which the first two songs were included, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, broke several streaming records and earned her a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making her the only woman to win the award as a solo artist. Also in 2018, Time included her on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Among her numerous accolades, she has won a Grammy Award, three American Music Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, nine BET Hip Hop Awards, a Billboard Music Award and received two Guinness World Records.
FLOR DE TOLACHE
2015 Latin Grammy Nominated
2017 Latin Grammy Winners
Latin Grammy Nominees Mariachi Flor de Toloache make New York City history as its’ First and Only All-Women Mariachi Group. Founded in 2008, Mariachi Flor de Toloache is lead by singers Mireya I. Ramos (founder) & Shae Fiol (original member). Reminiscent of the early days of mariachi the group started as a trio, Harp, Violin and Vihuela. Today, Mariachi Flor De Toloache performs as a full Mariachi ensemble. The members hail from diverse cultural backgrounds such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Australia, Colombia, Germany, Italy and the United States. This defines their unique flavor and sound. The result of this cultural bouquet is an edgy, versatile and fresh take on traditional Mexican music. They coalesce as would a band of sisters, with a grace and vibrant beauty that casts a spell over their audiences not unlike the legendary Toloache flower still being used in Mexico as a love potion. While working to preserve centuries old traditions of Mariachi, their melange of the traditional and the modern pushes the boundaries of the genre and brings Mariachi music to new audiences.
Mariachi Flor De Toloache’s critically acclaimed self-titled debut album received a Latin Grammy nomination for “Best Ranchera Album” of 2015. Sharing the podium with legends Pedro Fernández and Aida Cuevas meant an embrace from the Latin Music Community. The group’s live performances were praised by Rolling Stone, Billboard Magazine, The New Yorker, GQ Magazine, The New York Times. Following a highly praised NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert”, their collaboration with rock supergroup The Arcs landed them on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and BBC 2’s Later with Jools Holland.
KENT JONES
Certified Multi Platinum World Wide
2017 iHeartRadio Best New Hip-Hop Artist - Nominated
An American hip hop recording artist. He is best known for his commercial debut single "Don't Mind", which reached number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. His first mixtape, Tours, was released in the summer of 2015 by Epidemic Records, We the Best Music Group and Epic Records.
Kent Jones first started working with record producers and songwriters Cool & Dre, signing a record deal with their label Epidemic Records. While at Epidemic he collaborated with the likes of Fat Joe, The Game, Currensy, Queen Latifah, and Busta Rhymes Cool & Dre introduced him to DJ Khaled in 2015, who eventually signed him in a joint venture record deal to his own label We the Best Music Group and Epic Records. Jones released his first mixtape titled Tours in July 2015. The mixtape's most successful song "Don't Mind", which contains lyrics in French, Spanish, Japanese and Haitian Creole, was later released as a single. "Don't Mind", a song which was about to be left out of the mixtape, was also remixed by Trina later on. The song debuted at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 2016. reached number 46 on pop radio in the first week of May 2016, further rising to number 40 in the following weeks. Jones was also featured in the soundtrack of NBA 2K16, participating in DJ Khaled's track "365" along with Ace Hood and Vado.
MIGOS
2017 Grammy Nominated - Best Rap Performance & Best Rap Album
2017 BET Awards - Best Group Winners - Best Collaboration Winners
2018 BET Awards - Best Duo/Group Winners
2018 Teen Choice Awards - Best Duo/Group - Winners
An American hip hop group from Lawrenceville, Georgia, founded in 2008. They are composed of three rappers known by their stage names Takeoff, Offset and Quavo. They are managed by Coach K, the former manager of Atlanta-based rappers Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy, and frequently collaborate with producers such as Zaytoven, DJ Durel, Murda Beatz, and Metro Boomin.
Migos released their commercial debut single "Versace" in 2013, taken from their mixtape Y.R.N. (Young Rich Niggas). They have gone on to release several more singles, including "Fight Night" (2014), "Look at My Dab" (2015), and their four Billboard Hot 100 top 10 entries "Bad and Boujee" (featuring Lil Uzi Vert) (2016), peaking at number one, "MotorSport" (with Nicki Minaj and Cardi B) (2017), peaking at six, "Stir Fry" (2017), peaking at eight, and "Walk It Talk It" (featuring Drake) (2018), peaking at ten.
Migos released their debut album Yung Rich Nation in July 2015, through Quality Control Music and 300 Entertainment. Their second album, Culture, was released in January 2017 also through both record labels, and debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart. The group later signed a deal with Motown and Capitol Records in February 2017, and followed up the latter album with Culture II in January 2018, giving the group their second number one album in the United States.
MIKE JONES
Certified Double Platinum Album “Who is Mike Jones?”
iAn American rapper, actor, and entrepreneur. He initially was with Swishahouse, then left to found his own label, Ice Age. Before he was on Swishahouse he was in a group called Souf Folk, in which he used the alias Sache. He released one album with Souf Folk called Country Thuggin in 2003.[4][5] He is also known for his catchphrase "Mike Jones, who?" usually repeated several times and for handing out shirts with his cell phone number (281-330-8004) printed on the back.
In 2004 after the release of his breakout single "Still Tippin'", which was receiving lots of radio play, Jones signed a major deal to Jive Records and Warner Bros. He quickly released his second single, "Back Then", which eventually went Platinum, making it Jones's first Platinum single. On April 19, 2005, Jones released his debut album, Who Is Mike Jones? After two months the album also achieved Platinum status, eventually reaching double Platinum. It is Jones's highest selling album to date.
After leaving Jive Records Jones signed to a distribution deal with Asylum Records for his label Ice Age. In September 2006 Jones released the single titled "Mr. Jones". It debuted at #92 on the Billboard Charts. The song gained further recognition when fellow rapper Lil Wayne freestyled on his version "Sky Is The Limit" for his "Da Drought 3" mixtape. On January 31, 2007, Jones announced an upcoming EP and a movie, both titled The American Dream. On April 21, 2007, Jones released the second single from the EP, titled "My 64", featuring Bun B and Snoop Dogg. The single debuted at #1 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. On November 20, 2007, Jones released The American Dream it debuted on the Billboard charts at #183.
On November 27, 2007, Jones released the debut single "Drop & Gimme 50" for his second solo album, titled The Voice. "Drop & Gimme 50" featured Hurricane Chris. On May 19, 2008, Jones released the album's second single, called "Cuddy Buddy". The single did well on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at #78. On December 2, 2009, the third single from The Voice was released. Titled "Next To You, it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #63.
NAPPY ROOTS
Certified Multi Platinum Platinum Album “Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz”
2003 American Music Award nominations for Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Hip-Hop/R&B and Favorite New Artist - Hip-Hop/R&B
2003 Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap/Song Collaboration
2003 Soul Train Award nomination for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist
an American alternative Southern rap quartet from Louisville, Kentucky. The group met in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1995 while attending Western Kentucky University. They are best known for their hit singles "Po' Folks", "Awnaw", "Roun' The Globe" and "Good Day". They were the best selling hip hop group of 2002.[1] The group consists of Milledgeville, Georgia native Fish Scales and Kentucky natives Skinny DeVille, B. Stille and Ron Clutch.
In 2006, Oakland, California native R. Prophet left the group, and in 2012 Kentucky native Big V aka Vito Banga also left. Both are pursuing solo careers.The group formed when the members were
students at Western Kentucky University.[4] Nappy Roots' debut independent album Country Fried Cess was released in 1998, which led to the group being signed by Atlantic Records. Their first album on Atlantic was 2002's best selling hip-hop album, Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz. The multi-platinum album featured the hit-singles "Headz Up", "Awnaw", and "Po' Folks". The "Awnaw (Remix)" featuring Marcos of P.O.D. appeared on Madden 2003.
In their home state, Paul E. Patton, the governor of Kentucky, sanctioned September 16 as "Nappy Roots Day".[5]
Their next and last album with Atlantic Records was Wooden Leather, released in 2003, featuring the singles "Roun' the Globe", which was featured on Madden 2004, and "Sick and Tired" (featuring Anthony Hamilton). This critically acclaimed, major label follow-up album featured production from Kanye West, David Banner and Lil Jon.
NIYKEE HEATON
Certified GOLD Record “Bad Intentions”
American singer. She was discovered through her YouTube channelafter uploading acoustic guitar covers of contemporary hits, most notably hip hop songs, that went viral. She released her debut extended play, Bad Intentions, on September 23, 2014.
Heaton embarked on her first headlining concert tour, The Bedroom Tour, in late 2015, and released the similarly titled mixtape, The Bedroom Tour Playlist, on March 18, 2016, which compiled remastered material she had previously shared online for free streaming and debuted for her live shows during the tour.
In 2011, while still enrolled in high school, Heaton began uploading clips recorded in her bedroom on YouTube, including covers of contemporary hit songs along with occasional originals, for which she accompanied herself on acoustic guitar. In December 2012, her cover of Chief Keef's "Love Sosa" particularly was featured on the website WorldStarHipHop, promptly helping to propel Heaton to prominence, and subsequently taking meetings with several record labels. Heaton graduated high school six months early and self-financed the recording of a host of her own songs, opting to take a step back and build "a catalog that we were proud of" with her manager Lauren, eventually signing with All Def Digital in 2014, a YouTube-based label founded by Steve Rifkind and Def Jam-founder Russell Simmons, in partnership with Capitol Records. She topped Billboard's Next Big Sound chart on April 24, 2014.
SNARKY PUPPY
2014 Grammy Award - Best R&B Performance
2016 Grammy Award - Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
2017 Grammy Award - Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
After a decade of relentless touring and recording in all but complete obscurity, the Texas-bred/New York-based quasi-collective suddenly found itself held up by the press and public as one of the major figures in the jazz world. But as the category names for all three of the band’s Grammy® awards would indicate (Best R&B Performance in 2014, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016 and 2017), Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a jazz band. It’s not a fusion band, and it’s definitely not a jam band. It’s probably best to take Nate Chinen of the New York Times’ advice, as stated in an online discussion about the group, to “take them for what they are, rather than judge them for what they’re not.”
Snarky Puppy is a collective of sorts with as many as 25 members in regular rotation. They each maintain busy schedules as sidemen (with such artists as Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and D’Angelo), producers (for Kirk Franklin, David Crosby, and Salif Keïta), and solo artists (many of whom are on the band’s indy label, GroundUP Music). At its core, the band represents the convergence of both black and white American music culture with various accents from around the world. Japan, Argentina, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico all have representation in the group’s membership. But more than the cultural diversity of the individual players, the defining characteristic of Snarky Puppy’s music is the joy of performing together in the perpetual push to grow creatively.
The band was formed by bassist and primary composer Michael League in 2003, starting inconspicuously enough as a group of college friends at the University of North Texas’ Jazz Studies program. Three years later, a serendipitous intersection with the Dallas gospel and R&B community in Dallas transformed the music into something funkier, more direct, and more visceral. It was at this time that the group absorbed musicians like Robert “Sput” Searight (drums), Shaun Martin (keyboards), and Bobby Sparks (keyboards), and were heavily influenced by legendary keyboardist Bernard Wright (Miles Davis, Chaka Khan, Marcus Miller).
THE CHAINSMOKERS
Multi Platinum Records World Wide
2016 American Music Award - Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
2016 Billboard Music Award - Top Dance/Electronic Artist
2017 American Music Award - Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
2017 Grammy Award - Best Dance Recording
2018 Billboard Music Award - Top Dance/Electronic Artist
2018 Billboard Music Award - Top Dance/Electronic Song
2018 Billboard Music Award - Top Dance/Electronic Album
The Chainsmokers were initially made up of Pall and former DJ Rhett Bixler. The Chainsmokers were re-formed as an EDM DJ duo in 2012 under the management of Adam Alpert in New York City. Pall attended New York University for art history and music business. while Taggart had been attending Syracuse University and was an intern at Interscope Records before the two met. Taggart had taken an interest in being a DJ and released some original songs on the website SoundCloud. Taggart was informed by someone working for Alpert that a duo, which was being managed by Alpert, had an open spot after Bixler left, which prompted Taggart to leave Maine in order to go to New York City Pall, who had grown up as a DJ and had been working at an art gallery in Chelsea, Manhattan at the time, was introduced to Taggart by Alpert In April 2013, The Chainsmokers released a remix of "Medicine" by Daughters and it reached #1 on HypeMachine.
The duo's first live performance was opening for Timeflies at Terminal 5 in September 2014. Their single "#Selfie", released for free in December 2013, was picked up by Dim Mak Records who re-released it in January 2014 and eventually streamed it to Republic Records The duo achieved breakthrough success as the single charted internationally and peaked on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Pall has described the song as "life-changing" for the pair
WES WALKER & DYL
Certified Platinum Record “Jordan Belfort”
Philadelphia’s Wes Walker is a renaissance man of emerging media and entertainment. He is a rapper, producer, vinyl disc jockey, audio engineer, graphic designer, media personality, and entrepreneur. He was first recognized nationally as a rap artist from his hit gold record single 'Jordan Belfort,' (currently at more than 42 million plays on Soundcloud and 62 million on spotify) but he is an entertainer of all sorts. Starting to DJ in 7th grade and learning to produce original music on Reason and Ableton Live shortly after, his confident experience and unique style is obvious in his productions and performances. Wes is 21 years old, recently attending Temple University in Philadelphia for Media Studies & Production. He is managed by Kevin Liles of KWL management, booked through DATA Touring, and has two current singles signed with Atlantic Records. New projects are in the works for 2017.
Dyl is rapper known for his chart-topping viral hit “Jordan Belfort” with Wes Walker. He is currently living in Philadelphia, PA. Originally from Philly, he is a rapper, performer, and entertainer who knows how to party and thrives in the college scene. Find Dyl on SoundCloud and on the Web @ ITSLIT.ORG
LIL PUMP
Triple Platinum Record “Gucci Gang”
known professionally as Lil Pump, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his song "Gucci Gang" in 2017, which peaked at number three on the U.S. BillboardHot 100, and is certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America His other songs include "I Love It" (with Kanye West), "Esskeetit", "Drug Addicts", "Butterfly Doors", ”Racks on Racks", and “Be Like Me” (featuring Lil Wayne). He released his debut studio album, Lil Pump, on October 6, 2017. His song "Welcome to the Party" was featured in the soundtrack for Deadpool 2 He released his second studio album Harverd Dropout on February 22, 2019.
Garcia's rap career began when Smokepurpp produced a track and asked him to freestyle over it. The single produced was independently released in 2016 on the music streaming website SoundCloud, as his debut single, "Lil Pump". Garcia quickly followed the song with singles "Elementary", "Ignorant", "Gang Shit", and "Drum$tick", each garnering over three million streams. The success of his tracks on SoundCloud earned him recognition among the South Florida underground rap scene, in a style known as "SoundCloud rap". He co-headlined the No Jumper tour in 2016, and also performed at the Rolling Loud Festival.
LIL UZI VERT
Gold Album
known professionally as Lil Pump, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his song "Gucci Gang" in 2017, which peaked at number three on the U.S. BillboardHot 100, and is certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America His other songs include "I Love It" (with Kanye West), "Esskeetit", "Drug Addicts", "Butterfly Doors", ”Racks on Racks", and “Be Like Me” (featuring Lil Wayne). He released his debut studio album, Lil Pump, on October 6, 2017. His song "Welcome to the Party" was featured in the soundtrack for Deadpool 2 He released his second studio album Harverd Dropout on February 22, 2019.
Garcia's rap career began when Smokepurpp produced a track and asked him to freestyle over it. The single produced was independently released in 2016 on the music streaming website SoundCloud, as his debut single, "Lil Pump". Garcia quickly followed the song with singles "Elementary", "Ignorant", "Gang Shit", and "Drum$tick", each garnering over three million streams. The success of his tracks on SoundCloud earned him recognition among the South Florida underground rap scene, in a style known as "SoundCloud rap". He co-headlined the No Jumper tour in 2016, and also performed at the Rolling Loud Festival.
LIL JON
2005 Grammy Award - Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
2005 American Music Award - Lil Jon & The Eastside Boys
2014 MTV Video Music Award - Best Direction
known professionally as Lil Jon, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the lead frontman of the multi-platinum selling rap group, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz and was instrumental in the emergence of the sub hip/hop genre Crunk. He is credited with bringing the genre into mainstream success, producing Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles Get Low, Goodies, Cyclone, Freek-a-Leek, and Yeah!. Yeah! won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance. Lil Jon is also a frequent collaborator with friend and fellow rapper Pitbull. In 2013, Lil Jon collaborated with DJ Snake and released the EDM multi-platinum hit, Turn Down For What, that won Billboard Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Song. The music video for the single, released in 2014, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, and has been viewed over 826 million times on YouTube as of January 2018. As of 2016, Lil Jon is listed as one of the Top Billboard Music Award Winners of All Time.
Smith was born in Atlanta, Georgia and grew up in a middle class Southwest Atlanta neighborhood. He is oldest of five children born to his father, an engineer at Lockheed Martin and to his mother who was in the Army Reserves While in middle School, he met Robert McDowell, Dwayne Searcy and Vince Phillips, who would become his lifelong friends and business partners. The trio quickly became immersed in the skateboarding culture and would later work at Skate Escape, a popular skate and bicycle shop near the city's Piedmont Park. Smith attended Frederick Douglass High School, was in magnet program and a member of the school's marching band.
STEVE AOKI
2007 DJ Awards - Best Set Of The Season
2008 Billboard Music Award - Best Mix Album Of The Year
An American electro house musician, record producer, DJ, and music executive. In 2012, Pollstar designated Aoki as the highest grossing dance artist in North America from tours. He has collaborated with artists such as will.i.am, Afrojack, LMFAO, Linkin Park, Iggy Azalea, Lil Jon, blink-182, Laidback Luke, BTS, Louis Tomlinson, Rise Against, Vini Vici, Lauren Jauregui, and Fall Out Boy] and is known for his remixes of artists such as Kid Cudi. Aoki has released several Billboard-charting studio albums as well, notably Wonderland, which was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album in 2013. He is the founder of the Steve Aoki Charitable Fund, which raises money for global humanitarian relief organizations.
Steven Hiroyuki Aoki was born in Miami, Florida, and grew up in Newport Beach, California. He graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 1995, where he was a player on the varsity badminton team. He is of Japanese Descent, the third child of Rocky Aoki and Chizuru Kobayashi. His father was a former wrestler who also founded the restaurant chain Benihana. He has two older siblings, sister Kana (who is sometimes called by her middle name "Grace"), and brother Kevin (owner of Doraku Sushi restaurant). His half-sister is a model and actress Devon Aoki.
Aoki attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduated with two B.A. degrees, one in feminist studies and the other in sociology. In college, he produced do-it-yourself records and ran underground concerts out of his Biko room in the Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative, which was located in Isla Vista, a section of residential land adjacent to UCSB. As a concert venue, the apartment became known as The Pickle Patch. Aoki was also involved in student activism at UCSB, being the founder of a Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League chapter on campus. By his early 20s, Aoki had built his own record label, which he named Dim Mak – a reference to his childhood hero, Bruce Lee.
DJ SNAKE
2015 Billboard Music Award - Top Dance/Electronic Song “Turn Down For What” Feat: Lil Jon
2016 Billboard Music Award - “Lean On” Feat: Major Lazor
known professionally as DJ Snake, is a French DJ and record producer from Paris.
DJ Snake is a Grammy-nominated producer and artist who debuted into the international scene with singles "Bird Machine" and "Turn Down for What" in 2013. "Bird Machine" is a collaboration with fellow French musician Alesia. The single was picked up by Mad Decent, a Los Angeles-based record label run by Diplo, and released in February 2013. In June 2013, DJ Snake was invited by Diplo to do a live mix on his radio show, "Diplo & Friends", which airs on BBC Radio 1
DJ Snake was announced to be working on a collaboration with Diplo, originally slated to debut in 2014; it eventually released in 2015 as the single "Lean On" in collaboration with MØ and Diplo's Major Lazer. On 30 April 2014, DJ Snake was labeled as an "Artist to Watch" by FoxWeekly. He and Dillon Francis were announced as alternating supporting artists for the summer Mothership Tour 2014 with Skrillex. In March 2018, Billboard named DJ Snake as number nine on their 2018 ranking of dance musicians titled Billboard Dance 100.
DJ Snake was born to Algerian parents in Paris and grew up in Ermont, a banlieue district outside Paris, which he describes as a ghetto. He cites a scene with Cut Killer in the French film La Haine as well as hip-hop artists KRS-One and Cypress Hill as early influences. In his youth, DJ Snake produced graffiti art, earning him the moniker "Snake" because he was able to consistently evade the police. Of his name, DJ Snake says "When I started DJing, everyone called me 'Snake' in my city first, I was like 'DJ Snake, OK let's go for it.' The name sucks, but it's too late now." He started DJing at age 14, and later producing at 19 years old. In his early career, DJ Snake performed at clubs including Les Bains Douches in Paris. In 2005, he met his manager Steve Goncalves, who encouraged DJ Snake to begin creating his own music.