Grizz

If ever there was track king who could plant gritty, genre-defying tracks in a sonic landscape where every song sounds the same, it has to be Music Worlds A-list producer Grizz. He has production credits on albums that have collectively sold well into the millions, making Grizz unquestionably one of the most important unknown producers in the industry.



A Houston native, Grizz started his journey into sound in 1989 by DJing parties for his sixth grade class. His duties on the wheels of steel progressed when in 9th grade, he went into his first studio.



I started on a SK5, remembers Grizz, who credits Marley Marl of the legendary Juice Crew as his inspiration. I pushed the EPS sampler and it was Impeach the President. That was the first breakbeat I ever heard. I fell in love with producing at that point. From there, everything else was secondary.



Grizzs career took off in 1993 when he joined forces with local rap stronghold, Rap-A-Lot Records, where he garnered his first gold record for his production work on Niggas and Flies on the Geto Boys release, The Resurrection.



Willie D took me under his wing and took me to Atlanta, says Grizz, who also acknowledges Crazy C as a major influence in his life for showing him the inner workings and mechanics of working in a studio. Thats where I did my first album ever, which was Play with Ya Mama with Willie and Ice Cube. After that J. Prince gave me a deal and I was a Rap-A-Lot producer up until 2000.



Although his time in the Rap-A-Lot camp helped cement his place in the southern hip-hop movement, Grizz eventually parted ways with the label, leaving his production plate empty until ALLDAY DRE' introduced him to Juvenile of Cash Money Records. The two immediately formed a bond and Grizz headed to New Orleans to make hits with the original Hot Boy.



Juvenile fell in love with my tracks, so I moved to New Orleans to work with him, remembers Grizz of the intricately-crafted beats he created that allowed Juves hoarse flow to ebb and flow between the bass-line like a seasoned synchronized swimmer. I lived right down the street from him and we hung out and traveled everywhere together. I did like nine songs with him, but Cash Money was Mannie Freshs show, so a lot of my stuff was taken off the album.



But the two tracks that did make the Juve the Great album, Numb Numb and Enemy Turf, became hood classics and garnered the multi-faceted producer a platinum plaque to add to his collection.



Recognizing that his star wouldnt get its full shine in the N.O., Grizz returned to Houston where he linked up with executive powerhouse Mathew Knowles, whom hed kept in close contact with since he produced rapper Lil Os Cant Stop with Destinys Child singing the hook.



Since joining the Music World family, Grizz has already supplied remixes for Beyonce (Me, Myself and I), Destinys Child (Soldier and Cater 2 U) and a song on Beyonces DVD (Wishing on a Star), all of which moved over one million units.



They call me the remix king, says Grizz. My sound is rough around the edges. I use heavy kicks and hard snares. I like my kicks real street. I stay in the streets. I stay on the edge. Im a little ahead of the game and the music has to catch up. Im like a music broker. I can see where the trend is going.



Having been there before Houstons sound could catch on nationwide; Grizz has since morphed his signature elements to continually distinguish himself from the pack.



I like to get sounds that no one else would use, says Grizz. Sometimes I use elements that youve heard before. If you want to stay in this game, you have to keep bringing something new. The best producers find ways to reinvent themselves. I want my sound to be on the edge and I want everybody to try to bite it. When everybody bites your sound, you know you did it right.