Adam Blackstone (born December 4, 1982, in

Trenton, NJ Trenton is the capital city, capital city (New Jersey), city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.

) is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and bassist. He is the musical director for

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...

and

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

. Blackstone has also directed and played in performances with

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

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, The Roots, Ms.Marilyn Marshall, Al Green,

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, Steve Tirpak,

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, and Jill Scott.

Early years

Adam began his musical journey playing drums at the age of 4 at El Bethel church on Euclid Avenue in

. With his father serving as the church organist, and his mother singing in the choir, Adam Blackstone has said he first fell in love with music at church. Though Adam had his sights set on being a drummer, Adam began playing bass in the 3rd grade after his music teacher suggested Adam try it out. Adam then started playing upright bass in the 9th grade, in order to join his Willingboro high school jazz band. Adam Blackstone later on earned a full scholarship to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia thanks to his musical abilities. It was there that Adam studied contemporary

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and really honed in and perfected his bass playing and arranging skills.

Career

Adam Blackstone began his career as a session musician in the Philadelphia area. After becoming widely known in the area for his round, distinct tone, Adam caught the attention of drummer and producer Questlove of the well known Hip hop /

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

group, The Roots. His first big live show was at age 21 with Jay Z on his ''Fade to Black'' show at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

in November 2003. This show, along with ''

Dave Chappelle's Block Party ''Dave Chappelle's Block Party'', also known as ''Block Party'', is a 2005 American documentary film hosted and written by comedian Dave Chappelle, and directed by Michel Gondry. The film and its soundtrack are dedicated to the memory of music pr ...

'', were both filmed and made into popular documentaries that sold extremely well, and helped put Blackstone on the map. As Adam progressed, Adam became more well known among artists and labels for his tenacity, leadership skills, and hard work. Adam has since worked with and for several other

A-list An A-list actor is a major movie star, or one of the most bankable actors in a film industry. The A-list is part of a larger guide called ''The Hot List'', which ranks the bankability of 1,400 movie actors worldwide, and has become an industry ...

artists, providing all Adam can to not only meet, but exceed his clients standards. In 2012, Adam was the music director and bassist for pop superstar

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

on her ''

777 Tour ''Rihanna 777 Documentary... 7Countries7Days7Shows'' is the third live long-form video by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on May 7, 2013, by Def Jam Recordings. An edited version aired on May 6 on the Fox Network. It features behind-th ...

'', which involved playing in 7 countries in 7 consecutive days. Following his work with the popular American rock band

, Adam Blackstone was also featured as an adviser to coach Adam Levine during NBC's season one of ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

''. In 2014, Adam Blackstone was recruited by

for his comeback show after a 3-year hiatus at the famed

Austin City Limits Music Festival The Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on two consecutive three-day weekends. Inspired by the KLRU/PBS music series of the same name, the festival is produced by Austin-base ...

. More recently Adam works with

as a member and music coordinator of his band formerly known as the Tennessee Kids. Alongside working with several A-list artists at one time, Adam also runs his own production company with his wife Kaisha, entitled BBE (BASSic Black Entertainment), which features several up and coming pop and R&B acts. Founded in 2008, it thrives mostly as a live music staffing service for these artists. Kaisha Blackstone is the current CFO, while Adam runs the more creative side of the organization.

References

External links

Official website

BASSic Black Entertainment website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackstone, Adam Living people 1982 births 21st-century American bass guitarists Musicians from Trenton, New Jersey Primetime Emmy Award winners