Darwin Cordale Quinn (born October 7, 1987), known professionally as Lil' C (also known as C-Gutta), is an American hip hop record producer, songwriter, and rapper. He’s perhaps best known for producing

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

-based rapper

Young Dro D'Juan Montrel Hart (born January 15, 1979), better known by his stage name Young Dro, is an American rapper. After gaining recognition with his regional hit song "Yes Sir", from his 2002 independent album ''I Got That Dro'', Young Dro aligned ...

's 2006 debut single, "

Shoulder Lean "Shoulder Lean" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Young Dro, released to rhythmic contemporary radio on May 2, 2006, as his debut single and the lead single from his first album ''Best Thang Smokin. The song features Dro's fellow ...

", which led to a deal with

Grand Hustle Records Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...

. Quinn is also part of the

record production A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

team

Smash Factory Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...

, alongside frequent collaborator

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

and Grand Hustle label-boss T.I.

Musical career

Quinn began producing hip hop beats as a means to make money and pay his bills. He embarked on this path at a young age, selling beats to classmates at the high school he attended. At fifteen, he was working in a studio that was housed under Hot 97.7 in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, which is how he made a lot of connections in the music industry early on. At the age 17, Quinn produced the song "

My Hood "My Hood" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Young Jeezy, released December 11, 2005 as the fourth single from his debut studio album ''Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'' (2005). The song, Hip hop production, produced by Grand Hustl ...

", for Young Jeezy, which was the third single from his debut album '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'' (2005). He would later meet

Jason Geter Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

, the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

(CEO) of American rapper T.I.'s

. Geter flew Quinn out to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

on the day of the "I'm A King",

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

shoot. Quinn took his keyboard with and went on to impress Geter with his skills. He gained major recognition in 2006, after producing "

", from Grand Hustle artist

’s debut album '' Best Thang Smokin''' (2006). It sold over 2 million ringtones, which led him to his first co-publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music and Grand Hustle at the age of 18. In 2007, Quinn and T.I. formed a record production and songwriting team called The Smash Factory, alongside Lamar "Mars" Edwards of

1500 or Nothin' 1500 or Nothin' is an American musical ensemble composed of record producers, songwriters, musicians and music videographers, formed in 2006, in Los Angeles, California. With headquarters located in Inglewood, California, 1500 or Nothin' is comp ...

. In late 2014, Quinn produced the

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

of "Heaven Knows" for the fifth season winner of '' The Voice'', Tessanne Chin. "Heaven Knows (Remix)" was released as a single by

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

in November 2014. In early 2015, Quinn signed with Kobalt Music Group on a new Administration deal. Also in 2015, Quinn produced "Offset" for T.I. and

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

, which is included on the soundtrack to the film '' Furious 7''.

Production discography

Singles produced

Other songs

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lil' C African-American record producers American hip hop record producers Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi Businesspeople from Jackson, Mississippi Southern hip hop musicians 1987 births Living people Grand Hustle Records artists 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people