Clinton Charls Sparks (born September 18, 1975) is an American
DJ, record producer, songwriter and singer from
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
.
He initially started his career as a rapper, dancer, producer, and DJ who gained notoriety by making
bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
remixes
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 ...
and
mixtapes
A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...
and parlayed that into hosting radio shows on Boston's
Hot 97.7,
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
's
92Q
WERQ-FM (92.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Baltimore, Maryland. It features a Mainstream Urban radio format and is owned by Radio One of Lanham, Maryland, the largest broadcasting company serving African American audiences in the Unite ...
,
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
's
Hot 93.7, and
Sirius XM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
's
Shade 45
Shade 45 is American rapper Eminem's hip-hop station on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Sirius XM Radio channel 45 and Dish Network channel 6045.
History
Eminem established his own channel, Shade 45, that plays uncut Hip hop music, hip hop. Eminem al ...
(among others). He was the long-time host of a worldwide syndicated radio show called ''SmashTime Radio'' (also referred to as ''Get Familiar with Clinton Sparks''). He is the current host and owner of the national
hip hop radio station ''Get Familiar Radio'' on
Dash Radio
Dash Radio is a digital radio broadcasting platform with over 80 radio stations. These stations are curated by DJs, radio personalities, musicians, etc. The platform includes partner stations curated by Snoop Dogg, Kylie Jenner, Lil Wayne, Tech N9 ...
, a digital radio platform for which he served as vice president from 2016 to 2019.
In 2012, he was nominated for a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
for his production work on
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
's ''
Born This Way''. That year, he also won a
BMI songwriting award for writing
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
's "
Shut It Down" and has since won several
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
Awards with
DJ Snake
William Sami Étienne Grigahcine (born 13 June 1986), known by his stage name DJ Snake, is an Algerian French music producer and DJ, first achieving international recognition in 2013 by releasing an instrumentation-oriented single called " Turn D ...
as part of his Get Familiar Music publishing company. He has written and produced songs for a number of notable acts, including
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...
,
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
,
2 Chainz
Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...
,
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
,
Lil Uzi Vert
Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their face tattoo, facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous ...
,
Big Sean
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...
, and numerous others. Sparks has also made music of his own, including the 2005 album, ''Maybe You Been Brainwashed'', and the 2014
EP, ''
ICONoclast
Iconoclasm (from Greek: grc, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, εἰκών + κλάω, lit=image-breaking. ''Iconoclasm'' may also be conside ...
''. He was featured on the song "Saturday Night," which was featured on the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
for the 2016
stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up.
Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...
film, ''
Kevin Hart: What Now?''.
Additionally, Sparks co-founded the mixtape database, MixUnit.com; served as music correspondent for the
E! series, ''
The Daily 10
''The Daily 10'' (also known as ''The D10'') is an American daily television entertainment news show that aired on cable channel E! from March 2006 to October 2010. Hosts count down the top ten entertainment news stories of the day.
Segments
In ...
'' and ''
E! News
''E! News'', previously known as ''E! News Daily'' and ''E! News Live'', is the entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and primarily reports ...
''; and has held executive positions at a variety of companies including Karmaloop,
FaZe Clan
FaZe Clan (formerly FaZe Sniping) is a professional eSports, esports and entertainment organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California, USA. Founded on May 30, 2010, the organization has players from around the world, across multiple game ...
, Islide, PingTank, IC Realtech, and Dash Radio. In July 2020, Sparks co-founded and became the chief business development officer of the newly formed
XSET
XSET is an American professional esports and entertainment organization based in Boston, Massachusetts. It has rosters competing in Fortnite, Valorant, Rocket League, Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Madden NFL, Apex Le ...
, an esports and lifestyle gaming organization. He also hosts the
Twitch
Twitch may refer to:
Biology
* Muscle contraction
** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation
** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction
** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...
show, ''Win Big with Clinton Sparks'', and authored his first book, ''How to Win Big in the Music Business'', in 2020.
Early life and education
Sparks was born and raised largely in the
Dorchester neighborhood of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
.
His parents got divorced when he was around 4 years old, and he lived with his mother for most of his childhood.
He began using his mother's stereo as a
turntable
A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
at age 10 and began manipulating his favorite parts of recordings to create new songs. When he was 12, he stole his first set of actual turntables and started making music for his groups and local artists. Sparks was a rapper and a dancer who, with his entourage, would win local talent shows.
Around that time, he and his mother moved to the
Hyde Park
Hyde Park may refer to:
Places
England
* Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London
* Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds
* Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield
* Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester
Austra ...
neighborhood in Boston.
Run-ins with the law throughout his youth prompted his mother to send him to live with his father in Jr high school, who struggled with
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
, in
Randolph, Massachusetts
"To Say What One Feels"
, pushpin_map =
, pushpin_label_position = right
, pushpin_label =
, pushpin_map_caption = Location in Massachusetts
, coordinates =
, s ...
. He graduated from
Randolph High School.
After high school at age 19, he got a job with
UPS
UPS or ups may refer to:
Companies and organizations
* United Parcel Service, an American shipping company
** The UPS Store, UPS subsidiary
** UPS Airlines, UPS subsidiary
* Underground Press Syndicate, later ''Alternative Press Syndicate'' or ...
and moved back to Dorchester.
Eventually, he moved back in to his mother's home and built a recording studio in her basement where he would make original mixtapes and travel up and down the East Coast to hand them out.
An injury sustained while working for UPS required Sparks to undergo spinal surgery, severely limiting his ability to perform manual labor. He began focusing more earnestly on music in the aftermath.
Career
1999–2005: Career beginnings with mixtapes, radio shows, and first album
From his basement studio at his mother's house, Sparks was able to convince major record labels that he ran a successful online radio show. Around the year 2000, he conducted interviews there with acts like
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
,
Common
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
,
Sean Kingston
Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is an American-Jamaican singer and rapper. He is known for his hit songs " Beautiful Girls", "Fire Burning", " Take You There", and his collaboration wit ...
,
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
, the
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...
,
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...
, the Clipse, and others. He ran the interviews on the radio station where he worked, Boston's Hot 97.7.
Sparks was also able to accumulate freestyle raps and performances (usually over his own beats) from these artists that he would put into mixtapes.
In 2002, he won the award for New Mixtape DJ of the Year at the Justo Mixtape Awards.
By 2004, Sparks was hosting weekly radio shows on Hot 97.7, Baltimore's 92Q, and Hartford,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
's Hot 93.7. He also hosted a syndicated hip hop show, ''SmashTime Radio'', through SupeRadio that aired in 40 cities.
That year, he was also named the Radio DJ of the Year at the Mixshow
Power Summit
Power Summit, previously known as Mixshow Power Summit, is an annual four-day urban music conference. It was established in 1998 by Rene McLean, founder and CEO of RPM GRP. The conference ran for ten years, concluding in 2008. It was the largest u ...
Awards.
Also in 2004, Sparks co-founded MixUnit.com, an online mixtape marketplace that ultimately became one of the largest hubs for mixtapes on the internet. He often released his own mixtapes and bootlegs on the site, including a series dubbed ''SmashTime Blends'' and several ''Get Familiar'' volumes. Acts featured on his tapes have included,
The Game,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
,
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
,
T.I.,
Usher
Usher may refer to:
Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place:
* Usher (occupation)
** Church usher
** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony
** Fiel ...
,
Ciara
Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
,
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...
,
Cam'ron
Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor from Harlem, New York City. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" ...
,
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 ...
,
Jim Jones
James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...
,
Amerie
Amerie Mi Marie Nicholson ( Rogers; born January 12, 1980) is an American singer. Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, she gained an appreciation of the classical arts from her mother Mi Suk Rogers and of music from her father Charles Rogers, and ...
,
Ashanti,
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single "Holla Holla". Durin ...
,
Fabolous
John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...
, and numerous others. The site helped mixtape DJs like
DJ Drama
Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), professionally known as DJ Drama, is an American DJ, record executive and music promoter. He is the co-founder (with Don Cannon) of Generation Now, an Atlantic Records imprint with artists including ...
and
DJ Khaled
Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper.
Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station WEDR, 99 Ja ...
accumulate a following.
In 2005, Sparks produced the
Re-Up Gang
The Re-Up Gang are an American hip hop group formed in 2004, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The group was formed by Pusha T and Malice, brothers and members of Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, alongside Philadelphia-based rappers Ab-Liva and S ...
's ''
We Got It 4 Cheap ''We Got It 4 Cheap'' is a series of mixtapes released by Virginia hip hop duo Clipse and Philadelphia-based rappers Ab-Liva and Sandman, collectively known as the Re-Up Gang. The series produced 3 mixtapes, entitled as volumes. ''Volume 1'' and ...
'' mixtapes (both ''Volume 1'' and ''Volume 2''). The Re-Up Gang was composed of both members of the Clipse (
Pusha T
Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...
and
No Malice
Gene Elliott Thornton Jr. (born August 18, 1972), better known by his stage name No Malice (formerly known as Malicious and later Malice), is an American rapper from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is best known for being one half of hip hop duo C ...
) and two other rappers (Ab-Liva and Sandman). ''Volume 2'' is widely considered a classic, and it also popularized Sparks' vision of the "mixtape-as-album" format.
That year, Sparks began hosting a show on Eminem's Sirius satellite radio channel, Shade 45, and added another weekly show in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
.
He also produced
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
's song "Hold Ya Head" featuring
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
off Biggie's posthumous final studio album, ''
Duets: The Final Chapter''.
In April 2005, Sparks released his own studio album, ''Maybe You Been Brainwashed'', on
Koch Records
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had b ...
. The lead single, "Run This City," featured
P. Diddy
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
and
Miri Ben-Ari
Miri Ben-Ari ( he, מירי בן-ארי; born December 4, 1978) is an American–Israeli musician, producer, and humanitarian, known as "the hip-hop violinist".
Life and career
Ben-Ari was born in Tel Aviv District, Israel. She grew up playing ...
. Other featured acts on the album included
Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
,
Kardinal Offishall
Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's " hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the country ...
,
Jadakiss
Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with Bad ...
,
Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...
, the Clipse, and others.
2006–2010: Worldwide syndication, ''The Daily 10'' on E!, and further production work
In March 2006, Sparks signed a worldwide syndication deal with SupeRadio that took his ''SmashTime Radio'' show to Canada, Australia, and Europe.
Later that year, he was named a member of the
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
DJ Division, a group of DJs who would serve as brand ambassadors and influencers for the company.
In October 2006, he was named Diddy's official tour DJ for his
Press Play tour. The two also released an accompanying mixtape entitled ''Don't Call It A Comeback''.
In 2007, Sparks produced, co-wrote, and provided vocals for the Akon song, "
Sorry, Blame It on Me
"Sorry, Blame It on Me" is the fifth single from R&B singer/songwriter Akon's second studio album, ''Konvicted'' (Deluxe Edition). The song was co-written and produced by Clinton Sparks
Clinton Charls Sparks (born September 18, 1975) is an ...
," which would eventually be certified platinum.
Also in 2007, he was hired by
Ben Lyons
Ben Lyons (born October 8, 1981) is an American entertainment reporter and sportscaster. He is the co-host of Bonjour Sports Talk on Amazon Prime Video Sports Talk.
Early life
Lyons is the son of entertainment reporter Jeffrey Lyons and the g ...
to become a music correspondent for the E! network series, ''The Daily 10'' and ''E! News''. He also began hosting a weekly "SmashTime Party" presented by E! at the
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
nightclub, Body English located inside the
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and ro ...
.
In 2008, he provided production work on Ludacris' "Call Up The Homies" and on the
Colby O'Donis
Colby O'Donis Colón (; born March 14, 1989) is an American singer. He is best known as the featured artist in Lady Gaga's 2008 single " Just Dance", which spent more than eleven months on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He is also known for his le ...
album, ''
Colby O
''Colby O'' is the debut and only studio album by American singer Colby O'Donis. It was released on September 16, 2008 through Akon's record label Kon Live.
Background
Akon served as executive producer and co-wrote 10 tracks with O'Donis (Colby ...
''. He also co-wrote
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
's "Forever to Bleed" (originally titled "Inevitably"). The song was supposed to appear on her album, ''
I Am... Sasha Fierce'', but was kept off after it leaked on the internet.
In 2009, he was featured alongside Jadakiss and Diddy on the
Chester French
Chester French was an American indie pop band consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter David-Andrew 'D.A.' Wallach and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Maxwell Drummey. They met as college students at Harvard University, naming their band ...
song, "
Cîroc
Cîroc is a brand of alcoholic beverages produced in France since 2003 and distributed by the British-based multinational alcoholic beverage maker Diageo. The brand family includes vodka, flavored products containing vodka, and brandy. Since ...
Star," becoming an official brand ambassador for the vodka.
He would also enter into a promotional partnership with Boston-based online apparel retailer,
Karmaloop
Karmaloop is a streetwear e-commerce company. It was founded in 2000 by Greg Selkoe and purchased by Shiekh Shoes in 2016.
History
Karmaloop was founded in 2000 by Greg Selkoe in his parents' basement in Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood of Boston, ...
,
a company for which he served as director of marketing from 2010 to 2014.
Sparks continued writing and producing songs in 2009, including Pitbull's "
Shut It Down,"
for which he won a BMI Songwriting Award.
He also worked with
T-Pain and
Leighton Meester
Leighton Marissa Meester (; born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite Blair Waldorf on ''Gossip Girl'' on The CW (2007–2012). She has also appeared in films ...
and moved his weekly Las Vegas DJ sets to the newly-opened Vanity nightclub in the Hard Rock Hotel.
In 2010, Sparks released his first single as lead vocalist entitled "Favorite DJ" featuring
DJ Class
Daniel Woodis, better known by his stage name DJ Class, is an American DJ from Baltimore, Maryland. A veteran of the Baltimore club scene, he started his career in the early 1990s and gained attention with his Unruly Records releases, including ...
and
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.
Early life
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
. The song was featured on the video game, ''
DJ Hero 2
''DJ Hero 2'' is a rhythm video game and a sequel to ''DJ Hero'', a spinoff of the ''Guitar Hero'' series. ''DJ Hero 2'' uses a special turntable-controller, the same as introduced in ''DJ Hero'', to simulate turntablism, the act of creating a n ...
''.
2011–2014: New focus as recording artist and ''ICONoclast''
![Clinton Sparks with Drake](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Clinton_Sparks_with_Drake.jpg)
In 2011, he released the single "Sucks to be You" featuring
JoJo
Jojo, JoJo or Jo Jo is a given name, surname, nickname or stage name used by several people and fictional characters, including:
People with the given name, nickname or stage name Musicians
*JoJo (singer) (born 1990), American R&B singer, songwri ...
and
LMFAO
LMFAO (an initialism for Laughing My Freaking Ass Off or Laughing My Fucking Ass Off) are an American electronic dance music duo consisting of Redfoo and Sky Blu. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Nancy Le ...
,
started a new weekly residency ("My Awesome Party") at the Moon nightclub in the
Palms Casino Resort
Palms Casino Resort is a hotel and casino located near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. It includes 703 rooms and a casino. It was originally owned by th ...
,
and released a new series of mixtapes entitled, ''My Awesome Mixtape'', which featured an introduction from
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...
.
He also signed a record deal with
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
and changed the name of his syndicated radio show to ''My Awesome Radio Show''. At the grand opening of his "Awesome Party," Sparks made his entrance by being lowered from a helicopter through the retractable roof of the hotel onto his DJ set.
In 2012, he began working on an album with his band, UGHmerica. He also released the song "Watch You" featuring Pitbull on the
Strictly Rhythm
Strictly Rhythm is an American house music record label.
History
Strictly Rhythm relaunched in 2007 after a five-year break, following a venture with Warner Music. The label made a number of its recordings available for digital download and sig ...
record label.
He received his first Grammy nomination for his production work on Lady Gaga's "
Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary originally referred to:
* Mary I of England (1516–1558), Queen of England and Ireland, so called because of her persecution of Protestants
Bloody Mary may also refer to:
Film
* '' Urban Legends: Bloody Mary'', a 2005 horror fil ...
" which appeared on the album, ''Born This Way''.
In 2013, he filmed a music video for his song "Boston Bass" (a bootleg remix of the
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...
song, "
I'm Shipping Up to Boston
"I'm Shipping Up to Boston" is a song by the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys, with lyrics written by the folk singer Woody Guthrie.
The original version of the song was released in 2004 on ''Give 'Em the Boot IV'' and was re-recorded for their c ...
") at a Dorchester boxing club.
In May of that year, he also released the single, "Gold Rush," featuring
2 Chainz
Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...
,
Macklemore
Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; (formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper and songwriter. A native of Seattle, Washington, he has collaborated with producer Ryan Lewi ...
, and
D. A. Wallach.
The song was accompanied by two videos: an actual video featuring the artists and a spoof "1849 Edition" featuring actors
and
Simon Rex
Simon Rex Cutright (born July 20, 1974), is an American actor, rapper, comedian, and former model. Rising to fame as an MTV VJ, Rex later became an actor known for '' What I Like About You'', starring in three films of the ''Scary Movie'' fr ...
.
It was the first song he had released after signing to
Photo Finish
A photo finish occurs in a sporting race when multiple competitors cross the finishing line at nearly the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to determine which of the competitors crossed the line first, a photo or video taken at the finis ...
/
Island Def Jam
The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordi ...
.
Later that year, he was featured with
Teddy Riley
Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre. Riley credits Barry Michael Cooper with giving the genre its name.Hogan, Paul. " Tedd ...
on the
Bad Rabbits
Bad Rabbits is an American band from Boston, Massachusetts, founded in September 2007. The band consists of Fredua Boakye (vocals), Sheel Davé (drums), Salim Akram (guitar), Graham Masser (bass), and Santiago Araujo (guitar). All five members o ...
song, "Dance With You,"
and released another original song, "Turnt Up" featuring
RiFF RAFF
Riff Raff, Riffraff, or Riff-Raff, a term for the common people but with negative connotations, may refer to:
In music
* Riff Raff (rapper), from Texas
* Riff Raff (band), a UK progressive rock band
* Riff Raff, a band formed by Billy Bragg
* ...
, 2 Chainz, and
Waka Flocka Flame
Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles "O Let's ...
.
In March 2014, he launched a new monthly event called "The Greatest Party On Earth" at the 1 OAK Nightclub in
The Mirage
The Mirage is a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Hard Rock International. The 65-acre property includes a casino and 3,044 rooms.
Mirage R ...
.
In early 2014, he released the song "Stay With You Tonight" again featuring RiFF RAFF and
Lil Debbie
Jordan Mary Capozzi (born February 2, 1990), better known by her stage name Lil Debbie, is an American rapper, model and fashion designer. Debbie started her career in 2011 as part of the now-defunct group The White Girl Mob, with rappers Kreaysh ...
.
He followed that up with releases of "Shut Up and Go" and "Geronimo" featuring
Sage the Gemini
Dominic Wynn Woods (born June 20, 1992), better known by his stage name Sage the Gemini (), is an American rapper and record producer from Fairfield, California. He is perhaps best known for his 2013 singles "Gas Pedal" (featuring Iamsu!), which ...
, T-Pain, and
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
before releasing his debut major label EP, ''ICONoclast'', on September 9, 2014.
He also went on a mini-tour in support of the album.
The EP featured six songs, including the aforementioned "Gold Rush" and "Geronimo" along with "UV Love" featuring T.I.
During this time, Sparks also served as the Head of Entertainment for the online custom
slide
Slide or Slides may refer to:
Places
* Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums
* ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998
* ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018
*''Slide'', by Patrick Glees ...
retailer, Islide.
2015–present: Business ventures, new singles, and Dash Radio
![CLinton Sparks Daymond John](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/CLinton_Sparks_Daymond_John.jpg)
In March 2015, Sparks was named president of PingTank, a tech startup with an app that created animations to layer over photos and videos. He left that company in June to become the
CCO and creative director of IC Realtech, a security and surveillance solutions company.
In July 2015, he opened a club called "blue" in
Marina Bay.
He also formed the music publishing company, Get Familiar Music. He is credited with discovering and signing French DJ and producer,
DJ Snake
William Sami Étienne Grigahcine (born 13 June 1986), known by his stage name DJ Snake, is an Algerian French music producer and DJ, first achieving international recognition in 2013 by releasing an instrumentation-oriented single called " Turn D ...
, who has won several ASCAP Pop Awards with songs published by Get Familiar. Other acts Sparks has discovered and signed include
Tchami
Martin Joseph Léonard Bresso (; born 12 May 1985), better known by his stage name Tchami (), is a French record producer and DJ from Paris. A founding member of the Pardon My French collective, he is best known for his solo work and regarded a ...
, Joey Bandz, and pineappleCITI.
In August 2016, he and Joey Bandz were featured on the
Chocolate Droppa (
Kevin Hart
Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums.
After winning se ...
's musical pseudonym) song "Saturday Night". The song would eventually be featured on the soundtrack for the stand-up comedy film, ''Kevin Hart: What Now?''.
In 2017, Sparks began his own branded party ("Get Familiar Fridays") and residency at Club Shrine inside the
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel and casino complex owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation on their reservation located in Ledyard, Connecticut. Including six casinos, the resort covers an area of . The casinos have more t ...
in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
.
In June of that year, Sparks announced that he would start his own station
and weekly radio show, ''Clinton Sparks Radio'', on the digital radio platform, Dash Radio.
The show and station were later renamed ''Get Familiar Radio''.
In September 2017, pineappleCITI—an artist Sparks manages and is credited with discovering—released her self-titled album that featured the Sparks-produced track, "Check On You," which also appeared on her February 2019 studio album, ''neonBLUE''.
In October 2017, Sparks released a new single, "Hit My Line," featuring Joey Bandz.
In September, he released the single "Think About You" featuring
Marc E. Bassy
Marc Griffin, known professionally as Marc E. Bassy, is an American singer and songwriter from the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the former vocalist of the Los Angeles-based pop band 2AM Club. His solo works include his 2014 mixtape ''Only the Po ...
.
In 2016, he was named the vice president of business development at Dash Radio and helped the company close an $8.8-million funding round in 2018.
In 2018,
Sparks began serving as the director of business development for the
esports
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...
team, FaZe Clan. As part of his work with FaZe Clan, Sparks helped bring hip hop stars like
Yo Gotti
Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...
,
DJ Paul
Paul Duane Beauregard (born January 12, 1977), better known by his stage name DJ Paul, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is a founding member of hip hop group Three 6 Mafia and uncle of the late rapper ...
,
Pitbull,
Swae Lee
Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown (born June 7, 1993), known professionally as Swae Lee, is an American singer and rapper. Known for his wide vocal range and genre-bending, Swae Lee is one half of the hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd with his brother Slim J ...
,
and
Offset
Offset or Off-Set may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Off-Set", a song by T.I. and Young Thug from the '' Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''
* ''Offset'' (EP), a 2018 EP by singer Kim Chung-ha
* ''Offset'' (film), a 200 ...
into the esports and gaming sphere as investors and participants. In July 2020, he left FaZe Clan to become the
chief business development officer A chief business development officer (CBDO) is a position within a company established beside the other executive positions reporting to CEO and COO. The title is used to define a high-ranking position alongside the CEO. The CBDO is expected to h ...
at XSET, a separate gaming organization that he co-founded with
Greg Selkoe
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, Wil Eddins, and Marco Mereu. With XSET, he is responsible for recruiting artists as investors and ambassadors. Swae Lee became the first artist to invest in the company in October 2020.
Also in October 2020,
he started a music and business show on Twitch called ''Win Big with Clinton Sparks''.
He released his first book, ''How to Win Big in the Music Business'', which features a foreword by
Daymond John
Daymond Garfield John (born February 23, 1969) is an American businessman, investor, and television personality. He is best known as the founder, president, and chief executive officer of FUBU, and appears as an investor on the ABC reality telev ...
.
The book was originally given away for free as an ebook on its website.
In January 2021, Sparks joined Esports Technologies as a strategic advisor.
Selected discography
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Songwriting and production
Nominations and awards
References
External links
Official websiteXSET''How to Win Big in the Music Business''Dash Radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparks, Clinton
1979 births
Living people
American DJs
American hip hop record producers
Musicians from Boston
People from Dorchester, Massachusetts