Damon J. Blackman (born August 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Dame Grease or simply Grease, is an American record producer from New York City. In 1996, he gained recognition in the hip hop industry through his production work with Bad Boy and

The LOX The Lox (stylized The LOX or The L.O.X.) is an American hip hop group from Yonkers, New York, formed in 1994. The group is composed of East Coast rappers Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss. They had originally signed to Puff Daddy's Bad Boy R ...

, while also establishing the sound of DMX and

Ruff Ryders Ruff Ryders Entertainment is an American hip hop record label and management company founded by siblings and record executives Joaquin "Waah", Darin "Dee" and Chivon Dean. It operated as a subsidiary of Universal, and distributed by Fontana Dist ...

Music career

1996–2006: Career beginnings and Vacant Lot

Grease has produced several artists throughout his career. He has worked extensively with

East Coast hip hop East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the Bronx, New York City. In contrast to other styles, East Coast hip ...

group,

. Their use of Grease's sounds helped them acquire the street buzz that landed them their deal on Puff Daddy's

Bad Boy Records Bad Boy Records (or Bad Boy Entertainment) is an American record label founded in 1993 by rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs. It operates as an imprint of Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. It has been home to many artists, including ...

in 1996. Grease produced several songs on LOX's debut album, '' Money, Power & Respect'', including the hit '' We'll Always Love Big Poppa''. He was a producer on fellow Bad Boy artist

Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his mononym Mase (formerly Murda Mase and stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper and minister. In the late 1990s, he recorded on the Bad Boy Records label alongside its founder Sean ...

's quadruple platinum album ''

Harlem World ''Harlem World'' is the debut album by American hip hop recording artist Mase, released on October 28, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album was nominated at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It went on to sell 4.8 ...

'' (1997). This led to Grease's work as the primary

music producer 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 ...

on DMX's debut ''

It's Dark and Hell Is Hot ''It's Dark and Hell Is Hot'' is the debut album by American rapper DMX. It was released on May 12, 1998, by Def Jam Recordings and Ruff Ryders Entertainment. It was supported by four singles—"Get at Me Dog", " Stop Being Greedy", "Ruff Ryder ...

'' (1998), producing thirteen of its nineteen tracks. With this project Grease helped

Ruff Ryders Entertainment Ruff Ryders Entertainment is an American hip hop record label and management company founded by siblings and record executives Joaquin "Waah", Darin "Dee" and Chivon Dean. It operated as a subsidiary of Universal, and distributed by Fontana Dist ...

build its image. During this time, Grease mentored

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

-bred disc jockey

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

, who soon became another

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

-free producer. Dame Grease then landed a deal with

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice-T, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Big L, Silkk the Shocker and Westside Connection. It also distributed hip hop record labels including Death Row R ...

to release music through his own label, Vacant Lot, despite offers to be one of Puff Daddy's legendary

Hitmen Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

or an in-house producer on Ruff Ryders. In 1999, Dame Grease produced two tracks on Tricky's ''

Juxtapose Juxtaposition is an act or instance of placing two elements close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc. Speech Juxtaposition in literary terms is the showin ...

'' album. In 2001 Dame Grease began composing music, providing the score for the

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

/ DMX blockbuster ''

Exit Wounds ''Exit Wounds'' is a 2001 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, and starring Steven Seagal and DMX. The film is based on the book of the same name by John Westermann. The book takes place on Long Island, while the film is set in D ...

'', as well as for the 2003 box-office hit, ''

Cradle 2 the Grave ''Cradle 2 the Grave'' is a 2003 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak and starring Jet Li and DMX. The film was released in the United States on February 28, 2003. Plot Anthony Fait and his crew of thieves attempt to steal diamon ...

'', starring

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...

, DMX,

Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films ''She's All That' ...

, and

Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on '' K-Ville'', and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama ' ...

, and for ''

Never Die Alone ''Never Die Alone'' is a 2004 crime thriller film directed by Ernest R. Dickerson and written by James Gibson, based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Donald Goines. The film stars DMX, David Arquette and Michael Ealy, and is about a crimina ...

'' (2004). Dame Grease also teamed up with DMX on the "Ain't No Sunshine" soundtrack, a remake of

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (1972) ...

1972 classic of the same name. Grease put in work on several music projects throughout 2004 and 2005, including albums from

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

Kelis Kelis Rogers-Mora (; born August 21, 1979), known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer, songwriter and a professionally trained chef. At age 14, she was admitted to New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Perform ...

, DJ Kay Slay, DJ Envy,

Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs " The Show" and " ...

Ol' Dirty Bastard Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known by his stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated as ODB), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily fr ...

, and an artist on

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

's Aftermath label named Aimee Terrin. Grease also kept the underground bubbling with "Crown Me", a collaboration between T.I., Cam'ron, and

Juelz Santana LaRon Louis James (born February 18, 1982), better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of East Coast hip hop group The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is best known for his appearances on Cam'ron's 2002 si ...

. In 2006, Dame Grease produced "Life Be My Song", a track on DMX's sixth studio album '' Year of the Dog... Again''.

2007–2013: After the Break

After a break in the mid-2000s, Grease reemerged in 2007, securing

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 ...

's lead-off "Takin' Pictures" (featuring

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...

, Rick Ross, Jim Jones, T.I., and

Young Buck David Darnell Brown (born March 15, 1981), best known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He heads his own record label, Cashville, and was a member of the former hip hop group G-Unit. Early life Brown was born in Nashville, Te ...

) and Freeway's single ''Big Spender'' (featuring Jay-Z). Grease also produced several tracks on

Hell Rell Durrell Mohammad (born May 3, 1979), better known by his stage name Hell Rell, is an American rapper. Career In 2007, he signed with Koch Records and began working on his debut album, '' For the Hell of It''. The album reached No. 5 on both th ...

's debut album ''For the Hell of It''. In 2009, Dame Grease produced the track "Lamborghini Dreams" for

Curren$y Shante Scott Franklin (born April 4, 1981), better known by his stage name Currensy (often stylized as Curren$y), is an American rapper. In 2011, he founded the label Jet Life Recordings. Music career 2002–2008: No Limit and Young Money ...

which was to have been included on Curren$y's ''This Aint No Mixtape: (Championship Edition)'' but which was never released. In a 2010 radio interview, Dame discussed projects with the LOX, DMX and his

Max B Charley Wingate (born May 21, 1978), better known by his stage name Max B (short for Max Biggaveli), is an American rapper and singer. He is best known for his solo ''Public Domain'' and ''Million Dollar Baby'' series of mixtapes, and introduc ...

project, pairing Max with unreleased verses from Notorious B.I.G. and 2 Pac. In that year he also collaborated with

Magix Music Maker Magix Music Maker is a commercial digital audio workstation (DAW) designed by the company Magix Software GmbH, Magix for the consumer sector. The program's attributes originate from MAGIX Samplitude, Samplitude, Magix's professional digital audio ...

, a software, online services and digital content provider, to create a signature software called the ''Grease-A-Lizer'' (MAGIX Music Maker Greasealizer Version), which allows users to create their own tracks using "customized loops and keyboard samples" produced by Dame Grease. The product was released March 15, 2010. In 2010, Dame Grease continued producing

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...

. Dame also launched Lot Musik Recording Studio dedicated to fostering young talent. Dame released his own album, ''Goon Musik'' in 2011. It includes the single "

Sour Diesel Sour Diesel is a hybrid strain of ''Cannabis sativa'' In popular culture Sour Diesel has appeared in works by Ryan David Jahn and Toby Rogers. The strain gave its name to two rap albums by Doap Nixon, as well as a single by Dame Grease. The Fl ...

", which features

N.O.R.E. Victor James Santiago Jr. (born September 6, 1977), better known by his stage names Noreaga and later N.O.R.E., is an American rapper. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Santiago first rose to prominence as one half of the East Coast hip hop du ...

and

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of hip hop group the Lox, alongside childhood friends Sheek Louch and Jadakiss. ...

. Meeno, Bigga Threat and Tony Wink provided vocals for the album. Dame made a production appearance on French Montana's Mister 16: Casino Life "All Night". Dame was executive producer on DMX's seventh studio album, ''

Undisputed Undisputed may refer to: Film * ''Undisputed'' (film), a 2002 action-thriller-drama film ** ''Undisputed'' (soundtrack), the soundtrack to the film * Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, a 2006 American martial arts film * Undisputed III: Redempt ...

'', which was released in September 2012. In December 2012, Dame Grease ran into

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 * ...

while working on DMX's ''Undisputed'' album at Good Charlotte Studio in Hollywood. A few days later Riff Raff came back to the studio and recorded ''Hologram Panda'' in 7 hours. The mixtape version was released December 12, 2012, and the album version was released April 4, 2013, through 101 Distribution. In 2013 Dame Grease started working with the "New Outlaw Order" a Faction of 2pac's

Outlawz Outlawz (formerly known as Outlaw Immortalz) are an American hip hop group founded by rapper Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they were best known for their association with Shakur. Most of the group m ...

(

Makaveli Records Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

/ Thug Life 365). In 2014 Dame Grease began working with Outlaw Order members Outlaw Muszamil and outlawed Misfit313, Outlawed misfit313 contract expired on January 1, 2015. He was picked up by Vacant Lot Records (Dame Grease) and followed up with the album '' The Uprising'' Produced by Dame Grease and Niamson Released on December 25, 2015.

Discography

Albums

*''Live on Lenox'' (2000) *''What's Really Hood?'' (2003) *''Goon Musik'' (2008) *''Martial Law'' (2015) *''Diary of Wave God'' (with Massfivestar) (2016) *''Live On Lenox Remastered'' (2016) *''Invincible Armour'' (with Joe Young) (2017)

Mixtapes

*''Goon Music 1.5 (The Doomship)'' (2008) with

*''Goon Music 2.OWWW'' (2009) with

and

*''Tanya aka T6: The Introduction'' (with Tanya T6) (2009) *''Strip Club Music'' (2010) *''Stash Box'' (2010) *''Wave Gang'' volumes 1–10 (2009–2013) *''Hologram Panda'' (with

) (2012) *''City of Cocaine'' (with Cokeboy Brock and Droop Pop) (2016)

Singles/EP's

* "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" Puff Daddy,

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B ...

112 112 may refer to: *112 (number), the natural number following 111 and preceding 113 *112 (band), an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia **112 (album), ''112'' (album), album from the band of the same name *112 (emergency telephone number), t ...

the Lox The Lox (stylized The LOX or The L.O.X.) is an American hip hop group from Yonkers, New York, formed in 1994. The group is composed of East Coast rappers Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss. They had originally signed to Puff Daddy's Bad Boy R ...

(Tribute To Notorious B.I.G.) (1997) * "Love and Hate" and "Feel the Rush" Mic Vandalz and Dame Grease (1998) * "For Real" Tricky with

Dj Muggs Lawrence Muggerud (born January 28, 1968), professionally known by his stage name DJ Muggs, is an American DJ, audio engineer and record producer. He is a member of Cypress Hill, a member of the trip hop band Cross My Heart Hope To Die and the l ...

and Dame Grease (1999) * "Bom Bom Diggy/Hot Like a Sauna" Tricky with Dame Grease (1999) * "God Love Us"

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

(

Nastradamus ''Nastradamus'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nas, released on November 23, 1999 by Ill Will and Columbia Records. Originally scheduled to be released on October 26, 1999 as a follow-up composed of material from sessions for hi ...

) (1999) * Live on Lenox (12", Promo, Smplr) (2000) * "Drugs in da Club" (12") (2000) * "Ur Only a Customer"

(Exit 13) (2008) * "We Run NY"

, Dame Grease (2009) * "End of Time"

Lumidee Lumidee Cedeño (born October 13, 1984) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. She quickly rose to fame in 2003 with the release of her song "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)", which peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, ...

(2010) * "Crack Babies"

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...

, Joe Young (Invincible Armour) (2017) * "Crack Babies 2.0"

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...

Masta Killa Jamel Irief (born Elgin Turner; August 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Masta Killa, is an American rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Though one of the lesser-known members of the group (he was featured on only one track on their 19 ...

Cappadonna Darryl Hill, better known by his stage name Cappadonna, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip-hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan and is a member of the rap group Theodore Unit together with Ghostface Killah. Career Cappadonna (also know ...

, Joe Young (Invincible Armour) (2017) * "Dangerous" E-Moe, C Jenkz, Dame Grease (2017) * "Guerrilla"

Vita (rapper) LaVita Raynor, known simply as Vita, is an American rapper, songwriter and actress. Raynor is perhaps best known for her role as Kionna, Tommy "Buns" Bundy's (portrayed by DMX) " side chick" in the 1998 crime drama film '' Belly''. As a rapper, R ...

, CHG Unfadable (Lifestyle) (2017)

Scored soundtracks

* Turn It Up (New Line Home Entertainment 2000) **"Ja Rule, Pras, Robert Adetuyi" *''

'' (Warner Home Video 2001) – Producer **"Steven Segal, DMX, Andrzej Bartkowiak" *''

'' (Warner Home Video 2003) – Producer **"Jet Li, DMX, Andrzej Bartkowiak" *''

'' ( Fox Home Entertainment 2004) **"DMX, David Arquette, Ernest R. Dickerson"

References

External links

* *
Official Wave Gang website

Official Vacant Lot Records website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grease, Dame African-American record producers Living people American hip hop record producers People from Harlem East Coast hip hop musicians Musicians from New York City 1974 births Record producers from New York (state) 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people