Omar Jarel Gilyard, known by his stage name Jneiro Jarel, is an American recording artist,

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 ...

, composer and DJ. Recognized for his versatile, abstract, and often experimental style, he is also known for his beat-making alias Dr. Who Dat? and his groups Willie Isz,

JJ Doom JJ DOOM was an American alternative hip-hop duo composed of Jneiro Jarel and MF DOOM. History On 15 February 2012 the website ''Pitchfork'' ran an article stating that JJ DOOM's debut album would be called ''Key to the Kuffs'' and released via ...

and Shape of Broad Minds. He has collaborated with artists such as Damon Albarn,

Count Bass D Dwight Conroy Farrell (born August 25, 1973), better known by his stage name Count Bass D, is an American rapper, record producer and multi-instrumentalist who resides in Millheim, Pennsylvania. His production style is characterised by layers o ...

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album '' Blue Lines'' was releas ...

TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...

and

Kimbra Kimbra Lee Johnson (born 27 March 1990), known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and s ...

among others.

History

Jarel was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He spent several years of his life living in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

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 ...

and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, before eventually moving back to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. It was in New York that he started his own label, Orienj Recordings (now Label Who?), and released his first EP as a solo artist. In 2003 he signed to indie record label Kindred Spirits, and was the sole representative from New York to participate in and perform at Red Bull Music Academy in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. In 2004 Jneiro moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and, through his success in the indie music scene, was able to work with some of the city's most influential artists

King Britt King Britt (born 1968) is an American educator, DJ and record producer from Philadelphia. Biography Britt is a 1986 graduate of Central High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1987, he started working at Tower Records, as a buyer for th ...

and Rich Medina. He signed a multi-album record deal with

Lex Records Lex Records is a British independent record label based in Camden, London, England. Style Lex has a varied musical output. Most releases are alternative hip hop, alternative rock or electronic. The label works with a small group of artists. ...

in 2006.

Career

2000–2005: Early career

Following the 2000 release of his ''Section A'' EP, Jneiro also released his first full-length album, ''Timeless Volume 1'' in 2004, via Label Who? Over the next year he made a number of guest appearances and contributions on various projects, and release several promo singles and

DJ mix A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together to appear as one continuous track. DJ mixes are usually performed using a DJ mixer and multiple sounds sources, such as turntables, CD players, digital audio players ...

es, before jointly releasing his ''Three Piece Puzzle'' LP on, both, Kindred Spirits and

Ropeadope Records Ropeadope Records is an American record label known for recordings in a variety of genres including jazz, hip hop, gospel, and electronic music. The label, now led by Louis Marks, was founded in 1999 by Andy HurwitzAndy Hurwitz"Ropeadope carves i ...

in 2005. The album was universally met with positive reception.

2006–2011: Lex Records and mainstream recognition

2006 marked the beginning of Jarel's relationship with

, and saw the release of his critically acclaimed instrumental project, ''Beat Journey'', under his Dr. Who Dat? alias. The album cover art was designed by the UK based graphic artists collective, and frequent Lex Records collaborators, Ehquestionmark, best known for their previous work on

The Mouse and the Mask ''The Mouse and the Mask'' is an album by Danger Doom, a collaboration between the hip hop artists Danger Mouse and MF Doom. It was released on October 11, 2005, by the independent punk label Epitaph Records in the United States. It was also r ...

and

Ghetto Pop Life ''Ghetto Pop Life'' is a collaborative studio album by Danger Mouse & Jemini. It was released on Lex Records in 2003. It features guest appearances from Tha Liks, J-Zone, Prince Po, and The Pharcyde. In 2004, a reprint of the album with three ...

. The aesthetic approach featured in ''Beat Journey''s art design would become a staple in Jneiro's future releases. He followed up ''Beat Journey'' with his 2007 Lex release, '' Craft of the Lost Art'', under the group name Shape of Broad Minds. Like many of his previous works, ''Craft of the Lost Art'' saw Jarel incorporating several of his aliases on to the album, although this was the first time they would all converge in one place. In addition to fellow group member and emcee Jawwaad Taylor, the project also included a number of features from

MF Doom Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

, Stacy Epps and John Robinson. ''Craft of the Lost Art'' widely received positive reviews, and saw Jneiro teaming with Ehquestionmark once more, for an artwork design that included a limited edition, glow-in-the-dark LP, as well as an EP, single and mixtape download. In early 2009 he revisited his Dr. Who Dat? alter ego for the digital-only release of ''Beyond 2morrow''. This instrumental EP would showcase the more experimental approach to production that was previously, but briefly, explored in some of Jneiro's earlier work. Having been fully realized and embraced on this project, it would also help in solidifying his place among a growing musical genre that would later become popular in the

Low End Theory Low End Theory was a weekly experimental hip hop and electronic music club night that took place every Wednesday from 2006 to 2018 at The Airliner in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California. History "The Low End Theory" is the second studio albu ...

and L.A. beat scene. That same year Jneiro teamed with

Goodie Mob Goodie Mob is an American hip hop group based in Atlanta, Georgia, consisting of CeeLo Green, Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp. History The group was formed in 1991 by Cameron " Big Gipp" Gipp, Willie "Khujo" Knighton Jr., CeeLo Green (born Tho ...

Khujo Goodie Willie Edward Knighton Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known as Khujo, is an American rapper. He is one-fourth of Goodie Mob (along with T-Mo, Cee-Lo, and Big Gipp), and one-half of The Lumberjacks (with T-Mo). Life and career Khujo was bor ...

to form the group Willie Isz. They released their debut project '' Georgiavania'' on June 15, 2009, via Lex Records. The album features backing vocals from

Tunde Adebimpe Babatunde Omoroga Adebimpe (born February 26, 1975) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, actor, director, and visual artist best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio. Early life Adebimpe was born into a Nig ...

, and continued the string of positive reception Jarel's work had come to know. It would also set the stage for a number of collaborations between Jarel and TV on the Radio's

Dave Sitek David Andrew Sitek (born September 6, 1972) is an American musician and record producer, known for his work with his band TV on the Radio. He has also worked with bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Foals, Celebration, Little Dragon, Beady E ...

. In 2010, Jarel signed a digital distribution deal with

Alpha Pup Records Alpha Pup Records is an American independent record label and digital distributor based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded by Daddy Kev and Danyell Jariel in 2004. ''LA Weekly'' placed it at number 2 on the "Top 10 Most Exciting L.A. Indi ...

, which resulted in the release of his ''Android Love Mayhem- EP'' and the reissue of ''Beyond 2morrow'', as Jneiro Jarel. Artwork for both EP's was handled by painter and muralist, and ''Three Piece Puzzle'' album cover designer, Joshua Mays. Jneiro also joined forces with Kindred Spirits again and released the Brazilian themed album ''Fauna''. All three projects had heavy electronic overtones in their production, and continued to show Jarel's willingness to move away from more traditional sample based music, and explore beyond the rigid boundaries set in place by many musical genres. In 2011 Jneiro was handpicked by Damon Albarn to be a part of the, newly established, musical collective DRC Music (

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Music) group. Working in conjunction with Oxfam, the project's intention was to bring awareness to Oxfam's relief work in Congo, as well as give exposure to over fifty local Congolese musicians. Albarn assembled a team of ten producers, composed of Jarel,

Dan the Automator Daniel M. Nakamura better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer from San Francisco, California. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark. Early life Nakamura was b ...

XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six albu ...

managers Richard Russell and

Rodaidh McDonald Rodaidh McDonald is a Scottish record producer and record company executive. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and currently resides in Los Angeles, California, United States. His production and mixing credits include The xx, King Krule, Adele, ...

Kwes Kwes (; sometimes stylised as ''kwes'', ''kwes.'', ''Kwes.'' or '' =o'' ) is a British music producer and artist from London, England. Kwes is also currently signed to Warp as a solo artist and released his debut album, '' ilp'' in October 2013. ...

Actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Orlando Tobias Edward Higginbottom (born 7 March 1986), known professionally as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (or TEED), is a British electronic music producer, DJ and singer-songwriter based in the United States. Early life Orlando is ...

, Marc Antoine, Alwest, and

Remi Kabaka Jr. Remi Kabaka Jr. (born 11 April 1970) is a British record producer, art director, percussionist and voice actor best known as the drummer and producer for British virtual band Gorillaz. He became a music producer for the band in 2015 after severa ...

to work alongside local musicians in Kinshasa. The result was '' Kinshasa One Two''; an album recorded in five days, with all of its proceeds going towards Oxfam. It was released on

Warp Records Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, ...

October 3, 2011.

2012–present: JJ Doom and Label Who

On December 16, 2011, a

remix of a

track, titled "Rhymin' Slang", was posted on

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

. JJ Doom was revealed to be the pairing of Jneiro Jarel and Lex label mate

, which drew speculation at the time that the two were working on an album together. This suspicion was confirmed when Pitchfork later ran an article on February 16, 2012, detailing the album's title, ''

Key to the Kuffs ''Key to the Kuffs'' is a collaborative album by alternative hip hop artists Jneiro Jarel and MF DOOM under the moniker JJ Doom. It was released on Lex Records on August 20, 2012. Recording Jneiro Jarel produced the music in his studio in New ...

'', and leaked one of its tracks "Banished". A third track from the album, "Guv'nor", was posted on Pitchfork July 27, 2012. ''Key to the Kuffs'' was released August 20, 2012 on Lex Records. Debuting at number 124 on the ''Billboard'' 200, ''Key to the Kuffs'' received notable positive praise, eventually charting a total of six ''Billboard'' charts and landing on several "Best Albums of 2012" lists. It had a number of high-profile guest appearances, from previous Jneiro Jarel collaborators Damon Albarn and Khujo Goodie, to

Beth Gibbons Beth Gibbons (born 4 January 1965) is an English singer and songwriter. She is the singer and lyricist for the band Portishead, which has released three albums. She released an album with Rustin Man, '' Out of Season'', in 2002, followed by an ...

of Portishead. A video for the song "Guv'nor" premiered August 23, 2012. Directed by Ninian Doff and presented by RizLab, the video garnered attention for its use of an optical illusion/ split-screen visual effect. Later a video for the "Rhymin' Slang (JJ Tron Remix)" would be released, as an extension of the JJ Doom/RizLab project. The album artwork for ''Key to the Kuffs'' was designed by American

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

artist Stephen "ESPO" Powers. Powers would also later direct the music video for JJ Doom's "Bookhead". The video premiered June 19, 2013 and the track was featured on the expanded, deluxe edition of ''Key to the Kuffs'', titled ''Key to the Kuffs (Butter Edition)'', released August 20, 2013. The "Butter Edition" also included the Dave Sitek "Rhymin' Slang" remix, as well as the previously released, alternative version of "Retarded Fren" by Radiohead's

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...

and Jonny Greenwood. It also featured a number of guest contributions in the form of remixes, features and alternative versions from Beck,

BadBadNotGood BadBadNotGood (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian instrumental band and production team from Toronto, Canada. The group was founded in 2010 by bassist Chester Hansen, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, and drummer Alexander Sowinski. In 2016, they w ...

, Del the Funky Homosapien and Clams Casino. In August 2013, Jneiro Jarel announced (via Okayplayer) the official launch of his own record label, Label Who, with

serving as digital distributor.

Personal life

Jarel is married to

Indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...

Discography

Jneiro Jarel

*''Section A'' (2000) *''Timeless Vol. 1'' (2004) *''Three Piece Puzzle'' (2005) *"Big Bounce Theory" b/w "Quantum Leap" (2005) *''Fauna'' (2010) *''Android Love Mayhem EP'' (2010) *"Amazonica" b/w "See Them Cry" (2010) *''Beyond 2morrow'' reissue (2010) *''Flora'' (2014) *''After A Thousand Years'' (2020)

Dr. Who Dat?

*''Beat Journey'' (2006) *''Rhyme Cycle EP'' (2006) *''Beyond 2morrow'' (2009)

Shape of Broad Minds

*''Blue Experience EP'' (2007) *'' Craft of the Lost Art'' (2007) *''Raiders Of The Lost Mix'' (2007) *"OPR8R" (2008)

Willie Isz

*'' Georgiavania'' (2009)

Capital Peoples

*''Amazonica (1999-2004)'' (2009)

DRC Music

*'' Kinshasa One Two'' (2011)

JJ Doom JJ DOOM was an American alternative hip-hop duo composed of Jneiro Jarel and MF DOOM. History On 15 February 2012 the website ''Pitchfork'' ran an article stating that JJ DOOM's debut album would be called ''Key to the Kuffs'' and released via ...

*''

'' (2012) *''Rhymin Slang (JJ Tron Remix) EP'' Very limited exclusive blue 12' vinyl. (2012) *''Rhymin Slang (JJ Tron Remix) flexi-disc 7 Exclusive single face flexi-disc vinyl sold with #24 Wax Poetics Japan. (2012) *''Key to the Kuffs (Butter Version)'' (2013) *''Bookhead EP'' (2014)

Productions

*"Choklit Ninja" by Rich Medina on ''Connecting The Dots'' (2005) *"Rhyme Cycle" by Stacy Epps on ''Ruff Draft'' (2007) *"The Experiment" "Vocal Overload" by John Robinson on ''I Am Not For Sale'' (2008)

Remixes

*"Yellow Daisies (Jneiro Jarel Remix)" by Fertile Ground on ''Remixes 01'' (2005) *"Holdin' On (Dr. Who Dat? Remix)" by Champion Souls on ''Holdin' On EP Two'' (2005) *"Vibes From THe Tribe (Jneiro Jarel Remix)" by Build An Ark on ''Remixes'' (2005) *"Dust (Rocque Wun Mix)" by

Recloose Matthew "Recloose" Chicoine is an American electronic music producer, DJ and musician hailing from Detroit, Michigan, US. He is known for numerous releases on independent dance labels like Planet E, Rush Hour, Peacefrog, Studio !K7, Sonar Kollekt ...

on ''Dust (Remixes)'' (2005) *"My Affection" by Vassy on ''My Affection'' (2005) *"My Juvenile (Jneiro Jarel's Minimal Animal Remix)" by Björk (2009) *"Pretty Wings (Jneiro Jarel's Willie Isz Remix)" by Maxwell (2009) *"Gazzilion Ear (Dr. Who Dat? Remix)" by

DOOM Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...

on '' Gazzillion Ear EP'' (2009) *"Gazzilion Ear (Jneiro Jarel feat.

Remix)" by

on '' Gazzillion Ear EP'' (2009) *"Harmony Korine (David A. Sitek and Jneiro Jarel Magnetized Nebula Mix)" by

Steven Wilson Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corrosi ...

(2009) *"Shout Me Out Remix" by

on ''Crying'' (2009) *"Balada 45 (Like A Brazilian Girl Remix)" by Arthur Verocai (2010) *"Electric Love (Jneiro Jarel Remix)" by Vikter Duplaix on ''Electric Love-EP'' (2010) *"Atlas Air (Jneiro Jarel's Lavender Jungle Remix)" by

on ''Atlas Air EP'' (2010) *"Groove Me (Jneiro Jarel Remix feat.

Theophilus London Theophilus Musa London (born February 23, 1987) is an American rapper and singer. A frequent collaborator of Kanye West, London was a producer on the 2022 album Donda 2 and was featured on West's 2015 single " All Day" which was nominated for sev ...

)" by

Maximum Balloon ''Maximum Balloon'' is the debut solo studio album by American musician and record producer David Andrew Sitek of TV on the Radio, under the moniker Maximum Balloon. It was released on September 21, 2010, by DGC Records and Interscope Records. T ...

on ''

'' (2010) *"Messin' (Jneiro Jarel Remix)" by Amatus (2014) *" 90s Music (Jneiro Jarel Remix)" by

on ''90s Music EP'' (2014)

Mixes

*"Mindgames (Sneaky Pete Edit)" by Rich Medina (2004)

DJ Mixes

*''Houston We Have A Solution'' (2005) *''Andrew Meza's BTS Radio Mix'' (2007) *''Return of The Shoegaze'' (2008) *''Jneiro Jarel aka Dr. Who Dat's BBC Radio 1 Mary Anne Hobbs Mix'' (2009) *''BBC Radio 1 Rob Da Bank JJ DOOM Mix'' (2012) *''Exclusive JJ DOOM Mixtape for Dazed Digital'' (2012) *''Traptronic Dreams Mixtape'' (2012) *''Jneiro Jarel x Bonafide Beats Mix #50'' (2014) *''Echoes In Viberia (Kimbra Mixtape) By Jneiro Jarel'' (2014)

Guest appearances

*"Lookin' At Me" by Kid Sublime on ''Basement Soul'' (2005) *"Not Tomorrow But" "No Game" by Breakthrough on ''Breakthrough'' (2005) *"Choklit Ninja" "Blues Baby" "Weight" by Rich Medina on ''Connecting The Dots'' (2005) *"Chea Chea" by

on ''Jazzmental'' (2005) *"Eyes And Ears" by Ohmega Watts on '' Watts Happening'' (2007) *"Evil Child" by Cilla K. on ''Evil Child'' (2010)

Compilation appearances

*"Sun Walkers" "Eeee Love" "Do You Thang" on ''Soul Purpose Is To Move You: Kindred Spirits Collection'' (2004) *"Sun Walkers" "Doinis!!" on ''Witness Future Vintage (Vol. 1)'' (2004) *"Doinis!!" on ''Undercover Cuts 21'' (2005) *"Soul Starr" "Big Bounce Theory" "Get Yuh Own" on ''Rush Hour Mixed Series Vol.01'' (2005) *"Lookin' At Me" on ''Habitat Collection: Fireside'' (2005) *"Lookin' At Me" on ''Jimmy Woo One'' (2006) *"Big Bounce Theory Part 2" on ''Witness Future Vintage (Vol. 2)'' (2007) *"Picante" on ''Basement Soul'' (2007) *"Rhymin' Slang (Dave Sitek Remix)" "Viberian Twilight Part 2" on ''Complex Vol. 1'' (2012)

References

External links

* *
Jneiro Jarel
on

Jneiro Jarel
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarel, Jneiro American hip hop record producers American hip hop DJs Living people Converts to Jehovah's Witnesses American Jehovah's Witnesses Rappers from Philadelphia 1975 births 21st-century American rappers Record producers from Pennsylvania Lex Records artists Ropeadope Records artists