Studio 11 is a recording studio in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, founded in 1996. Best known for hip hop music,

duranguense Duranguense is a genre of Regional Mexican music. It is a hybrid of Technobanda and Tamborazo. Its popularity peaked in the mid to late 2000s among the Mexican and Mexican American community in the United States, as well as in many parts of Mexi ...

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

, and

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

styles, Studio 11 has recorded, mixed, and mastered over 35,000 musical songs.

History

Early history

Studio 11 was initially opened in a

coach house Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

building at 11 East Superior Street by Alex Gross and Dan Scalpone, while students of

sound engineering An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

at Columbia College. By 1999 the studio expanded to the top floor at 209 W. Lake St. into two music studios to accommodate larger volumes of recording. Early adaptation of digital technology established Studio 11 as a premiere Chicago destination for recording rap and electronic music, highlighted by the early works of

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

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, ''Lupe Fiasco's ...

Yung Berg Christian J. Ward (born September 9, 1985), professionally known as Hitmaka, is an American record producer and former rapper from Chicago, Illinois. Ward began his career as a rapper under the name Yung Berg, having released his debut album '' ...

, and

Crucial Conflict Crucial Conflict is an American hip hop group from Chicago, composed of Wondosas "Kilo" Martin, Ralph "Wildstyle" Leverston, Corey "Coldhard" Johnson and Marrico "Never" King, best known for their marijuana-themed 1996 hit single " Hay". The gr ...

, as well as more recent recordings with Rockie Fresh,

Cashis Ramone Johnson (born October 10, 1982), better known by his stage name Cashis (stylized as Ca$his), is an American rapper who was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Irvine, California. He was most notably featured on the Shady Records ...

, and French rapper

Gradur Wanani Gradi Mariadi (born November 28, 1990), better known by his stage name Gradur (), is a French rapper of Congolese origin from Roubaix, Hauts-de-France. He first gained recognition from a series of freestyles called Sheguey. He started as pa ...

Music

Founder Alex Gross established himself with the recording of ''Payroll 125'', a

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

album featuring the Kanye West produced song ''Never Change'', subsequently sold to

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

and re-released on critically acclaimed album ''

The Blueprint ''The Blueprint'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. ...

''. In 2011, Studio 11 was selected as a curator for

WFMU WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey. Since 1998 its studios and operating facilities have been headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. It broadcasts locally at 91.1 Mhz FM, in ...

New York's

Free Music Archive The Free Music Archive or FMA is an online repository of royalty-free music. Established in 2009 by the East Orange, New Jersey community radio station WFMU and in cooperation with fellow stations KBOO and KEXP, it aims to provide music under Cre ...

, and has since released nearly 200 contributions totalling over 100,000 downloads, featuring artists such as

Greenskeepers Greenskeepers are an indie rock/ new wave band from Chicago. Their song "Lotion" is a tribute to the character Buffalo Bill, the fictional serial killer featured in the 1991 film '' The Silence of the Lambs''. "Lotion" also came in at #90 in the ...

, Glass Lux, Track Jackit, Angel Alanis and The Dread.

Notable clients

Selected recordings

Albums

Singles

12" Vinyl Singles / EPs

Films

References

External links

Studio 11 website

Free Music Archive
{{coord, 41, 53, 7.4, N, 87, 38, 3.9, W, region:US-IL_type:landmark, display=title Recording studios in Illinois Companies based in Chicago Music of Chicago