Zaytoven
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Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), professionally known as Zaytoven, is an American
trap music Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States during the 1990s. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang word "trap", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is ch ...
record 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 ...
,
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
, and
keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instr ...
from
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. He has released collaborative projects with artists including
Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...
, Usher,
Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
,
Young Dolph Adolph Robert Thornton Jr. (July 27, 1985 – November 17, 2021), better known by his stage name Young Dolph, was an American rapper. In 2016, he released his debut studio album, '' King of Memphis'', which peaked at number 49 on the ''Billboar ...
,
Migos Migos () is an American hip hop trio from Lawrenceville, Georgia, founded in 2008. The group was originally composed of Southern rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia; Offset and Takeoff were born and raised in Law ...
,
Lecrae Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the ind ...
,
Lil Yachty Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Boat, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. He first gained recognition on the internet in 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" (featuring ...
,
Chief Keef Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school s ...
,
Young Scooter Kenneth Edward Bailey (born March 28, 1986), better known by his stage name Young Scooter, is an American rapper who is affiliated with Freebandz and 1017 Brick Squad Records and CEO of his own label Black Migo Gang. Scooter grew to prominence ...
,
B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...
,
Boosie Badazz Torence Ivy Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective Concentration Camp, e ...
,
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 ...
,
Jack Harlow Jackman Thomas Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper from Louisville, Kentucky. He started his career in 2015 and released several EPs and mixtapes before he was signed to Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now in 201 ...
and
Deitrick Haddon Deitrick Vaughn Haddon (born May 17, 1973) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, record producer, pastor, and actor. He is best known for progressive gospel, and contemporary styles of music. He is also one of the cast memb ...
. Zaytoven signed a deal with friend/rap star
Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...
to become
1017 Brick Squad The New 1017 Records, also known as 1017 Global Music, LLC and formerly 1017 Brick Squad, So Icey Entertainment, & 1017 Eskimo, is an American record label founded by Gucci Mane after his departure from Mizay Entertainment and the closing of So ...
's in-house producer & Then went on to win a
Grammy Award 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 pres ...
in 2011 for his contribution to Usher's ''
Raymond v. Raymond ''Raymond v. Raymond'' is the sixth studio album by American singer Usher (musician), Usher, released on March 26, 2010, by LaFace Records. Production for the album took place in 2009 and was handled by several producers, including Jermaine Dupri, ...
'' album, as a co-producer and writer for the single " Papers" along with
Sean Garrett Garrett Robin Hamler, known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is responsible for a series of chart-topping compositions, most notably Usher's " Yeah!" which ranks second on the ''Billboa ...
.


Early life

Zaytoven spent a lot of time at church growing up, as his father was a preacher when not working for the Army. He learned to play instruments through the church bands along with his three younger siblings. He gravitated toward playing the piano and organ. Zaytoven was introduced to rap in middle school by a friend. He learned to produce music while attending high school in his spare time between school and basketball, Zaytoven played the keyboard during halftime at his high school football games. While he was performing one day at the game, local producer
JT the Bigga Figga Joseph Tom, better known by his stage name JT the Bigga Figga (also known as Figg Panamera), is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive from the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco, California. He has produced music on over ...
liked what he heard, and invited Zaytoven to his studio, where Zaytoven had unlimited access to his keyboards. He truly began to utilize his skills as a producer while making beats in JT the Bigga Figga's studio before he started making a name for himself in Atlanta.


Career


Career beginnings

Zaytoven started going over to
JT the Bigga Figga Joseph Tom, better known by his stage name JT the Bigga Figga (also known as Figg Panamera), is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive from the Fillmore neighborhood of San Francisco, California. He has produced music on over ...
's studio every day to make beats and learn how to use the equipment. He began to sell beats to JT, and went on to collaborate with Bay Area artists such as Messy Marv and
E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, a ...
while still in high school. During his senior year in high school, Zaytoven's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia due to his father's retirement. Zaytoven decided to stay in San Francisco, finish his senior year, and continue his producing for local rappers. He realized that he needed a studio of his own where he could produce with his own equipment and work at any time of the day. Having saved up money from his day job as a barber, Zaytoven began to buy equipment for producing. He would ship this to his parents' house in Atlanta, to which he eventually moved, and set up his own studio there. He enrolled in a local barber college in Atlanta and got a job as a barber to help finance the rest of his studio. While attending barber school, a classmate of his introduced Zaytoven to
Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...
, who would become his right-hand man in his career as a producer. Zaytoven and Gucci Mane began to work together everyday after meeting each other. Zaytoven said in an interview with Fader that Gucci Mane would call him at 7 in the morning asking if he was ready to start making music for that day. Zaytoven and Gucci Mane spent the majority of the early 2000s making music together and selling mixtapes out of the trunks of their cars in Atlanta. It wasn't until 2005 that the two gained mainstream recognition from their hit song "Icy", with features from Young Jeezy and Boo. This recognition gave Zaytoven's career the boost it needed to take off, landing the hit song "Papers" with Usher in 2010 on Usher's certified platinum album ''Raymond v. Raymond''.


Rise to fame

Zaytoven's work on Usher's album ''
Raymond v. Raymond ''Raymond v. Raymond'' is the sixth studio album by American singer Usher (musician), Usher, released on March 26, 2010, by LaFace Records. Production for the album took place in 2009 and was handled by several producers, including Jermaine Dupri, ...
'' earned him a Grammy Award in 2011 and a serious reputation in the hip-hop world. He started to work with more artists as his popularity grew in the Atlanta rap scene. He helped shaped the careers of artists such as OJ Da Juiceman, Yung LA, Yung Ralph, the Shop Boyz, Lil Scrappy, Jagged Edge, and Gorilla Zoe. Zaytoven collaborated with a young group named Migos. He produced several tracks on the Migos 2013 mixtape, ''Y.R.N.'', including the hit track "
Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...
", which peaked at 53 on the ''Billboard'' chart. Zaytoven's collaboration with Migos continued; he helped produce their followup mixtape '' No Label II'', released on June 3, 2014. In 2015, Zaytoven provided exclusive production for ten mixtapes, including Future's ''Beast Mode'', released on January 15. He also worked on Future's album ''DS2'', which debuted on July 17. In July 2016, Zaytoven produced or co-produced seven songs on Gucci Mane's first album since being released from prison, ''Everybody Looking''. In the same month, Lil Uzi Vert's ''The Perfect Luv Tape'' was released, containing the Zaytoven-produced songs "Money Mitch" and "Sideline Watching (Hold Up)". In 2017, Zaytoven contributed to projects such as Gucci Mane's ''
Mr. Davis ''Mr. Davis'' is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Gucci Mane. It was released on October 13, 2017, by GUWOP Enterprises, RBC Records and Atlantic Records. The album is Gucci Mane's second commercial project of the year of 2017, followin ...
'', 21 Savage's ''
Issa Album ''Issa Album'' is the debut studio album by rapper 21 Savage. It was released on July 7, 2017, through Slaughter Gang and distributed by Epic Records. The album features production from frequent collaborator Metro Boomin, alongside Southside, Pi' ...
'', Migos' ''
Culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
'', Moneybagg ''Yo's Heartless'', and Yo Gotti's ''
I Still Am ''I Still Am'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Yo Gotti. It was released on October 27, 2017, by Epic Records, Roc Nation and Collective Music Group. The album features guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, YFN Lucci and Mee ...
''. Zaytoven also released two independent projects, ''Wake Up & Cook Up'' and ''Where Would The Game Be Without Me''. Zaytoven was scheduled to release his debut album ''Trap Holizay'' on May 25, 2018, and a collaborative album with
Lecrae Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the ind ...
called ''
Let the Trap Say Amen ''Let the Trap Say Amen'' is a collaborative studio album by American rapper Lecrae and American record producer Zaytoven, released on June 22, 2018, through Reach Records. The album features guest appearances from Waka Flocka Flame, K-So Jaynes, ...
'' on June 22, 2018.


Acting career

Zaytoven made his acting debut in the 2012 film ''Birds of a Feather'', co-starring with Gucci Mane. The sequel ''Birds of a Feather 2'' was released in 2018.


Tracklib

In 2018, Zaytoven joined the Creators Advisory Board of
Tracklib Tracklib is a music service that allows producers to sample original music and clear the samples for official use. The platform was founded with the aim to solve legal and ethical issues surrounding sampling and music clearances. The platform ha ...
.


Discography


Collaborative albums


Compilation albums


EPs


Mixtapes


Other charted songs


Production discography


Charted songs

Notes


Filmography


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1980 births Living people 1017 Brick Squad artists German record producers German hip hop DJs Musicians from Frankfurt Southern hip hop musicians Trap musicians