Damon Blackman (born August 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Dame Grease, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer from Harlem, New York. Born and The Bronx, raised in Harlem he began his musical career as a producer and has since added rapper, record executive, creative director and fashion designer, to his repertoire. In 1996 he gained recognition in the hip hop industry, through his work with Bad Boy Records and The Lox. He also established himself as a prominent New York Producer while working with East Coast rapper DMX and the Ruff Ryders Entertainment record label.
Video Dame Grease
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 group, The LOX. Their use of Grease's sounds helped them acquire the street buzz that landed them their deal on Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records 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's quadruple platinum album Harlem World (1997). This led to Grease's work as the primary producer on DMX's debut It's Dark and Hell Is Hot (1998), producing thirteen of its nineteen tracks. With this project Grease helped Ruff Ryders Entertainment build its image. During this time, Grease mentored Bronx-bred disc jockey Swizz Beatz, who soon became another sample-free producer.
Dame Grease then landed a deal with Priority Records to release music through his own label, Vacant Lot, despite offers to be one of Puff Daddy's legendary Hitmen or an in-house producer on Ruff Ryders.
In 2001 Dame Grease began composing music, providing the score for the Steven Seagal/DMX blockbuster Exit Wounds, as well as for the 2003 box-office hit, Cradle 2 the Grave, starring Jet Li, DMX, Gabrielle Union, and Anthony Anderson, and for Never Die Alone (2004).
Dame Grease also teamed up with DMX on the "Ain't No Sunshine" soundtrack, a remake of Bill Withers 1972 classic of the same name.
Grease put in work on several music projects throughout 2004 and 2005, including albums from LL Cool J, Kelis, DJ Kay Slay, DJ Envy, Slick Rick, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and an artist on Dr. Dre'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. 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's lead-off "Takin' Pictures" (featuring Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Jim Jones, T.I., and Young Buck) and Freeway's single Big Spender (featuring Jay-Z). Grease also produced several tracks on Hell Rell's debut album For The Hell Of It.
In 2009, Dame Grease produced the track "Lamborghini Dreams" for Curren$y which was to have been included on Curren$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 project, pairing Max with unreleased verses from Notorious B.I.G. and 2 Pac. In that year he also collaborated with Magix Music Maker, 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. 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", which features N.O.R.E. and Styles P. 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, which was released in September 2012.
In December 2012, Dame Grease ran into Riff Raff while working on DMX's Undisputed album at Good Charlotte Studio in Hollywood, CA. 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 (Makaveli Records/ Thug Life 365). In 2014 Dame Grease began working with Outlaw Order members Outlaw Muszamil and outlawed Misfit313, Outlawed misfit313 contract expired in January 1 of 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.
Maps Dame Grease
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 Max B
- Goon Music 2.OWWW (2009) with Max B and French Montana
- 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 Riff Raff) (2012)
- City of Cocaine (with Cokeboy Brock and Droop Pop) (2016)
Singles/EP's
- "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, 112, The Lox (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 and Dame Grease (1999)
- "Bom Bom Diggy/Hot Like A Sauna" Tricky with Dame Grease (1999)
- Live On Lenox (12", Promo, RP, Smplr) (1999)
- "God Love Us" Nas (Nastradamus) (1999)
- "Drugs In Da Club" (12") (2000)
- "Ur Only A Customer" LL Cool J (Exit 13) (2008)
- "We Run NY" French Montana, Max B, Dame Grease (2009)
- "End Of Time" Lumidee, Styles P (2010)
- "Crack Babies" Method Man, Joe Young (Invincible Armour) (2017)
- "Crack Babies 2.0" Method Man, Raekwon, Masta Killa, Cappadonna, Joe Young (Invincible Armour) (2017)
- "Dangerous" E-Moe, C Jenkz, Dame Grease (2017)
Scored soundtracks
- Turn It Up (New Line Home Entertainment 2000)
- "Ja Rule, Pras, Robert Adetuyi"
- Exit Wounds (Warner Home Video 2001) - Producer
- "Steven Segal, DMX, Andrzej Bartkowiak"
- Cradle 2 the Grave (Warner Home Video 2003) - Producer
- "Jet Li, DMX, Andrzej Bartkowiak"
- Never Die Alone ( Fox Home Entertainment 2004)
- "DMX, David Arquette, Ernest R. Dickerson"
Other ventures
In 2016, Dame Grease released his first line of custom sneakers themed after his album and single releases. In 2016, Dame Grease became a partner in the popular brand WU-Wear licensing in Europe with rapper and business mogul Joe Young. During branding efforts for their 2017 spring line they created Invincible Armour Album to in efforts to bring awareness to the partnership.
References
External links
- Official website
- Dame Grease on SoundCloud
- Official Wave Gang website
- Official Vacant Lot Records website
- Dame Grease at AllMusic
- Damon Blackman discography at Discogs
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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