Ali Dee Theodore
Encyclopedia
Ali Dee Theodore is an American music producer, writer, performer, and business owner.
, Ali began studying music and dance at the age of nine. After watching the Rock Steady Crew, Ali immersed himself in break dancing and hip‐hop.
Leaving school midway through his senior year, Ali formed a new group called the Next School, shopped it and got a record deal with Chrysalis Records
. Shortly after, the group found themselves guest appearing on Yo, MTV Raps.
While signed as a writer/producer to Universal Music publishing, their film and TV department began noticing Ali’s work and started getting him small placements in such movies as Pleasantville
and American Pie 2
. Excited and inspired, Ali began to think seriously of focusing his career in film music.
After leaving Universal Music Publishing, he cold‐called every music supervisor, production company and Hollywood studio, telling them he was their guy for any genre. Six months passed without a single response. Then, he finally got his big break. A music supervisor who he had worked with on
American Pie 2 was making Big Fat Liar
and needed four songs the following day. A few weeks later, an executive working on Ice Cube
's new movie called Ali to do the opening title song for the movie. From there, Ali’s film career took off. Over the next decade Ali and his Deetown team would produce and write songs for world premiere artists, including Miley Cyrus
, The Jonas Brothers, Mary J Blige, Natalie Imbruglia
, Shakira
, M.O.P.
, Rev Run (from RUN DMC), Fabolous
, Jadakiss
, Kool G Rap
, Silkk The Shocker, Busta Rhymes
, Natasha Bedingfield
, Carolyn Dawn Johnson
, Keke Palmer
, Baby Cham, and Mýa
, among others.
Ali Dee and his company DeeTown Entertainment have gone on to write and produce music and soundtracks for recent movies, including Friday the 13th
, Final Destination
, Night at the Museum
(1 and 2), Transformers
, Speed Racer
, Ghost Rider
, Iron Man
, Daredevil
, Sex and the City, Mr. and Mrs. Smith
and
Alvin and the Chipmunks
, whose soundtracks went platinum, spawned seven of the Top Ten iTunes kids songs, and garnered Ali the 2008 AMA Best Movie Soundtrack award.
History
The son of choreographer Lee Theodore and nephew of Hollywood singer/dancer Cyd CharisseCyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse was an American actress and dancer.After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s...
, Ali began studying music and dance at the age of nine. After watching the Rock Steady Crew, Ali immersed himself in break dancing and hip‐hop.
Leaving school midway through his senior year, Ali formed a new group called the Next School, shopped it and got a record deal with Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
. Shortly after, the group found themselves guest appearing on Yo, MTV Raps.
While signed as a writer/producer to Universal Music publishing, their film and TV department began noticing Ali’s work and started getting him small placements in such movies as Pleasantville
Pleasantville (film)
Pleasantville is a 1998 American fantasy comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Gary Ross. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Marley Shelton and Jeff Daniels. Don Knotts, Paul Walker, Jane Kaczmarek, and J. T. Walsh are also featured.The film...
and American Pie 2
American Pie 2
American Pie 2 is a 2001 comedy film and sequel to American Pie and is the second film in the American Pie film series. It was written by Adam Herz and David H. Steinberg, and directed by J. B. Rogers. The film picks up the story of the four friends from the first film as they reunite during the...
. Excited and inspired, Ali began to think seriously of focusing his career in film music.
After leaving Universal Music Publishing, he cold‐called every music supervisor, production company and Hollywood studio, telling them he was their guy for any genre. Six months passed without a single response. Then, he finally got his big break. A music supervisor who he had worked with on
American Pie 2 was making Big Fat Liar
Big Fat Liar
Big Fat Liar is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, written and produced by Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins, and starring Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, and Amanda Bynes...
and needed four songs the following day. A few weeks later, an executive working on Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
's new movie called Ali to do the opening title song for the movie. From there, Ali’s film career took off. Over the next decade Ali and his Deetown team would produce and write songs for world premiere artists, including Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
, The Jonas Brothers, Mary J Blige, Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
, Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
, M.O.P.
M.O.P.
M.O.P., short for Mash Out Posse, is an American hip hop duo. The duo, composed of Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, is known for the aggressive delivery typically employed by both emcees. Although they maintain a strong underground following, they are mainly known for the song "Ante Up," released on...
, Rev Run (from RUN DMC), Fabolous
Fabolous
John David Jackson , better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Part of his early popularity arose from his hit single "Can't Deny It" in 2001, from his debut...
, Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
, Kool G Rap
Kool G Rap
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson , better known by his stage names Kool G Rap , Kool G. Rap, and Giancana , is an American rapper, from the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew...
, Silkk The Shocker, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
, Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Carolyn Dawn Johnson
Carolyn Dawn Johnson is a Canadian Juno Award winning country music singer-songwriter. Johnson first rose to fame by co-writing Chely Wright's 1999 Number One single, "Single White Female," which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in September 1999...
, Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer
Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer is an American actress and singer who rose to fame for her performance in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee. She also starred as the title character in the Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, VP...
, Baby Cham, and Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
, among others.
Ali Dee and his company DeeTown Entertainment have gone on to write and produce music and soundtracks for recent movies, including Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
, Final Destination
Final Destination
Final Destination is a 2000 supernatural slasher film written and directed by James Wong. The film was co-written by Glen Morgan and Jeffrey Reddick, both of them having previously worked with Wong in the TV series The X-Files. The film stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith and Tony Todd...
, Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum is a 2006 fantasy adventure-comedy film based on the 1993 children's book The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc. It follows a divorced father trying to settle down, impress his son, and find his destiny...
(1 and 2), Transformers
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
, Speed Racer
Speed Racer (film)
Speed Racer is a 2008 American live action film adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name, produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The film is written and directed by the Wachowskis...
, Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (film)
Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
, Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
, Daredevil
Daredevil (film)
Daredevil is a 2003 American superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, the film stars Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who fights for justice in the courtroom and out of the courtroom as the masked vigilante Daredevil...
, Sex and the City, Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005 film)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a 2005 American romantic comedy action film directed by Doug Liman and written by Simon Kinberg. The original music score was composed by John Powell...
and
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks (film)
Alvin and the Chipmunks is a 2007 comedy film directed by Tim Hill. Based on the animated series of the same name, the film stars Jason Lee, David Cross, and Cameron Richardson with the voices of Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, and Jesse McCartney. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox and...
, whose soundtracks went platinum, spawned seven of the Top Ten iTunes kids songs, and garnered Ali the 2008 AMA Best Movie Soundtrack award.