Nick Speed
Encyclopedia
Nick Speed is a Hip hop
producer who has produced tracks for 50 Cent
, Tupac Shakur
, Lloyd Banks
, M.O.P.
, Talib Kweli
, Phat Kat
and Musiq Soulchild.
He is signed to Money Management Group which is a subsidiary of G-Unit Records
.
While still in high school, Speed and Magestik spent a significant amount of time with DJ House Shoes
, who assisted them with their first production experiments while also introducing them to other like-minded artists in the Detroit hip-hop community. Among these artists were Elzhi
, who was then part of the Breakfast Club, and One Be Lo
, who was part of Binary Star
.
Speed and Magestik Legend invited Elzhi to become a part of the 925 Colony in 1999, shortly after Elzhi had completed recording his unreleased EP, Out of Focus. The new trio recorded only a few songs, none of which were released. Among these are "Farewell," produced by Lacks, "Oh Shit," and "Gun Talk."
The trio also produced and conceived a number of unrecorded songs such as "Anarchy" and "Song of the Nightingale (Produced by DJ Houseshoes)."
Nick Speed, however, was left to his own devices, and became a freelance producer for countless underground artists. Among the projects Speed worked on during this era is the as of yet unreleased Inside Out by iLLite. This fruitful collaboration inspired the pair to work on a separate, full-length project, dubbing themselves the "People Movers." Conceived in 2002, nothing from this project has been released.
Recently, much has been made of Nick Speed's affiliation to G-Unit Records. Through connections that Nick made during frequent trips to New York City, a collection of Speed's beats found its way to the hands of Sha Money XL, who offered Nick an in-house production contract and management deal. Through this deal, Nick has produced tracks for many of today's most popular and influential emcees.
In August 2007, Nick Speed released the D-Tour Mixtape which showcases his versatility as a producer as well as an emcee. The double CD features many of Speed's collaborations with mainstream stars like 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks, but also displays the talents of other Detroit artists such as 87 and Fes Roc.
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
producer who has produced tracks for 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
, Lloyd Banks
Lloyd Banks
Christopher Charles Lloyd , better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Raised in South Jamaica, Queens, he dropped out of high school in 1998. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. in 2008...
, 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...
, Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
, Phat Kat
Phat Kat
Phat Kat , is a rapper from the east side of Detroit, Michigan. His career began in the mid 90's as part of 1st Down, which consisted of Phat Kat on vocals and Jay Dee on production...
and Musiq Soulchild.
He is signed to Money Management Group which is a subsidiary of G-Unit Records
G-Unit Records
G-Unit Records is an American record label, specializing in hip hop music, founded in 2003 by rapper 50 Cent and his manager Sha Money XL. Upon its inception, it operated as a subsidiary of, and was distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records...
.
Early years
During the late 1990s, Nick Speed formed a hip-hop crew called 9-2-5 Colony with classmates Magestik Legend and iLLite, both of whom would go on to become part of the Subterraneous Records stable of artists.While still in high school, Speed and Magestik spent a significant amount of time with DJ House Shoes
House Shoes
Michael "HouseShoes" Buchanan is an American hip hop producer and DJ who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. As Detroit's Hip-Hop Ambassador to the World, Buchanan has been an integral part of the long burgeoning Motown resurgence....
, who assisted them with their first production experiments while also introducing them to other like-minded artists in the Detroit hip-hop community. Among these artists were Elzhi
Elzhi
Jason Powers is a hip-hop artist from Detroit, Michigan. Many Underground fans know him as "Detroit's Best Kept Secret". As a former member of Slum Village he now records as a solo artist...
, who was then part of the Breakfast Club, and One Be Lo
One Be Lo
Nahshid Sulaiman better known by his stage name One Be Lo is an alternative hip hop artist from Pontiac, Michigan. He is well respected for being one half of the former rap duo Binary Star, and has released a number of well-received solo albums...
, who was part of Binary Star
Binary star
A binary star is a star system consisting of two stars orbiting around their common center of mass. The brighter star is called the primary and the other is its companion star, comes, or secondary...
.
Speed and Magestik Legend invited Elzhi to become a part of the 925 Colony in 1999, shortly after Elzhi had completed recording his unreleased EP, Out of Focus. The new trio recorded only a few songs, none of which were released. Among these are "Farewell," produced by Lacks, "Oh Shit," and "Gun Talk."
The trio also produced and conceived a number of unrecorded songs such as "Anarchy" and "Song of the Nightingale (Produced by DJ Houseshoes)."
After 925
With Magestik Legend's growing involvement with the Subterraneous crew, and Elzhi's affiliation with Waajeed and Slum Village, the 9-2-5 Crew found little time to write, record or perform music. While never officially terminated or disbanded, the group remains on hiatus, as each member of the crew still enjoy close ties and friendships.Nick Speed, however, was left to his own devices, and became a freelance producer for countless underground artists. Among the projects Speed worked on during this era is the as of yet unreleased Inside Out by iLLite. This fruitful collaboration inspired the pair to work on a separate, full-length project, dubbing themselves the "People Movers." Conceived in 2002, nothing from this project has been released.
G-Unit and Libido Sounds
Towards the end of 2004, friends and long time collaborators Nick Speed and Elzhi teamed up to release Witness My Growth, a double-CD mixtape chronicaling Elzhi's long, secretive history as a solo artist. To facilitate the release of this long-gestating project, the two created "Libido Sounds," an independent imprint dedicated to releasing quality hip-hop music.Recently, much has been made of Nick Speed's affiliation to G-Unit Records. Through connections that Nick made during frequent trips to New York City, a collection of Speed's beats found its way to the hands of Sha Money XL, who offered Nick an in-house production contract and management deal. Through this deal, Nick has produced tracks for many of today's most popular and influential emcees.
In August 2007, Nick Speed released the D-Tour Mixtape which showcases his versatility as a producer as well as an emcee. The double CD features many of Speed's collaborations with mainstream stars like 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks, but also displays the talents of other Detroit artists such as 87 and Fes Roc.
Production
- 50 Cent50 CentCurtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
- "What If" - Lloyd BanksLloyd BanksChristopher Charles Lloyd , better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Raised in South Jamaica, Queens, he dropped out of high school in 1998. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. in 2008...
- "Anotha Dolla", "Stranger", "Home Sweet Home" - ProofProof (rapper)DeShaun Dupree Holton better known as Proof his stage name, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups Goon Squad, 5 Elementz, Promatic, and most notably D12...
- "Biboa's Theme" - Talib KweliTalib KweliTalib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
- "NY Weather Report", "Tater Tot" - Phat KatPhat KatPhat Kat , is a rapper from the east side of Detroit, Michigan. His career began in the mid 90's as part of 1st Down, which consisted of Phat Kat on vocals and Jay Dee on production...
- "Vessels" (featuring Truth HurtsTruth HurtsShare Watson , known as Truth Hurts, is an American Contemporary R&B singer-songwriter.-Albums:-Singles:* 2002: "Addictive" Share Watson (born October 10, 1971, St. Louis, Missouri), known as Truth Hurts, is an American Contemporary R&B singer-songwriter.-Albums:-Singles:* 2002: "Addictive"...
) - Danny Brown - "Detroit 187"