When the book on hip-hop production is written, Dame Grease will hold the right to a whole chapter. After first establishing himself with The LOX’s “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa” and DMX’s breakout single “Get At Me Dog,” Dame Grease has gone on to sell over 30 million records and produce for a veritable who’s who of Hip Hop. In addition to developing his own production sound, Grease’s focus on being involved in artist development has allowed him to have a hand in launching the careers of artists and producers, such as Swizz Beatz, DMX and the LOX, who have gone on to their own multi-platinum success.
Before becoming a stable on every mixtape, The LOX relied on the sounds of Grease in order to acquire the street buzz that landed them their deal on Bad Boy Records in 1996. Fellow Bad Boy Mase sought out Grease’s distinctive sound and gave him the opportunity to provide production on Mase’s triple platinum Harlem World. This led to Grease’s work as the primary producer on DMX’s classic debut It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot, where Grease helped the Ruff Ryders mold both their image and their sound into what would become one of the most well-known Hip Hop crews. During this time, Grease taught and paved the way for Swizz Beatz, another sample-free producer, to make his mark on the game.
As Swizz went began to make his mark through the teaching of his mentor, Dame Grease landed a deal with Priority Records to release music through his label, Vacant Lot. Rather than accept offers to be one of Puff Daddy’s legendary Hit Men or an in-house producer on Ruff Ryders, Grease chose to create his own Vacant Lot production company. In 2001, Dame Grease made the accession from producer to composer by providing the score for the Steven Segal/DMX blockbuster Exit Wounds. In addition to his work on the film, Dame Grease also reunited with DMX on the soundtrack for X’s top-ten hit “Ain’t No Sunshine”, an updated, yet much darker remake to the Bill Withers 1972 classic of the same name. Grease continued his work as a composer in on the 2003 box-office hit Cradle 2 the Grave, starring Jet Li, DMX, Gabrielle Union, and Anthony Anderson, as well as 2004’s Never Die Alone.
Grease may have been focused on scoring films, but he also made time in his schedule to 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, & Juelz Santana. In 2006, Dame Grease lent his hand to “Life Be My Song,” one of the most acclaimed tracks on DMX’s comeback album Year of the Dog…Again.
The world has seen a resurgence of Grease’s sound in 2007, with the Harlem producer 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,” which has been described by many as one of the most well-rounded releases by a Dipset artist. Grease has also been hard at work on his own album and recently released the single “Sour Diesel,” which features N.O.R.E. and Styles P. With several more projects lined up that will last well into 2008, Dame Grease looks to continue to lace Hip Hop with the same quality production that he has for the past decade and a half.
