Aldrin Davis (born August 2, 1969), professionally known as DJ Toomp, is an American record producer. Davis’ career began in 1985, when he produced Atlanta MC Raheem the Dream‘s self-titled debut album at the age of 16 years old.[1] In the late 1980s, he was MC Shy-D’s DJ and toured with him and the 2 Live Crew, as they performed at various venues across the country with other hip hop acts such as N.W.A. and Ice-T. After MC Shy-D left Luke Records, Toomp went on to DJ for JT Money and his Poison Clan.
In the early 1990s, when the 2 Live Crew disbanded, Davis teamed up with former group member Mark Ross (Brother Marquis), to form the duo 2 Nasty.[2]
Davis saw greater recognition for his collaborations with Southern rapper T.I.. Davis produced for T.I.’s first four albums—I’m Serious (2001), Trap Muzik (2003), Urban Legend (2004), and King (2006)—as well as the latter’s single “What You Know“, which peaked at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100,[3] The song earned both Davis and T.I. their first Grammy Award.[4]
In 2007, Davis was recruited by rapper and fellow record producer Kanye West, to contribute production on his third album Graduation. Davis and West co-produced the singles “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “Good Life“, as well as the album’s outro “Big Brother“.
Career
In 1993, 2 Nazty and released the album Indecent Exposure.[5] When discussing the album, Ross explained his intention to showcase diversity while staying true to the style that had made him famous. Greg Baker of Miami New Times praised the album, acknowledging that while some of the content might be offensive, he appreciated its diversity. About the production and rap, Baker commented, “clever story lines and double-dope rhyme schemes are laid over skirt-flipping, ass-bumping beats as strong as any on the hip-hop market today.”[2]
In 2006, Davis co-founded the record label NZone Entertainment.[6]
Production work
References
- ^ “DJ Toomp Look at Me Now”. Xxlmag.com. 29 March 2007.
- ^ a b Baker, Greg (December 1, 1993). “Double Exposure”. Miami New Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
- ^ “T.I. Biography, Songs, & Albums”. AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
- ^ “Archived copy”. Archived from the original on 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Ross, Mark “Brother Marquis”; Davis, Aldrin “DJ Toomp” (1993). Indecent Exposure (CD). Attitude Records. ATTD-14010.
- ^ “Producer’s Corner: DJ Toomp | Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop | HipHop DX”. Archived from the original on 2008-01-28. Retrieved 2008-08-18.