Needlz
Khari Cain (born April 19, 1978), professionally known as Needlz, is an American record producer and songwriter.
Needlz | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Khari Cain |
| Born | April 19, 1978 Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Dry Rain Entertainment |
Early life and career
Cain was born on April 19, 1978, in Lansing, Michigan.[1] He began to DJ while an undergraduate in Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Florida State University. He majored in the graduate music business program at New York University's Steinhardt School and originally intended to pursue a career in artist and repertoire (A&R).[1] After attaining an internship with Bad Boy Records, he was inspired to begin a career in record production.[2] With the help of A&R Folayan Knight, Needlz associated with Black Entertainment Television (BET) and MTV and created theme songs for Rap City and Suckafree Sundays, respectively.[1] Fellow record producer Swizz Beatz assisted Needlz to "exposure" by collaborating in album production, including Cassidy's I'm a Hustla and Swizz Beatz One Man Band Man.[3]
Production style
Needlz chiefly produces songs in the hip hop genre. He describes his style as "an oxymoron: clean and dirty at the same time".[1] He uses Akai MPC2000XL and Pro Tools to produce beats and utilizes Kurzweil K2661 and the Roland MKS-80 for synthesizers.[2] He has endorsed the Native Instruments Maschine.[4]
Production discography
| Year | Title | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "We Don't Give a Fuck" "Gonna Be Sumthin'" |
Ruff Ryders | Ryde or Die Vol. 3: In the "R" We Trust |
| 2002 | "Miss You" | Afu-Ra | Life Force Radio |
| 2003 | "Gangsta Shit" | G-Unit | Beg for Mercy |
| "Keep It Hot" | Mic Geronimo | Long Road Back | |
| "Think Y'all Know" | Fabolous | More Street Dreams, Pt. 2: The Mixtape | |
| Various artists | Sequence Mixtape, Vol. 1 | ||
| "Good God Almighty" | Nappy Roots | Wooden Leather | |
| 2004 | "Put Your Drinks Down" | Drag-On | Hell and Back |
| "Pass Out" | Ludacris | The Red Light District | |
| "Mein Song" | Max Herre | Max Herre | |
| "Bang Bang" "Let Me In" |
Young Buck | Straight Outta Cashville | |
| 2005 | "No Need for Conversation" | Fabolous | Coach Carter soundtrack |
| "Beauty Queen" | Czar*Nok | ||
| "Special" | The Game | The Documentary | |
| "Piggy Bank" "God Gave Me Style" |
50 Cent | The Massacre | |
| "Crack" | Cassidy | I'm a Hustla | |
| "Throw It Back" | Trina | Glamorest Life | |
| "No No No" | Kool Savas & Azad | One | |
| "Drugs, Basket Ball, & Rap" | Talib Kweli | Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD | |
| "Put Ya Hands Up" | Norfclk | Ludacris Presents: Disturbing tha Peace | |
| Young Buck | Let Me In EP | ||
| "Stopp die Party" "Zähl mein Geld" |
Afrob | Hammer | |
| 2006 | "The Pen and the Needlz" | Lupe Fiasco | Fahrenheit 1/15, Part I (The Truth Is Among Us) (Mixtape) |
| "Tilted" | Kick Push CD Single | ||
| "Hurt Me Soul" | Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor | ||
| "Floating" | Megan Rochell | You, Me and the Radio (Unreleased) | |
| "Serius" "Life In The City" "Ride Out" |
Serius Jones | King Me (Mixtape) | |
| "Grind Mode" | Non-Album Track | ||
| "Get Clapped" | Lloyd Banks | Rotten Apple | |
| "Here We Go Again" "Shake the Room" |
Jaley | Jaley | |
| "Born and Raised" | Dave Chappelle | Dave Chappelle's Block Party soundtrack | |
| "Hey Babe (Give Me Ya Lovin')" | Shareefa | Point of No Return | |
| "Grind Boy" | Smitty | The Voice Of The Ghetto | |
| "Turnt Out" | Diego Redd | Gettin Money. Gettin Paid. a Hustler's Story (Mixtape) | |
| "Raised In The Mitten" | P.L. | Without Warning Vol.2 (Mixtape) | |
| 2007 | "Get Away" | Ria | "R. Kive" 1996–2006 |
| "Gangsta (Interlude)" | Rich Boy | Rich Boy | |
| "Bust Ya Gunz" | Swizz Beatz | One Man Band Man | |
| "Slow Down" | Tage | The Jerk Vol 0 (Mixtape) | |
| "Nuttin' On Me" | Freeway | Free at Last | |
| "My Life" | Joe Budden | Mood Muzik 3.5 | |
| 2009 | "Diesel" | Freeway | Month of Madness (Mixtape) |
| "One 4 The Treble" "Get Dirty" |
Ralph Dogg | Reckless | |
| "How You Like Me Now" "What Money Sounds Like" "Gangsta Shit (Evasocold Mix)" "Tear It Up" |
Archie Eversole | Back Like I Never Left (Mixtape) | |
| "We Miss You" | Busta Rhymes | Back on My B.S. | |
| "Intro" | Serius Jones | Why So Serius (Mixtape) | |
| "The Necessary Evils" | Skyzoo | The Salvation | |
| "Walk These Streets" | Rakim | The Seventh Seal | |
| "Help! (I Been Robbed)" | Serius Jones | Life Is Serius (TBR) | |
| "Letter to B.I.G." | Jadakiss | The Last Kiss | |
| "I'm Goin' In" | Drake | So Far Gone | |
| "Hands 2 Myself" | Russell Taylor | Confessional | |
| "Gone" | Donnis | 10.Deep Presents: Diary of an ATL Brave | |
| "Baggage Claim" | 88-Keys | non-album track | |
| "Why Would She? (Needlz Remix)" | Stack Bundles | GuessWhyld Presents: Out The Vault | |
| 2010 | "One 4 The Treble" "Get Dirty" |
Ralph Dog | Reckless |
| "Dome Shotz" | Minacci featuring Young Buck | 5 Mics | |
| "Maybe Baby" | Donnis | The Invitation (Mixtape) | |
| "OD" | Fashionably Late (Sampler) | ||
| "Greatest Trapper Alive" | Young Jeezy | Trap or Die 2: By All Means Necessary | |
| "Yup" "Eat You Alive" "Lighting" (co-produced) "For The Kill" (co-produced) |
Donnis | Fashionably Late (Mixtape) | |
| "The Overdose" "On Da Korner" |
Pill | 1140: The Overdose (Mixtape) | |
| "The Beginning" (co-producer) | Stat Quo | Statlanta | |
| "Just The Way You Are" (keyboard and drum programming, strings by Needlz) | Bruno Mars | Doo-Wops & Hooligans | |
| "She & H.E.R.", "Suicide ediciuS", "Stars" (co-produced) | John Regan | Sorry I'm Late | |
| "Reflections" | Pill | The Medicine | |
| "Right To Say" | Emilio Rojas | Life Without Shame (Mixtape) | |
| 2011 | "Till I Get There" | Lupe Fiasco | Lasers |
| "Oh No" | Big Perm | Reign Delay (Mixtape) | |
| 2012 | "It's All On Me" | Pill | The Epidemic |
| 2013 | "YOLO" | The Lonely Island | The Wack Album |
| 2015 | "Oui" (keyboard programming) | Jeremih | Late Nights |
| 2016 | "Selfish (PnB Rock song)" (keyboard and drum programming, bass by Needlz) | PnB Rock | GTTM: Going Thru the Motions |
| 2017 | "Jussa Lil Bih" | Musiq Soulchild | Feel the Real |
| 2018 | "Ring" (featuring Kehlani) |
Cardi B | Invasion of Privacy |
| "You" | Nicole Bus | TBA |
References
- Cordor, Cyril. "Needlz – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- Warren, Tamara (February 1, 2005). "Needlz". Remix Magazine. Penton Media. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- Reid, Shaheem (June 28, 2005). "Cassidy Comes Out Swinging On I'm A Hustla". MTV News. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
- "Native Instruments – Software and Hardware for Music Production and Djing".