DJ Yella
| DJ Yella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Antoine Carraby |
| Also known as | Yella |
| Born | December 11, 1967 |
| Origin | Compton, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip Hop |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, record producer, film director |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, drums, turntables |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Ruthless |
| Associated acts |
World Class Wreckin' Cru N.W.A Bone Thugs-N-Harmony The D.O.C. J.J. Fad Michel'le Kokane Arabian Prince |
Antoine Carraby (born December 11, 1967), better known by his stage name DJ Yella, is an American DJ, record producer and film director from Compton, California. He was a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru along with Dr. Dre.[1] He later became a founding member of the pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A (composed of DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Arabian Prince, and Eazy-E).[2][3][4]
Career
Along with Dre, Yella produced Eazy-E's debut album Eazy-Duz-It and all three N.W.A albums including one by rapper Dizzee Dac, translating into millions of sales. He co-produced along with Arabian Prince the platinum-selling debut albums of J.J. Fad and Michel'le with Dre and contributed to The D.O.C.'s 1989 album No One Can Do It Better (also produced by Dre). Jerry Heller witnessed Dre and Yella's work together and wrote in 2006 of an almost eerie understanding between the pair, as they crafted high quality beats and productions with almost no words or full sentences needing to be spoken.
Yella remained close to Eazy and stayed on production duties at Ruthless Records after the acrimonious breakup of N.W.A. He produced J.J. Fad's second album Not Just a Fad (1990), Yomo & Maulkie's album Are U Xperienced? (1991), two tracks from Eazy-E's It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa (1993), the gold-selling hit single Foe tha Love of $ from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Creepin on ah Come Up E.P., Menajahtwa's album Cha-licious, and tracks from H.W.A.'s Az Much Ass Azz U Want E.P. (all three from 1994), and oversaw Eazy's final album in 1995 after his sudden AIDS-related death.
Yella released his 1996 debut solo album One Mo Nigga ta Go on Street Life Records, featuring members of the Ruthless 'family tree' like Kokane, B.G. Knocc Out, & Dresta, rhyming over his productions.
After this record he retired from music to embark on a long and successful 12-year career directing and producing pornographic films. Yella has credited himself with producing over 300 adult films.[5]
As of November 26, 2011, Yella has returned to the music industry and has released a new album, entitled West Coastin', which was released in the summer of 2012.[6]
Yella was played by Neil Brown, Jr. in the 2015 N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton.[7] He is portrayed as very interested in sex and women, and also as less aggressive than the other members and unwilling to engage in conflict with Ice Cube.
Discography
| Album information |
|---|
| One Mo Nigga ta Go |
West Coastin'
|
Selected works
| Year | Artist | Album | Role | Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Yella | "Slice"/"Kru Groove" | Performer | Both songs |
| 1985 | World Class Wreckin' Cru | World Class | Vocals, Drum Programming | Entire EP |
| 1986 | World Class Wreckin' Cru | Rapped in Romance | Vocals | Entire album |
| 1988 | Eazy-E | Eazy-Duz-It | Producer | Entire album |
| 1988 | J.J. Fad | Supersonic | Producer, Mixing, Backing Vocals | Entire album |
| 1988 | N.W.A | Straight Outta Compton | Producer | Entire album |
| 1989 | The D.O.C. | No One Can Do It Better | Drums | "Comm. Blues", "Comm. 2" and "The Grand Finalé" |
| 1989 | Michel'le | Michel'le | Mixing | Entire album |
| 1990 | N.W.A | 100 Miles and Runnin' | Producer | Entire EP |
| 1990 | J.J. Fad | Not Just a Fad | Producer | Entire album |
| 1991 | N.W.A | Niggaz4Life | Producer, Co-Writer | Entire album; co-wrote "Real Niggaz Don't Die", "Real Niggaz", "She Swallowed It", "I'd Rather Fuck You" and "Approach to Danger" |
| 1991 | Yomo & Maulkie | Are U Xperienced? | Producer | Entire album |
| 1993 | Eazy-E | It's On ( |
Producer, Co-Writer | "Still a Nigga" and "Gimmie That Nutt" (co-wrote both songs) |
| 1994 | Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | Creepin on ah Come Up | Producer | "Intro", "Foe tha Love of $ and "Moe Cheese" |
| 1994 | Menajahtwa | Cha-licious | Both producer and executive producer | Entire album |
| 1994 | H.W.A. | Az Much Ass Azz U Want | Producer | "High Timez" |
| 1995 | Eazy-E | Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton | Producer | "First Power", "Ole School Shit", "Sippin on a 40", "Tha Muthaphukkin Real", "Lickin, Suckin, Phuckin", "Creep N Crawl", "Gangsta Beat 4 tha Street" and "Eternal E" |
| 1996 | Yella | One Mo Nigga ta Go | Both producer and executive producer | Entire album |
References
- ↑ Coe, Kairi. "Exclusive! DJ Yella Speaks on World Class Wreckin' Cru Days w/ Dr. Dre". Vladtv.com. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ↑ "Bustle k". Bustle. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ↑ "The 50 Most Influential DJs | Music". BET. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ↑ "DJ Yella: 'Cops Got to Be Held Accountable'". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ↑ Yamato, Jen. "The N.W.A Member Turned Pornographer". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ↑ "DJ Yella of NWA is BACK ! ! ! | RuthlessFamily.com". Ruthlessfamily.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- ↑ Straight Outta Compton's Neil Brown Jr. on the Oscars: 'Nominations Don't Exactly Reflect How Vast, Eclectic and Diverse Our Art Is'
External links
- DJ Yella at the Internet Movie Database
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