Cardiak facts for kids
Carl McCormick (born June 26, 1988), known professionally as Cardiak, is an American music producer. He started making music in 2008.
Cardiak has produced songs for many famous artists like Eminem, 50 Cent, J. Cole, Dr. Dre, and Chris Brown. He has been nominated for two Grammys for his work as a co-songwriter on the song "Damage" by H.E.R..
Quick facts for kids
Cardiak
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Cardiak in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Carl McCormick |
| Also known as |
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| Born | June 26, 1988 Willingboro Township, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Universal |
Early Life
Carl "Cardiak" McCormick was born on June 26, 1988, in Willingboro Township, New Jersey. He graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in 2006.
Music Career
Cardiak first started in music as a rapper in 2008. He wanted to produce his own beats and learned how to use a computer program called FL Studio. He soon decided to focus only on producing music. His very first produced song, "The Soul," was used by rapper Joe Budden on his album Halfway House.
Rising to Fame
In 2009, Cardiak produced tracks for artists like Lloyd Banks and Ace Hood. He became well-known in late 2010 when he produced Lloyd Banks' hit song "Start It Up". This song featured famous artists like Kanye West and Fabolous. "Start It Up" reached number 52 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In 2011, he produced songs for 50 Cent ("Outlaw"), Wale, and Meek Mill. He also produced an entire mixtape for rapper Young Chris called The Revival.
Grammy Nominations and Big Hits
In 2012, Cardiak produced two songs, "Amsterdam" and "Diced Pineapples", for Rick Ross's album God Forgives, I Don't. This album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2013.
His success continued to grow. In November 2013, Cardiak and Frank Dukes produced "Groundhog Day" for Eminem. This song was on the deluxe version of Eminem's album The Marshall Mathers LP 2, which won a Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2015.
In 2014, he produced "Love Yourz" for J. Cole's album 2014 Forest Hills Drive. He also took part in a "Rhythm Roulette" challenge, where producers create a beat using random records.
Working with Dr. Dre and Drake
In 2015, Cardiak helped produce two songs, "Deep Water" and "For the Love of Money," for legendary producer Dr. Dre's album Compton. Both 2014 Forest Hills Drive and Compton were nominated for Best Rap Album Grammys.
In 2016, Cardiak contributed to Drake's album Views on the song "With You." Views became one of the most-streamed albums of that year. Later in 2016, he co-produced "Immortal" for J. Cole's album 4 Your Eyez Only.
Expanding His Sound
Since 2017, Cardiak has worked with many R&B artists like Chris Brown, Tank, and PartyNextDoor. He also continued to produce for hip hop artists such as Meek Mill and Gucci Mane.
In 2020, Cardiak, along with Hitmaka and Paul Cabbin, produced "Back Home" for Trey Songz and Summer Walker. This song reached number twelve on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.
A very important song he produced in 2020 was "Damage" by H.E.R.. This song became a huge hit, reaching number one on R&B radio in June 2021 and being certified two-times platinum. "Damage" was also nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Song in February 2022.
Cardiak continued his work in 2021, 2022, and 2023, producing for artists like Anthony Hamilton, Ari Lennox, and Chloe Bailey. In 2023, he also produced "Culture" for the soundtrack of the movie Creed III.
Most recently, on April 26, 2024, PartyNextDoor released his album PartyNextDoor 4, which includes the song "Control," produced by Cardiak and Drake's engineer, 40.
How He Makes Music
Cardiak uses a laptop with Windows 11 and a program called FL Studio to create his music. He also uses special music plugins and MIDI keyboards from brands like M-Audio and Native Instruments.
His music style often mixes trap music and sample-based hip hop with live instruments. He also produces contemporary R&B and hip hop soul sounds.
Since 2014, Cardiak has sold his own drum kits and sample packs through his website called "Flatline Kits."
Notable Productions
Cardiak has produced many songs for various artists. Here are some of his well-known works:
2008
- Joe Budden – "The Soul" (from Halfway House)
2010
- Lloyd Banks – "Start It Up" (featuring Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Fabolous and Ryan Leslie)
- Lloyd Banks – "Take Em To War" (featuring Tony Yayo)
- Lloyd Banks – "Unexplainable" (featuring Styles P)
2011
2012
- Rick Ross – "Amsterdam" (from God Forgives, I Don't)
- Rick Ross – "Diced Pineapples" (featuring Wale and Drake)
- Meek Mill – "Lean Wit It"
2013
2014
- J. Cole – "Love Yourz" (from 2014 Forest Hills Drive)
2015
2016
- Drake – "With You" (featuring PartyNextDoor)
- J. Cole – "Immortal" (from 4 Your Eyez Only)
2017
- Chris Brown – "Confidence"
- Tank – "When We"
- PartyNextDoor – "Never Played Me"
2020
- H.E.R. – "Damage"
- Trey Songz and Summer Walker – "Back Home"
2021
- H.E.R. – "Come Through" (featuring Chris Brown)
2023
- Chloe Bailey – "How Does It Feel"
- Mez, Reason, Symba and 8AE – "Culture" (from Creed III soundtrack)
2024
- PartyNextDoor – "Control" (from PartyNextDoor 4)
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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| 2022 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year | Back of My Mind (H.E.R.) | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Grammy Awards | Best R&B Song | "Damage" (H.E.R.) | Nominated | |
| 2025 | Grammy Awards | Best R&B Song | "Here We Go (Uh Oh)" (Coco Jones) | Nominated |
