Chopsquad DJ facts for kids

Darrell Gregory Jackson (born September 13, 1993), known as Chopsquad DJ, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ. He is famous for using dark piano melodies in his music beats. His stage name comes from his past job as the main DJ for record producer Young Chop's music label, ChopSquad.

Chopsquad DJ has produced many popular songs. These include "Took Her to the O", "Armed & Dangerous", and "Crazy Story, Pt. 3" by King Von. He also produced "Wishing Well" by Juice Wrld and "What Happened To Virgil" featuring Gunna. Other notable songs are "Decline" with Chief Keef, "No Standards" by Lil Durk, "Topanga" by Trippie Redd, and "Young Grizzley World" by Tee Grizzley featuring YNW Melly and A Boogie wit da Hoodie.

He was the main producer for Tee Grizzley's album, Activated (2018). He also led production for King Von's album Welcome to O'Block (2020). Both albums reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 music chart. His song "What Happened to Virgil" with Lil Durk reached number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100. This is his highest-charting song. The song also earned a gold award from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Early Life and Education

Darrell Gregory Jackson was born on September 13, 1993, in St. Louis, Missouri. He became an orphan when he was young. Ralph and Clara Jackson then adopted him and raised him as their own son. He took piano lessons for nine years. After that, he went to Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School.

Musical Career Journey

2012-2014: Starting in Music

Before learning about FL Studio, Chopsquad DJ played music for local churches. He did this as a teenager to improve his skills. He met Johnny May Cash, who introduced him to Young Chop. After his first year, he left Robert Morris University. He then focused on hip hop production. Chopsquad DJ met Metro Boomin in 2012.

Chopsquad DJ has worked with many artists. These include Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Lil Reese, Young Thug, T.I., Tee Grizzley, Famous Dex, G Herbo, Yung Bans, Sada Baby, Lil Tjay, YFN Lucci, YNW Melly, YNW BSlime, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, King Von, Asian Doll, Polo G, 24hrs, PnB Rock, Future, Doe Boy, Tory Lanez, Lil Mosey, Mozzy, Fetty Wap, UnoTheActivist, Trouble, NLE Choppa, Meek Mill, Gucci Mane, Migos, Juice Wrld, Rae Sremmurd, Swae Lee, Trippie Redd, Fabolous, Yo Gotti, Lucki, and Chance the Rapper.

2015-2016: Becoming Well-Known

With help from Young Chop's brand and Warner Chappell Music, Chopsquad DJ started working as a ghost producer. This means he produced music without getting public credit. As he traveled, he became friends with Chief Keef. Chief Keef later gave him the name "Chopsquad DJ." This happened after the release of Chief Keef's mixtape Sorry 4 the Weight in 2015. Chopsquad DJ produced most of the songs on that mixtape. This helped his career grow and introduced him to the wider hip hop world.

Forever Chopsquad (2015) was Chopsquad DJ's first official joint project. It was released on November 15, 2015. This mixtape had 11 songs. It featured music by Lil Durk, Chief Keef, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, and Migos. It was released after a planned mixtape called GLOTF was never made.

2016-Present: Continued Success

In 2016, Chopsquad DJ added his voice to the song "Fool With It." This song was on Young Chop's first studio album King Chop (2016). He then produced two songs for Lil Durk's album Lil Durk 2X. This album reached number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It also reached number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart. He also produced "Rich Forever" from Lil Durk's mixtape They Forgot (2016). On December 23, 2016, Chopsquad DJ produced "They Like" by Yo Gotti and YFN Lucci. This song was from Yo Gotti's mixtape White Friday (CM9) (2016).

On February 28, 2017, Chopsquad produced "No Choice" for Lil Durk's mixtape Love Songs 4 The Streets (2017). The next year, he produced three songs for Lil Durk and Lil Reese's mixtape Supa Vultures (2017). He also produced four songs for Lil Durk and Tee Grizzley's mixtape Bloodas (2017).

In 2018, Chopsquad DJ produced many songs for Tee Grizzley's first album Activated (2018). This album came out on May 11, 2018. It debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200. This was Chopsquad DJ's first album to reach the US top 10 as a producer. He then worked with 808 Mafia member Southside. They co-produced G Herbo's song "Some Nights" from his project Swervo, released on July 27, 2018. On November 9, 2018, he produced four songs for Lil Durk's third studio album Signed to the Streets 3. He co-produced "India, Pt. 2" with 808 Mafia member TM88 as the main producer.

On January 3, 2019, Chopsquad DJ shared in an interview with Producergrind Podcast that he met Metro Boomin in 2012. He also announced that he signed with Metro's Boominati Worldwide label. In 2019, Chopsquad DJ produced four songs for Tee Grizzley's second album Scriptures (2019). He also produced two songs for American rapper Yung Bans: "Yeaaa!" and "SOS." These were from Yung Bans' project Misunderstood (2019). Next, Chopsquad DJ produced four songs for Lil Durk's fourth studio album Love Songs 4 The Streets 2 (2019). This album was released on August 2, 2019. It debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200. This was Chopsquad DJ's second top-5 album as a producer. Meanwhile, Chopsquad DJ started producing songs for Lil Durk's OTF group member King Von. On September 20, 2019, he was the main producer for Von's first mixtape Grandson, Vol. 1, producing all six songs. Chopsquad DJ continued to produce many songs for Von. In November 2019, Chopsquad DJ produced YNW Melly's song "Two Face" from his first album Melly vs. Melvin (2019). This album reached number 8 on the Billboard 200, making it Chopsquad DJ's third top-10 album as a producer. He also produced Fabolous and Lil Durk's song "Cap" from Fabolous' album Summertime Shootout 3: Coldest Summer Ever (2019). This album also debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200. This made it Chopsquad DJ's fourth US top-10 project as a producer.

In 2020, Chopsquad DJ was again the main producer for King Von's second mixtape Levon James. He produced seven songs on this project. On October 29, 2020, he produced all the songs for King Von's first album Welcome to O'Block. This album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200. After news of King Von's passing, the album climbed to number 5 by November 21, 2020. This made it Chopsquad DJ's fifth successful top-5 album as a producer. On December 24, 2020, Chopsquad DJ also produced Lil Durk's song "Free Jamell" featuring YNW Melly. This song was from Lil Durk's sixth album The Voice. The album debuted at number 46 in its first week. Later, the album climbed to number three. Lil Durk released a deluxe version of The Voice on January 29, 2021. Chopsquad DJ produced "Finesse Out the Gang Way" featuring Lil Baby for this version. The album then climbed to number two. This was Chopsquad DJ's sixth top-5 album as a producer.

In 2021, Chopsquad DJ produced Tee Grizzley and his younger brother Baby Grizzley's song "Gave That Back." He also produced Tee Grizzley's "Late Night Calls" and "Robbery, Pt. 2" in February 2021. On March 5, 2021, Chopsquad DJ produced a song for Lil Durk and OTF's compilation album Loyal Bros. On May 7, 2021, Chopsquad DJ produced seven songs for Tee Grizzley's third album Built For Whatever (2021). He also produced Mozzy's song "Slimey" from his project Untreated Trauma (2021). Additionally, he produced two songs for Fetty Wap on his second album The Butterfly Effect (2021).

On March 4, 2022, Chopsquad DJ produced many songs for King Von's second album What It Means To Be King. This was King Von's first album released after his passing. He also produced for Lil Durk's seventh album 7220. Both albums debuted in the top five of the Billboard 200. This made them Chopsquad DJ's seventh and eighth top-5 projects as a successful producer. On December 16, 2022, Chopsquad DJ produced three songs for Lil Durk and OTF's compilation album, Loyal Bros 2.

Music Production Style

Chopsquad DJ is known for using FL Studio and for his dark melodies in his beats. This comes from his background as a pianist when he was growing up.

Producer Tags

On every song Chopsquad DJ produces, he has a special sound called a tag. This tag says "Chopsquad."

His current tag is "Chopsquad DJ on da beat, so issa banger." Lil Durk performs this tag. This tag first appeared on Chopsquad DJ's 2015 project Forever Chopsquad. It was first heard in "Don't Even Trip" by Tee Grizzley featuring Moneybagg Yo, from the album Activated (2018). It was also used in Trippie Redd's 2018 hit song, "Topanga" from the mixtape A Love Letter to You 3 (2018). The tag was later made shorter to "DJ on the beat, so issa banger." Chopsquad DJ also shared in an interview with DJ Smallz that he and his Boominati labelmate Metro Boomin use a sound tag of a woman laughing. Chopsquad DJ also uses a very short tag that just says "banger," also performed by Durk.

In 2022, Chopsquad DJ's newest tag is "Oh yeah, I'm finna make a banger with this one." King Von performs this tag. You can hear it in the popular song "What Happened To Virgil" from Lil Durk's album 7220. This tag first came from the song "Crazy Story, Pt. 3" from King Von's first mixtape Grandson, Vol. 1 (2019).

Music Releases

Mixtapes

Production Work