Dame Grease facts for kids

Damon J. Blackman (born August 9, 1974), known by his stage name Dame Grease, is an American record producer from New York City. A record producer helps artists create their music in the studio. In 1996, he became well-known in the hip hop world for his work with Bad Boy and the group The LOX. He was also key in creating the unique sound for the rapper DMX and the music label Ruff Ryders.

Music Career

Creating a New Sound

Dame Grease has produced music for many famous artists. He worked closely with the East Coast hip hop group, The LOX. The sound he created for them helped the group get noticed and signed to Puff Daddy's famous label, Bad Boy Records, in 1996.

Grease produced several songs on The LOX's first album, Money, Power & Respect. He also produced for the artist Mase on his album Harlem World (1997), which was a huge success and sold millions of copies.

This success led Dame Grease to become the main music producer for DMX's first album in 1998. He produced thirteen of the nineteen songs on the album. Through this project, Grease helped establish the powerful sound and image of Ruff Ryders Entertainment. During this time, Grease also taught and guided another young producer, Swizz Beatz, who would also become very successful.

Instead of joining a big production team, Dame Grease started his own music label called Vacant Lot through Priority Records.

Working with Different Artists

In 1999, Dame Grease worked with the musician Tricky on his album Juxtapose. He showed that he could work with artists from different styles of music.

He also began composing music for movies. He created the score for the action movie Exit Wounds (2001), starring Steven Seagal and DMX. He also worked on the soundtracks for Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) and Never Die Alone (2004). For the Exit Wounds soundtrack, he and DMX remade the classic 1972 song "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers.

Through 2004 and 2005, Grease worked on albums for artists like LL Cool J, Kelis, Slick Rick, and Ol' Dirty Bastard.

Later Projects

After taking a short break, Dame Grease returned in 2007. He produced songs for artists like Freeway and Hell Rell. He continued to produce for many artists in the hip hop community.

In 2010, he worked with a company called Magix Music Maker to create a special software called the Grease-A-Lizer. This software lets users create their own music using sounds and samples made by Dame Grease himself.

He also started Lot Musik Recording Studio to help new, young artists develop their talent. In 2012, he was the executive producer for DMX's seventh album, Undisputed. An executive producer oversees the entire album-making process.

While working on DMX's album, he met the rapper Riff Raff. They quickly collaborated on a project, showing Grease's ability to work with new and different artists.

Discography

Albums

• Live on Lenox (2000)
• What's Really Hood? (2003)
• Goon Musik (2008)
• Martial Law (2015)
• Diary of Wave God (with Massfivestar) (2016)
• Live On Lenox Remastered (2016)
• Invincible Armour (with Joe Young) (2017)

Notable Songs Produced

• "We'll Always Love Big Poppa" by Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, 112, and the Lox (1997)
• "For Real" by Tricky with Dj Muggs and Dame Grease (1999)
• "God Love Us" by Nas (1999)
• "Ur Only a Customer" by LL Cool J (2008)
• "End of Time" by Lumidee and Styles P (2010)

Movie Soundtracks

• Turn It Up (2000)
• Exit Wounds (2001)
• Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)
• Never Die Alone (2004)