Don Cannon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Don Cannon
Cannon in 2011
Background information
Also known as	DJ Don Cannon
Born	(1979-08-02) August 2, 1979 (age 46) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop R&B
Occupation(s)	Disc jockey record producer songwriter record executive
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Cannon Music Def Jam Aphilliates Atlantic Generation Now
Associated acts	DJ Drama Lecrae Lil Scrappy R. City The Cool Kids Willie the Kid Young Chris

Donald Cannon (born August 2, 1979), known as Don Cannon, is an American DJ, music producer, and record executive. He helped lead the A&R department at Def Jam Recordings from 2012 to 2018. With fellow DJ, DJ Drama, he started the record label Generation Now. This label is part of Atlantic Records and has signed popular artists like Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow. Cannon and DJ Drama are also part of the Aphilliates Music Group, a team of DJs from Atlanta.

As a music producer, Don Cannon has created songs and albums for many famous artists. These include Jeezy, Logic, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, 50 Cent, and Eminem.

Early Life and Education

Don Cannon was born on August 2, 1979, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up mostly in West Philadelphia. When he was just 5 years old, he received his first DJ equipment. This included turntables, a mixer, and a karaoke machine. By age 11, he was already DJing at many events, like his aunt's wedding.

After finishing high school, Cannon moved to Atlanta, Georgia. He went to Clark Atlanta University. There, he met other people from Philadelphia, DJ Drama and DJ Sense. The three became friends and formed the Aphilliates. This was a group of DJs who worked together while still in college. Cannon also started DJing at parties and clubs in Atlanta.

Music Career Highlights

Cannon, along with DJ Drama and DJ Sense, officially started the Aphilliates Music Group (AMG) in Atlanta in 2003. Cannon often produced songs for DJ Drama's popular mixtape series, Gangsta Grillz. This series featured many artists, including Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Ludacris, Fabolous, and T.I..

Early Production Work

Some of Cannon's first big production projects with Aphilliates included Jeezy's song "Go Crazy" with Jay-Z. He also produced "Man Down" for 50 Cent and "Everybody Hates Chris" for Ludacris. Cannon also helped create popular mixtape series like Lil Wayne's Dedication and Jeezy's Trap or Die. He later co-hosted a show on Atlanta's WHTA radio station. He also became a music director for the show Streets Iz Watchin on Sirius XM Radio's Shade 45 station. A local TV show in Atlanta even called him "Atlanta's Best DJ."

In September 2006, the Aphilliates Music Group partnered with Asylum Records. However, in January 2007, police raided Aphilliates' offices in Atlanta. Cannon and DJ Drama were arrested. Authorities took 81,000 mixtapes and recording equipment. Many people in the music industry spoke out against these raids. They said that Aphilliates had often worked with permission from major record labels. This was because AMG helped promote their artists. Neither Cannon nor DJ Drama were found guilty of any wrongdoing related to the raid.

New Ventures and Leadership

In December 2008, Cannon announced he was leaving the Aphilliates. He wanted to focus on his own company, Cannon Music, LLC. In 2009, he produced the theme song for Tyler Perry's TV show, House of Payne. He also created season themes for the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers sports teams. From 2009 to 2012, Cannon produced or hosted many mixtapes and songs. These were for artists like Big Sean, The Cool Kids, Curren$y, Lecrae, and Jeezy.

In July 2013, Cannon became the Vice President of A&R at Def Jam Recordings. A&R stands for "Artists and Repertoire." This role means he helped find and develop new music artists for the label. In August 2013, Cannon reunited with DJ Drama and DJ Sense. They started a new group called The Academy. By September of that year, The Academy had 23 DJs on its team.

In 2015, Cannon and DJ Drama founded their own record label, Generation Now. It is part of Atlantic Records. One of the first artists they signed was Lil Uzi Vert. Cannon was a main producer for Uzi's first commercial mixtape, Luv Is Rage, in 2015. He also helped produce Uzi's 2017 album, Luv Is Rage 2. This album became number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Other artists signed to Generation Now include Skeme, Jack Harlow, Lil James, and Killumantii.

Recognition and Awards

Don Cannon has received several awards for his work in music.