Key Wane facts for kids

Dwane Marshall Weir II (born July 12, 1990), known professionally as Key Wane, is an American music producer and songwriter. He creates the music (beats) for songs and helps artists write their lyrics. Key Wane is famous for working with many popular artists like Big Sean, Jazmine Sullivan, Beyoncé, Drake, and Meek Mill.

He is especially known for producing hit songs such as Drake's "All Me", Beyoncé's "Partition", and Big Sean's "IDFWU". He also worked on many of Big Sean's albums, including Hall of Fame and Dark Sky Paradise.

Early Life and Music

Key Wane started playing the piano when he was 11 years old. He taught himself how to play different melodies. His mom noticed his talent and bought him a keyboard. He told XXL that he loved making beats and combining them with what he learned in piano lessons. He spent a lot of time creating music.

In December 2012, Key Wane graduated from Tennessee State University. He earned a degree in Musical Arts and Sciences, which helped him understand music even better.

Musical Journey

Key Wane began making beats in his mother's basement in 2002. He met rapper Big Sean in 8th grade through his older brother. Big Sean was friends with Key Wane's brother and cousin at Cass Technical High School in Detroit. Key Wane started sending Big Sean his beats regularly.

In 2010, Key Wane became known after producing "Memories" for Big Sean's mixtape Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG. A mixtape is like an album, but often released for free or promotion. In 2011, he produced songs for Tyga's mixtape Black Thoughts Vol. 2. Later that year, he signed a music publishing deal with Warner/Chappell and Big Sean. This meant they would help share his music with more artists.

Around 2010, Key Wane produced "Amen" for Meek Mill. This song became the first single from Meek Mill's album Dreams and Nightmares. The song became very popular, reaching number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. Because of his important work, XXL magazine named Key Wane one of hip-hop's top producers to watch. He was also part of XXL's Freshman Producer Class of 2013.

In December 2012, Key Wane shared that he was working with big names like Drake, Jhene Aiko, Big Sean, and Beyoncé. On August 1, 2013, Drake released "All Me", which Key Wane produced and helped write. He had originally made the music for himself, but Drake loved it. Key Wane also produced most of Big Sean's second album, Hall of Fame (2013), including hit songs like "Guap" and "Beware". He also helped produce Big Sean's huge hit "IDFWU".

Key Wane's work earned him his first Grammy nomination in December 2014 for his part in Beyoncé's album Beyoncé, which was nominated for Album of the Year. A Grammy is one of the biggest awards in music. The next year, he was nominated again for Jazmine Sullivan's "Let It Burn" for Best R&B Song of the Year.

Production Style

Key Wane's music style is often described as "soulful instrumental music." He usually builds his songs around a beautiful piano melody and a strong kickdrum beat.

Awards and Recognitions

Key Wane has been recognized for his amazing work in music.

Grammy Nominations

Nominated means the work was chosen as one of the best, but did not win the award.

BET Hip Hop Awards

Won means the work was chosen as the best in its category.

Certifications

Music certifications show how many copies of a song or album have been sold or streamed.

• Gold means 500,000 units sold.
• Platinum means 1,000,000 units sold.
• 4x Platinum means 4,000,000 units sold.

Hit Singles Produced

Here are some of the popular songs Key Wane has produced, and how well they did on music charts:

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