J-Swift: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|American record producer}}

[[File:J-Swift.jpg| J-Swift in 2015|thumb]]

{{BLP sources|date=December 2013}}

'''J-Swift''' is an [[Afro-Cuban]] [[Spanish American]]a music producer responsible for songs with groups on the [[Delicious Vinyl]] Labellabel. He has produced the hip hop groups [[The Pharcyde]] and The Wascals.

==Early life==

J-Swift was born '''Juan Manuel Martinez-Luis''' in 1971 in [[Madrid, Spain]]. His [[Afro-Cuban]] father, Pedro, was a [[salsa music|salsa]] bandleader and multi-instrumentalist. His mother, Dolores, was a native of the [[Canary Islands]].<ref name="land"/> In 1974, the family headed to [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], settling in [[Inglewood, California|Inglewood]]. At age six, J-Swift enrolled in a piano conservatory, quickly proving to be a prodigy. The all-rap radio station [[KDAY]] introduced him to hip-hop in the early '80s1980s, and the first record he ever got was by [[Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five]].

==Career==

Around 1988, J-Swift attended [[Locke High School]], where he met his mentor [[R&B]] musician [[Reggie Andrews]], producer of [[Dazz Band]]'s 1982 funk hit "[[Let It Whip]]" and collaborator of [[Rick James]].<ref name="Bowler 2021">{{cite web | last=Bowler | first=Paul | title='Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde': A Sampledelic Trip Worth Taking | website=uDiscover Music | date=2021-11-24 | url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/bizarre-ride-ii-the-pharcyde/ | access-date=2022-08-26}}</ref> After J-Swift composed three [[new jack swing]]-style songs to get his attention, Andrews suggested that he concentrate on writing and producing, and set him up with a recording studio (complete with a then-state-of-the-art Akai MPC60) at South Central Unit (SCU), an after-school program for disadvantaged young talent. This gave J the opportunity to submit songs to [[A&M RecordRecords]]'s Rondor Music publishing, while additional work came via BMI's Cheryl Dickerson. Though much of this early music went unreleased (like an album by [[Bell Biv DeVoe]] spin-off STR8-Ahead), J-Swift's official songwriting/producing debut came in 1991 with [[Keisha Jackson]]'s "Feel You Out."

Around this time J-Swift began making music with a crew of dancers-turned-rappers. With Reggie Andrews' record collection at their disposal, J-Swift and [[The Pharcyde]] crafted a three-song demo in '91 and subsequently a hip-hop classic, 1992's [[Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde]]. Featuring the hit single ''[[Passin' Me By]]'', Pharcyde's debut went certified Gold. Disputes over production and credits caused a rift between J and the group (although they would later reunite on The Pharcyde's "Trust" remix in 2000, not to mention several J-Swift-produced tracks on [[Fatlip]]'s 2005 solo debut [[The Loneliest Punk]], and Fatlip and [[Tre Hardson]]'s 2007 holiday song "All I Want for Xmas").

With his own "Fat House Productions" acts [[Jazzyfatnastees]] and Quinton, J-Swift signed an ill-fated million dollar deal with [[Tommy Boy Records]] in 1993. Another of his groups, The Wascals, dropped several singles including "Class Clown" and "The Dips" in '94, but broke up before releasing their debut. The crew was started by members Alfie and Buckwheed, the latter of which met J-Sw!ftSwift while they were going to high school together.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.strictlycassette.net/2012/01/rewinding-with-j-swift.html |title = STRICTLY CASSETTE}}</ref> (Wascals' Greatest Hits, completely produced by J-Swift, was finally released by Delicious Vinyl in 2007.) In the mid-'90s, J-Swift lent his signature style to a string of remixes, including Prince's "Letitgo (Sherm Stick Edit)," [[Massive Attack]]'s "Protection," and [[Urban Thermo Dynamics]]' "Manifest Destiny" (featuring a young [[Mos Def]]).

J-Swift was the subject of the 2007 documentary film ''[[1 More Hit]]''.<ref name=laweekly>{{cite web|last1=Weiss|first1=Jeff|title=J-Swift Made Big Hits With the Pharcyde Before Tragedy and Drugs Nearly Took Him Down|url=http://www.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2012/01/11/j-swift-made-big-hits-with-the-pharcyde-before-tragedy-and-drugs-nearly-took-him-down|website=[[LA Weekly]]|publisher=Beth Sestanovich|accessdate=12 August 2014|date=11 January 2012}}</ref>

J-Swift recorded new tracks from 2005 through 2010, providing not only the beats but also the rhymes. Featuring soul-baring rap confessionals ("Off My Chest") and tales of perseverance through struggles ("Born To Win Despite Myself") — while still celebrating recreational drug use ("I'll Do Mine") — J-Swift's new project began with an alter ego '''Negro Kanevil'''.

==Personal life==

In 2006, J-Swift was arrested for possession of narcotics. In 2015, his [[permanent resident]] status was stripped and he was deported back to his birth country of Spain.<ref name="land">{{cite web|url=https://thelandmag.com/the-bizarre-and-tragic-ride-of-j-swft/|title=The Bizarre and Tragic Ride of J Sw!ft|author=Bell, Max|publisher=theLAnd|date=2021-08-26|accessdate=2022-03-16}}</ref>

==Productions==

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==References==

{{reflistReflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American hip hop record producers]]

[[Category:1971 births]]

[[Category:Spanish emigrants to the United States]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:Musicians from Madrid]]

[[Category:Spanish emigrants to the United States]]

[[Category:AmericanSpanish hip -hop record producersmusicians]]

[[Category:Spanish people of Cuban descent]]

[[Category:Locke High School alumni]]

[[Category:Musicians from Los Angeles]]