Contrary to popular belief, he did not found nor even co-found Gang Starr.
He was introduced to DJing while attending school at Prairie View A&M in Houston, Texas. DJ Premier's original stage name was Waxmaster C, the "C" taken from his first name, Chris, although he had already changed it to DJ Premier at the time he joined Gang Starr.
Considered by many fans to be one of the greatest hip hop producers, DJ Premier has produced countless tracks, for many groups and solo artists since the early 1990s. These include notable tracks for artists such as Jay-Z ("D'Evils", "So Ghetto"), Big L ("The Enemy"), The Notorious B.I.G. ("Unbelievable", "Kick In The Door", "Ten Crack Commandments"), Nas ("N.Y. State of Mind", "Nas Is Like"), Pitch Black ("It's All Real"), M.O.P. ("Downtown Swinga"), Jeru the Damaja ("Come Clean", "My Mind Spray"), KRS-One ("MC's Act Like They Don't Know"), Mos Def ("Mathematics"), Non Phixion ("Rockstars"), and Royce da 5'9" ("Boom").(Full list: djpremiertrackology.8kilo.com)
Collaborations
Outside of Gang Starr, some of Premier's most lauded work is his collaborations with Jeru the Damaja and Group Home. With the former, Premier crafted one of the East Coast's landmark albums in the form of The Sun Rises in the East, released in 1994. Their follow up to this, 1996's Wrath of the Math, was regarded as a solid effort but not on par with its predecessor, although it did contain Jeru's biggest hit to date, "Ya Playin' Yaself". Group Home's Livin' Proof (1995), although greatly overlooked at the time of its release, has eventually come to be critically acclaimed.
In 1994, DJ Premier collaborated extensively with jazz musician Branford Marsalis's experimental group, Buckshot Lefonque, for their debut album. During the making of music video director, Hype Williams' 1998 film, Belly, DJ Premier collaborated with neo soul leader D'Angelo for a song called "Devil's Pie", which was originally intended only for the film's accompanying soundtrack. However D'Angelo soon changed his mind and decided to include the song on his sophomore album Voodoo (2000) In 2006 he co-produced Christina Aguilera's Back To Basics album.
Samples
DJ Premier's style of production epitomises the New York sound from his earlier peers. He is known for sampling jazz, funk, and soul artists, as well as sampling an artist's past work, when he is creating a new track for that same artist. In addition, his photographic memory of rap lyrics allows him to distinctively "speak with his hands" by scratching in lyrics from several different songs to construct new phrases [1]. Premier's non-Gang Starr collaborations are well-known for his often-imitated signature of combining short vocal samples, often from multiple artists, to create a chorus. For example, for the chorus of Mos Def's "Mathematics", Premier cuts, in quick succession:
"The Mighty Mos Def..." (from Mos Def's "Body Rock"),
"It's simple mathematics" (from Fat Joe's "John Blaze"),
"I revolve around science..." (from Ghostface Killah's verse on Raekwon's "Criminology"),
"What are we talking about here..." (unknown origin),
"Do your math.." (from Erykah Badu's "On & On"), and
"One, two, three, four" (from James Brown's "Funky Drummer")
On certain artists' work the vocal samples will all be vocal samples of the artist from the artists' past work; "Nas Is Like" and "2nd Childhood" with Nas are two well-known examples of this.
On Jeru the Damaja's "Physical Stamina," however, Premier sampled and chopped up recordings of seminal electro-acoustic music from the 1960s.
Melodies
Premier usually creates a two-bar melody that repeats itself throughout the song. The aim of this is to showcase the MC's skills by bringing focus away from the beat, while creating the song's mood and a solid backdrop. Premier often changes speeds, filters and chops his breaks and adds scope to the melody with chimes and strings.
He has also shown innovation by playing rarely-used elements into a rap song (such as the xylophones on Biggie's "Kick in the Door" or the ambient nature sounds on Nas' "Nas is Like"), and his wide range of instruments (the piano loop on Jay-Z's "D'Evils" versus the strings on Rakim's "New York (Ya Out There?") and production techniques (he played the melody backwards during the second half of Jay-Z's "A Million and One Questions (Rhyme No More)").
Drums
Premier's drums have been known for complimenting his melodies. For example, during Nas' "NY State of Mind", two bars have a simple round of kicks and snares; in the following two, a complementing second set of drums plays out. This is repeated throughout.
Label ownership and future projects
DJ Premier currently owns two record labels. "Year Round Records" was founded in 2002 and has so far released several DJ Premier mixtapes as well as two 12" vinyl singles for NYG'z and Blaq Poet. "Works Of Mart", which is also the name of his publishing company, was founded in mid 2006 and released 12" vinyl singles for artists Tef (aka Teflon) and F.A.B.I.D. (H. Stax and Mike Rone).
Since 2001, DJ Premier mentioned several times the plan to release a solo album entitled "A Man Of Few Words", which has yet to be released. Other confirmed upcoming projects are a full-length colaboration with Nas, Blaq Poet's long delayed album "The Best That Never Did It", Tef's (aka Teflon) long announced album "Contraband" and last but not least protegés NYG'z long delayed debut album "Pros and Cons".
Book of Rhymes
DJ Premier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was here, so were you, you came and went, I stuck around (yeah)
Still here now, stop me how?
Your opinion's like a broken calculator, that shit doesn't count
Shut your motherfucking mouth
I'm emptyin' (I'm emptyin') my book of rhymes (my book of rhymes)
Get 'em all off my pad, every thought that I had
Get 'em all off my pad (yeah), every thought that I had
Haven't used all the tricks I have, so like my balls, I'm in my bag
I get a little testy when I'm mad, sick of wrestlin' this iPad
Unsuccessfully I might add, and I know it's best to leave it live
But even I get obsessed with readin' everything
And let it get the best of me 'til I snap
But I need to get off the internet (get off the internet)
I need to get on the mic (get on the mic)
You need to get off the internet (internet), you need to get you a life
Why you waste time just to comment on shit? (Comment on shit)
'Specially shit you don't like (shit you don't like)
Don't like it, don't listen, but don't tell me about your favorite rapper
If it's some shit he didn't write
What happened to Slim? He was no cap with the pen
He used to rap like the people his music was for
He was exactly like them
The dude who used to be poor, why can't he tap into him?
Can't use that excuse anymore
He's mad at the wind, he's in a nuclear war
With a clown he's yelling "At it again"
I talk to your mother, she told me she love me
All she wanna do is just hold me and hug me
Wants nobody but me, she showed me the duggy
Can I get a witness like notary public?
She said kicks some fly shit (fly shit)
I said I got wings on my ass (wings on my ass)
Told her my dick's a cockpit (dick's a cockpit)
I fly by the seat of my pants (Seat of my pants)
Sinful thoughts, this beat is crazy, this shit's retarded
This Instru's mental, too many bars, incidental charges
When did it start? I been cold hearted in this heart
Since kindergarten, mental sharpness
Which makes Slim a walking dentist office, bitch, I invented flossin'
Yeah, I used to wonder (I used to wonder) where my next meal's gonna come from (meal's gonna come from)
Now I just wonder (now I just wonder) where my next mil's gonna come from
I cannot have no success, unless when I finally make it
I get to remind all the haters, who shitted on me when I'm on my way up
My floor is y'all fool's ceilings
If I was you, I would step or find yourself twisted
That's how you'll wind up like spiral stairs
I will swear on a stack of Bibles
I will tear new behinds out of rivals, even your idols
I don't care, it's Music To Be Murdered By
So Bon Iver can swallow a fucking Ja Rule bobblehead
Then die slow like Alzheimer's (haha)
Low sniper, I hold the micro-phone like a loaded rifle
My dome's brighter, all I spit from my skull is fire
All that's missing's a motorcycle with the chrome wires, spoke tires
And y'all are a flow biters, so I don't gotta explain why they call me your ghostwriter
I'm emptyin' (I'm emptyin') my book of rhymes (my book of rhymes)
Get 'em all off my pad, every thought that I had
I said, I'm emptyin' (I'm emptyin') my book of rhymes (my book of rhymes)
Get 'em all off my pad (yeah), every thought that I had (Illa)
Haven't used all the tricks I had, so like my balls, it's in my bag
I tend to get a little testy when I'm mad
But gift of gab and pen to pad
Turn temper tantrums into anthems
Put lips to ass and kiss the cracks
Spit your damnedest, you're still gonna hit the canvas
Rippin' rappers, veterans to whippersnappers
Mr. Mathers is killin' this shit, villainous wit with scant less
Syllables rip the planet, biblical shit's finna hit the fan
Anybody wanna go tit for tat's gonna get hit with that
Then the amygdala hippocampus
Is gonna trigger the ingoramus
To think of the most ridiculous shit then spit
Then pin it against these pitiful rappers
Insidious, these idiots witty as shit, against me, shitty as MC Hammers
Get your whole squad, send the task force in
If you want it, you're 'bout to get what you asked for
Then put your helmet on, strap your chin
You're 'bout to get you a crash course in
Who not to start a motherfuckin' rap war with
Or to go against, fuck would you wanna do that for?
No offense, but are you retard, slow or dense?
A fuckin' penny has more sense
Yeah, now you gotta get killed, but it's not a big deal
But every thought is so ill and so methodical
Thought I swallowed a pill, I'm startin' to feel like I'm an automobile
With Barnacle Bill inside the car at the wheel
Inside a carnival, 'cause I'm plowin' into everyone who wrote snotty articles
And that explains why the fuck you clowns are all in my grill
Joy and pain, fortune, fame, torture, shame
Choice I made, swore someday
The world'll pay, less to lose, more to gain
Daughter's raised, yesterday, glory days, adored and praised
Ignore the hate, address the fake
Toured with Dre, tore a page from Jordan came
Destroyed the game, before you came, enjoy your stay
Before it's gone away, but the more you claim
That you're gonna point and aim
If you joined a gang, your shit isn't goin' to bang
You're just boring, lame and more the same
You have an enormous chain, but a storm-less brain
The most you could form is rain
Your shit is pointless, same as a scoreless game
So, bitch, quit lyin', your denyin' like Mr Porter's name
Borderline bipolar disorder since my stroller
Eyes rollin' back in my skull like Eli Porter
Fire motor, rounds I told to every iota or I load up
I owe to my motor, mouth
This is my note to self
Sometimes you're gonna bomb
So you might just have to blow yourself up with no one's help
I just wrote it down in my book of rhymes
Premo, take us out
Writin' in my book of rhymes
My book of rhymes, my book of rhymes
I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm eastside
Writin' in my book of rhymes
My book of rhymes, my book of rhymes
I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm eastside
In DJ Premier's book of rhymes, Eminem throws all his thoughts and emotions on a single page, letting go of his self-assured persona and revealing his vulnerabilities through his writing. He opens by claiming that he has always remained steady and hasn't allowed life's fluctuations to affect him in any significant way. He contrasts this against his follower’s inconsistency, who have come and gone, and he has remained, which leaves them without any say in the matter. He dismisses the naysayers who view themselves as experts and have their doubts about the longevity of his rap career, comparing their viewpoint to that of a worthless calculator that doesn't work. He silences them, telling them to keep their negativity to themselves.
Eminem then turns to his book of rhymes, which is an outlet for him to unload all his emotions, anxieties, and deepest thoughts. He says he is not going to withhold any tricks up his sleeves and that even though he can be temperamental at times, he uses his consistent gift of gab and his writing abilities to diffuse his anger, turning his temper tantrums into anthems. He advises his detractors to strap on their helmet tightly, take a crash course, and prepare to feel the burn of his verses.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't smile, I don't frown, get two up or get two down (nah)
I remain emotionally neutral and unaffected by external circumstances.
I was here, so were you, you came and went, I stuck around (yeah)
I have been present and persevered while others have come and gone.
Still here now, stop me how?
Your opinion's like a broken calculator, that shit doesn't count
Shut your motherfucking mouth
I am still present and unstoppable. Your opinion holds no value and I suggest you keep quiet.
I'm emptyin' (I'm emptyin') my book of rhymes (my book of rhymes)
Get 'em all off my pad, every thought that I had
I am expressing all my thoughts and ideas through my rhymes.
Haven't used all the tricks I have, so like my balls, I'm in my bag
I haven't utilized all my skills and abilities yet, so I'm still in control and prepared.
I get a little testy when I'm mad, sick of wrestlin' this iPad
Unsuccessfully I might add
I become frustrated when angry and tired of struggling with technology, often unsuccessfully.
But I need to get off tthe internet (get off the internet)
I need to get on the mic (get on the mic)
You need to get off the internet (internet), you need to get you a life
I should avoid spending time on the internet and focus on my music. You should do the same and find a purpose.
What happened to Slim? He was no cap with the pen
He used to rap like the people his music was for
He was exactly like them
What happened to the rapper Slim? He used to write honestly and authentically for his audience, just like them.
The dude who used to be poor, why can't he tap into him?
Can't use that excuse anymore
He's mad at the wind, he's in a nuclear war
With a clown he's yelling 'At it again'
Why can't the rapper tap into his past struggles and poverty? He can no longer use that as an excuse. He's frustrated and engaged in a relentless battle with a foolish adversary.
I talk to your mother, she told me she love me
All she wanna do is just hold me and hug me
Wants nobody but me, she showed me the duggy
Can I get a witness like notary public?
I have conversations with your mother, and she expresses her love for me. She desires nothing but my presence and affection. She even taught me a particular dance. Can I get a witness to validate these facts?
She said kicks some fly shit (fly shit)
I said I got wings on my ass (wings on my ass)
Told her my dick's a cockpit (dick's a cockpit)
I fly by the seat of my pants (Seat of my pants)
She asked me to impress her with my exceptional lyrics. I responded by saying that I'm extremely talented. I even compared my genitalia to an aircraft's control center. I navigate my life with spontaneity and improvisation.
Sinful thoughts, this beat is crazy, this shit's retarded
This Instru's mental, too many bars, incidental charges
I have wicked and unconventional ideas. The instrumental for this song is outstanding and mentally stimulating. There are numerous exceptional lyrics, which may result in unintended consequences.
When did it start? I been cold hearted in this heart
Since kindergarten, mental sharpness
Which makes Slim a walking dentist office, bitch, I invented flossin'
When did my cold-heartedness begin? It started from a young age, even in kindergarten. My mental sharpness and cleverness make me like a walking dentist office. I am the pioneer of showing off and boasting.
Yeah, I used to wonder (I used to wonder) where my next meal's gonna come from (meal's gonna come from)
Now I just wonder (now I just wonder) where my next mil's gonna come from
I used to worry about where I would get my next meal. Now, I only think about where my next million will come from.
I cannot have no success, unless when I finally make it
I get to remind all the haters, who shitted on me when I'm on my way up
I cannot fully achieve success unless I have the opportunity to remind all the people who doubted and criticized me when I am on the rise.
My floor is y'all fool's ceilings
If I was you, I would step or find yourself twisted
That's how you'll wind up like spiral stairs
Your best is inferior to what I consider my lowest point. If I were you, I would step aside because otherwise, you'll find yourself in a difficult situation. You'll end up entangled like a spiral staircase.
I will swear on a stack of Bibles
I will tear new behinds out of rivals, even your idols
I don't care, it's Music To Be Murdered By
So Bon Iver can swallow a fucking Ja Rule bobblehead
Then die slow like Alzheimer's (haha)
I swear on a stack of religious texts that I will defeat and humiliate my competitors, even if they are your favorite artists. I don't care because this album is meant to invoke strong emotions. Even Bon Iver can endure humiliation by swallowing a figurine of Ja Rule and then suffering a slow decline like Alzheimer's disease.
Low sniper, I hold the micro-phone like a loaded rifle
My dome's brighter, all I spit from my skull is fire
All that's missing's a motorcycle with the chrome wires, spoke tires
I am a skilled rapper, holding the microphone like a weapon. My mind is sharp and illuminated, every word I rap is powerful. The only thing missing is a motorcycle with shiny chrome details and distinctive spoke tires.
And y'all are a flow biters, so I don't gotta explain why they call me your ghostwriter
All of you copy my flow, so there's no need for me to explain why they refer to me as your ghostwriter.
I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm eastside
This line represents the artist's affiliation with the eastside.
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christopher Martin, Jacob Canady, Luis Resto, Marshall B. III Mathers, Nasir Jones, Nayvadius Demun Wilburn, Peter Phillips, Ray Illya Fraser, Ronald O'Neil Jr. Spence
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind