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".
The root of all
DJ Premier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My future's lookin' promisin'
Problem with my mom again, troublin'
Money thinks it's runnin' things
When no income isn't comin' in
Runnin' with the wrong again
Gone again, money, money
I keep sendin' cash demeanor (got it) workin' for it meaner
Puts a hurtin' on a senior, have to curtain, cook and pee on
Did I stutter? It's root of all boo, all you loyal to it, useless
Bruise tryna do vocal, lose no one
I still pull him out the grave, tryna play chap, okay
Dust him off, nobody's touchin' us and rush him off
Loose lips, Rick dances with Wolf Kid, elusive
Arrange is the new black, I move past
Like dress me like some baby George Clinton, what's he thinkin'?
Stackin' the deck, ain't attractin' a chick, ain't backin' up shit
Control money, don't let it show money
Soul money, never let it go from me cold, homie
Suede linen, A to K
Prey when I'm A in 'em, stay with 'em, told to play ageism
Variety makes good society, I said this
Respect kid, excessive makes me question my ethics
Though cash has no moral comp, showin' some, flowin' don
Know it's wrong, throw it from, showin' some, home sweet home
Like some nuisance in my wallet
I'm on top and nurturing the loose change in my pocket
You know this ain't a game to us
Money (money)
Money thinks
Money versus everybody, "Money isn't everythin'"
That's cap, and I put that on everythin'
I don't look back, I never blink
I'm at the bank, I'm thinkin' 'bout the fact how I don't have to think
About a way to rob the bank, I fuck around and buy the bank
Dollar bill, dollar bill, water bill, power bill
Power struggles, power moves and power drills 'cause I reveal
I gotta ball, gotta plot, got a wall full of clocks
Still ain't got no time to kill, got on a watch, the diamonds real
Money make the world go 'round, money racin' hurdles now
Take the drapes, the curtains down
Don't money make the perfect clouds?
Money counter go, "Brr", money make the perfect sound
And the chopper go, "Brrt", okay, they hear me now
Lookin' like a pile of money, thathoe face first in the pile
This that Tunechi and Preemo, we connect like a magnet
And we grew to Magneto, like the root of all evil, money
My future's lookin' promisin'
Problem with my mom again, troublin'
Money thinks it's runnin' things
When no income isn't comin' in
Runnin' with the wrong again
Gone again, money
When ponderin' a con again
Morality in front of when or once again
Money thinks it's runnin' things
See you got a honey, young and thin
Buy they honey ton of things, flatterin'
Money
The lyrics of "The Root of All" begin by highlighting the importance of money in people's lives. It emphasizes how troublesome it can be when there is no income coming in, and how people often end up running with the wrong crowd due to financial struggles. The lyrics showcase the struggle of trying to make money through certain avenues, only to find that they are ineffective or can harm others. The rapper also touches on the negative impact of money on people's morals and the importance of striking a balance between money and ethics.
Throughout the song, Lil Wayne and Slick Rick continue to emphasize the various ways in which money can control people's lives. They mention how people would do anything to get their hands on it, including robbing a bank or buying their way out of certain situations. They point out how money can create power struggles and lead to unethical behavior. Nevertheless, the song acknowledges that we all need money to survive and that it is human nature to want more.
Overall, "The Root of All" is a commentary on the role of money in society and how it has the potential to bring out the best and worst in people.
Line by Line Meaning
You know this ain't a game to us
We take this seriously, it's not a joke
My future's lookin' promisin'
I am optimistic about my future
Problem with my mom again, troublin'
I am going through issues with my mother, it's troubling
Money thinks it's runnin' things
Money has a big ego and thinks it controls everything
When no income isn't comin' in
When I am not earning any money
Runnin' with the wrong again
I am associating with the wrong people again
Gone again, money, money
Money has disappeared once again
I keep sendin' cash demeanor (got it) workin' for it meaner
I continue to send cash with this attitude and I am working harder for it
Puts a hurtin' on a senior, have to curtain, cook and pee on
Hurts an elderly person and I have to cover it up, cook and urinate on it
Did I stutter? It's root of all boo, all you loyal to it, useless
Am I stuttering? Money is the source of all problems and all those loyal to it are useless
Bruise tryna do vocal, lose no one
Someone is trying hard to sing but is not losing anyone
I still pull him out the grave, tryna play chap, okay
I am still helping a person who was buried and I am trying to play the role of a leader
Dust him off, nobody's touchin' us and rush him off
Cleaning him off and nobody can touch us as we rush him off
Loose lips, Rick dances with Wolf Kid, elusive
Speaking too much, Slick Rick is dancing with Wolf Kid and being elusive
Arrange is the new black, I move past
Being organized is the latest trend and I am moving forward
Like dress me like some baby George Clinton, what's he thinkin'?
Dress me up like a baby George Clinton, what is he thinking?
Stackin' the deck, ain't attractin' a chick, ain't backin' up shit
Stacking the deck but not attracting a woman and not backing up anything
Control money, don't let it show money
Control your money and don't flaunt it
Soul money, never let it go from me cold, homie
True money is something that will never leave you, my friend
Suede linen, A to K
Luxurious fabric that ranges from A to K
Prey when I'm A in 'em, stay with 'em, told to play ageism
Prey when I am at my best and stay with them, even if you are told to act based on age
Variety makes good society, I said this
Different types of people make a good society, I have said this
Respect kid, excessive makes me question my ethics
Respect is important but when it becomes excessive, it makes me question my ethics
Though cash has no moral comp, showin' some, flowin' don
Even though cash has no morals, showing some and living large
Know it's wrong, throw it from, showin' some, home sweet home
Knowing it's wrong, yet living large and calling it my home sweet home
Like some nuisance in my wallet
I have some nuisance in my wallet
Money versus everybody, 'Money isn't everythin'
Money is in contention with everyone and some say that it isn't everything
That's cap, and I put that on everythin'
That's a lie, and I bet my life on it
I don't look back, I never blink
I don't dwell on the past, and I never hesitate
I'm at the bank, I'm thinkin' 'bout the fact how I don't have to think
I am at the bank and thinking about how I don't have to worry about my financial situation
About a way to rob the bank, I fuck around and buy the bank
I don't need to rob the bank, I can just buy it
Dollar bill, dollar bill, water bill, power bill
Money for everyday expenses like water and power bills
Power struggles, power moves and power drills 'cause I reveal
Struggling for power and making moves to get power because I reveal everything
I gotta ball, gotta plot, got a wall full of clocks
I need to live it up, plan everything out and have a wall full of clocks
Still ain't got no time to kill, got on a watch, the diamonds real
Still not enough time to relax, but I am wearing an expensive watch with real diamonds
Money make the world go 'round, money racin' hurdles now
Money makes the world go round and now it's racing over hurdles
Take the drapes, the curtains down
Remove decorations to show off wealth
Don't money make the perfect clouds?
Money can create the perfect environment
Money counter go, 'Brr', money make the perfect sound
Money counter goes 'Brr' and makes the perfect sound
And the chopper go, 'Brrt', okay, they hear me now
The chopper makes sound and people can hear me now
Lookin' like a pile of money, thathoe face first in the pile
Looking like a pile of money and a person's face is in the pile
This that Tunechi and Preemo, we connect like a magnet
This is Tunechi and Preemo and we are connected like a magnet
And we grew to Magneto, like the root of all evil, money
We have grown to Magneto, like the root of all evil, money
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Chris Martin, Dwayne Carter, Ricky M.L. Walters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
D Gayle
The saddest thing is Lil Wayne is rapping the best he has in years, but the culture doesn't value lyrics as much anymore so it's flying under the radar. If this was 2011 Wayne would be doing numbers across the board.
L.A. FRESH Entertainment
That man flow is legendary regardless but if this was 2011 Wayne on this record.. Jesus Christ
illatek
True
Ddl
Aaron9 dawg even if you think Wayne isn’t “real hip hop” you can’t lie, he’s is easily top 3 if not the undisputed goat of PUNCHLINES. Look at 6 foot 7 foot, a milli, no literally just look at any song off any of the carter albums
CHUCKSANDPOLOS
@Ddl ignore him. Only lyrical miracle dudes like hopsin, Eminem, and Aesop Rock are “real hip hop” to him
jamie bizness
Says you . Wayne's legend always will be. Who doesn't appreciate weezy
MZ92
Slick Rick has been crushing it lately. I'd love to hear another album soon. His last album 'The Art of Storytellin' was amazing, and it's been over 2 decades since it dropped. Many may disagree, but Wayne sounds fire over boom bap beats.
Whole Lotta Nope
I love when wayne flexes his range.
KD William's
I'm a life long Wayne fan from Louisiana and I always personally thought he sounded better on East Coast type beats because they make him rap
Olson Perry
Yes! Wayne on that Griselda joint👀😳