written by David Reid
Whether or not you know the man you know Nottz. Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli, Kanye are only a small portion of the people Nottz has produced for. Having such a substantial production history (and this is true of so many people) as well as being Awarded a Grammy for his work on Kanye’s Graduation (Barry Bonds), along with verbal accolades from a variety of notable producers, it seems strange that he is not better known.
Nottz hails from Virginia. Having a father as a DJ and brothers who produced music he had from an early age, much like all our favorite musicians, a consistent exposure to creating music. Starting from humble beginnings making beats on a simple 7-second sampling keyboard Nottz was, over time, able to utilize different equipment and advance his production skills. Eventually he caught the attention of Busta Rhymes and was given three tracks on his album Extinction Level Event. Along with the title track Nottz also produced another two. Nottz’s career seems to have taken off from there. Honing his natural talent into a perfected skill Nottz was able to gain recognition from a number of members within the hip hop community like Dr. Dre and Jay Dee.
What is more important about Nottz is his attitude. In an interview with Benji B under the Red Bull Music Academy Nottz reveals his integrity. Clearly he is hard working. No one comes from simple beginnings to being requested by giants of the industry. The people who choose to work with Nottz are a reflection of his ability, attitude and workmanship. In addition to his work ethic Nottz is about his art. Rather than change himself and make money in the several millions he stays true to himself by working with artist he wants and making the music he wants to make. It just an added bonus that Nottz is able to produce those million dollar records. In a business where authenticity is undervalued it is refreshing to see someone display dedication to the craft, not the almighty dollar.
Nottz has been rather busy in the last six years. Going back to his early roots as a rapper he put out a self-produced album called You Need This Music. Trust me you really do. It features stellar production, good guests, and decent vocals. One of the stand out tracks is I Still Love You which featured Mayer Hawthorne. His creative ability truly shine on this track, if you own Donuts you will see why. He also produced EPs for Asher Roth and Blu. His most recent work is the album Home Sweet Home with Rapper Big Pooh.
As for Nottz future he does not seem to be slowing down by any means. He just produced a single for the group O.G.ology which features Raekwon. Along with posting portions of his production on twitter it would seem that Nottz is going to around for awhile.
Sources
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/nottz-sp-footprints