DJ Khalil may not currently be the most well-known producer, but that may change with his contributions on two of 2008’s most talked about albums. While explaining his affinity for Reason, the production and sequencing program created by Propellerhead, Khalil also spoke about crafting tracks for Nas‘ Nigger album and Dr. Dre’s rumored swan song, Detox.
“[Def Jam] sent me the record acapella, and I sent it back to them with this track and they went crazy,”Khalil says of “What It Is.” According to Nas, who has yet to release a final track listing for Nigger, “What It Is” was an old track, which was not originally supposed to be a part of his latest album. Different versions of the song have been circulating via Internet blogs and peer-to-peer networks since November of 2007. “[Nas] heard it, and they heard it and the response immediately was, ‘Yo we need to put this out,'”Khalil adds.Khalil says he has also been working at Aftermath Records, and that Detox is still a go.
“I’m a staff producer so I’m basically responsible for turning tracks in to him every month,”Kahlil says of his relationship with Dr. Dre. “At the moment I’m working on Detox. I have a lot of records slated for that album. And that’s probably the most highly anticipated album in Hip Hop…almost in music. Everybody’s waiting for Dr. Dre‘s next record.”
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While fans will likely have to wait for both Detox and Nigger, due to release dates being pushed back multiple times, Khalil’s production can be heard on current albums by Jim Jones, 50 Cent, Black Milk and Talib Kweli.
