Producer Spotlight: Kev Brown

Kev Brown (Kevin Brown) born February 10, 1976 is a producer/emcee from Landover, MD.

Kev Brown's soulful style of production has earned him comparisons to revered producers such as Pete Rock, who incidentally helped Brown's career gain some momentum after introducing him to Grap Luva (Pete Rock's brother). The pair then went on to collaborate on "What Ruling Means", from Marley Marl's BBE Beat Generation installment Re-Entry (2001). His appearance alongside Grap Luva left an impression on the underground and he subsequently contributed a track to De La Soul's AOI: Bionix later that year.

Kev Brown continued to build his resume with contributions to DJ Jazzy Jeff's The Magnificent (2002). As a then-member of Jazzy Jeff's production-for-hire unit A Touch Of Jazz, Brown contributed no less than 7 tracks to the project yet it wasn't until his remix of Jay-Z's The Black Album, aptly titled The Brown Album was released in January, 2004 that he began to receive recognition.

As the first producer to do so (to date there are more than 100 submitted remixes of the project), Brown made use of Jay-Z's starpower and commercial appeal. Although his time in the spotlight was somewhat overshadowed by DJ Danger Mouse's The Grey Album (2004), a remix project of the same album noticeable for its use of The Beatles' White Album (1968) as a soundbed for Jay-Z acapellas, Kev Brown was nevertheless able to garner enough of a following to embark on a solo career.

After numerous productions and collaborations with artists throughout 2003 and 2004, Brown made his debut in 2005 with I Do What I Do through the independent Up Above imprint. The single, "Life's A Gamble", followed in early 2006. Although there was talk of Brown releasing a follow-up EP called Random Joints, this release did not see the light of day. Brown remained quiet for most of 2007, returning in February 2008 with Selective Hearing: The Beat Tape, a full-length collaboration with rapper LMNO of The Visionaries. Brown is one of the producers working with legendary New York rapper Busta Rhymes for "B.O.M.B", his eighth studio album. In August 2008, a track leaked on the internet call "Packin' Them Things" produced by Kev Brown, however there's no word on whether this track will appear on the album.

http://www.myspace.com/kevbrown

http://kevbrown.blogspot.com

A handful of my favorite Kev Brown beats below.

De La Soul - Special


Wayna - Not Gonna Go


Wade Waters - That's My


Hassaan Mackey - War


Cy Young - Down To Do It (Clap)


Kaimbr - Changes


Kev Brown feat. Kenn Starr & Quartermaine - Say Sumthin'


Kev Brown - Albany


Kev Brown & LMNO - The Beat Tape


Busta Rhymes - Packin' Them Thangs


Roddy Rod feat. Cy Young & Kev Brown - Troubles Lurkin' Low