Disco D

With a diverse and decorated 10-year career in the music industry, 26-year-old Disco D is considered by many to be a musical enigma. As a producer, his credits range from underground genre-defying vinyl-only Detroit Ghettotech records (he is also credited for giving the unique music style its moniker) to multi-million selling street anthems for 50 Cent (‘Ski Mask Way’.) He has toured as a DJ all over the world, wowing crowds with his genre-bending track selection and quick-fingered turntable trickery. D has also composed music for a range of commercials and TV shows (Best Buy, Sprite, VH1 ‘Hip Hop Honors’, Nickelodeon ‘Kids Choice Awards’) and is currently hard at work on his debut film and videogame scores. D is a serial entrepreneur, holding a degree with honors from the prestigious University of Michigan Ross School of Business (program ranked #3 in the world by US News & World Report) – his several companies are involved in a diverse range of inter-related activities – music production; artist development / A&R; music licensing and publishing; new product marketing and launches; and even import / export of unique products from Brazil.
Born David Shayman in St. Louis, MO, D moved to Ann Arbor, MI at age 6. Equally interested in music, physical science and computers, D was blessed with a wide range of experiences at an early age, which shaped both his creative and business mind. Growing up just outside of Detroit meant exposure to a diverse range of music. “Before Disco D was even born, I was a fan of all types of different stuff, from The Beatles and Donna Summer to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane to N.W.A. and 2 Live Crew to Pantera, Primus and GWAR,” remembers D. “I didn’t have any sort of preconceptions about genres, I just was into what impacted me emotionally.”
Just one exposure to Detroit’s legendary rave scene and DJ culture was all it took, and in November 1996, Disco D was born. Within 18 months, D had already become a phenomenon with his first mix CD, 12” EP and club residency before even graduating high school. He signed his first record deal with Bad Boy Bill’s Contaminated Muzik / Mixconnection Multimedia at age 17 and started his first record label, GTI Recordings, at age 19. D successfully juggled a top-tier university education, record label, and international tour schedule, and relocated to New York City in 2002 after completing his degree. His fascination and focus on the Ghettotech scene peaked in 2003 with the release of “A Night At The Booty Bar” on Tommy Boy.
2004 saw D’s transition into the world of commercial hip-hop, R&B, and dancehall. In 2004, Disco D collaborated with HOT97’s Cipha Sounds for a number of projects – co-writing, co-producing and mixing five songs on Nina Sky’s debut album (including their airplay hit “Turnin’ Me On.” He also collaborated with Cipha on a number of hit dancehall remixes including Christina Milian’s “Whatever U Want” (peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart) and Pharrell’s #1 single “Frontin” (co-remixed with Federation Sound’s Max Glazer and featured on the Grammy-nominated Def Jamaica album.) Soon thereafter, D sought to establish himself as an independent production entity. In 2005, he unleashed his biggest record to-date – the hood smash “Ski Mask Way” on 50 Cent’s multi platinum, Grammy-nominated album “The Massacre” – the top-selling hip hop release of the year.
D’s future is bright and busy – he has upcoming records with Trick Daddy (“I Pop”) and Lil’ Scrappy (“Right Away”;) and official remixes for Shiny Toy Guns (“Le Disko”) and Crime Mob (“Rock Yo Hips”.) He just launched his brand-new Brazilian urban label Gringo Louco with BRAZA – a bilingual supergroup composed of three of the biggest rappers from Brasil, with their first Disco D-produced single “Son Do BRAZA” having already been featured in EA’s NBA Live 07 and on MTV’s hit reality show “The Duel: Real World / Road Rules Challenge.” The Brazilian rollout continues with D overseeing the US marketing and distribution of aLeda – the world’s premier transparent rolling paper – and a music marketing campaign for Cabana, the first double distilled Brazilian Cachaça. If you don’t know about Disco D yet, you better ask somebody!