Member Since: 11/5/2005
Band Website: myspace.com/nightshiftmuzik
Band Members: the Nightshift are.....Me, Rasheen, Breeze, & Novan9ne./Karl James Experience/THE ELECTRIC LIGHTSHOW are 9 ALPHA MEGZ aka Novan9ne, & DANY EL aka Sudan Life/
Influences: There are so many people, places (NEW YORK CITY especially!!) and things that happen which has influenced me that I will run out of room but I will state in Hip-Hop, bUT I HAVE TO PAY my respects to the Pioneers of HIP-HOP in general!! AFRIKA BAMBAATTA (ZULU NATION), DJ KOOL HERC, GRAND GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS 5 ,COLD CRUSH BROTHERS (to my older cousins, and uncles back then, they were THEIR WU-TANG CLAN!!),GRANDWIZARD THEODORE, RUN DMC (HIP-HOP'S FIRST MEGA SUPERSTARS!! REST IN PEACE JAM MASTER JAY),THE BEAKERS, THE GRAFFITI WRITERS...PAST AND PRESENT.. ALWAYS RESPECT THE ARCHITECTS... Respect to production pioneers like Arthur Baker & John Robie (Planet Rock, son!!), Larry Smith (produced Run DMC and Whodini), Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons (Run-DMC), Jellybean Benitez, Little Louie Vega, ******** But the major influences....(Grand Master)the legendary DJ MARLEY MARL,/THE LATE PAUL C (RI.P.- THE MENTOR TO LARGE PRO)(The Teachers/Professors) PETE ROCK, LARGE PROFESSOR...(the man!!), DJ PREMIER, DIAMOND D, THE RZA, PRINCE PAUL, MADLIB and J-DILLA (R.I.P.- one of my faves HE CHANGED THE GAME OF PRODUCTION, A PURE GENIUS...YOU MAY NOT KNOW HOW YOU INFLUENCED US ALL UP AND COMING PRODUCERS...WE WILL MISS YOU!!!) ***********
ATCQ's Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-Tip (When Low End Theory came out in '91 they also changed the game in production!!),Ced Gee (of UltraMagnetic MC's),DJ Mark the 45 King (the 900 Number...best breakbeat ever!!!) Buckwild, Showbiz, O.Gee (very slept on....not alot of people mention his name...but i will!), Dr. Dre, Timbaland, The Bomb Squad (Public Enemy's sound assult team!!!), DJ Ivan "Doc" Rodriguez, Erick Sermon, DJ Scratch, The Beatminerz, Baby Paul, Shawn J. Period (the kat is Niice!!!) The Wu-Elements (4th Disciple, Allah Mathematics, True Master, Bronze Nazareth from Detroit), NO I.D., The Beatnuts, Havoc of Mobb Deep, DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill (he was first in bringing the dark beats back in the 90's), Hi-Tek (Cincinnati's finest), Minnesota, Charlemagne, Danger Mouse, Teddy Riley (don't front...he produced "The Show" Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick),Rockwilder, Just Blaze, Kanye West, Alchemist, Ayattola, El-P (underground legend),Nottz..(to me one of the most slept on producers...something is wrong with that!!), Swizz Beatz (can't front he brought the keyboard element back to a head at a young age in the production...you can't front on him!) MegaHertz, Neptunes, 9th Wonder, MF Doom (DOOOOOOOOMM!!!!!!!!!)....I almost forgot...Waajeed from Platinum Pied Pipers (that kat is dope!!!), Dan The Automator, DJ Spinna, J Rawls..(he's nice too!!!)...Many of them I listen to and get inspiration from but the main ones that I considered my teachers...those are the ones ARE REALLY my influences production wise. Rappers: Run-DMC, Whodini, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah (Native Tougues) MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Masta Ace, Kool (muthaph*..kin) G Rap and the whole Juice Crew, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, BDP, Main Source, KMD, EPMD (kats still using samples that they used first!!!), Redman (N.J.'s best rapper....PERIOD!!!!), Das Efx (it's a damn shame what they did to their style...straight raped it!!!),GangStarr, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Common, Leaders of The New School, Pharcyde, Slum Village, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, N.W.A. Brand Nubian, Organized Konfusion, O.C., Digable Planets, X-Clan (Brother J is considered to me a VERY underrated emcee...dude is dope!!), Ultramagnetic MC's esp. Kool Keith, THE WU-TANG CLAN, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Ras Kass, Dilated Peoples, OutKast, Ludacris, Company Flow (El-P, Big Juss, and Mr. Len-I miss them all together..), Cannibal Ox, Asoep Rock, MF Doom, Quasimoto, Thirstin Howl III, Rack-Lo, Mos Def, Little Brother (they are a rare breed for today's Hip-Hop!!), Talib Kweli, The LOX also known as D-Block (they grew on me....they got skills on the mic), Frank N Dank & Guilty Simpson...(Dilla fans know these kats!!). So many pioneers of other genres of music but I will say my faves are...Donald Byrd, Miles Davis, Betty Davis, John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson (before the wild sh....!!), Prince, Sade, Anita Baker, Earth, Wind and Fire, Curtis Mayfield (R.I.P.-one of the best soul providers I have ever heard!!), Grover Washington Jr. (R.I.P), Bob James, Barry White (R.I.P), David Axelrod, Roy Ayers (my favorite!!!!!), Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Babyface, The Mizell Brothers (produced Donald Byrd classics), Minnie Ripperton (R.I.P), Donny Hathaway (R.I.P.), George Clinton, Parliament/Funkadelic, The Doors, Pink Floyd (one of my favorite bands!!), Led Zeppelin, Queen, Jimi Hendrix (guitar god!!!),Talking Heads, Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra, ( yo, Troy...play that "Forbidden Music"), Blondie...(you know Chris Stein made some of those beats along with Fab 5 Freddy from Wild Style...wow!)Esthero, Everything But The Girl, Res, damn there are so many people..(In Drum-N-Bass) (metalhedz) Goldie, Dillinja, Grooverider, Roni Size,Carl Cox,(Electronica)Air, Etienne de Crecy, Bassment Jaxx, ......just to name a few.... and all the "Independent Contractors" of the Hip-Hop world!!GRAF WRITERS: ALL THE WRITERS WHO POST @ THE WRITERS BENCH...149ST GRAND CONCOURSE..THANK YOU FOR THE ART....THAT I MARVELED RIDING AND WATCHING THE TRAINS....THE STYLE MASTER GENERAL DONDI (R.I.P.), LEE, CASE 2 (KING OF STYLE), DURO, DOZE,PHASE 2, FUTURA 2000, ZEPHYR, RAMM:ELL:ZEE, TC5 CREW, SEEN, DEZ (DJ KAY SLAY...RESPECT DUE), TRAP, SKEME,(TNT), TATS CREW, X-MEN, LADY PINK...(bE BACK AFTER THESE MESSAGES)Comic Books (Marvel kicks DC ass any day...), Video Games (Atari, Colecovison, Intelevision, Nintendo, Genesis, NeoGeo) from the 80's to now, classic 80's movies, DOPE KICKS...I'ma Sneakerhead for real!!! ..shout outz go to my brother (another influence) Kahil...
My peoples Deaf 2 U Productions(Mood Doctors) Luck, Purp, Bizarre, Van and last but not least...the rest of my brothers of THE NIGHTSHIFT, The fly photographers..Guess Who? (Queens brotha 4 real..(Thanks for the pictures for my LPs)Donna Jay and her I-Spy Camera...Last but definetly Not Lease.. THE ONYXQUEEN down at www.EverythingButTheTux.net...I guess that makes me the ONYXKING?!?! HUH? (Thanks 4 your patience and support always...I love ya gurrllll LOLOL!! It's a different world down here in DC/MD....but it's Q-boro in our house everyday!!)
SPORTY JAMES PROJECT (2004)
VILLANOVA E.P. (2005)
THE ADVENTURES OF THE NIGHTSHIFT (2005)
SJ2: THE PROJECT RETURNS (2006)
THE NIGHTSHIFT: NIGHTLIFE (2007)
THE ADVENTURES OF THE NIGHTSHIFT ,THE SPORTY JAMES PROJECT & NIGHTLIFE...ARE THE ONLY albums that are Available on ITunes!!
Sounds Like: A GRAFFITI ARTIST IS MAKING BEATZ!!!! A STYLE MASTER GENERAL OF SOUND!!!!! (MUCH RESPECT 2 DONDI WHITE...AND ALL THE GRAFFITTI WRITERS PAST AND PRESENT...)BASICALLY....A SOUNDBOMBER!!!!!!
Record Label: Nickel Plated Defense Recordings/Life's A Gamble
Type of Label: Indie