Jeffrey Nath Bhasker^[2] (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer,songwriter, andmulti-instrumentalist based inLos Angeles. He won theGrammy Award for Producer of the Year in2016 and was nominated for the award in2013.

Bhasker came to prominence as the primary producer ofKanye West's album808s & Heartbreak (2008), and further worked with West on his subsequent albums includingMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010),Watch the Throne (2011), his tours, and later,Donda (2021). For other artists, Bhasker has also produced the albumsSome Nights (2012) byFun.,Uptown Special (2015) byMark Ronson, andHarry Styles'self-titled debut album (2017), among others.

Bhasker has wonGrammy Awards for his work on the songs "Run This Town" forJay-Z, "All of the Lights" for Kanye West, "We Are Young" for Fun., and "Uptown Funk" for Mark Ronson.^[3][4]

Bhasker was born inKansas City, Kansas, and was raised inSocorro, New Mexico.^[5][6] HisAmerican-born mother is a pianist and hisTeluguIndian-born father,Ravi Bhasker, is a medical doctor who has served as Socorro's mayor for over 24 years. Bhasker was introduced to jazz by his mother and his piano teacher.^[7] He played in the jazz band atSocorro High School, where he graduated in 1993, and then studied jazz piano and arranging atBerklee College of Music inBoston, Massachusetts.^[8][9]

Bhasker began his career gigging around Boston as a keyboardist and played in a wedding band. After playing with the 1970s-era R&B bandTavares, Bhasker moved to New York on September 11, 2001. He toured with the jam bandLettuce and began focusing more on songwriting.^[10] One of his first productions was withneo soul singerGoapele, on her albumCloser (2001). Bhasker produced a song on rapperThe Game's first album,The Documentary (2005).^[11]

Bhasker relocated toLos Angeles in 2005. He got a job doing demos for songwriterDiane Warren.^[12] He began writing withBruno Mars, and songwriter and executiveSteve Lindsey served as their mentor. He playedcover songs in a band with Mars around Los Angeles.^[6]

Around 2007, Bhasker began his association with rapper/producerKanye West.^[13] Initially serving as a substitute keyboardist on the recommendation of his friend and West's tour DJA-Trak, West was impressed with his musical ability and hired him for West'sGlow in the Dark Tour as his musical director.^[14] He was set to be the musical director for the cancelledFame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga, before going on to be the music director ofLady Gaga'sThe Monster Ball Tour.^[15] Bhasker collaborated on West's albums808s & Heartbreak,My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and theJay-Z/Kanye West collaboration album,Watch the Throne, including the songs "Welcome to Heartbreak". "Lift Off", and "Runaway". Bhasker received theGrammy Award for Best Rap Song for West's "All of the Lights", and the Jay-Z/Rihanna/Kanye West song "Run This Town".^[16] Bhasker and West reunited on "Come to Life" on 2021'sDonda.

Following this period, Bhasker would go on to produceFun'sSome Nights (2012),Uptown Special (2015) withMark Ronson, andHarry Styles'self-titled debut album (2017). Bhasker's collaborations span multiple genres, including his work with Alicia Keys, Mark Ronson, Kid Cudi, Cam, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Young Thug, and more.

Bhasker co-wrote and co-producedMark Ronson's single "Uptown Funk", which earned him a2016Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Additionally, he received the2016Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for his achievements in producing that year.^[17]

HisRIAA multi-platinum selling records include Kanye West's "Love Lockdown", "Runaway", "Monster" and "Power", Jay-Z's "Run this Town",Drake's "Find Your Love", Fun's "We Are Young", "Some Nights" and "Carry On",Pink's "Just Give Me a Reason", Bruno Mars' "Talking to the Moon" and "Locked out of Heaven", Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk", Rihanna's "Kiss it Better", and Harry Styles' "Sign of the Times".

As a vocalist, Bhasker has used the alias Billy Kraven (last name credited as Craven in the interview and in the record). He explained his reasons in an interview withGQ:

It kind of started out as me creating a character to be a songwriter. I wanted to keep it separate at first, but now I kind of like the idea that people know it’s me. It kind of defines the parameters. The Billy Craven stuff is a little bit darker, it deals with social themes like the war and death. It’sBlue-Eyed Soul meetsMarilyn Manson. U.G.L.Y. is more a lighter side—a lot of humor and crassness—it’s commentary on a lot of these swaggy songs. It pokes a little fun at the state of contemporary pop and urban music.

^[1] When speaking on the Billy Kraven'spseudonym in 2013, he said "I just thought it was a cooler sounding name, and I was making these kind of darkpop songs that suited it. It's kinda likeBilly Joel meetsWes Craven."^[18]

• A Man Named Scott (2021) – Himself

• American hip-hop record producers
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• American musicians of Indian descent
• APRA Award winners
• Berklee College of Music alumni
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• Living people
• People from Socorro, New Mexico
• Songwriters from New Mexico
• 21st-century American keyboardists
• 21st-century American musicians
• 21st-century American male musicians
• 1974 births
• American male songwriters
• Lettuce (band) members

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