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Young Guru | |
|---|---|
 Young Guru atNew York Comic Con, October 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gimel Androus Keaton |
| Born | (1974-02-27)February 27, 1974 (age 51) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | |
Gimel Androus Keaton (born February 27, 1974), professionally better known by his pseudonymYoung Guru, is an Americanaudio engineer,record producer,disc jockey, and record executive fromWilmington, Delaware. In 2019, Young Guru won aGrammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album for recording the albumEverything Is Love byThe Carters. He has worked with many leading recording artists, most notablyJay-Z andKanye West, and an April 2015The Wall Street Journal profile called him "the most famous and successful engineer in the history of hip-hop".[1]
Young Guru acquired his moniker as a teen when he taught African history classes at a community center. He also used his name when he began working as a DJ while still a teenager.[2] In the early 1990s Young Guru bought his own amplifiers, lights and microphones which sparked his interest in music technology. While a student atHoward University, he saw the early development ofBad Boy Records and landed some of his early engineering jobs.[citation needed] He began DJing in Washington, D.C. in 1996, where he met singer/rapper Nonchalant, who had a top 20 single at the time, and became her tour DJ. Young Guru, who had taken piano lessons as a child, used the money he received from the tour to fund a six-month music recording course at Omega Recording Studios inRockville, Maryland, which had a great impact on him. After Omega, Young Guru engineeredNonchalant's second album, which was never released, but the producer,Chucky Thompson (Mary J. Blige,Faith Evans) recognized the young engineer's potential and invited him to come and work with him in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Young Guru went independent and moved to New York, where he worked withDeric "D-Dot" Angelettie on his Madd Rapper project and withMemphis Bleek. The latter was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records, which led to Young Guru meeting Jay-Z.[citation needed]
Over the years Young Guru has been a major part of several artists' careers in addition to Jay-Z, includingBeyoncé,Rihanna,Ludacris,Ghostface Killah,Freeway,Cam'ron,Redman &Method Man,Mariah Carey,Pete Rock,Fabolous,Talib Kweli,Bone Thugs-N-Harmony andT.I.[citation needed]
He was the tour DJ for the 'Watch The Throne' world tour featuring Jay-Z andKanye West,[citation needed] and also for JAY-Z's '4:44' Tour[citation needed]
In August 2013, Young Guru taught an audio mixing class viaSkillshare. The video lessons, filmed atSAE Institute New York, were titled "Sound Check: The Essentials of DIY Audio Mixing".[3]
In April 2015, Young Guru was named the Director of Operations at9th Wonder's record labelIt's a Wonderful World Music Group.[4]
Young Guru has also lent instruments to the youth-orienteddigital audio workstation,EarSketch.[5]
In November 2018, Young Guru was credited with mixing the latestMeek Mill albumChampionships.
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(CD, Comp, Promo)Hustlin' (Remix)Def Jam Recordings(2006)
(Album)Surviving the GameColumbia(1999)
(CD)Doin' WrongDreamWorks(2000)
(CD, Album)Boy (I Need You), YouMonarC, Island Records(2002)
(4xLP, Album)U Don't Know (Remix)Roc-A-Fella Records(2002)
(12")Roc-A-Fella Records(2002)
(CD, Single, Promo)Island Def Jam Music Group(2003)
(12", Promo)Roc-A-Fella Records(2003)
(2003)
(2002)
(CD)Ladies' JamFastlife(2005)
(CD)Roc-A-Fella Records(2003)
(12")Roc-A-Fella Records(2004)
(12", Promo)TVT Records(2004)
(12", Promo)Jive(2004)
(12", Promo)Virgin Records America, Inc.(2004)
(12")Seven Heads(2004)
(12")Sanctuary Records(2004)
(12", Promo)Sanctuary Records(2004)
(12", Promo)TVT Recordings(2004)
(12", Promo)J Records(2005)
(12")Geffen Records(2005)
(Album)Atlantic(2005)
(Album)Def Jam Recordings(2006)
(Album)Tooken BackDef Jam Recordings(2004)
(CD, Comp, Promo)The ChampDef Jam Recordings(2004)
Chicago-Rillas (12", Max)J Records(2006)
(12")Def Jam Recordings(2006)
(Album)Roc-A-Fella Records(2006)
(Album)Blacksmith Music(2007)
(12")Geffen Records(2007)
(2xLP, Album, Ltd)Blacksmith(2008)
(Album)Nature Sounds(2008)
(Album)Def Jam Recordings(2009)
(Album)The ChampDef Jam Recordings(2004)
(Album)I'm Talkin' To YouAtlantic(2006)
(Album)Ignorant Sh*tRoc-A-Fella Records(2007)
(CD, Album)9mmInterscope Records(2007)
(Album)Help Is ComingAtlantic(2007)
(Album)Nasty GirlIsland Def Jam Music Group(2008)
More Than A Game (CD, Album)HistoryInterscope Records(2009)
(CD, Album)RocNation(2009)
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Donda | Grammy Award for Album of the Year | Nominated | [6] |
| 2019 | Everything Is Love | Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album | Won | |
| 2018 | 4:44 | Grammy Award for Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| "The Story of O.J." | Grammy Award for Record of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | "Empire State of Mind" | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | The College Dropout | Grammy Award for Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Nellyville | Nominated |
