What do DJ KEMIT, soul singer Anthony David, President Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle have in common?
Put simply, they all appreciate good music. And as for DJ KEMIT, he’s the creator of “4Evermore,” the No. 1 Adult Urban Contemporary song that put Anthony David on the Obamas’ radar. It put David on the map, too, with his first Top 20 R&B hit.
Indeed, DJ KEMIT’s unparalleled production chops had caught the attention of the globe’s most powerful couple.
But that’s just the latest in a string of accolades for DJ KEMIT.
Pulling together a who’s who of soul, funk and R&B talent for his debut album, EVERLASTING, would have been a feat for any other producer. But not for KEMIT.
He nabbed the heavy-hitters: Grammy-nominated vocalist ERRO, aka Eric Roberson; hip-hop super crew Hieroglyphics producer Kev Choice; co-vocalist from U.K. soul sensation Loose Ends, Carl McIntosh; Jean Baylor of Zhane; Craig Love, producer for Usher; soul powerhouse N’Dambi; along with Frank McComb, who has a debut of sorts himself on EVERLASTING behind the keys.
How did DJ KEMIT land such massive talent for his debut? His penchant for impeccably crafted songs and honoring his collaborator’s genius -- a constant refrain from any artist he’s worked with.
While EVERLASTING recently has taken center stage, DJ KEMIT has long been a sought-after producer for remixes such as “Still” by ERRO, “On the Beach” by Leon Ware, and the “4Evermore” remix for David’s EP “Location, Location, Location.”
DJ KEMIT is also internationally known for his production work as one-half of KemeticJust. The duo’s two dozen releases -- on labels such as King Street, Nite Grooves, Yoruba Records, Giant Step, Diaspora Recordings, Wave Music, Bombay Records and Play Records -- are still praised within the underground house music scene.
So why are you just now “hearing” about KEMIT? The truth is that you knew him all along.
When KEMIT, better known to family as Kevin Hyman, saw a fellow 12-year-old boy DJing, that was it. He’d found his future. Although his first record purchase was “Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force, the disco and house music blasting from Chicago’s airwaves managed to reach his hometown of Milwaukee and is the music he first learned to mix.
Years later, his high-school friend – now named Speech and co-founder of Arrested Development – invited KEMIT to join him. That would be his first step onto the international scene, first as the group’s production manager, then as the DJ.
KEMIT left the group in 1996, but not without recognition for his production work on the group’s Grammy-nominated second album, Zingalamaduni.
You know KEMIT because as a DJ, party-goers and tastemakers such as have put him on the short list of the world’s best DJs for nearly 20 years.
Among those tastemakers are household names such as Prince, Janet Jackson, Steve Harvey, Jane Fonda, Jermaine Dupree and Bryan Michael Cox.
And you’ve likely attended or heard of the legendary FunkJazz Kafe, the National Black Arts Festival, the Soul Train Awards, House in the Park, Roy Ayers, Robert Glasper, Musiq Soulchild and Blackstreet – all projects, parties or artists that KEMIT has graced.
KEMIT is instrumental in guiding the house, soul and hip-hop scenes in Atlanta – and beyond. It’s an important task given the city’s influence on American music everywhere. When people look to Atlanta, they have to look to KEMIT – and based on his superlative body of work, past and future, things are looking good.
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