I've been following DJ Khalil's work since hearing of his affiliation with Dre at Aftermath as an in-house producer. He's been consistently blessing artists such as The Game, Black Milk, Defari, Self Scientific, Chino XL and Talib Kweli with a diverse array of sound, from dark and threatening to uplifting and reflective. Khalil represents the future of LA, bringing signature sounds of the West, while holding true to all the great traditional hip hop sound of the East, in his creative use of samples and strong, outstanding drums.

For one of a few outlets I turn to for hip hop that pushes toward greater creative heights, DJ Khalil is one I feel I can count on for a high standard of music based on the range of choices for who he collaborates with. He sounds like someone who will continue to push the envelope of traditional hip hop production, maintaining the important classic elements of past eras while adding on with newer sound and ideas, so keep a look out for more work he brings.


Download the full interview with DubCNN from July '09 here (right-click & save)


some Khalil productions:

Dr. Dre feat. T.I. - "This Is Detox" (released back in February 09)