School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Salaam Remi

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Salaam Remi Gibbs was born in 1972 in Queens, New York, the son of a Trinidadian mother and a Barbadian father, the studio musician Van Joseph Gibbs. As a keyboard player he first appeared on a record in 1986, Kingdom Blow by Kurtis Blow. In the late 1980s he began mixing records. His first complete production was in 1992 for the hip hop group Zhigge. After that he worked with the Fugees and Black Sheep.

Music and breakthrough

He produced for, among others, Nas, Amy Winehouse and Jazmine Sullivan, and also for Alicia Keys, Doja Cat, Miguel and Nelly Furtado. He contributed to The Score by the Fugees and to Here Comes the Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze. For Ms. Dynamite he made ten tracks on A Little Deeper from 2002, including the successful Dy-Na-Mi-Tee. For Amy Winehouse he did tracks on Frank, her debut, and on Back to Black, and he worked on her third album until her death. He is known for his reggae-tinged approach to production, often called broken-bottle.

Influence

He has also worked on film music, including for Office Space, Zoolander and The Departed. In 2013 he started his label Louder Than Life at Sony. After ten Grammy nominations he won a Grammy in 2021 for the soundtrack of The United States vs. Billie Holiday. As a producer he often works in the background, but he helps determine the sound of records.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a track by Amy Winehouse from Frank or Back to Black and notice the drums, the bass and the horns. Can you hear how the production links old soul with a modern beat?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists