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J. White Did It

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J. White Did It
Birth nameAnthony Jermaine White[1]
Also known asJ. White
Born (1984-12-17) December 17, 1984 (age 39)
Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • songwriter
  • disc jockey
Instruments
Years active2005–present
LabelsKobalt

Anthony Jermaine White (born December 17, 1984), known professionally as J. White Did It, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ from Blytheville, Arkansas. White has produced three Billboard Hot 100-number one singles: "Bodak Yellow" (2017) and "I Like It" (2018) both for Cardi B, as well as "Savage Remix" (2020) for Megan Thee Stallion. The latter won a Grammy Award, along with his 2018 production, "A Lot" by 21 Savage.[3][4]

Early life

[edit]

White was born on December 17, 1984, in Blytheville, Arkansas. He grew up in the cities of Kansas City and Leavenworth in Kansas.[5] His father was a church singer and played guitar, his mother was also a church singer, his grandmother and uncle played drums. "At 15, I knew I couldn't play football. I was like, 'Oh, I'm not that good. I'm not that tall. I'm fast, but I'm not that fast. Really skinny,'" he said.[1] He started making beats at the age of 16.[5] At age 17, his uncle brought him his first keyboard, "Honestly, I thought when I got that keyboard that I was gonna be rich the next year. It's fixing to be a breeze. Literally, it wasn't."[1] He graduated from Leavenworth High School.[5]

Career

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In 2005, White moved to New York City where he started learning how to produce records.[5] There, he met Klenord "Shaft" Raphael, a producer who later went on to become his mentor and manager, who taught him how to sample songs.[6] That summer, he moved back home to Kansas City, and, for the next ten years, worked as a janitor, a DJ, and a producer around the cities of Kansas, Dallas, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. During this period of time, he produced beats for several artists including Stevie Stone, Krizz Kaliko, Eric Bellinger, and Lyrica Anderson, but his music career wasn't taking off.[6] He told The Kansas City Star that he wasn't getting credit on a lot of records he produced at the time.[5]

In 2016, his manager Shaft invited him to his house in New York to ask him for beats. There, he met with Bronx rapper Cardi B, one of Shaft's other clients. "I began to work with her and I believed in what she believed in. We just all became one big happy family, and marched on to the promised land," he said. Their first collaboration was for 2016 promotional single "What a Girl Likes", followed by a number of songs from Cardi B's second mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 2 (2017), including the Offset-assisted single "Lick".[6][7]

In 2017, White produced Cardi B's major-label debut single "Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)".[2] The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks, becoming the first song produced by him to achieve this spot.[8] It also won Single of the Year at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards[9] and Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Song at the 2018 American Music Awards.[10] In September of that year, he signed a deal with rights management and publishing company Kobalt Music Group.[5]

In 2018, he produced "I Like It", another single by Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin. The song also topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming his second number one.[11] Billboard staff, Los Angeles Times, and Apple Music's editorial selection ranked it as the best song of the year.[12] It was nominated for Record of the Year at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[13]

White executive produced Iggy Azalea's second studio album In My Defense (2019),[14] including its lead single "Sally Walker". The song peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.[15] He also produced the tracks "Started" and "Freak of the Weak".[16]

J White is managed by Lucas Keller, Nic Warner and Chad Wes at Milk & Honey, and published by Sony Music Publishing for the world.[17][18]

Grammy Awards

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Year Work Category Result Ref.
2018 "Bodak Yellow" (Cardi B) Best Rap Song Nominated
[4]
2019 "I Like It" (Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin) Record of the Year Nominated
2020 "A Lot" (21 Savage feat. J. Cole) Best Rap Song Won
2021 "Savage (Remix)" (Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé) Record of the Year Nominated
Best Rap Song Won

Personal life

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White's mother was murdered on January 28, 2015, due to domestic violence, leading to what he recalls as "one of the lowest years of [his] life."[6][7] He told The Kansas City Star that in 2016, "I was in a bad place. Everything felt like it was falling down on me. [...] My relationship with the mother of my kids was bad, I was broke. [...] The industry wasn't giving me any chances. I was just wanting to give up on everything: producing, life, all of that."[5] He had attempted suicide twice that year.[6]

Artistry

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White claimed that he lets his beats and melodies come to him naturally: "I just let the spirit guide me, I just go with the flow, man. So if I feel like playing piano first or lighting some candles or doing jumping jacks, I do that. There can be no set rule for me making music".[6] He believes hip hop records should come naturally and quickly: "I don't really believe in spending a lot of time [on hip hop records]," he told DJ Booth, adding, "If the energy is there and it hits you, it will hit you automatically. It doesn't take long to create great energy." He admitted that he created the beat for Cardi B's "Bodak Yellow" in 15 minutes only.[2] Similar to Mike Will Made It, White makes it known with his full moniker "J. White Did It" that he's responsible for the beat.[2] "I was like 'Oh, OK. My name is, like, everybody's name.' So I put the 'Did It' on to just be... If I didn't do it, I don't know who did."[1] His producer tagline, "J. White, I need a beat, I can go off on (Ooh)," drops at the beginning of his songs.[19]

Production discography

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Charted songs

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Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US US
R&B/HH 		AUS CAN IRE NZ UK
"Bodak Yellow"
(Cardi B) 		2017 1 1 33 6 51 24 24 Invasion of Privacy
"Money Bag"
(Cardi B) 		2018 58 32 — 84 — — —
"I Like It"
(Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin) 		1 1 14 2 10 7 8
"Money"
(Cardi B) 		13 7 65 30 35 36 35 Non-Album Single
"A Lot"
(21 Savage featuring J. Cole) 		2019 12 5 61 21 25 26 29 I Am > I Was
"Sally Walker"
(Iggy Azalea) 		62 30 — 56 70 — 82 In My Defense
"Started"
(Iggy Azalea) 		120 — — — 73 — 76
"Savage"
(Megan Thee Stallion either solo or remix featuring Beyoncé) 		2020 1 1 4 9 3 2 3 Suga
"What It Is (Block Boy)"
(Doechii) 		2024 29 8 — 31 95 13 69 Non-album single

Production credits

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Adapted from White's official SoundCloud page and Genius.com.[20][21]

Artist(s) Year Album Song(s)
Gena 2011 Non-album song
Ron Artest Go Loco
Six D 2012 Non-album song
  • 00. "2 Seconds"
T'Melle Non-album song
B-Hamp Non-album song
  • 00. "Go to Work"
Assata Jones 2013 Non-album song
  • 00. "Dance on Me (Dirty)" (featuring Tink)
T'Melle The Interview
  • 09. "Baby"
Stevie Stone 2 Birds 1 Stone
  • 03. "Get Out My Face" (featuring Krizz Kaliko)
  • 11. "Boomerang" (featuring Krizz Kaliko)
  • 13. "She Go"
  • 14. "Let It Beat"
Krizz Kaliko Son of Sam
  • 06. "Girls Like That" (featuring Bizzy)
  • 12. "Night Time"
Lyrica Anderson 2014 King Me 2
Eric Bellinger Choose Up Season
Troy Nōka Gotta Rep the Town
  • 03. "Let It All Workout"
  • 05. "Slow It Down"
Bobby V 2015 Non-album song
  • 00. "Bad Habit" (with Pleasure P and Ray J)
Stevie Stone Malta Bend
  • 11. "Get Fucked Up"
  • 13. "Wait on It" (featuring Ces Cru)
Plies Ain't No Mixtape Bih
  • 12. "Fuck Me"
Fat Pimp Non-album song
  • 00. "Uh Oh" (featuring J. White Did It)
Tre Ward TooManyNights
  • 05. "Anymore"
Lyrica Anderson Hello
  • 01. "Hello"
Eric Bellinger Cuffing Season, Pt. 2
Krizz Kaliko 2016 GO
  • 17. "You See It (Buss It)"
Cardi B Underestimated: The Album
  • 06. "What a Girl Likes"
Cardi B 2017 Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 2
  • 01. "Bronx Season"
  • 02. "Lick" (featuring Offset)
  • 05. "Leave That Bitch Alone"
Troy Nōka Gotta Rep the Town 2
  • 02. "Be Dat"
  • 04. "Flow Crime"
  • 08. "Do It Like Me"
  • 14. "Bars for Dee"
LeToya Luckett Back 2 Life
  • 04. "Used To"
Notty Taylor Non-album song
  • 00. "Died Last Year"
HoodCelebrityy Trap vs. Reggae
  • 05. "Sit Down"
Cardi B 2018 Invasion of Privacy
Tinashe Joyride
  • 05. "Ooh La La"
Stefflon Don Secure
  • 10. "Crunch Time"
Messiah El Artista Non-album song
  • 00. "Never Let You Go"
Cardi B Non-album song
21 Savage I Am > I Was
Gucci Mane 2019 Delusions of Grandeur
Iggy Azalea In My Defense
Gucci Mane Woptober II
Iggy Azalea Wicked Lips
  • 01. "Lola" (with Alice Chater)
  • 02. "Not Important"
  • 04. "Personal Problem"
Gucci Mane East Atlanta Santa 3
  • 01. "Jingle Bales Intro"
  • 02. "Mr. Wop"
  • 03. "M's On Ice"
  • 04. "Drummer" (featuring Kranium)
  • 07. "Dirty Dancer"
  • 08. "Snow"
  • 15. "12 Days of Christmas"
Megan Thee Stallion 2020 Suga
Flo Milli Ho, Why Is You Here?
  • "Like That B***h"[22]
  • "Weak"
Mulatto Queen of da Souf
Iggy Azalea 2021 The End of an Era
  • 06. Iam The Stripclub
Drake & 21 Savage 2022 Her Loss
Doechii 2024 Non Album Song What it is (Bloc Boy) Feat Kodak Black

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Burkes, Dawn M. (November 17, 2017). "How Mesquite producer J. White helped Cardi B's 'Bodak Yellow' top the charts". Guide Live. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Malone, Chris (September 27, 2017). "8 Things to Know About 'Bodak Yellow' Producer J. White". Billboard. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "The Making of 21 Savage and J. Cole's "A Lot": From a Spotify Song Camp to the Grammys". Complex Networks.
  4. ^ a b "J. White Did It". Grammy.com. The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Randle, Aaron (September 26, 2017). "Meet the KC guy who helped rapper Cardi B dethrone Taylor Swift, make music history". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Malone, Chris (November 23, 2018). "White, 'Yellow,' And Green: Cardi B's Longtime Collaborator J. White On Success & Struggle". Forbes. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Robertson, Darryl (January 29, 2018). "Interview: "Bodak Yellow" Producer J. White Opens Up About Suicide Attempts, Celebrates Grammy Nomination". Variety. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  8. ^ Trust, Gary (September 25, 2017). "Cardi B 'Moves' to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 With 'Bodak Yellow,' Post Malone Debuts at No. 2 With 'Rockstar'". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  9. ^ "Cardi B Performs". XXL. October 11, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  10. ^ Lewis, Hilary (September 12, 2018). "American Music Awards: Drake, Cardi B Lead 2018 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  11. ^ Trust, Gary (July 2, 2018). "Cardi B Becomes First Female Rapper With Two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, as 'I Like It', With Bad Bunny & J Balvin, Follows 'Bodak Yellow' to the Top". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  12. ^ Aswad, Jem (December 3, 2018). "Apple Music Unveils Its Top 100 Songs and Albums for 2018". Variety. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  13. ^ "2019 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominations List". The Recording Academy. December 7, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  14. ^ @IGGYAZALEA (February 27, 2019). "he executive produced the entire project!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Iggy Azalea Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  16. ^ Mastrogiannis, Nicole (April 11, 2019). "Iggy Azalea Talks "Sally Walker," Teases Songs on New Album 'In My Defense'". iHeart Radio. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  17. ^ "Hitmaker J White Did It Signs with Milk & Honey Management". September 9, 2020.
  18. ^ "Sony Music Publishing Signs J. White Did It to Global Deal" (Press release).
  19. ^ "Iggy Azalea - Sally Walker Lyrics". Genius. March 15, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  20. ^ "Jwhite DID IT". SoundCloud. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  21. ^ "J. White Did It Lyrics, Songs, and Albums". Genius. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  22. ^ Powell, Jon (July 10, 2020). "Flo Milli delivers new video for "Like That B***h"". Revolt. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
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