DJ Slip
Real Name: Terry Allen
D.O.B.:
DJ Slip is a prominent west coast hip-hop producer, an old school DJ from the days of way back in Los Angeles. He was raised in the disco, electro-funk era building learning blocks off the roots of west coast rap music and working for super-producer and DJ, The Unknown DJ. Slip played a huge role in producing records for one of west coast’s finest underground rap group, Compton’s Most Wanted.
Slip grew up in Los Angeles during the period of disco music and electro-funk, working with his father, Richard Allen a sound equipment business in the early 1980s. They provided equipment at various Los Angeles parties, dances and clubs. They operated at shows for popular groups Uncle Jamm’s Army, LA Dream Team, The Egyptian King and the huge-hit World Class Wreckin’ Cru. Here Slip learnt the trade from an early age to a point where the engineering of music production was second nature. During his impressionable teenage years, Slip was more interested in producing music and Djing than his astronomy classes. He eventually took up producing electro-funk beats or early rap beats and was employed to work with Unknown DJ signed with his Techno Hop label in 1987 and within a year he and Unknown released a compilation album called ‘X-Men’. Slip had picked up a mixtape recording of local Compton rapper MC Eiht and DJ Chill. He met up with them and began producing a demo tape for them. He kept them in mind when he was commissioned to assist Unknown with the production on a compilation record for Lonzo Williams from the World Class Wreckin’ Cru, ‘Compton Compilation’ showcasing LA’s finest new artists emerging onto the scene. Here Slip produced work for his new artists MC Eiht and Chill on the track ‘Rhymes Too Funky’. This ignited the formation of west coast recording group, Compton’s Most Wanted with MC Eiht, Chill and DJ Slip. The demo tape took the attention of Capitol Records and the trio was signed to a recording deal in 1989.
The first single produced by DJ Slip for the group was ‘One Time Gaffled ‘Em Up’ that introduced their debut album ‘It’s a Compton Thang’ released in 1990. Success was marginal due to a strictly underground market with virtually no mainstream promotion. Slip displayed innovative west coast bred electro-influenced rap beats to frame the talents of Compton. He and Unknown handled most of the production for their first several albums before signing with major label, Epic Records in 1991. Here they received more promotion, they traveled the nation, performing in New York and meeting other artists. Compton’s Most Wanted released their follow-up album, ‘Streiht Checkn’em’ DJ Slip had bought new equipment and experimented with new production techniques and showcased his efforts on this album. The album released several underground hits and CMW sold over 200,000 copies. DJ Slip had left the group to concentrate on producing other artists’ projects. Compton’s Most Wanted brought onboard DJ Mike T and released their third album. Later that year Eiht would spread his career open by releasing solo albums without the remaining CMW members. MC Eiht and Slip hooked back up and produced chemistry in the studio working out Eiht’s first solo album. By 1994 Eiht and Slip had released ‘We Come Strapped’. By this stage Eiht and Slip had opened their own recording label, Eihthype Records. The album reached the top of the Billboard R&B album chart and the Top Five pop album chart. ‘We Come Strapped’ released South LA’s newest ghetto anthem, the single ‘Streiht Up Menace’ produced by DJ Slip and the album sold an impressive 800,000 copies. He and Eiht continued their collaboration dropping two more albums, before Slip and Eiht would part again to pursue their careers in different circles. By 1999 Slip was a full-time producer/DJ and landed a role with independent Los Angeles hip-hop label IV Life Records where he is in the progress of releasing his own solo album reuniting with MC Eiht and other west coast artists.
Production Credits:
* 1990 Compton's Most Wanted - It's a Compton Thang (Orpheus/Epic)
* 1991 Compton's Most Wanted - Straight Check N` Em (Orpheus/Epic)
* 1992 Compton's Most Wanted - Music To Driveby (Orpheus/Epic)
* 1992 Menace II Society (soundtrack) (Jive)
* 1992 Spice 1 - Spice 1 (Jive)
* 1993 Spice 1 - 187 He Wrote (Jive)
* 1994 Spice 1 - AmeriKKKa's Nightmare (Jive)
* 1994 DFC - Things in the Hood
* 1994 Compton's Most Wanted - We Come Strapped (Epic Street/Sony)
* 1996 A Thin Line Between Love & Hate (soundtrack)
* 1996 MC Eiht - Death Threatz (Epic Street/Sony)
* 1997 MC Eiht - Last Man Standing (Epic Street/Sony)
* 1999 MC Eiht - Section 8 (Hoo Bangin'/Priority)
* 2000 MC Eiht - N My Neighbourhood (Hoo Bangin'/Priority)
* 2000 MC Eiht - Represent (Halfounce/Groundlevel)
* 2001 MC Eiht - When We Wuz Bangin 1989-1999 The Hitz (Right Stuff/Capitol)
* 2006 MC Eiht - Music To Gang Bang (B-Dub/Universal)
(plus more various albums/soundtracks)
