Studio 2.0 Artist Profile:Khalil
“Sample and Studio in my ecosystem is in the center of it.”
Khalil is a Grammy-award winning producer and DJ from Los Angeles, California. He rose to prominence as an in-house producer for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records and in his 20+ year career has worked with hip hop’s biggest names including Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Eminem, Anderson .Paak and countless others.
“When everything lines up in the studio, it’s the greatest ever.”
Growing up in the musical hotbed of Los Angeles, Khalil was hooked from the moment he discovered DJing and production as a teenager. As a 13 year old he met his idol, Dr. Dre, after listening to his mixtapes growing up. “I told him I was going to be a producer like him,” Khalil shares of that first fateful meeting. What might have seemed like a comment from a precocious kid turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Dre ended up signing Khalil years later as a producer for his Aftermath imprint.
Music Style
Hip hop, multigenre, bicoastal
Current Go-To Setup
Korg monologue Analog Synthesizer, Native Instruments KOMPLETE KONTROL M32 Compact Keyboard Controller
Influences
Dr. Dre, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, J Dilla, the East and West Coasts
His work with Aftermath propelled him to new heights within the industry, and he quickly added work with Aftermath’s heavy roster of talent—including 50 Cent, G-Unit, and The Game—to his resume. Khalil’s big break came via his work on Eminem’s Recovery album, for which he won his first of five Grammys—the most recent for his work with 2021 Album of the Year winner Jon Batiste.
“I feel like a whole new universe has opened up.”
Khalil first started using Serato Sample as a plugin with other DAWs, before moving to Serato Studio. After decades in the game and all the accolades a producer could dream of, Khalil is still finding new ways to be inspired by his craft thanks to these new tools.
“My sound blends different genres.”
While his West Coast roots have played a huge role in his artistic development, Khalil’s style is an amalgamation of the rich hip hop history of both Coasts, which is evident in his eclectic production catalog and the variety of artists that he has produced for.
Deckard’s
Dream
Roland
SP-404
Basketball game on
(mandatory)
KORG
minilogue
JDD
Portable Turntable
Maestro
Rhythm ‘N Sound
G-1
