Music / Business & brands
Mark Bass
· record producer, label owner
Detroit producer who discovered Eminem on local radio in 1992, invited him into the studio and, with brother Jeff, released his first album.
- Also known as
- F.B.T. Productions · Bass Brothers
- Detroit years
- 1970s–present
- Field
- Music, Business & brands
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Mark Bass is the older of the Bass Brothers, the Detroit production team whose work with Eminem helped change hip-hop. In 1990 he and Jeff landed a deal to produce the rap project Tycie & Woody for Elektra, working for the first time as the Funky Bass Brothers, later F.B.T. (Funky Bass Team). They met George Clinton and produced for him and his Westbound label, and material from those sessions appeared on the P-Funk All Stars album Dope Dogs. In 1992 Mark heard a white rapper then calling himself M&M freestyling on a local radio show and offered him free studio time. The brothers' Web Entertainment released Eminem's Infinite (1996), and F.B.T. went on to produce more individual Eminem tracks than Dr. Dre. Web Entertainment also signed rock and hip-hop acts, including the Deaf rapper Sean Forbes. Mark produced George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love (2008), and in 2017 the brothers offered a share of their Eminem royalties through a public crowdfunding sale.
Highlights
- Heard Eminem freestyle on local radio in 1992 and invited him to record.
- Co-owner of Web Entertainment, which released Infinite (1996).
- Produced George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love (2008).
- Shares Grammy Awards with Eminem for F.B.T. productions.