Music / Visual art
Waajeed
born 1975 · producer, DJ, visual artist
Conant Gardens-raised producer and Slum Village insider who moved from J Dilla-era hip-hop to Detroit house with his Dirt Tech Reck label.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Birth name
- Robert O'Bryant IV
- Also known as
- Jeedo · Platinum Pied Pipers
- Detroit years
- 1975–present
- Field
- Music, Visual art
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Robert O'Bryant IV grew up in Conant Gardens, the northeast Detroit neighborhood that was also home to J Dilla, Baatin and T3. He studied art and DJed around the city, photographed the local hip-hop scene and became a close friend of Slum Village: he DJed for the group, chose its name, persuaded them to release their first album Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1), designed its cover and introduced them to Elzhi. He was also executive producer of Dwele's early project Rize, which led to Dwele's deal with Virgin. From 2000 he produced tracks for Slum Village's Trinity, then formed the duo Platinum Pied Pipers and in 2002 the Bling47 label, which released music by J Dilla. Around 2010 he turned toward darker, club-oriented music, co-founding Tiny Hearts and in 2012 his label Dirt Tech Reck, which links Detroit hip-hop with house and techno. Since 2013 he has also used the name Jeedo, and he appears regularly at Detroit's Movement festival.
Highlights
- Named Slum Village and designed the cover of Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1).
- Half of the duo Platinum Pied Pipers.
- Founded Bling47 (2002) and Dirt Tech Reck (2012).
- Executive producer of Dwele's early project Rize.
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Lived here · 1970s–1990s
Conant Gardens
His childhood neighborhood, shared with the founders of Slum Village.