Rashad “Ringo” Smith (Jamaica)
The lines between hip-hop and R&B have been blurred in recent years, but in the mid 1990s, the two genres were just starting to co-mingle. As one of the original beatmakers for Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records, Rashad “Ringo” Smith (then part of the production duo Tumblin’ Dice with Avon Marshall) was building that fusion with productions and remixes for the likes of Mary J. Blige and the Notorious B.I.G.
Smith got his start in production as a teenager, making tracks for his high school friends, Main Source, and soon found himself “ghost producing” for Eric B & Rakim: his hands are all over their classic “Don’t Sweat the Technique.” Along the way, he also produced pivotal tracks for Nas (“If I Ruled the World”), Busta Rhymes (“Woo Haa!”) and LL Cool J (“Doin It”), to name a few. He would also give fellow Queens native 50 Cent an early boost with productions like “Thug Love” on his pre-Interscope debut Power of the Dollar, and he has maintained a close and fruitful working relationship with Erykah Badu since the early 2000s, as part of the singer’s Freakquency production crew (which also includes another soulful Jamaican—The Roots’ James Poyser). And wait ‘til you hear what Mr. Smith has in store next: among other things, he’s currently working with Herbie Hancock on the soundtrack for Don Cheadle’s upcoming Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFjYNJiOXtA