Gary G-Wiz
Encyclopedia
Gary Rinaldo better known by the name Gary G-Wiz, is an American
record producer
and composer
. Most known for being a member of the hip hop production team The Bomb Squad
, G-Wiz is a longtime Public Enemy producer and contributed to many albums including: Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black, Greatest Misses
, Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age
, Autobiography of Mistachuck
, There's A Poison Goin On, Revolverlution
, and the 2007 release, How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?
, that features the singles "Harder Than You Think
" and "Amerikan Gangster
".
producers, began as a DJ spinning at basement parties and small clubs in Long Island
, Queens
and NYC in the mid 1980s.
He made the transition to record producer
in the early 1990s, when he handed fellow Long Islander Chuck D
a tape full of beats. The hip hop production team, The Bomb Squad
, had silently gone their separate ways after Fear of a Black Planet
(1990) and no new Public Enemy album was imminent. After hearing G-Wiz’s music, Chuck D immediately planned to do an EP with G-Wiz being the sole producer. The two had such chemistry, the original 8 cuts soon turned into 12 and Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black was born. Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Black, as of 2007, is Public Enemy's greatest selling album to date, selling close to 2 million copies and spawning the hits "Can't Truss It" and "Shut Em Down."
G-Wiz went on to produce the artists: Janet Jackson
, Aerosmith
, U2
, Busta Rhymes
, Rakim
, Run-D.M.C.
, Method Man
, Redman, Ludacris
, Twista
, KRS-One
, Bell Biv Devoe
, Peter Gabriel
, Lisa Stansfield
, Aaron Hall, Big Daddy Kane
, Anthrax
and Sinéad O'Connor
. In 1992, G-Wiz was introduced to the world of film when he composed the score for the Paramount Pictures film, Juice
starring Tupac Shakur
, as well as producing on the film’s certified platinum soundtrack. Since then, G-Wiz has contributed songs and score to Spike Lee's
He Got Game
, Bulworth
with Warren Beatty
, Paramount Pictures Mad City, Fox Television's King of the Hill
, and a collaboration with Chuck D
to create the main title theme to Fox's Dark Angel
starring Jessica Alba
Run-D.M.C.
Chuck D
(solo)
Aaron Hall
Film and television
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Most known for being a member of the hip hop production team The Bomb Squad
The Bomb Squad
The Bomb Squad is an American hip hop production team, known for their work with the rap group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad are noted for their dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track...
, G-Wiz is a longtime Public Enemy producer and contributed to many albums including: Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black, Greatest Misses
Greatest Misses
Greatest Misses is Public Enemy's first compilation album released in 1992. It features new tracks and re-mixes of previously released songs .-Track listing:#"Tie Goes to the Runner"#"Hit Da Road Jack"#"Gett Off My Back"...
, Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age
Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age
Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released August 23, 1994 on Def Jam Recordings in the United States. The album debuted at number 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 56,000 copies in its first week...
, Autobiography of Mistachuck
Autobiography Of Mistachuck
Autobiography of Mistachuck is the debut solo album by Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, released October 22, 1996. It peaked at #190 on the Billboard 200.- Track listing :# "Mistachuck" – 4:23# "No" – 4:32...
, There's A Poison Goin On, Revolverlution
Revolverlution
Revolverlution is the eighth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released July 23, 2002 on Koch Records in the United States. The album debuted at number 110 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart...
, and the 2007 release, How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?
How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?
How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul??? is the tenth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released August 7, 2007 on Slam Jamz Recordings in the United States. Its release coincided with the 20th anniversary of their career...
, that features the singles "Harder Than You Think
Harder Than You Think
"Harder Than You Think", was the first single from Public Enemy's 2007 20th anniversary album How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?.The song was featured in Eric Koston's segment in the 2007 skateboarding video "Fully Flared"...
" and "Amerikan Gangster
Amerikan Gangster
"Amerikan Gangster" is slated to be the second single from Public Enemy's highly anticipated 20th anniversary effort "How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?"....
".
Biography
G-Wiz, like many East Coast hip hopEast Coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City, USA during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the East Coast...
producers, began as a DJ spinning at basement parties and small clubs in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and NYC in the mid 1980s.
He made the transition to record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
in the early 1990s, when he handed fellow Long Islander Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
a tape full of beats. The hip hop production team, The Bomb Squad
The Bomb Squad
The Bomb Squad is an American hip hop production team, known for their work with the rap group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad are noted for their dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track...
, had silently gone their separate ways after Fear of a Black Planet
Fear of a Black Planet
Fear of a Black Planet is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released April 10, 1990, on Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records. Production for the album was handled by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expanded on the dense, sample-layered sound of the...
(1990) and no new Public Enemy album was imminent. After hearing G-Wiz’s music, Chuck D immediately planned to do an EP with G-Wiz being the sole producer. The two had such chemistry, the original 8 cuts soon turned into 12 and Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black was born. Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Black, as of 2007, is Public Enemy's greatest selling album to date, selling close to 2 million copies and spawning the hits "Can't Truss It" and "Shut Em Down."
G-Wiz went on to produce the artists: Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, Rakim
Rakim
William Michael Griffin Jr. , known by his stage names Rakim , Rakim Allah, R.A.K.I.M., and The Master, is an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and most skilled emcees of all time. Eric B...
, Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...
, Method Man
Method Man
Clifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
, Redman, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, Twista
Twista
Carl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...
, KRS-One
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
, Bell Biv Devoe
Bell Biv DeVoe
Bell Biv DeVoe is an American R&B musical group which branched off from New Edition. It consists of three of New Edition's previous members, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe...
, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield is an English singer and songwriter.-Early years:Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982...
, Aaron Hall, Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
and Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
. In 1992, G-Wiz was introduced to the world of film when he composed the score for the Paramount Pictures film, Juice
Juice (film)
Juice is a 1992 American crime drama film that stars rapper Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps. Additional cast members include Jermaine "Huggy" Hopkins, Khalil Kain, Samuel L. Jackson, and features cameo appearances by Queen Latifah, EPMD, Special Ed, Ed Lover, Doctor Dré, Flex Alexander, Fab Five...
starring Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
, as well as producing on the film’s certified platinum soundtrack. Since then, G-Wiz has contributed songs and score to Spike Lee's
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
He Got Game
He Got Game
He Got Game is a 1998 American sports-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, a prison inmate convicted for killing his wife...
, Bulworth
Bulworth
Bulworth is a 1998 American film co-written, co-produced and directed by the film's star, Warren Beatty. It was loosely based on the life of Beatty's friend, Tennessee political figure John Jay Hooker. It co-stars Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden, and Isaiah...
with Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
, Paramount Pictures Mad City, Fox Television's King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, and a collaboration with Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
to create the main title theme to Fox's Dark Angel
Dark Angel (TV series)
Dark Angel is an American biopunk/cyberpunk science fiction television series created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee. The show premiered in the United States on the Fox network on October 3, 2000, and was canceled after two seasons...
starring Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
Discography
Public Enemy- Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black (1991)
- Greatest MissesGreatest MissesGreatest Misses is Public Enemy's first compilation album released in 1992. It features new tracks and re-mixes of previously released songs .-Track listing:#"Tie Goes to the Runner"#"Hit Da Road Jack"#"Gett Off My Back"...
(1992) - Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess AgeMuse Sick-n-Hour Mess AgeMuse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released August 23, 1994 on Def Jam Recordings in the United States. The album debuted at number 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 56,000 copies in its first week...
(1994) - He Got Game (soundtrack)He Got Game (soundtrack)He Got Game is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released April 21, 1998 on Def Jam Recordings in the United States. It also serves as the soundtrack companion album to Spike Lee's 1998 film of the same name and is the group's last album for the Def Jam label. The album...
(1998) - There's A Poison Goin On (1999)
- RevolverlutionRevolverlutionRevolverlution is the eighth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released July 23, 2002 on Koch Records in the United States. The album debuted at number 110 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart...
(2002) - How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul??? is the tenth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released August 7, 2007 on Slam Jamz Recordings in the United States. Its release coincided with the 20th anniversary of their career...
(2007)
Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C.
Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...
- Down With the KingDown with the KingDown with the King can refer to* Down with the King , a 1993 music album by Run-D.M.C.** "Down with the King" , the title track from the album* Down with the King , 1981 fantasy political card game by Avalon Hill...
(1993)
Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
(solo)
- Autobiography of MistachuckAutobiography Of MistachuckAutobiography of Mistachuck is the debut solo album by Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, released October 22, 1996. It peaked at #190 on the Billboard 200.- Track listing :# "Mistachuck" – 4:23# "No" – 4:32...
(1996)
Aaron Hall
- The TruthThe Truth (Aaron Hall album)The Truth was the debut solo album by Aaron Hall, former lead singer of Guy, a new jack swing group. Hall's first solo single was Don't Be Afraid, from the soundtrack for Juice, and the single went on to be a #1 R&B chart hit....
(1998)
Film and television
- JuiceJuice (film)Juice is a 1992 American crime drama film that stars rapper Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps. Additional cast members include Jermaine "Huggy" Hopkins, Khalil Kain, Samuel L. Jackson, and features cameo appearances by Queen Latifah, EPMD, Special Ed, Ed Lover, Doctor Dré, Flex Alexander, Fab Five...
(1992) - He Got GameHe Got GameHe Got Game is a 1998 American sports-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, a prison inmate convicted for killing his wife...
(1998) - BulworthBulworth (soundtrack)Bulworth is the soundtrack to the film Bulworth. The soundtrack was certified Platinum by the RIAA with over 1,000,000 copies sold.-Track listing:#Dr. Dre & LL Cool J: "Zoom"#*Producer - Dr...
(1998) - Digging to ChinaDigging to ChinaDigging to China is a 1998 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of actor Timothy Hutton and the screen debut of Evan Rachel Wood...
(1998) - Dark AngelDark Angel (TV series)Dark Angel is an American biopunk/cyberpunk science fiction television series created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee. The show premiered in the United States on the Fox network on October 3, 2000, and was canceled after two seasons...
(2001) - Volcano High (2001)
- X GamesX GamesThe X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....
(2003) - ESPY AwardsESPY AwardsAn ESPY Award is an accolade presented by the American cable television network ESPN to recognize individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding a given annual ceremony. The first ESPYs were awarded in 1993...
(2003) - Method & RedMethod & RedMethod & Red, sometimes written Meth and Red, is a television program that first aired on Fox Broadcasting Company on June 16, 2004...
(2004) - The Longest YardThe Longest Yard (2005 film)The Longest Yard is a 2005 American sports comedy film remake of the 1974 film of the same name. Adam Sandler plays the protagonist, Paul Crewe, a disgraced former professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, who is coerced to form a team from the prison inmates to play...
(2005) - American GangsterAmerican GangsterAmerican Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Steve Zaillian. The film is based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning...
(2007) - Pineapple ExpressPineapple Express (film)Pineapple Express is a 2008 American stoner action comedy directed by David Gordon Green, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and starring Rogen and James Franco. Producer Judd Apatow, who previously worked with Rogen and Goldberg on Knocked Up and Superbad, assisted in developing the story,...
(2008) - Lakeview TerraceLakeview TerraceLakeview Terrace is a 2008 American thriller film directed by Neil LaBute, co-produced by Will Smith, written by David Loughery and Howard Korder, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington. Jackson plays a racist LAPD sergeant who terrorizes his new next-door neighbors...
(2008)