Born and raised in the city of Cleveland, Ohio, drawn into the craft of writing songs at the peak of the 80’s, producer Clay Black of KingMadeMusic combines hip-hop and R&B with hybrid jazz. Cleveland has always been a melting pot of different styles which played a very major role in the music he creates.
“I’m really into classic rap tunes with a bit of current sprinkled on top of it. I love saxophones and pianos!”
The companies most recent release, “Only Right”, by King Shay starring The Merry Mob (Children’s Choir) dropped recently and is a small preview of multiple upcoming projects.
BACKGROUND
ClayBlack owned a teenage life enhanced via talent shows, and cipher participation – sharpening his craft of performing in front of others, effectively making music his first real love. The musically nourished young man became inspired by originators like Run DMC and Whodini.
“The ‘Freaks come out at Night’ video by Whodini is the song that made me pick up the pen and the pad”.
In 2001, in collaboration with independent label NorthStar Records, ClayBlack along with G-Wiz, opened up for Ludacris which gave him high hopes. But after a few years, the plight to becoming the next big rapper didn’t seem like the right path. The young emcee decided to take his mental completely away from making music, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps.
Between hard work and an upgraded, mature outlook on life, he had earned enough money to open up a brand new chapter in the music business – and transitioned to beatmaker/producer. Ready and fully equipped producer ClayBlack used his recording equipment to begin creating a library of music. He then started his very first company, ‘Butcher Boyz Ent.’
Stationed in Japan (2009), Clay sold his first tracks ‘From Buses to Beamers’ & ‘Made Kings’. Under the Butcher Boyz imprint, he also released two independent EPs, ‘The Prophecy Pt 1″ and ‘You Know How It Go Volume 1″ to showcase local artists and at the same time introduce his original compositions/beats to the public.
Due to legal issues that Clay was unable to challenge because of heavy military deployments to Iraq/Afghanistan, the Butcher Boyz trademark was unable to be registered. However, he used the process as a learning experience and is now building his new brand ‘KingMadeMusic’.
Taking his experiences of living internationally, he is focusing on working with various artists whose lyricism fit his sounds perfectly, utilizing versatility, soul, and both current as well as classic vibes.