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Dem Jointz

{{Short description|American record producer and songwriter (born 1976)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Dem Jointz

| image = Dem Jointz 6.jpg

| caption = Dem Jointz in 2023

| birth_name = Dwayne Allen Abernathy Jr.

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1976|07|17}}

| origin = Compton, California, U.S.

| genre = {{hlist|Hip hop|R&B|pop|K-pop}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Record producer|songwriter|singer}}

| label = {{hlist|Aftermath|U Made Us What We Are}}

| current_member_of = {{hlist|Read the PDF|The ICU}}

| years_active =

| website =

}}

Dwayne Allen Abernathy Jr. (born July 17, 1976), known professionally as Dem Jointz, is an American record producer, songwriter and singer. He has been credited with production work for artists including Kanye West, Rihanna,{{cite news|last1=Vena|first1=Jocelyn|title=Rihanna's Cockiness Is Perfect for Her, Producer Says|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1675037/rihanna-cockiness-love-it/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514034916/http://www.mtv.com/news/1675037/rihanna-cockiness-love-it/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 14, 2016|access-date=August 6, 2015|publisher=MTV.com|date=November 28, 2011}} Anderson .Paak, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, EXO, NCT, Aespa, and Itzy, among others. He served as in-house talent for Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment in 2015, during which he produced four tracks on Dre's third album, Compton (2015).{{cite news|last1=Pollard|first1=Alexandra|title=Dr. Dre Confirms Third + Final Album is Out This Friday|url=http://www.gigwise.com/news/101978/dr-dre-new-album-compton-a-soundtrack-after-scrapping-detox|access-date=August 6, 2015|publisher=GigWise|date=August 3, 2015}} That same year, he produced several tracks on Janet Jackson's Billboard 200-number one album, Unbreakable (2015).

Since 2020, Abernathy has contributed production or backing vocals to West's albums Donda (2021) and Donda 2 (2022), as well as on his 2020 single "Nah Nah Nah".{{cite web | url=https://pop.inquirer.net/120058/despite-being-in-the-industry-for-10-years-grammy-winning-producer-dem-jointz-says-hes-just-getting-started/amp | title=Despite being in the industry for 10 years, Grammy-winning producer dem Jointz says he's just getting started | date=February 22, 2022 }}

His record label, U Made Us What We Are, was founded in 2015 and has signed artists including Maryland-based rapper K.A.A.N., gospel singer Keedron Bryant, and his spouse, singer Stalone. He formed the supergroup Read the PDF with fellow Aftermath producers, Mr. Porter and Focus… in 2022.{{cite web | url=https://eminem.news/read-the-pdf-hype.html | title=Read the PDF on How Project Came to Life and Who Inspired Them | Eminem.Pro - the biggest and most trusted source of Eminem | date=July 7, 2023 }}

He has won a Grammy Award from two nominations. https://www.grammy.com/artists/Dem-Jointz/37868

Early Life

Dem Jointz was Born on July 17, 1976, in Compton, California. He was inclined to music at an early age, playing drums in his local church.{{cite web |title=Dem Jointz Vinyl Records & Discography |url=https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/artists/dem-jointz-vinyl |website=vinylmeplease.com |access-date=27 February 2025}}

== Career ==

Prior to fully committing to music, Dem Jointz worked at a telecommunications company. In 2005, he was unexpectedly fired, which motivated him to pursue music seriously.

In 2015 he was recruited as an in-house producer for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. That same year, he contributed to four tracks on Dre’s d album Compton (2015), which featured an all-star lineup including Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem.

In 2015, he also co-produced several tracks on Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Over the years, he went on to work with Kanye West, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Anderson , Paak, Eminem, and Brandy, among many others. His contributions to Kanye West’s Donda (2021) and Anderson, Paak’s Ventura (2019) earned him multiple Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards.{{cite web |title=Focus…, Dem Jointz & Denaun Porter a/k/a Read The PDF Prep New Raed Al Murish-Directed “The Time” Music Video |url=https://chadkiser.com/2023/08/15/focus-dem-jointz-denaun-porter-a-k-a-read-the-pdf-prep-new-raed-al-murish-directed-the-time-music-video/ |website=chadkiser.com |access-date=27 February 2025}}{{Cite web |date=2020-02-17 |title=Anderson .Paak Drops Instrumental 'Ventura' Album |url=https://hypebeast.com/2020/2/anderson-paak-ventura-instrumentals-album-stream |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Hypebeast}}

Dem Jointz founded his own record label, U Made Us What We Are, in 2015. The label was created to support and develop emerging talent.

Around the same time, Dem Jointz began making waves in the K-pop industry. His first major K-pop placement came with Red Velvet’s "Don’t U Wait No More" from their debut studio album, The Red (2015). The success of the track resulted in collaborations with SM Entertainment, leading to a long-term partnership with the powerhouse label. He produced major hits for EXO, NCT 127, Aespa, BTS, TXT, and IVE. EXO’s "Obsession" was named K-Pop Song of the Year by Billboard, while Aespa’s "Supernova" dominated the charts for 11 weeks at No. 1 and won Song of the Year at the Korean MAMA Awards. {{Cite web |title=DEM JOINTZ |url=https://www.bloomingmusicpub.com/dem-jointz |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Blooming Music Pub |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-02-16 |title=Notes on K-pop interview: Dem Jointz |url=https://notesonkpop.com/notes-on-k-pop-interview-demjointz/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Notes on K-pop |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Herrera |first=Kathleen |date=2022-07-15 |title=[OffStage] Dem Jointz - TheKMeal |url=https://thekmeal.com/offstage-dem-jointz/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |language=en-GB}}

Producer tag

Abernathy's productions can be identified by his "Incoming!" producer tag, which can be heard in the beginning of his productions—namely Kanye West's "Nah Nah Nah".{{Cite web |date=October 16, 2020 |title="Nah Nah Nah" – Kanye West |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTx1wsYL9Io&ab_channel=KanyeWest-Topic |website=YouTube}} He also uses the tag "Now, the breakdown" before the bridge of many songs, including Taeyeon's "Something New" and Lee Chaeyeon's "Hush Rush".{{cn|date=January 2025}}

Personal life

On November 6, 2021, Dem Jointz announced on Instagram that he's engaged to his partner, Stalone, a Grammy-winning vocalist.{{Cite web|title="Stalone said she'd think about it... She said Yes" |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CV7-2LPlima/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/CV7-2LPlima |archive-date=December 24, 2021 |url-access=registration|website=Instagram}}{{cbignore}}

Discography

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Partial list of writer & producer credits

! scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Album

! scope="col" | Artist(s)

rowspan="1"| 2011

! scope="row"| "Cockiness (Love It)"

| rowspan="1"| Talk That Talk

| Rihanna, Candice Pillay, Shondrae "Mr. Bangladesh" Crawford, Fenty

rowspan="11"| 2012

! scope="row"| "Hottest Girl in the World"

| rowspan="4"| Evolution{{cite web|title=Aston Merrygold Collaborates with Dem Jointz for debut album|url=http://hamadamania.com/2014/02/13/aston-merrygold-collaborates-with-dem-jointz-for-debut-album/|website=Hamada Mania Music|access-date=August 6, 2015|archive-date=November 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130233928/https://hamadamania.com/2014/02/13/aston-merrygold-collaborates-with-dem-jointz-for-debut-album/|url-status=dead}}

| JLS

scope="row"| "Dessert"

| JLS

scope="row"| "All The Way"

| JLS

scope="row"| "Gotta Try It"

| JLS

scope="row"| "Put It Down"

| rowspan="3"| Two Eleven{{cite news|last1=Widran|first1=Jonathan|title=Pop/Urban Star Brandy Talks About Her New Album, Two Eleven, on RCA / Chameleon Records|url=http://www.singeruniverse.com/brandy-123.htm|access-date=August 6, 2015|publisher=Singer Universe}}

| Brandy, Chris Brown

scope="row"| "Let Me Go"

| Brandy

scope="row"| "What You Need"

| Brandy

scope="row"| "Lotus Intro"

| rowspan="4"| Lotus{{cite news|last1=Lambert|first1=Molly|title=Lotus and the Glorious Return of Christina Aguilera|url=http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/lotus-and-the-glorious-return-of-christina-aguilera/|access-date=August 6, 2015|publisher=Grantland|date=November 13, 2012}}

| Christina Aguilera, Candice Pillay, Alexander Grant

scope="row"| "Make the World Move"

| Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green

scope="row"| "Circles"

| Christina Aguilera

scope="row"| "Shut Up"

| Christina Aguilera

rowspan="2"| 2013

! scope="row"| "Call Me Crazy"

| rowspan="1"| Call Me Crazy, But...

| Sevyn Streeter, written by Amber Streeter, Taylor Parks

scope="row"| "Feel Like Party'n"

| rowspan="1"| Chase Dreams

| Kalin & Myles

rowspan="3"| 2014

! scope="row"| "Phuq Da World"

| rowspan="1"| Vuck You

| Vina Vuna

scope="row"| "Friends & Lovers"

| rowspan="1"| Friends & Lovers

| Marsha Ambrosius

scope="row"| "Neva Been Scared"

| rowspan="1"| Sing Pray Love, Vol. 1: Sing

| Kelly Price

rowspan="16"| 2015

! scope="row"| "Unbreakable"

| rowspan="5"| Unbreakable

| rowspan="5"| Janet Jackson

scope="row"| "Burnitup!"
scope="row"| "Dammn Baby"
scope="row"| "Shoulda Known Better"
scope="row"| "2 B Loved"
scope="row"| "Don't U Wait No More"

| The Red

| Red Velvet

scope="row" |"Genocide"

| rowspan="4"| Compton{{cite web|title=Dr. Dre's FINAL Album: "Compton – The Soundtrack" Track List Changes|url=http://boom92houston.com/17454/dr-dres-final-album-compton-the-soundtrack-changes-on-track-listing/|website=Boom 92 Houston|access-date=August 6, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304210829/http://boom92houston.com/17454/dr-dres-final-album-compton-the-soundtrack-changes-on-track-listing/|url-status=dead}}

| Dr. Dre & Kendrick Lamar

scope="row"| "Medicine Man"

| Dr. Dre, Eminem, Candice Pillay and Anderson .Paak

scope="row"| "Deep Water"

| Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Justus

scope="row"| "Satisfiction"

| Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Marsha Ambrosius and King Mez

scope="row"| "Yellow Canary"

| rowspan="1"| dumblonde

| Dumblonde

scope="row"| "Party 4 da Low"

| rowspan="1"| The High EP

| Candice Pillay

scope="row"| "Consistent"

| rowspan="1"| Shoulda Been There Pt. 1

| Sevyn Streeter

scope="row"| "Right Here Right Now"

| rowspan="2"| Right Here, Right Now{{cite news|last1=Stutz|first1=Colin|title=Jordin Sparks Dances in The Desert for 'Right Here Right Now'|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6627180/jordin-sparks-right-here-right-now-music-video|access-date=August 6, 2015|publisher=Billboard|date=July 9, 2015}}

| Jordin Sparks, Dwayne Abernathy, and James Fauntleroy

scope="row"| "1000"

| Jordin Sparks, James "J-Doe" Smith

scope="row"| "All In A Days Work"

| rowspan="1"| DK3

| Danity Kane

rowspan="3"| 2016

! scope="row"| "Silicon Valley"

| Malibu

| Anderson .Paak

scope="row"| "Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane"

| Blank Face LP

| ScHoolboy Q

scope="row"| "Cloud 9"

| Ex'Act

| Exo

rowspan="2" | 2017

! scope="row" |"Facts"

| All Things Work Together

| Lecrae

scope="row"| "Cherry Bomb"

|Cherry Bomb

| NCT 127

rowspan="4" | 2018

! scope="row" | "Something New"

| rowspan="1" | Something New

| rowspan="1" | Taeyeon

scope="row"|"Who R U?"

| rowspan="2" |Oxnard

| scope="row" |Anderson .Paak

scope="row" | "Brother's Keeper"

| scope="row" |Anderson .Paak, Pusha T

scope="row" | "Taste"

| rowspan="1" | RBB

| scope="row" | Red Velvet

rowspan="2" | 2019

! scope="row"| "Obsession"

| rowspan="2" |Obsession

| rowspan="2" |Exo

scope="row"| "Ya Ya Ya"
rowspan="7" |2020

! scope="row" | "Nah Nah Nah"

| rowspan="2" {{N/A|Non-album singles}}

| scope="row" | Kanye West, DaBaby, 2 Chainz

scope="row" |"Wash Us in the Blood"

| scope="row" | Kanye West, Travis Scott

scope="row" |"2YA2YAO!"

| scope="row" |Timeless

| scope="row" |Super Junior

scope="row" |"Kick It"

| rowspan="2" |Neo Zone

| rowspan="2" |NCT 127

scope="row" |"Punch"
scope="row" |"Never Love Again"

| scope="row" |Music to Be Murdered By

| scope="row" |Eminem

scope="row" |"Outro: Dream Routine"

| scope="row" |NCT 2020 Resonance

| scope="row" |NCT

rowspan="13" |2021

! scope="row" | "Don't Call Me"

| scope="row" | Don't Call Me

| scope="row" | Shinee

scope="row" | "Right Now"

| scope="row" | Loveholic

|NCT 127

scope="row" | "Life of the Party"

| rowspan="7" | Donda

| Kanye West, André 3000

scope="row" | "Jail"

| Kanye West, Jay-Z

scope="row" | "Believe What I Say"

| Kanye West

scope="row" | "Keep My Spirit Alive"

| Kanye West, Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine

scope="row" | "New Again"

| Kanye West

scope="row" | "Jail pt 2"

| Kanye West, DaBaby, Marilyn Manson

scope="row" | "Keep My Spirit Alive pt 2"

| Kanye West, Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, KayCyy

scope="row" | "Sticker"

| scope="row" | Sticker

|NCT 127

scope="row" | "Universe (Let's Play Ball)"

| scope="row" | Universe

|NCT U

scope="row" | "Fallin Up"

| rowspan="2" | Grand Theft Auto Online: The Contract

|Dr. Dre, Cocoa Sarai, Thurz

scope="row" | "Diamond Mind"

|Dr. Dre, Ty Dolla Sign, Nipsey Hussle

rowspan="18" | 2022

! scope="row" | "Step Back"

| {{N/A|Non-album singles}}

| Got the Beat

scope="row" | "City of Gods"

| rowspan="2" | Donda 2

| Fivio Foreign, Kanye West, Alicia Keys

scope="row" | "Too Easy"

| Kanye West

scope="row" | "Tank"

| Ad Mare

| Nmixx

scope="row" | "Arcade"

| Glitch Mode

| NCT Dream

scope="row" | "Run BTS"

| Proof

| BTS

scope="row" | "What If…"

| Jack in the Box

| J-Hope

scope="row" | "Use This Gospel (Remix)"

| God Did

| DJ Khaled, Kanye West, Eminem

scope="row" | "Eyes On You"

| Eyes On You

| Kangta

scope="row" | "Time Lapse"

| rowspan="2" | 2 Baddies

| rowspan="2" | NCT 127

scope="row" | "Designer"
scope="row" | "In My Bag"

| One Bad Night

| Jamie

scope="row" | "Nvrlnd"

| rowspan="2" {{N/A|Non-album singles}}

| Yng Wmxn, Anisa

scope="row" | "6 Feet"

| EastSide K-Boy, Problem, Dave East

scope="row" | "Hush Rush"

| Hush Rush

| Lee Chaeyeon

scope="row" | "Wanna Fall in Love"

| {{N/A|Non-album singles}}

| Stalone

scope="row" | "Selfish"

| Selfish

| YooA

scope="row" | "Have a Nice Day"

| Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort

| Mount Westmore

rowspan="7" | 2023

! scope="row" | "Stamp on It"

| Stamp on It

| Got the Beat

scope="row" | "Ay-Yo"

| rowspan="2" | Ay-Yo

| rowspan="2" | NCT 127

scope="row" | "Skyscraper"
scope="row" | "Juice"

| Hard

| Shinee

scope="row" | "Regret It"

| Exist

| Exo

scope="row" | "Dirty Dancing (Dem Jointz Remix)"

| The Block Revisited

| New Kids on the Block & Seventeen

scope="row" | "Parade"

|Fact Check

| NCT 127

rowspan="12" | 2024

! scope="row" | "Heya (헤야)"

|Ive Switch

| Ive

scope="row" | "Supernova"

|Armageddon

| aespa

scope="row" | "Essa Hoisa"

|AG! Calling

| Atarashii Gakko!

scope="row" | "Trouble"

| rowspan="3" |The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)

|Eminem

scope="row" | "Road Rage"

|Eminem, Dem Jointz, Sly Pyper

scope="row" | "Guilty Conscience 2"

|Eminem

scope="row" | "Sickuhh"

|Fe3O4: Stick Out

|Nmixx, Kid Milli

scope="row" | "Sexy in the Air"

|Eternal

|Taemin

scope="row" | "Because I Love You"

| {{N/A|Non-album singles}}

|Halle Bailey

scope="row" | "Gold"

|Gold

|Itzy

scope="row" | "Forty One Winks"

|The Star Chapter: Sanctuary

|Tomorrow X Together

scope="row" | "Zip Zip Zip"

|Youth Never DIE

|Dxmon

rowspan="6" | 2025

! scope="row" | "With the IE (Way Up)"

| rowspan="3" | Ruby

|Jennie

scope="row" | "ExtraL"

|Jennie, Doechii

scope="row" | "Filter"

| Jennie

scope="row" | "Golden Recipe"

|Fe3O4: Forward

|Nmixx

scope="row" | "BTG"

|Uncut Gem

|KiiiKiii

scope="row" | "GBAD"

|GBAD

|Jackson Wang

Awards and recognition

= Grammy Awards =

== [[62nd Annual Grammy Awards]] (2020) ==

  • Winner – Best R&B Album – Ventura (Anderson. Paak) – [Dem Jointz contributed to "Reachin’ 2 Much"]

== [[64th Annual Grammy Awards]] (2022) ==

Sources:{{Cite web |title=Dwayne Abernathy Jr. {{!}} Artist {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/Dem-Jointz/37868 |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=grammy.com}}{{Cite web |date=2022-04-04 |title=Dem jointz won a Grammy for best rap song |url=https://forum.allkpop.com/thread/91426-dem-jointz-won-a-grammy-for-best-rap-song/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=allkpop forums |language=en}}

  • Winner – Best Rap Song – "Jail" (Kanye West ft. Jay-Z)
  • Nominee – Album of the Year – Donda (Kanye West)

= Emmy Awards =

  • Awarded to the Aftermath production crew: Dr. Dre, Fredwreck, Dem Jointz, Focus…, Blu2th, and Trevor Lawrence, Jr.{{Cite web |date=2021-12-13 |title=Bud’da, Fredwreck & Dem Jointz Celebrate Emmy Award Wins After Receiving Statuettes » West Coast Styles |url=https://westcoaststyles.com/news/2021/12/budda-fredwreck-dem-jointz-celebrate-emmy-award-wins-after-receiving-statuettes/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |language=en-US}}

= Billboard Honors =

  • 2019: K-Pop Song of the Year – "Obsession" (EXO){{Cite web |last=Benjamin |first=Jeff |date=2024-09-13 |title=Here’s Your First Look at SEVENTEEN’s Vernon in Anderson .Paak’s ‘K-Pops’ Movie |url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/seventeen-vernon-k-pops-movie-photos-1235775252/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}

= Korean Music Awards =

  • 2024: Song of the Year – "Supernova" (AESPA, 11 weeks at #1 on Korean charts){{Cite web |date=2024-12-31 |title=Critics name aespa's 'Supernova' as 'Song of the Year' |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2025/02/398_389500.html |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=The Korea Times |language=en}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dem-jointz-mn0002032363/credits Dem Jointz credits on AllMusic]

{{Grammy Award for Best Rap Song}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jointz, Dem}}

Category:1976 births

Category:Living people

Category:American male musicians

Category:Record producers from California

Category:Songwriters from California

Category:Musicians from Compton, California

Category:American male songwriters