Nicholas Craven
{{unreliable sources|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image = Craven performing at S.O.B.’s, New York City, 2023.jpg
| caption = Craven performing at S.O.B.’s, New York City, 2023
| birth_name = Nicholas Craven
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
| origin = Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| genre = {{hlist|Hip-hop}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Record producer|}}
| years_active = {{hlist|2014-present}}
| label = Nicholas Craven Productions
}}
Nicholas Craven is a Canadian record producer from Montreal, Quebec. He has worked with artists such as Roc Marciano, Billy Woods, Your Old Droog, and Navy Blue.{{Cite web |title=Nicholas Craven on the Melodic Emotion That Defines His Beats |url=https://floodmagazine.com/184216/nicholas-craven-in-convo/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=FLOOD |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2020-03-24 |title=The Unlikely Rise of Montreal Hip-Hop Producer Nicholas Craven |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/nicholas-craven-interview |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Bandcamp Daily}} He is also known for his work with Griselda artists such as Boldy James, Benny The Butcher, as well as their former associates, Conway The Machine, and Mach-Hommy.{{Cite web |title=Nicholas Craven |url=https://genius.com/artists/Nicholas-craven |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Genius |language=en}}
Early life
Craven was born and raised in Gatineau, a Western Quebec city near Ottawa, Ontario, which provided exposure to hip-hop at a young age. At first, Craven was "making punk rock music and listening mainly to Jimi Hendrix." When he was 13, he learned how to produce and sample from his friend's older brother.{{Cite web |last=Raw |first=Son |date=2024-10-17 |title=Nicholas Craven Is Reshaping Rap From the Depths of Montreal |url=https://ultrabuffet.com/nicholas-craven-interview/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Ultrabuffet |language=en-US}} During his adolescence, Craven would attend local shows, collect vinyl records, and learn more about rappers such as MF DOOM and Raekwon, sparking his love in hip-hop and producing.{{Cite web |title=Nicholas Craven |url=https://www.vinylmeplease.com/blogs/artists/nicholas-craven-vinyl |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Vinyl Me, Please |language=en}}
Musical style
With the inspiration of raw lyricism and soulful beats from artists such as J Dilla and A Tribe Called Quest, Craven adopted a melodious production style that rarely relied on drums. His musical style, which includes sample chops, is regarded as "fealty to the gritty sound of New York Hip-Hop."
Discography
= Studio albums =
- Craven N (2017)
- Craven N 2 (2019)
- Craven N 3 (2022)
= Collaborative projects =
- Trout & Brussels Sprouts (with Jimmie D) (2016)
- Light Work (with Jimmie D) (2017)
- Good Man (with Jimmie D) (2017)
- Dump Olympics Vol. 1 (with Tha God Fahim) (2018)
- Rockhead Paradise (with Jimmie D) (2018)
- Valenti & Rizzuto (with Eto) (2018)
- Habitants (with Vincent Pryce) (2018)
- Tha Myth Who Never Quit (with Tha God Fahim) (2019)
- Director's Cut (with Ransom) (2020)
- Director's Cut Scene 2 (with Ransom) (2020)
- Director's Cut Scene 3 (with Ransom) (2020)
- Deleted Scenes (with Ransom) (2020)
- Crime Scenes (with Ransom) (2020)
- Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King (with Tha God Fahim) (2021)
- Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King, Vol. 2 (with Tha God Fahim) (2021)
- Boulangerie (with Raz Fresco) (2022)
- Dump Gawd: Shot Clock King, Vol. 3 (with Tha God Fahim) (2022)
- Dump Gawd: Triz Nate (with Mach-Hommy) (2022)
- Latin Quarter, pt. 1 (with Akhenaton) (2022)
- Latin Quarter, pt. 2 (with Akhenaton) (2022)
- Hoop Dreams 2 (with J. Arrr) (2022)
- Fair Exchange No Robbery (with Boldy James) (2022)
- Shot Clock King 4 (with Tha God Fahim) (2022)
- Shadow Moses (with Mike Shabb) (2023)
- YOD Wave (with Your Old Droog) (2023)
- Gia... À La Carte (with Raz Fresco & Estee Nack) (2023)
- Director's Cut 4 (with Ransom) (2023)
- Deleted Scenes 2 (with Ransom) (2023)
- Penalty of Leadership (with Boldy James) (2024)
- Tha Myth Who Never Quit 2 (with Tha God Fahim) (2024)
- Tha Myth Who Never Quit 3 (with Tha God Fahim) (2024)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap (with Tha God Fahim) (2024)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 2 (with Tha God Fahim) (2024)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 3 (with Tha God Fahim) (2024)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 4 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 5 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 6 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 7 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 8 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 9 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 10 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 11 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Good Music Hypnotizes (with Jimmie D) (2025)
- Ultimate Dump Gawd (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 12 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
- Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap 13 (with Tha God Fahim) (2025)
=== Instrumental Projects ===
- Jeudi & Françoise (2014)
- Art Dealing (2015)
- Lendemain & Françoise (2016)
- Monitors (2016)
- Sinaloa Stamps (2016)
- Kagemusha (2017)
- Aurevoir, Françoise (2017)
- Vendome (2017)
- Death Soul (2017)
- Necklace Craving (2017)
- Sleep Sessions Vol. 1 (5-14-2017, 2AM-7AM) (2017)
- Niko Bellic (2017)
- Art Dealing Pt. II (2017)
- Beatlemania (2018)
- The Land (2018)
- Chronicle of the Years of Fire (2018)
- Art Dealing Pt. III (2018)
- Manon (with KATA Fashion Company) (2018)
- Niko Bellic 2 (2018)
- Artisanal Hip-Hop (2019)
- La Valse (2019)
- The Early Years: 2007 - 2009 (2019)
- Diddy Bop (2019)
- Death Soul 2 (2020)
= Remixes =
- Invented The Remix (2016)
- Conway Remixes 1 & 2 (2018)