# Knobody

Jerome Foster, better known as Knobody, is an American music producer and A&R. Knobody has produced records across different genres including soul, R&B, hip hop and rock for several multi-platinum artists including Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Akon, The Game, Big Pun, Mýa and R.E.M. Knobody worked as an A&R at SRC Records/Universal. Due to the enormous success Akon experienced following the release of his debut album, Knobody was recognized as a World Top 10 A&R. He is not to be confused with Bay Area rapper/producer and Hieroglyphics crew affiliate who also goes by the name Knobody.

## Recognition

Recognized for his hand in launching the careers of world-renowned artists, Knobody has influenced the success of Jay-Z, Akon Big Pun. Knobody's contributions to these artists' careers has had an enormous impact on the world of hip hop and R&B.

### Jay-Z

Knobody produced the classic single "Can't Knock the Hustle" for Jay-Z, the first track on the artist's debut album Reasonable Doubt. "Can't Knock the Hustle" was Jay-Z's first chart single, bringing the rapper into the limelight and jump starting a career that has resulted in millions of album sales worldwide. Since 1996, Jay-Z has released hundreds of records, yet "Can't Knock the Hustle" - praised by many as a "classic" - lives on to be recognized as one of the greatest songs he has ever recorded. As Steve Juon of RapReviews.com describes, "Knobody put together an incredibly smooth opening track for Jay that became the mantra of his career."

### Big Pun

Knobody produced "Still Not a Player", the lead single from Big Pun's first album, Capital Punishment, which debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 charts and became the first album by a solo Latino rap artist to reach the platinum sales mark. "Still Not a Player" is credited with taking Big Pun from underground obscurity into super-stardom. MTV's Andrea Duncan writes, "Big Pun made his name in the hip-hop underground, and then, in 1998, rode the made-for-radio vibe of 'Still Not a Player' to the top of the R&B chart and full-blown rap stardom." As stated in All Music Guide to Hip Hop by Vladimir Bogdanov, "Big Pun's solo debut, 'Capital Punishment', was released in 1998 and debuted in the Top Five thanks to 'Still Not a Player,' a club-ready remix of 'I'm Not a Player' that proved massively popular." Riding the wave of success created by "Still Not a Player", Big Pun's debut album "Capital Punishment" was nominated for Rap Album of the Year at the 1999 GRAMMY Awards. In the May/June 2006 issue of Scratch Magazine, "Still Not a Player" was named one of hip hop's 25 greatest remixes of all time.

### Akon

During his time as an A&R at SRC Records/Universal, Knobody was responsible for breaking Akon as an artist and developing his first album, Trouble. Knobody produced Akon's radio hit, "Locked Up" (Remix) featuring Styles P, a contribution that proved to have an enormous impact on the success of the album and the artist. Johnny Loftus of All Music Guide proclaims, "The success of the song 'Locked Up' raised Akon's profile..." Trouble was certified platinum by the RIAA on April 27, 2005, as Akon became a bona fide R&B star. Due to the enormous success Akon experienced following the release of his debut album, Knobody was recognized as a World Top 10 A&R in 2005.

## Production credits
### Singles

1993: "So Whatcha Want?" (MF Grimm) 1995: "Funky Piano" (E. Bros) New Jersey Drive Soundtrack 1996: "Can't Knock the Hustle" (Jay-Z f/Mary J. Blige) 1997: "How You Want It" (Jungle Brothers f/De La Soul & Q-Tip) 1998: "Still Not a Player" (Big Pun f/Joe) 1998: "Movin' Out" (Mýa f/ Raekwon & Noreaga) 2002: "I've Been High" (R.E.M.) 2004: "Locked Up (Remix)" (Akon f/Styles P) 2004: "Coo Coo Chee" (Ric-A-Che) 2006: "Feels So Good" (Remy Ma f/Ne-Yo) 2006: "Wanna Be" (The Fugees) 2008: "Game's Pain" (The Game f/Keyshia Cole)

### Songs

| Artist | Song Title | Album | Record Label |
| Akon f/Styles P | "Locked Up" (Remix) | Trouble | SRC/Universal |
| Angie Martinez f/Jadakiss, Styles P, Beanie Sigel, Bret & Kool G Rap | "Live from the Streets" | Up Close and Personal | Elektra Records |
| Angie Martinez f/Busta Rhymes | "Gutter 2 The Fancy Ish" | Up Close and Personal | Elektra Records |
| BarberShop 2: Back in Business Soundtrack | "Thing's Come & Go" | BarberShop 2: Back in Business Soundtrack | Interscope |
| Big Pun | "Watch Those" | Yeeeah Baby | Loud Records |
| Black Eye | "Blue Black" | Untitled | H-Bomb Records |
| Big Pun f/Joe | "Still Not a Player" | Capital Punishment | Loud Records |
| Bounty Killer f/Noreaga | "Next Millennium" | Next Millennium | VP Records/TVT Records |
| Call O' Da Wild | "Clouds of Smoke" | Bad Boys Soundtrack | Columbia |
| E. Bros | "Funky Piano" | New Jersey Drive Soundtrack | Tommy Boy Records |
| Flo Rida f/Ludacris & Gucci Mane | "Why You Up In Here" | The Only One | Poe Boy/Atlantic |
| The Fugees | "Wanna Be" | Untitled | Columbia |
| Funkmaster Flex f/Ginuwine | "How Would You Like It" | 60 Minutes of Flex, Vol. 4 | Loud Records |
| The Game f/Keyshia Cole | "Game's Pain" | L.A.X. | Geffen/Interscope |
| Jay-Z f/Mary J. Blige | "Can't Knock the Hustle" | Reasonable Doubt | Roc-A-Fella |
| Joell Ortiz f/Fat Joe | "One Shot" | Free Agent | SRC Records/Universal Motown |
| Jungle Brothers f/De La Soul & Q-Tip | "How You Want It" | Raw Deluxe | Priority |
| Kelis | "Like You" | Kelis Was Here | Jive |
| Kool G Rap f/Havoc | "Thug Chronicals" | The Giancana Story | Rawkus |
| Lil' Kim | "Who's Number One" | The Notorious K.I.M. | Atlantic |
| Mýa | "Fear of Flying" | Fear of Flying | Interscope |
| Mýa f/Raekwon & Noreaga | "Moving Out" | Belly Soundtrack | Def Jam |
| Mýa f/Sean Paul | "Things Come & Go" | Moodring | Interscope |
| Ne-Yo f/Jennifer Hudson | "Leaving Tonight" | Because of You | Def Jam |
| Paula Perry | "Paula's Jam" remix | Paula's Jam | Loose Cannon/Polygram |
| Queen Pen | "The Set Up" | My Melody | Interscope |
| Rah Digga | "The Intro" | Dirty Harriet | Elektra Records |
| R.E.M. | "I've Been High" | r.e.m.IX | Warner Bros. |
| R.E.M. | "The Lifting" | r.e.m.IX | Warner Bros. |
| Remy Ma f/Ne-Yo | "Feels So Good" | There's Something about Remy: Based on a True Story | SRC/Universal |
| Ric-A-Che | "Belve" | Lack of Communication | SRC/Universal |
| Ric-A-Che f/Darija | "Coo Coo Chee" | Lack of Communication | SRC/Universal |
| Ric-A-Che | "Dirty Midwest" | Lack of Communication | SRC/Universal |
| Ric-A-Che | "Hustla Til" | Lack of Communication | SRC/Universal |
| Ric-A-Che | "Lil Bro" | Lack of Communication | SRC/Universal |
| Ric-A-Che | "Ugly" | Lack of Communication | SRC/Universal |
| Ric-A-Che | "War Times" | Lack of Communication | SRC/Universal |
| Ric-A-Che | "Who Want To Do" | Lack of Communication | SRC/Universal |
| Ric-A-Che f/Akon | "So Cold" | Lack of Communication | SRC/Universal |
| Tash f/Carl Thomas | "The Game" | Rap Life | Loud Records |
| Toshinobu Kubota f/Caron Wheeler | "Just The Two Of Us" | Untitled | Columbia |
| X-Ecutioners f/M.O.P. | "Let It Bang" | Built From Scratch | Loud Records |

## Awards

Hit Quarters named Knobody a "World Top 10 A&R" in 2005 as a result of his involvement in Akon's career-launching album Trouble. In 2008, Knobody was awarded a GRAMMY for "Leaving Tonight", his contribution to Ne-Yo's Because of You album, which won the 2007 GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.