Julian Martrel Mason (born March 17, 1992), better known under the pseudonym LilJuMadeDaBeat, is an American record producer and songwriter, most known for his work with 2 Chainz, Beyoncé and Megan Thee Stallion. Mason has co-written and/or produced hits "Big Ole Freak", "Cash Shit", "Captain Hook", "Body", "Megan's Piano", and "Thot Shit" among others.[1][2]
LilJuMadeDaBeat | |
|---|---|
| Born | Julian Martrel Mason March 17, 1992 DeSoto, Texas, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Labels | 1501 Certified |
Early life
editBorn in DeSoto, a smaller suburb of Dallas, Mason's love of music can be traced back to exposure to his parents' record collection. A friend introduced him to a demo version of music production software FL Studio in grade ten, and he began creating productions. [3] He subsequently joined his DeSoto High School band as a percussionist, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class, and attended University of Houston for a period after being accepted into their architecture program. [2][4]
Career
edit2013–2016: Music industry beginnings and Gucci Mane
editIn 2013, three years after graduating high school, and encountering some academic trouble in college, Mason dropped out and remained in Houston. [4] Wanting to realize his dream of making music instead of architecture, Mason's past experimentation with FL Studio was met with success, as Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane utilized one of his productions to create "With My Pistol", later placed on his 2013 mixtape World War 3, Vol. 3: Gas. [2] Discussions began for Gucci Mane to sign Mason as a producer to his label, but legal trouble for the rapper ended these discussions, and Mason continued to work behind the scenes as a freelance music producer for another five years. [2]
2017–2024: Megan Thee Stallion, 1501 Entertainment, and Renaissance
editIn 2017, Mason was contracted by label 1501 Entertainment to become their in-house producer, working with potential signee Megan Pete, then an up-and-coming rapper from Houston. [4] The first song they created together was “Tina Montana", which would become the first track made for her breakout 2018 EP Tina Snow. [5][1] Coupled with breakout single "Big Ole Freak", her career began to take off, and Mason was signed to a publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing. [4] Mason has since written and produced on top-10 Megan Thee Stallion projects Fever (2019) Suga (2020), Good News (2020), Something for Thee Hotties (2021), Traumazine (2022), and Megan (2024), recently reaching number one on the Billboard Rap Producers chart. [2][6] Mason next worked with fellow Houstonian Beyoncé, who would use one of his production loops to complete the first 36 seconds of "Thique", a record from her 2022 album Renaissance that was initially created almost a decade earlier from a skeleton produced by rapper-producer Hit-Boy. [7][8] In 2024, Mason co-composed and co-produced "Hiss" from Megan Thee Stallion's self-titled third studio album, later debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200 charts, and top five on various international charts.[9]
Production and songwriting credits
editCredits are courtesy of Discogs, Tidal, Apple Music, Genius, and AllMusic.
| Title | Year | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "With My Pistol" | 2013 | Gucci Mane | World War 3, Vol. 3: Gas |
| "OK Bitch" | 2018 | 2 Chainz | The Play Don't Care Who Makes It |
| "Walking Ticket" | Key Glock | Glockoma | |
| "Freak Nasty" | Megan Thee Stallion | Tina Snow | |
| "Neva" | |||
| "Big Ole Freak" | |||
| "Tina Montana" | |||
| "Make a Bag" (featuring Moneybagg Yo) | |||
| "Realer" | 2019 | Fever | |
| "Cash Shit" (featuring DaBaby) | |||
| "Shake That" | |||
| "Ratchet" | |||
| "Big Drank" | |||
| "Running Up Freestyle" | |||
| "Stank Walk" | Asian Doll | Fight Night | |
| "Captain Hook" | 2020 | Megan Thee Stallion | Suga (EP) |
| "Do It on the Tip" (featuring City Girls) | Good News | ||
| "Body" | |||
| "Lambo Wrist" | 2 Chainz | So Help Me God! | |
| "Megan Monday Freestyle" | 2021 | Megan Thee Stallion | Something for Thee Hotties |
| "Southside Forever Freestyle" | |||
| "Outta Town Freestyle" | |||
| "Megan's Piano" | |||
| "Tina Snow Interlude" | |||
| "Thot Shit" | |||
| "Flip Flop" | 2022 | Traumazine | |
| "Get It on the Floor" (featuring J. Alphonse Nicholson) | P-Valley: Season 2 (Music From the Original TV Series) | ||
| "Thique" | Beyoncé | Renaissance | |
| "Million Dollars Worth of Game" (featuring 42 Dugg) | 2 Chainz | Dope Don't Sell Itself | |
| "Shiest Talk" (featuring Pooh Shiesty) | Lil Baby | It's Only Me | |
| "Pop That Trunk" | Juicy J & Wiz Khalifa | Stoner's Night | |
| "The Recipe" | Babyface & Muni Long | Girls' Night Out | |
| "Same Side" (featuring Rob49) | 2023 | Lil Durk | Almost Healed |
| "You" (featuring Bryson Tiller) | Lola Brooke | Dennis Daughter | |
| "Hiss" | 2024 | Megan Thee Stallion | Megan |
| "Boa" | |||
| "Rattle" | |||
| "Figueroa" | |||
| "Where Them Girls At" | |||
| "B.A.S" | |||
| "It's Prime Day (Amazon Music)" | |||
| "Neva Play" (featuring RM) | Megan: Act II | ||
| "Number One Rule" | |||
| "Roc Steady" (featuring Flo Milli) |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Work | Award | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Big Ole Freak" | BET Hip-Hop Award for Single of the Year | Nominated | [10] |
| 2023 | Renaissance | Grammy Award for Album of the Year | Nominated | [11] |
| Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album A | Won |
Notes
edit- A. A Winning producers in this category with less than a 50% album contribution are awarded with a Winner's Certificate.
References
edit- ^ a b Gonzalez, Alex. "Dallas Producer LilJuMadeDaBeat Is the Beatmaker Behind Your Favorite Songs". Dallas Observer. Archived from the original on 2023-08-14.
- ^ a b c d e "The Beat Goes On: A Conversation with Megan Thee Stallion Producer LilJuMadeDaBeat". BMI.com. April 13, 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-08-14.
- ^ Mitchell, Tracy (June 15, 2019). "RESPECT. Interview: Meet Liljumadedabeat, the Producer Behind Megan Thee Stallion's "Big Ole Freak"". Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "'And if the beat live...': Meet the DeSoto native who produced your favorite Megan Thee Stallion songs". wfaa.com. June 8, 2022. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ "The Rise And Rise Of Megan Thee Stallion: Juicy J, Scott Storch, LilJuMadeDaBeat & More On The Houston Rapper's Emergence". www.grammy.com. Archived from the original on 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ^ Zellner, Xander (December 3, 2020). "Lil Ju Hits No. 1 on Rap & R&B/Hip-Hop Producers Charts, Thanks to Megan Thee Stallion Hits". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Damian (August 17, 2022). "Hit-Boy says Beyoncé's 'Thique' was originally made in 2014". NME. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ Hiatt, Brian (August 12, 2022). "Exclusive: Hit-Boy Produced Beyoncé's New Song 'Thique'… Eight Years Ago". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ "Megan Thee Stallion Shares New Single "Hiss": Listen". January 26, 2024.
- ^ France, Lisa Respers (October 9, 2019). "BET Hip Hop Awards 2019: The winners list". CNN. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". www.grammy.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-07. Retrieved 2022-11-28.