THE DIFFERENCE: DOMINGO
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK | DOMINGO
INTERVIEW REALIFE
“My foundation in Hip Hop can never be taken away, it can only be studied and appreciated in the future.” - DOMINGO
“Legend” is a word commonly used to describe individuals who outshine their peers in their particular field, be it sports, music, the movie industry, etc. But if we’re talking music, more specifically hip hop, what makes a producer a legend? Let’s say a producer learned the ropes under the tutelage of hip hop veteran Marly Marl and played a part in the production of the Latin phenom Big Pun’s multi-platinum album. How about producing Bronx emcee KRS-Ones diss track to St. Louis rapper Nelly. If that’s not enough, he’s diverse enough to crossover from the groundbreaking boom bap era of hip hop into today’s music scene with multi-platinum selling, Canadian rapper Drake. Brooklyn, New York producer Domingo is a legend in his own right. Validated recently reached out to Domingo to discuss producing professionally at age 17, earning gold and platinum plaques, his entrepreneurial ventures and more.
VALIDATED: Being from Brooklyn, New York, what’s your earliest memory of hip-hop culture?
DOMINGO: I was put on to Hip Hop from my uncle, he used to Dj in the basement of my house on Shepherd Ave. Fatback Band’s “King Tim The 3rd” was the first Hip Hop record I remember hearing, then it was Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper's Delight”. My uncle used to play those songs religiously and also “Love Is The Message” by MFSB.
VALIDATED: For those who aren’t familiar, what’s your association with legendary Queens emcee Kool G Rap?
DOMINGO: G Rap is like family. We’ve known each other well over 20 years.
VALIDATED: You began producing professionally at age 17 under the tutelage of legendary hip-hop producer Marley Marl, how did the opportunity come about?
DOMINGO: I went up to WBLS radio station in NYC when Marley announced he was looking for artists to be on his “In Control Vol. 2” album and he signed me for the album because of a song I was rapping on. From there I established a friendship with Marley and he recognized my talent in producing and signed me to House Of Hits as well as one of the in-house producers.
VALIDATED: In 1997 you achieved your first gold record with the release of KRS-One’s critically acclaimed album “I Got Next”, what was your initial reaction to the achievement?
DOMINGO: When the A&R at Jive gave me the plaque it was like one of my goals in life was accomplished because as a musician you dream of having one of those on your wall to showcase the hard work put in.
VALIDATED: A year later you obtained your first platinum record for Big Pun’s “Capital Punishment” album, where does this rank for you personally amongst your production achievements?
DOMINGO: It was another goal accomplished and what made it special was it was done by the first Latin Rapper to go double platinum. It is 100% one of my top achievements in music.
VALIDATED: That same year you were nominated for both American and Latin Grammys for your production work on the Big Pun album, what did the success of the album do for your career?
DOMINGO: The success of Big Pun brought more attention to who I was and alot more artists wanted to work with me then.
VALIDATED: You dropped your first studio album in 1999, “Behind The Doors Of The 13th Floor” featuring Eminem, KRS-One, MC Shan and others. At that point in your career what moved you to release your own project?
DOMINGO: I was actually approached by Steve Salem (R.I.P) to do this album. I was not thinking about doing an album. When I signed to do it I called Krs One and he jumped on the “Line Of Fire” song. I happened to be in the studio with MC Shan in Queens when he heard Krs verse and he said to me, “let me get on this right after Kris.” I am the only producer to ever have Shan and Krs on the same song back to back. Eminem was brought to Queens to record his verse and that is when I also met Paul Rosenberg.
VALIDATED: In 2003 you released your 2nd album “The Difference” featuring the likes of The Beatnuts, Dilated Peoples, High N Mighty and others, including Krs One’s “Clear Em Out” which sparked the "beef" between Krs One and St Louis rapper Nelly. In hindsight, how monumental was that “beef” for hip-hop at the time?
DOMINGO: That "beef" was actually caused over a phone call between me and Krs. He sent me a verse for the album and at the time we were working on “Spiritual Minded” and I told him I don't want “Spiritual Minded” on the album I want vintage Krs. all I said was, “look, you gotta let these rappers know you’re still #1. you cannot have Nelly out here saying he is #1.” And Krs said "Woooooord Domingo! I will call you back.” He sent me the song “Clear Em Out” and I already knew Tonedeff was going to be on it but there is the Original version Krs sent me with just him rapping before I changed the beat and Tonedeff did his thing.
VALIDATED: In December 2014 you released an Ep dedicated to the memory of rapper Big Pun entitled “Bronx Legends Never Die”, what do you feel Big Pun meant to hip-hop?
DOMINGO: Big Pun is Iconic to Hip Hop, there is no other way to put it and he should never be forgotten.
VALIDATED: 2015 was a busy year for you as you created the company “That's Hip Hop LLC” and put on 2 sold out concerts in Pittsburgh, PA. What can you tell us about “That’s Hip Hop LLC”?
DOMINGO: That's Hip Hop LLC started out as just a concert event company but then I turned it into ThatsHipHopMusic.com as well to release albums and other artists under the brand.
VALIDATED: That same year you also won an ASCAP Rhythm & Blues award for your participation in Drake’s song “All Me”. You’ve worked with numerous hip hop legends from different eras, how have you managed to remain true to you and stay relevant in the music industry?
DOMINGO: I just stood in my lane and never compromised who I am for anyone in the industry. Now that went both ways good and bad for me. It made business limited to me because of my sound but it also made me do what I wanted to do and I was able to maintain just by knowing the business of music.
VALIDATED: In October 2015 you recruited Brooklyn rapper Joell Ortiz to do an album that was released through “That's Hip Hop” in first quarter 2016, what made you choose Joell Ortiz and how did the collaboration come about?
DOMINGO: Joell and Myself have done things together before we did that album. He is a true lyricist and I am one of those producers that appreciates lyrics so I had to do a project with Joell and he agreed so we made it happen.
VALIDATED: Last year you took a hiatus from producing to put together your latest music related venture, your global music distribution company “MediaFamous.com”, which launched September 2019. What led you to take the entrepreneurial leap and start the company?
DOMINGO: I’ve always been behind the scenes helping launch producers careers, artist careers, so Media Famous was something I been building quietly and it finally came to life. I been behind some key music businesses by consulting them so I am always doing something.
VALIDATED: As one of the most prominent hip-hop producers to ever come from East New York, Brooklyn, when it’s all said and done, how would you like to be remembered in hip-hop history?
DOMINGO: I would like that next Hip Hop producer out of East New York to know about me and know you can come from there and make it in music. I just want to be remembered for my contributions to Hip Hop music. I definitely put in work like my peers and I might not be mentioned among them when talking about producers but I know I put in work as much as them and maybe more. I was inducted into the Hip Hop Museum in Washington DC and they have items of mine that will keep my legacy known when the time comes. My foundation in Hip Hop can never be taken away, it can only be studied and appreciated in the future.
VALIDATED: What’s next for Domingo?
DOMINGO: Business moves... I don't project what I am doing, I just do it quietly until it surfaces.
VALIDATED: What’s your social media contacts?
DOMINGO: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter are all @beatsbydomingo.