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“Got the beat by Powers and we just made a banger!” If you’re tapped into the genre-blurring sounds of hip-hop and rock music today, then chances are you’ve heard that producer tag often in the past few years.
It’s the calling card of Powers Pleasant, the DJ and producer with the chameleonic style who has lent his talents to an elite and wide-ranging collection of collaborators such as NBA YoungBoy, Denzel Curry, Princess Nokia, BTS, $not and, most frequently, his Pro Era brethren Joey Bada$$.
Born and bred in Brooklyn, NY, Powers co-founded the Pro Era collective that reinvigorated New York hip-hop in the 2010’s with the late visionary, Capital STEEZ and wunderkind Joey Bada$$. While attending Edward R. Murrow High School in New York City, the teens bonded over a shared appreciation of music of all kinds. Powers (yes, that’s his real name) was a gifted drummer and percussionist, raised by a jazz musician father and a music-loving mom who introduced him to his biggest musical influences—The Neptunes and Kanye West—and helped him get his start making beats.
In the decade since then, Powers has evolved from bedroom beatmaker to platinum producer. His song-first mentality and gift for collaboration has yielded crew love classics like Beast Coast’s “Distance” and Denzel Curry’s standout collab with 6LACK, Rico Nasty, and Kitty Cash, “Ain’t No Way,” earning him a reputation as go-to guy for the modern posse cut. This year he is set to release LIFE SUCKS, a follow up album to LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, via Mass Appeal in October 2024.
