Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), professionally known as Zaytoven, is an American trap music record producer, disc jockey, and keyboardist from Atlanta, Georgia.[1][2][non-primary source needed][3] He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Mane, Usher, Future, Migos, Lecrae, Lil Yachty, Chief Keef, Young Scooter, B.o.B, Boosie Badazz, Waka Flocka Flame, Jack Harlow and Deitrick Haddon.[4]
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (February 2014) |
Zaytoven | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Xavier Lamar Dotson |
Born | (1980-01-12) January 12, 1980 (age 42) Frankfurt, West Germany |
Origin |
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Genres |
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Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1997–present |
Labels |
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Website | zaytovenbeatz |
Zaytoven signed a deal with friend/rap star Gucci Mane to become 1017 Brick Squad's in-house producer & Then went on to win a Grammy Award in 2011 for his contribution to Usher's Raymond v. Raymond album,[5][6] as a co-producer and writer for the single "Papers" along with Sean Garrett.[7][8]
Zaytoven spent a lot of time at church growing up, as his father was a preacher when not working for the Army.[9] He learned to play instruments through the church bands along with his three younger siblings. He gravitated toward playing the piano and organ.[10]
Zaytoven was introduced to rap in middle school by a friend. He learned to produce music while attending high school in his spare time between school and basketball, Zaytoven played the keyboard during halftime at his high school football games. While he was performing one day at the game, local producer JT the Bigga Figga liked what he heard, and invited Zaytoven to his studio, where Zaytoven had unlimited access to his keyboards.[10] He truly began to utilize his skills as a producer while making beats in JT the Bigga Figga's studio before he started making a name for himself in Atlanta.
Zaytoven started going over to JT the Bigga Figga's studio every day to make beats and learn how to use the equipment. He began to sell beats to JT, and went on to collaborate with Bay Area artists such as Messy Marv and E-40 while still in high school.[9] During his senior year in high school, Zaytoven's family moved to Atlanta, Georgia due to his father's retirement. Zaytoven decided to stay in San Francisco, finish his senior year, and continue his producing for local rappers. He realized that he needed a studio of his own where he could produce with his own equipment and work at any time of the day.[11]
Having saved up money from his day job as a barber, Zaytoven began to buy equipment for producing. He would ship this to his parents' house in Atlanta, to which he eventually moved, and set up his own studio there.[11] He enrolled in a local barber college in Atlanta and got a job as a barber to help finance the rest of his studio. While attending barber school, a classmate of his introduced Zaytoven to Gucci Mane, who would become his right-hand man in his career as a producer.[10] Zaytoven and Gucci Mane began to work together everyday after meeting each other. Zaytoven said in an interview with Fader that Gucci Mane would call him at 7 in the morning asking if he was ready to start making music for that day.[10] Zaytoven and Gucci Mane spent the majority of the early 2000s making music together and selling mixtapes out of the trunks of their cars in Atlanta. It wasn't until 2005 that the two gained mainstream recognition from their hit song "Icy", with features from Young Jeezy and Boo.[9] This recognition gave Zaytoven's career the boost it needed to take off, landing the hit song "Papers" with Usher in 2010 on Usher's certified platinum album Raymond v. Raymond.[12]
Zaytoven's work on Usher's album Raymond v. Raymond earned him a Grammy Award in 2011 and a serious reputation in the hip-hop world. He started to work with more artists as his popularity grew in the Atlanta rap scene. He helped shaped the careers of artists such as OJ Da Juiceman, Yung LA, Yung Ralph, the Shop Boyz, Lil Scrappy, Jagged Edge, and Gorilla Zoe.[12]
Zaytoven collaborated with a young group named Migos. He produced several tracks on the Migos 2013 mixtape, Y.R.N., including the hit track "Versace", which peaked at 53 on the Billboard chart.[9] Zaytoven's collaboration with Migos continued; he helped produce their followup mixtape No Label II, released on June 3, 2014.[13]
In 2015, Zaytoven provided exclusive production for ten mixtapes, including Future's Beast Mode, released on January 15. He also worked on Future's album DS2, which debuted on July 17.[14]
In July 2016, Zaytoven produced or co-produced seven songs on Gucci Mane's first album since being released from prison, Everybody Looking.[13] In the same month, Lil Uzi Vert's The Perfect Luv Tape was released, containing the Zaytoven-produced songs "Money Mitch" and "Sideline Watching (Hold Up)".[13] In 2017, Zaytoven contributed to projects such as Gucci Mane's Mr. Davis, 21 Savage's Issa Album, Migos' Culture, Moneybagg Yo's Heartless, and Yo Gotti's I Still Am. Zaytoven also released two independent projects, Wake Up & Cook Up and Where Would The Game Be Without Me.[13]
Zaytoven was scheduled to release his debut album Trap Holizay on May 25, 2018,[15] and a collaborative album with Lecrae called Let the Trap Say Amen on June 22, 2018.[16]
Zaytoven made his acting debut in the 2012 film Birds of a Feather, co-starring with Gucci Mane. The sequel Birds of a Feather 2 was released in 2018.
In 2018, Zaytoven joined the Creators Advisory Board of Tracklib.[17]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
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US [18] |
US R&B/HH [19] | ||
Let the Trap Say Amen (with Lecrae) |
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49 | 26 |
A (with Usher) |
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31 | 19 |
Lost Tapes (with B.o.B)[20] |
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— | — |
Title | Album details |
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Zaytoven Presents: Fo15[21] (with Fo15) |
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Title | Album details |
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GucTiggy (with Gucci Mane) |
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Greatest Gift (with Deitrick Haddon) |
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Drip & Zay (with Kountry Wayne) |
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Title | Mixtape details | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US [18] |
US R&B/HH [19] | ||
World War 3 (Lean) (with Gucci Mane) |
|
— | 33 |
Beast Mode (with Future) |
|
— | — |
Juggathon (with Young Scooter) |
|
— | — |
Trapping Made It Happen[24] |
|
— | — |
Trapholizay |
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78 | 43 |
Beast Mode 2 (with Future) |
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3 [25] |
3 |
6Toven (with Foolio)[26] |
|
— | — |
GloToven (with Chief Keef) |
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153 | — |
Camp GloTiggy (with Chief Keef)[27] |
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— | — |
Bad Azz Zay (with Boosie Badazz) |
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— | — |
A-Team (with Lil Keed, Lil Gotit, and Lil Yachty) |
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— | — |
Pack Just Landed Vol. 1[28] |
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— | — |
Pack Just Landed Vol. 2[29] |
|
— | — |
Zaystreet (with Young Scooter) |
|
— | — |
GrinchToven Stole The Trap |
|
— | — |
Moetoven[30] (with Moe) |
|
— | — |
Pack Just Landed Vol. 3[31] |
|
— | — |
Keys To the Streets[32] (with Luh Soldier) |
|
— | — |
GhostToven[33] (with Ghostluvme) |
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— | — |
Streetz Got No Heart[34] |
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— | — |
Loverz n Friendz[35] |
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— | — |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US R&B [36] | |||
"Stay at Home" (with Usher featuring Future) |
2018 | 22 | A |
TItle | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B/HH |
US Rap | |||
"Icy" (Gucci Mane featuring Jeezy and Boo) |
2005 | —[upper-alpha 1] | 46 | 23 | Trap House |
"Pillz" (Gucci Mane featuring Mac Bre-Z) |
2006 | — | —[upper-alpha 2] | — | Hard to Kill and No Pad, No Pencil |
"I'm a Dog" (Gucci Mane featuring DG Yola) |
2008 | — | —[upper-alpha 3] | — | Chicken Talk 2, Bird Money and The State vs. Radric Davis |
"Bricks" (Gucci Mane featuring Yo Gotti and Yung Ralph or OJ da Juiceman) |
— | —[upper-alpha 4] | — | EA Sportscenter and The State vs. Radric Davis | |
"Make tha Trap Say Aye" (OJ da Juiceman featuring Gucci Mane) |
—[upper-alpha 5] | 22 | 13 | The Otha Side of the Trap | |
"I Don't Love Her" (Gucci Mane featuring Rocko and Webbie) |
2011 | — | —[upper-alpha 6] | — | The Return of Mr. Zone 6 |
"Versace" (Migos) |
2013 | 99 | 31 | 23 | Y.R.N. (Young Rich Niggas) |
"3500" (Travis Scott featuring Future and 2 Chainz) |
2015 | 82 | 25 | 18 | Rodeo |
"Guwop Home" (Gucci Mane featuring Young Thug) |
2016 | —[upper-alpha 7] | —[upper-alpha 8] | — | Everybody Looking |
"No Sleep (Intro)" (Gucci Mane) |
— | —[upper-alpha 9] | — | ||
"Waybach" (Gucci Mane) |
— | —[upper-alpha 10] | — | ||
"Too Much Sauce" (DJ Esco featuring Future and Lil Uzi Vert) |
50 | 21 | 15 | Project E.T. | |
"Used to This" (Future featuring Drake) |
14 | 5 | 4 | Future | |
"St. Brick Intro" (Gucci Mane) |
—[upper-alpha 11] | —[upper-alpha 12] | — | The Return of East Atlanta Santa | |
"What the Price" (Migos) |
2017 | —[upper-alpha 13] | 41 | — | Culture |
"Get Right Witcha" (Migos) |
72 | 29 | 19 | ||
"Big on Big" (Migos) |
—[upper-alpha 14] | 47 | — | ||
"Brown Paper Bag" (Migos) |
—[upper-alpha 15] | 40 | — | ||
"When I Was Broke" (Future) |
—[upper-alpha 16] | —[upper-alpha 17] | — | Future | |
"Feds Did a Sweep" (Future) |
— | —[upper-alpha 18] | — | ||
"Famous" (21 Savage) |
94 | 41 | — | Issa Album | |
"Nothin New" (21 Savage) |
—[upper-alpha 19] | —[upper-alpha 20] | — | ||
"Wifi Lit" (Future) |
2018 | 53 | 26 | 23 | Beast Mode 2 |
"31 Days" (Future) |
64 | 34 | — | ||
"Cuddle My Wrist" (Future) |
70 | 38 | — | ||
"Racks Blue" (Future) |
76 | 42 | — | ||
"Red Light" (Future) |
—[upper-alpha 21] | —[upper-alpha 22] | — | ||
"Some More" (Future) |
—[upper-alpha 23] | —[upper-alpha 24] | — | ||
"Doh Doh" (Future featuring Young Scooter) |
—[upper-alpha 25] | —[upper-alpha 26] | — | ||
"When I Think About It" (Future) |
—[upper-alpha 27] | —[upper-alpha 28] | — | ||
"Hate the Real Me" (Future) |
—[upper-alpha 29] | — | — | ||
"Problems" (Lil Wayne) |
57 | 33 | — | Tha Carter V | |
"Moana" (G-Eazy and Jack Harlow) |
2020 | —[upper-alpha 30] | — | — | Non-album single |
"RIP Luv" (21 Savage and Metro Boomin) |
76 | 32 | — | Savage Mode II | |
"Real Baby Pluto" (Future and Lil Uzi Vert) |
54 | 17 | 16 | Pluto x Baby Pluto | |
"Million Dollar Play" (Future and Lil Uzi Vert) |
67 | 25 | 23 | ||
"Roadrunner" (Migos) |
2021 | —[upper-alpha 31] | — | — | Culture III |
"Better Believe" (Belly, The Weeknd, and Young Thug) |
88 | 31 | 25 | See You Next Wednesday |
Notes
Year | Film | Role |
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2012 | Birds of a Feather[45] | Himself |
2018 | Birds of a Feather 2[46] | |
Authority control |
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