Def Jef
Jeffrey Fortson, better known by their stage name Def Jef, is an American alternative hip hop musician and rapper of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was born in Harlem, New York City.
His debut album was 1989's Just a Poet with a Soul, which won critical acclaim for sociopolitical lyrics and original beats. Additionally, he was a member of the West Coast Rap All-Stars, a collaboration of West Coast-based hip hop artists who released the anti-violence single "We're All in the Same Gang" in 1990. He performed on the television variety show In Living Color in 1990.
After his second album, Soul Food, was released, Def Jef moved into production full-time. Since the 1990s, he has produced, written, arranged and remixed artists including Nas, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kimberley Locke, Maxwell, Avant, Tupac Shakur, and Shaquille O'Neal. He has worked with Krayzie Bone and Thugline Records.
He produced the theme songs for the Disney sitcom That's So Raven and The Game.
Def Jef also appeared in the feature film Deep Cover in 1992.
Discography
- 1989: Just a Poet with Soul
- 1990: "We're All in the Same Gang"
- 1991: Soul Food
| Year | Song | Artist | Album |
| 1989 | Hi Powered | Body & Soul | |
| 1989 | En La Casa | Mellow Man Ace | Escape from Havana |
| 1991 | Mean Green | Tone-Loc | Cool Hand Lōc |
| 1992 | Good Things Don't Last; Let It Move You; Forward Bound; Best in Me | The Poetess | Simply Poetry |
| 1993 | Deeper; Process of Elimination; 1800 Bodies | Boss | Born Gangster |
| 1993 | I Know I Got Skillz; I ate to Brag | Shaquille O'Neal, Def Jef | Shaq Diesel |
| 1993 | I Know I Got Skillz Remix | Shaquille O'Neal, Def Jef | |
| 1994 | The Right Kinda Lover | Patti LaBelle | |
| 1994 | Life's a Bitch | Nas, AZ | |
| 1994 | Out of Control | Wells | NBA Jam Session |
| 1994 | Cherish This Love; Don't Let Me Catch You Slippin' | Brigette McWilliams | Take Advantage of Me |
| 1994 | Shaq-Fu: Stand and Deliver | Shaq | Shaq Fu: Da Return |
| 1996 | 80 Ways | Def Jef | Phat Beach |
| 1996 | "Gee, Officer Krupke" | Salt-n-Pepa, Left Eye, Jerky Boyz | The Songs of West Side Story |
| 1997 | "I'm Loosin' It" | 2Pac, Big Skye | R U Still Down? |
| 1997 | Under Pressure | Nadanuf | Worldwide |
| 1999 | Betta Dayz | Snoop Dogg | No Limit Top Dogg |
| 2000 | Tha Eastsidaz | Tha Eastsidaz | Snoop Dogg Presents: Tha Eastsidaz |
| 2001 | Late Night | Tha Eastsidaz | Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way |
| 2001 | Shackled Up | Krayzie Bone | Oz (soundtrack) |
| 2001 | A Thugga Level; I Don't Give a Fuck | Krayzie Bone | Thug on da Line |