Kato (producer)

Kato (born Christopher Ju, December 25, 1986) is an American record producer. Originally hailing from Fairfax, Virginia, in 2006, he moved to Atlanta where he currently resides. Notable artists he has worked with includes Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton, Roscoe Dash, Lil' Scrappy, Kalenna (Diddy Dirty Money), as well as numerous upcoming independent artists like Dumbfoundead, and Jarren Benton. His name 'Kato' comes from the 1960s television show The Green Hornet, where Bruce Lee plays the role of Kato. In September 2013, he signed with American rapper Hopsin's record label Funk Volume as an in-house producer.

Biography

Chris was born and raised in Fairfax, Va. where he attended elementary and high school. As a child, Chris had aspirations of being a model/actor as well as Tae Kwon Do star. Even at a young age Chris pursued these dreams passionately, landing several local jobs. He was also highly interested in vexing his older sister.

During his early college years, he attended Drexel University in Philadelphia, where his love for creating hip-hop music began. While in Philadelphia, he started a rap duo with a high school friend - C.U.R.E. (Can't Underestimate Real Emcees), where he took on the alias 'Inkarnation' and played the dual role of emcee/producer. They soon released a demo that included 4 self-produced tracks. Shortly after, he relocated to Flowery Branch, Ga. where he lived with his family for a year. He continued to produce and record music throughout this time, also taking on a new alias - 'Kato'.^[1]

During the next few years, his parents divorced and he bounced around between midtown and north Atlanta, where he currently resides. He also attended Georgia State University for two years, before dropping out to pursue music full-time.

In 2008, Kato was selected to perform at Atlanta's first Kollaboration event, a nationwide talent showcase for Asian-Americans. He was again selected in 2010 for the 3rd annual Atlanta Kollaboration show.^[2] He has performed in much of the Southeastern U.S. region, as far up north as Philadelphia. Kato's music has also been featured on mixtapes and popular sites like The Source Magazine,^[3] On September 18, 2013, Kato announced that he had signed to Hopsin's Funk Volume record label as a producer.^[4] Kato is releasing his album "Kato's Revenge", which is set to release in February 2014. It featured guest appearances from Dizzy Wright, Chamillionaire, Chris Webby, Rittz, and Irv Da Phenom.^[5]

Discography

Studio Albums/Mixtapes

• Kato EP (2006)
• Ears & Voices Mixtape (2007)
• T.I.M.E. Vol. 1 (2009)
• Mike Petrone - The Last Hundred Yards LP (2010)
• T.I.M.E. Vol. 2 (2010)
• T.I.M.E. Vol. 3 (2011)
• SMKA Presents: A Kato Production (2012)
• Funk Volume Presents: Kato's Revenge (2014)
• Pathomania (2015)

Production Credits

• Above Ave - ("Don't Be Hard On Yourself", "Every Time", "Sip Of Life") (2008)
• Tommy Lee Soul - Go (2009)
• Dumbfoundead - Rapper-O's (2009)
• Thirsty Fish - Party Snatchers (2009)
• Adrift Da Belle - Real Song (2009)
• Mike Petrone ft. Lil' Scrappy - Crank It (2010)
• Grady ft. Roscoe Dash - I Go Hard (2010)
• Vox Merger - More Reasons (2010)
• The Canz ft. Young Lyxx, Niko Villamor and FKi - Bananas (2010)
• Jarren Benton ft. Elz Jenkins - Justin Bieber (2011)
• Jarren Benton - Skitzo (2011)
• Elz Jenkins - Fallin' Off The Floor (2011)
• Dizzy Wright - Hotel Stripper (ft. Jarren Benton) (2012)
• Chamillionaire - End of a Knife (2014)^[6]
• San E - 모두가 내 발아래 On Top of Your Head (feat. MC그리) (2015)
• Ces Cru - Recession Proof [2015]
• Locksmith - Grime [2016] ^[7]

References

1. ↑ http://archive.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20070225/localnews/158342.shtml, 2007
2. ↑ http://www.kollaborationatlanta.org/
3. ↑ http://www.thesource.com/articles/192650/, 2012
4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqFMoBd1O9U
5. ↑ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.27661/title.kato-kato-s-revenge-release-date-cover-art-tracklist-download-mixtape-stream
6. ↑ End of a Knife by Chamillionaire (Produced by Kato) (March 21, 2014)
7. ↑ Grime by Locksmith (Produced by Kato) (Sept 28, 2016)

General Sources

• MTV Iggy: T.I.M.E. Vol. 1 Review
• Koream Magazine Feature Article: "Crankin' It"
• ChannelAPA: 16 Bars With Music Producer Kato
• Beatstudies: Kato Reasons Things Out

External links

• Kato on Twitter