DJ Snake
DJ Snake (/ˈdʒɑːnæk/; born Daniel Alexander Rodríguez), better known simply as DJ Snake, is a French record producer, singer, songwriter, actor, and model. He rose to fame following his collaboration with fellow Frenchman, French Montana, and American rapper Lil Wayne. His debut single “Turn Down For What”, featuring Lil Wayne, peaked atop the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming his first number one hit. In addition to producing songs for artists such as Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, he has collaborated with many other international recording artists including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Katy Perry, Chris Brown, Sia, Tove Lo, and Zedd.
He began his career under the name “Daniel Rodriguez”, later changing it to “DJ Snake”. He grew up listening to house music and hip hop, and cites producers like Daft Punk, Steve Aoki, Skrillex, and Boys Noize among his influences. He attended high school in Lausanne, Switzerland.
In 2013, he signed to Ultra Records and became part of the label’s roster of artists. He released his debut studio album Encore in November 2013, followed by the EP Exit in February 2014. In April 2014, he released his second studio album Turn Me On… off the strength of lead single “Let Me Love You”. In September 2014, he released the singles “Taki Takyi” and “Omen,” both featuring vocals from English singer Ellie Goulding. Both songs topped the charts in multiple countries around the world.
His third studio album, El Camino, was released in June 2016. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and received critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone calling it “one of the best pop albums of the decade.”
On July 14, 2017, he announced that he had signed a deal with Warner Music Group, and that his fourth studio album would be released in 2018. His fifth studio album, Flamingo, was released on December 7, 2018.
Early life
Grigahecine was born in France to a French father and Algerian mother. He attended school in France, where he became interested in film making. In 1985, he moved to Algeria, where he worked as a sound editor for several films. During his career there, he met director Jacques Audiard, who encouraged him to move to Hollywood. His first feature film was “The Beat That My Heart Skipped,” which premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2004.
In 2006, Grigahcine directed his first English language film, “A Prophet.” The following year, he directed “Les Misérables,” which earned him nominations for Best Director at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards.
Standalone singles (2013–2015)
In 2013, DJ Snake collaborated with fellow American rapper Lil Jon on the track “Turn Down For What”. Originally titled “The Way I Are”, it was written by Lil Jon, DJ Snake and Justin Timberlake. After hearing the song during a party, Timberlake invited both artists to work together again on his upcoming seventh studio album. They recorded “Turn Down for What”‘s chorus while working on the project. The song was originally intended to feature vocals from Timbaland and Future, but due to scheduling conflicts, Timberlake had to drop out of the production.
After being offered the opportunity to record the song himself, DJ Snake became interested in collaborating with Timberlake. He contacted him via Twitter and began sending music samples. Timberlake later asked DJ Snake to send over some beats he’d been producing with producer Boi-1da. On November 26, 2013, Timberlake announced on his Facebook page that he’d worked with DJ Snake on the song. A day later, he posted another post announcing that the song would serve as the lead single for his next album.
On January 27, 2014, DJ Snake revealed that “Turn Down for What” would be the fifth single off the album.
Encore (2015–2017)
DJ Snake released his debut album Encore in 2017.
The following singles were released from it:
-“Let Me Love You”, featuring French Montana and Lil Wayne
-“Taki Taki”, featuring Nicki Minaj and Mavado
-“Turn Down For What”, featuring Justin Bieber
-“I Don’t Give A Fuck”, featuring Tyga and YG
-“No Way!”, featuring Travis Scott
Carte Blanche (2018–present)
On 23 February 2018, his first single “Magenta Riddle”, featuring vocals from English singer Tinie Tempah, was released. A music video directed by French filmmaker David LaChapelle was released on 21 April 2018.
In late August 2018, DJ SNACKS announced via his social media profiles that he would release a new song later that fall. He stated that the track would be titled “Taki Taki”.
The following month, he confirmed that the track would feature American rapper Cardi B, Colombian reggaeton artist Ozuna and Mexican pop star Selena Gomez.
On 28 September 2018, the song was released.
On 16 July 2019, DJ SNACKS revealed that his second studio album would be released on 26th of that same month. His second album Carte Blanche was released on 25 July 2019.
Other ventures
– In January 2018, DJ Snake announced his debut album, Encore.
– He stated that it will contain collaborations with artists such as Justin Bieber, Major Lazer, MØ, Sia, Travis Scott, Calvin Harris, Martin Garrix, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Future, Post Malone, YG, Wiz Khalifa, Cardi B, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Big Sean, Drake, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Eminem, J Balvin, Beyoncé, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Bruno Mars, Camila Cabello, Dua Lipa, Shawn Mendes, Zayn, Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, Twenty One Pilots, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, A$AP Rocky, Mark Ronson, DJ Khaled, Meek Mill, Tyga, Swae Lee, John Legend, Chance the Rapper, Miguel, Kehlani, Usher, Rita Ora, Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner, Charlie Puth, Halsey, Khalid, Post Malone, Machine Gun Kelly, Bebe Rexha, Julia Michaels, Steve Aoki, Troye Sivan, Jonas Blue, Marshmello, Diplo, Afrojack, David Guetta, Martin Solveig, Galantis, Hardwell, Axwell, Avicii, Skrillex, Krewella, Dillon Francis, Flux Pavilion, Martin Garrix, Armin van Buuren, Blasterjaxx, Fatboy Slim, W&W, Disclosure, Oliver Heldens, Cashmere Cat, Martin Garrix, Showtek, Alesso, Calvin Harris, Tiësto, Steve Angello, Benny Benassi, Fedde le Grand, Sander Van Doorn, NGHTMRE, Dirty South, Baauer, Bro Safari, Zedd, Yellow Claw, Laidback Luke.