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Track Bangas

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Track Bangas
Smitty & D for Track Bangas
Smitty & D for Track Bangas
Background information
Also known asThe Track Bangas
OriginHolyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Producer, songwriter, composer, photographer, director
Instrument(s)FL Studio, Motif keyboards, Akai MPK49 controller guitar, sampler, drums, turntable
Years active2003–present
LabelsTrack Bangas Entertainment, ASCAP Publishing
Websitetrackbangas.com

Track Bangas is a record production team consisting of Jeffrey "Smitty" Smith, Derrick "D." St. Amand, Justin "J. Pill" Pipkins, Dana Harmon, & Justin "J. Jones" Jones. They were best known early on for their "banging" drums, thus their moniker Track Bangas, as well as their sampled production. The production team is also well known by their signature tag, “You are listening to a Track Bangas production", at the beginning of their beats.

They have worked with artists like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Trae, Yelawolf, DJ Khaled, Mystikal, Pusha T, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, Tech N9ne, Chamillionaire, Young Money Entertainment's Jae Millz, and Inspectah Deck among others.

They are currently working with Shady Records artist, Yelawolf, and are the in-house producers for Kurupt and Trae.

Early Life and Background

Smitty and D. were both born in western Massachusetts in 1985 and were raised in Holyoke, MA. Smitty's first instrument was the recorder in elementary school. He then worked his way up to the saxophone, which led him to be recruited to another school for his raw, untrained skill. D. took a liking to the art of DJing at an unusually young age (4 years old). At that age, his parents bought him a Big Bird turntable and Michael Jackson's Bad album and the three were inseparable.

Smitty and D. first met in 1995 while playing youth football in the 5th grade, but were attending different middle schools. The two also attended different high schools but would later meet up again in the 11th grade. Though they shared the same homeroom for 2 years, the two did not speak very much. Throughout high school, Smitty began to shift his focus toward engineering, while D. continued to DJ parties, weddings, etc. They both graduated in June 2003.

Smitty, who at the time had been known for recording local artists, was starting to become known around the city for making beats as well. With over 300 songs recorded from various artists, he had eventually recorded just about every rapper/singer within a 15-mile radius at least once.

D. began to venture into rapping as a hobby, making parodies to popular songs with his cousin. They began to take themselves a little more serious and formed a rap group with a few other close friends called the Starting Lineup.

One month after graduating high school, Smitty and D. were reintroduced when a member of Starting Lineup booked studio time with Smith. About 25 songs and a demo later, the group eventually went their separate ways. D. continued to work with Smitty on a more regular basis, focusing on a solo project. After completing a handful of songs, D. developed an interest in producing.

D. studied Smitty's style and sound of production, and quickly adhered to the procedures of developing tracks. D., who had always favored sampled beats, learned how to chop samples to create his own sound. Meanwhile, Smitty was beginning to broadcast his beat collection and the Track Bangas name all throughout the internet.

Career

2006–2009

Track Bangas expanded by adding Mr. Inkredible, producer from Houston, TX, to the roster.

In 2006, due to the huge buzz they had created on the 'net, the duo hit the road to push their artist, GV's project. Their first stop was Columbus, Ohio. After selling over 1,000 units on the streets within weeks, D. and a street team began traveling back and forth between Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada selling cds, while Smitty remained in Ohio producing records and managing Track Bangas' internet campaign.

Collectively, they sold over 30,000 units independently with GV. Though business was good, D. returned to Massachusetts about 6 months later for a family emergency. Smitty also returned to Massachusetts about 8 months after that to regroup and organize the next steps.

In 2009, the duo set up a production studio in the downtown area of their hometown, Holyoke, MA. Then in 2010, Track Bangas expanded by adding producer, J. Pill (Dallas, Texas) and guitarist, Dana Harmon (Columbus, Ohio) to the team.

After about a year and 8 months, the duo decided to pack up and drive to Los Angeles to further their careers.

2010–Present

In 2010, two weeks before Thanksgiving, Track Bangas left Massachusetts for California.

Within 7 months of moving to LA, Track Bangas acquired endorsements from Zephyr Hats & Apparel Zoo clothing, became in-house producers for Kurupt, and landed a track with Yelawolf on the Driver: San Francisco video game.

Discography

Artist Song Album
Trae Tha Truth ft. Snoop Dogg "Old School" I Am King
Trae Tha Truth ft. Yo Gotti "Hallelujah" I Am King
Rittz "Intro" The Life and Times of Johnny Valiant
Yelawolf "No Hands" (To Be Announced)
Yelawolf ft. Trae Tha Truth "Sh*t I've Seen" Friday The 13th
Trae Tha Truth ft. Meek Mill, Pusha T "So Far To Go" Undisputed (with Don Cannon)
Trae Tha Truth ft. Tech N9ne, Mystikal & Brian Angel "All That I Know" Tha Truth Pt. 2
6 Tre G ft. Trae Tha Truth "On A Roll" Boss Muzik
Chamillionaire "War to Your Door" Major Pain 1.5
Trae Tha Truth ft. Gorilla Zoe "Keep on Rollin'” Street King
Trae Tha Truth "Street King" Street King
Trae Tha Truth "Cop A Drop" Can't Ban Tha Truth
Trae Tha Truth ft. Lil Wayne & Rick Ross "Inkredible" Prod. by Mr Inkredible for Track Bangas Can't Ban Tha Truth
Trae Tha Truth ft. DJ Khaled & Young Jeezy "So Hot" Streets Advocate
Trae Tha Truth ft. Lil Wayne "Blowin Money" Streets Advocate
Max B ft. Cynicus "From Harlem to Ohio" That Tsunami Wave Pt. 4
Jae Millz "Defense" Sizzerb Mixtape Vol. 3
2 Chainz ft. Just 100 "Oh Yea" Before Chainz
Uncle Murda ft. Diddy Bop "Nightmares" The First 48
Pop Gates ft. Lil Flip "Purp N Lean" The Gates Life
Vice Bells "No Introduction" BAD MOOD EP
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