Producer Khalil Womack (aka K-Offbeat), 24, of Rochester
Credit:Carlos Ortiz
Hip-hop artist and producer Khalil Womack, aka K-Offbeat, credits much of his success to his father’s legacy.
When Womack was growing up, his father Gene’s record player would fill the house with the sounds of music each morning, from the soft jazz of Louis Armstrong to the beats of Bob Marley and John Coltrane — artists whom Gene Womack, a contract photographer, had worked with several times.
“My love for older music definitely started with my dad and his huge record collection,” says Khalil Womack, 24, of Rochester.
After his father’s death, Womack spent hours in his bedroom, listening to records. While still in high school, he decided to try reinventing some of the classic tunes.
When Womack was growing up, his father Gene’s record player would fill the house with the sounds of music each morning, from the soft jazz of Louis Armstrong to the beats of Bob Marley and John Coltrane — artists whom Gene Womack, a contract photographer, had worked with several times.
“My love for older music definitely started with my dad and his huge record collection,” says Khalil Womack, 24, of Rochester.
After his father’s death, Womack spent hours in his bedroom, listening to records. While still in high school, he decided to try reinventing some of the classic tunes.
“I’d go to record and production stores and ask for advice, then I started learning how to sample,” says Womack. “I drove the stores crazy because I’d buy the wrong thing and beg them to let me exchange it.”
It was trial and error, but Womack proved to be a fast learner. By 2008, he was producing original works in his basement studio and landed a one-year contract with Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. He also began producing monthly BandCamp albums and became the official DJ for Shawn Dunwoody at Fourwalls Gallery, 179 Atlantic Ave.
It was trial and error, but Womack proved to be a fast learner. By 2008, he was producing original works in his basement studio and landed a one-year contract with Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. He also began producing monthly BandCamp albums and became the official DJ for Shawn Dunwoody at Fourwalls Gallery, 179 Atlantic Ave.
But Womack’s biggest break came earlier this year, when a friend recommended he send some of his tracks to Grunge Cake Records, a new artist collective in New York City. In June, Womack flew to the city for a meeting and discovered the group had a booked him a show in Brooklyn the following day.
“It was really a test to see if we could perform under pressure,” says Womack, with a laugh. “After the show, I signed a record contract.”
Womack will work on his first album with Grunge Cake Records this year, and in June he starts his promotional tour with shows in Rochester and New York City. He also plans to start his own production company.
Websites: http://khalilbandcamp.com/ and twitter.com/koffbeat
— Leah Stacy
http://rochester.metromix.com/events/essay_photo_gallery/6-to-watch-in/2404362/content
“It was really a test to see if we could perform under pressure,” says Womack, with a laugh. “After the show, I signed a record contract.”
Womack will work on his first album with Grunge Cake Records this year, and in June he starts his promotional tour with shows in Rochester and New York City. He also plans to start his own production company.
Websites: http://khalilbandcamp.com/ and twitter.com/koffbeat
— Leah Stacy
http://rochester.metromix.com/events/essay_photo_gallery/6-to-watch-in/2404362/content
