Jonathan King (born February 6, 1990), better known by his stage name Sap (stylized as SAP) is an American hip hop record producer and rapper from Newark, Delaware. SAP is an acronym for "Sound of A Pioneer".[3] He works closely with producers Cool & Dre, but is currently independent and not signed by a label. Sap has produced for artists such as Mac Miller, The Game, Schoolboy Q, Tyga, Chris Webby, Juicy J, Juelz Santana, Fat Joe, Freddie Gibbs, and Meek Mill among others. He is best known for producing Mac Miller's Platinum single "Donald Trump" and "Watching Movies", and The Game's "Celebration". Most recently Sap Produced, "Powers That Be" featuring Rick Ross and Nas. The song is featured on Ross's Album "Rather You Than Me". As a rapper he is the leader of the group The Pioneer Crew.

SAP
Birth nameJonathan King[1]
Also known as
  • SAP da Beat Man
  • Sound of A Pioneer
Born (1990-02-06) February 6, 1990 (age 34)[2]
Chester, Pennsylvania, United States
OriginNewark, Delaware, United States[3]
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
Instruments
Years active2008–present
Labels
  • Pioneer Crew
  • Epidemic

Musical career

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Sap was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, but moved to Newark, Delaware at a very young age.[1] Sap first begun making hip hop instrumentals on FL Studio at the age of 15, putting his beats on MySpace. He went to Christiana High School in Newark.[4] Around 2007 to 2008, he began producing for local rappers such as Joey Jihad and Reed Dollaz.[3] Then in 2008 he received what he considers his first big beat placement, producing "In My Bag" by Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill.[5] Around the same time he also produced Cyssero's "In the Air" and "Swag Me Out", which were in local club rotation.[1] By January 2009, he confirmed working with rappers such as Juelz Santana, Freeway, Gillie Da Kid, Lloyd Banks and Beanie Sigel.[1] After two more years he had worked with Cassidy and Jadakiss among many others.[4]

After producing Mac Miller's hit single "Donald Trump", he linked up with known producers Cool & Dre in early 2011 through DJ Young Legend.[2][6] Then in July 2011, Complex named Sap one of the "15 New Producers To Watch Out For".[7] On February 12, 2012, he announced that he had signed to producers Cool & Dre, Epidemic Records label as a producer and artist, along with Cash Money Records as a producer.[8] Following that he worked with more high-profile artists such as Rick Ross, Game, Wiz Khalifa, Busta Rhymes, Nicki Minaj, Birdman on their upcoming albums.[2][8] Following that announcement, five days later he released his first mixtape as a rapper, Surprise, Surprise, which was primarily produced by himself, on February 17, 2012.[9] Following its release he announced that he wanted to release another mixtape titled The Invite featuring him as a rapper, with production coming from other producers such as Cool & Dre, Jahlil Beats, The Beat Bully and himself.[2][8]

On October 16, 2012, Sap released his second instrumental mixtape Sound of a Pioneer, which featured his most known instrumentals among other new tracks.[citation needed] On March 19, 2013, "Donald Trump" was certified Platinum by the RIAA.[10][11] In May 2013, he was in the studio playing instrumentals for Kendrick Lamar, who he linked up with after producing "She Like" for Black Hippy cohort Schoolboy Q.[5][12] He also produced three songs on The Game's October 2013 mixtape Operation Kill Everything.[13]

Discography

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List of mixtapes
Title Album details
Sap on da Beat
Surprise, Surprise
Sound of A Pioneer
Self Employed
Self Improved

Production discography

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Singles produced

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List of singles as producer showing year released, performing artists and album name
Title Year Album
"Donald Trump"
(Mac Miller)
2011 Best Day Ever
"Celebration"
(The Game featuring Chris Brown, Tyga, Wiz Khalifa, and Lil Wayne)
2012 Jesus Piece
"Watching Movies"
(Mac Miller)
2013 Watching Movies with the Sound Off
"One Eighty Seven"
(Freddie Gibbs featuring Problem)
Evil Seeds Grow Naturally
"Talkin' About"
(Juicy J featuring Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa)
2014 Stay Trippy
"STRICTLY4MYNIGGAZ"
(Domo Genesis)
Under the Influence 2
"B Boy"

(Meek Mill featuring Big Sean and A$AP Ferg)

"Master $uite"
(Tyga)
2015 Fuk Wat They Talkin Bout
"Don't C Me Comin"
(Tyga featuring A.E.)
"Envy"
(Dave East)
2020 Karma 3

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Greg, Grouchy (2009-01-30). "Delaware hip-hop producer on the rise | Metromix Delaware". Delaware.metromix.com. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cool & Dre's Rising Star Chats With The Source Meet SAP". TheSource. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  3. ^ a b c Paine, Jake (2012-07-13). "Producer SAP Breaks Down Hits For Mac Miller & Meek Mill, Cool & Dre's Greatest Advice | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  4. ^ a b "Sap Da Beatman Interview". The Nerd At The Cool Table. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  5. ^ a b "Production Credit: Sap Talks Linking With Meek Mill, "Donald Trump" and Rap Career - XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  6. ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (2011-03-10). "Gilbere Forte, Sap Da Beat Man Make Noise Beyond Philly Tri-State Area - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  7. ^ "Sap — 15 New Producers To Watch Out For". Complex. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  8. ^ a b c Steve Raze (@SteveRaze) (2012-02-14). "Sap: From the Back of the Boards to the Center Stage [INTERVIEW". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  9. ^ "Mixtape: Sap – Surprise Surprise". Xclusives Zone. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  10. ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - September 02, 2013". RIAA. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  11. ^ Paine, Jake (2013-04-18). "Mac Miller's "Donald Trump" Certified Platinum | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  12. ^ "Video: Kendrick Lamar & Sap In The Studio". Rapdose.com. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  13. ^ "OKE Mixtape by Game Hosted by DJ Skee". Archived from the original on 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  14. ^ "Sap (Producer) - Sap On Da Beat "hosted By Dj Bran" Hosted by DJ BRAN // Free Mixtape @". Datpiff.com. 2009-12-15. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  15. ^ "SAP - Surprise, Surprise Hosted by The P.I.O.N.E.E.R.S. // Free Mixtape @". Datpiff.com. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  16. ^ "SAP - Sound Of A Pioneer // Free Mixtape @". Datpiff.com. 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  17. ^ "SAP - Self Employed // Free Mixtape @". soundcloud.com. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  18. ^ "SAP - Self Improved// Free Mixtape @". soundcloud.com. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-14.
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