Ski (producer)

Ski Beatz
Birth name	David Willis
Also known as	DJ Ski, MC Willski
Origin	Greensboro, North Carolina
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, Record producer
Instruments	Percussion, synthesizer, keyboards, bass, turntables
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Now City Records DD172/BluRoc
Associated acts	DJ Clark Kent, Jay-Z, Camp Lo, Curren$y, AZ, Young Uno, The Bizzie Boyz, Murs, Toteking, Mobb Deep

David Willis, otherwise known as DJ Ski and Ski Beatz, is an American record producer mainly working in hip hop.

Discovered by DJ Clark Kent, Ski was originally known as "MC Will-Ski" in the late 1980s. He began his recording career as one third of North Carolina's first hip hop groups The Bizzie Boyz, alongside Mixmasta "D", Fanatic and dancers Move & Groove. In the early 1990s, Ski moved to New York City and was a member of the group Original Flavor, the first group managed by future recording industry executive Damon Dash. In the mid-90s, Ski was working on duo Camp Lo's debut album Uptown Saturday Night when Dash called him in to work on the debut album of his own artist, Jay-Z. Jay's album, Reasonable Doubt, was released in 1996, marking Ski's first major production placement. Ski produced four tracks off the album, including the singles "Dead Presidents" and "Feelin' It".

After the critical success of Reasonable Doubt, Ski formed Roc-A-Blok Productions in affiliation with Jay and Dame's label, Roc-A-Fella Records, working with Camp Lo and Sporty Thievz. The producer crafted most of Camp Lo's debut, which dropped in 1997, and produced the Fat Joe single "John Blaze"; Ski continued to work with Jay-Z, on his second album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 as well as non-solo albums and compilation projects, until 1998, when Jay released his third project Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life without beats from any of his former producers except for DJ Premier.

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