Floyd Nathaniel Hills (born February 22, 1982), known professionally as Danja (/ˈdeɪndʒə/), is an American record producer from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Beginning his career as a co-producer for fellow Virginian Timbaland, he has since produced for Britney Spears, Usher, Keri Hilson, T.I., Nelly Furtado, Ciara, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Missy Elliott, M.I.A., Justin Timberlake, JoJo, Joe Jonas, Simple Plan, the Clutch, Pink, T-Pain, Diddy, Meek Mill, Björk, Duran Duran and AGNEZ MO.
Danja | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Floyd Nathaniel Hills |
| Born | February 22, 1982 |
| Origin | Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Record producer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | www |
Early life
Hills, born in Virginia Beach, Virginia, took up the drums and piano in his early teens. He got his start by playing in his church when he was growing up.[1] In 2000, Hills worked with producer and singer Teddy Riley on Blackstreet's fourth album, Level II.[2] In 2001, a chance encounter with Timbaland turned into an opportunity to play some music for him. Two years later, Timbaland brought Danja to Miami to work in his studio.[1][3][4]
Career
With Timbaland, Hills produced a wide catalog of songs in 2006 including "Put You On The Game" by rapper The Game, "Promiscuous" and "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado, "SexyBack", "What Goes Around...Comes Around" and "My Love" by Justin Timberlake. In the subsequent years, he produced "Love Story" by Katharine McPhee, "Innocence" and "Earth Intruders" by Björk, and "Give It to Me" and "The Way I Are" off Timbaland's second solo album.[5]
In 2007, Danja produced "Gimme More" for Britney Spears, as well as "Break the Ice" and five other tracks for her Blackout album. The following year, he produced "Kill the Lights" and other songs for her following album, Circus.[2]
Danja produced several tracks with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake for Madonna's 2008 album Hard Candy, including its lead single "4 Minutes". He also produced Mariah Carey's "Migrate" from E=MC², Keri Hilson's "Knock You Down" from In a Perfect World..., and P!nk's "Sober" from Funhouse.
Danja produced the song "Toy Soldier" on Keri Hilson's second album No Boys Allowed (2010), "Freak" by Jamie Foxx, "The Writer" by Jesse McCartney, and "Sleep When I'm Gone" by DJ Khaled on the album We the Best Forever (2011).
In 2010, Danja produced three songs on Diddy – Dirty Money's album Last Train To Paris and "Everything On Me" on T.I's album No Mercy. Danja produced several singles for the recording career of songwriting collaborator Kevin Cossom, including his debut "Baby I Like It" featuring Fabolous and Diddy. For Travis Garland, he produced "Believe", "Don't Leave Me Rose", and "Killer". Danja has also produced "Sexy to Me" by singer/songwriter Joanna Levesque, which is also featured on the singer's commercial for Clearasil. According to Danja's Twitter account, he was in studio with Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z
Production discography
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
| Year | Category | Work | Original artist(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Album of the Year | FutureSex/LoveSounds | Justin Timberlake | Nominated | [6] |
| Best Dance Recording | "SexyBack" | Justin Timberlake | Won | ||
| 2008 | Record of the Year | "What Goes Around... Comes Around" | Justin Timberlake | Nominated | |
| Best Dance Recording | "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" | Justin Timberlake | Won | ||
| Best Rap Song | "Ayo Technology" | 50 Cent featuring Justin Timberlake | Nominated |
Other Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | NRJ Music Award | International Album of the Year | Blackout | Won | [7] |
| 2008 | MTV Europe Music Award | Best Album | Won | [8][9] |
References
External links
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