As he puts the finishing touches on his next solo effort, Dogg Pound co-founder Kurupt has added a new position to his resume.
The West Coast mainstay is set to executive produce rapper/producer J. Wells second solo album Digital Masters Vol. 2.1.
The album, which is set to hit stores on April 14, comes nearly four years after the accomplished beatsmith’s 2005 debut Digital Masters and is the continuation of a long standing relationship between the two artists.
They first worked together in 2004, when J. Wells crafted two songs on Kurupt Presents: The Originals.
The following year, Kurupt was one of several artists featured on J. Wells’ debut, alongside Bishop Lamont, Method Man, Goodie Mob, Tha Liks, Jayo Felony, Roscoe and Planet Asia.
In 2007, they took it one step further, releasing the critically acclaimed collaborative effort Digital Smoke on J. Wells’ Bonzi Records.
For the new J. Wells project, they’ve reached out to an equally impressive list of collaborators as before.
Digital Masters Vol. 2.1 features appearances by Snoop Dogg, Estelle, WC, Roscoe, Tha Liks, Rah Digga, and Mack 10.
The album’s first single, “Already Famous” features J. Wells and Kurupt along with Da Brat, making her first on-wax appearance since her recent legal troubles.
Also featured on the song is Da Brat’s artist Mister, whose debut, J. Wells has said, may be released via Bonzi’s partnership with distributor Fontana/Universal.
In addition to his own projects, J. Wells is continuing to add to his production credits, which, to date, include a contribution to Keyshia Cole’s 2007 release Just Like You, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Be Cool, as well as commercials for McDonalds and Starbucks among other.
He is currently working on future releases by Ne-Yo, Bone Thugs, Rah Digga, D-12, Rakim, Dead Prez and the Dogg Pound.
J. Wells is also already at work on his next solo effort titled Inebriated, which he says will be a stronger showcase of his production work than past projects.