Ash Riser
Ash Riser | |
---|---|
Birth name | Ash Winston Riser |
Also known as | Ashtrobot |
Born | Redondo Beach, California, United States | August 28, 1989
Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Died | June 12, 2021 Los Angeles, California, United States | (aged 31)
Genres | |
Occupations | |
Instruments | |
Years active | 2004–2021 |
Labels |
|
Website | www |
Ash Winston Riser (August 29, 1989 – June 12, 2021),[1] also known by his former stage name Ashtrobot, was an American recording artist and music producer from Los Angeles, California. He embarked on his music career when he was 15 years old, forming a rock band called Pistol Pistol (stylized P!stol P!stol). Due to differences between members, the band broke up in 2009 and Riser subsequently began to put his focus on music production, fusing electronic and hip hop music, among other genres. Riser later began working with longtime friend, Derek Ali of Top Dawg Entertainment, who introduced him to West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar, with whom he began heavily collaborating. Riser then signed a record deal with Israeli music producer Borgore's record label, Buygore and also had a production deal with Chest Rockwell Entertainment. During his life, Riser had played multiple sold-out shows with fellow label-mates and musicians such as ETC! ETC!, Kennedy Jones, Ookay, Protohype and Dirtyphonics. In 2016, Riser received a Grammy Award for his contributions on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly.[2]
Life and career
Ash Winston Riser was born on August 29, 1989, in Redondo Beach, California.[3] It was here he first encountered music and founded his rock band, Pistol Pistol (stylized P!stol P!stol), at the young age of 15. The band, which he formed with high-school classmates, initially started out as a cover band, covering songs by Weezer and The Strokes, among other bands.[4] His first serious music project [P!stol P!stol], was a great success with appearances on The Drop on Sí TV and music featured on ESPN. During their time together, P!stol P!stol released an album titled The Cause.[4] However, due to differences between members, the band broke up in 2009.[4] Since the break-up of his band, he decided to spend countless hours in the studio perfecting his style and sound, producing bass music.[4]
While focusing on music production after P!stol P!stol's disbandment, Riser got a phone call from his longtime high-school friend, Derek Ali, better known as MixedByAli, the in-house mixing engineer of West Coast indie record label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Ali asked Riser to come by the studio and record vocals with an artist he was producing for named Kendrick Lamar, a Compton-based rapper. Lamar and Riser had an instant musical synergy, with Lamar finding Riser's voice to be very original and complementary to his own. Lamar appreciated that Riser used his voice as a musical instrument to add more soul to tracks.[5] In 2009, Riser was featured on Lamar's debut extended play (EP), Kendrick Lamar, on a bonus track titled "Determined". Lamar and Riser collaborated again in 2010, for Lamar's Overly Dedicated project, appearing on the song "Barbed Wire". In 2011, Riser was featured on Lamar's Section.80 project, lending his vocals on the tracks, "Keisha's Song" and "Ronald Reagan Era".
In July 2011, Riser released an EP under his label, D.R.E.A.M. Brigade Recordings. The EP, titled 21st Century Electric Church Music, is a collection of songs compiled by different artists and includes Riser's song, "Ghetto Blastuh".[6] Riser then began collaborating with Lamar's Black Hippy cohort and TDE label-mate, Ab-Soul. Riser was featured on "Beautiful Death", from Ab-Soul's 2012 project, Control System. In 2013, Riser signed a recording contract with Israeli music producer Borgore's record label Buygore, as well as his management company, Buygore Management. Around that time, Riser also signed a production deal with Chest Rockwell Entertainment, founded by Greg Ogan and Spencer Neezy. On April 22, 2015, Riser released an EP titled Modern Medicine, which he mixed, mastered, produced and recorded by himself.[7][8][9] In June 2015, when asked if he was still with Buygore, Riser responded with: "not since 2014".[10]
On June 22, 2016, Riser released his third EP that year, titled R.I.S.E., which includes productions from 808 Mafia, Metro Boomin, Sonny Digital, TM88 and Zaytoven.[11]
Death
Riser was one month away from releasing his second studio album, H.O.P.E., when he unexpectedly died in the early hours of June 12, 2021. His death was a shock across the Los Angeles music scene, and several of his fellow musicians paid tribute to him.[1]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Ghosts |
|
H.O.P.E. |
|
EPs
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Doc Brown and the Kid[12] |
|
Vs. The World EP Pt. 1[13] |
|
Vs. The World EP Pt. 2[14] |
|
Modern Medicine[15] |
|
Home[16] |
|
Late Praise[17] |
|
R.I.S.E.[11] |
|
On Everything[18] (with Don Alfonso) |
|
Ssssh[19] |
|
Singles
- As lead artist
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Ghetto Blastuh" | 2011 | 21st Century Electric Church Music |
"160 Levels"[20] (with Mychael K) |
2012 | non-album single |
"Moon Cry"[21] (featuring Papo and Mike G) |
2017 | Ghosts |
"Impressed"[22] | 2018 | non-album singles |
"Howl"[23] | ||
"20 Something"[24] | ||
"Hallelujah"[25] |
- As featured artist
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Rock Me"[26] (Chris Moody featuring Ashtrobot) |
2012 | non-album single |
"Get Sore"[27] (Atom Pushers & Choppa Dunks featuring Ash Riser) |
2014 | non-album single |
Guest appearances
Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Follow Me"[28] | 2009 | Jupiter Rising | The Quiet Hype |
"Determined"[29] | Kendrick Lamar | The Kendrick Lamar EP | |
"Barbed Wire"[30] | 2010 | Overly Dedicated | |
"Ronald Reagan Era"[31] | 2011 | Section.80 | |
"Keisha's Song (Her Pain)"[31] | |||
"Beautiful Death"[32] | 2012 | Ab-Soul, Punch | Control System |
"Erykah's Lament"[33] | Tae Beast, Ben Freedlander | The Tae Beast Tape 2 | |
"Honeymoon"[34] | 2014 | Champagne Drip | Bikini Radio |
"Never Wanna Leave"[35] | Sikdope | — | |
"Wesley's Theory"[36] | 2015 | Kendrick Lamar | To Pimp a Butterfly |
"London to LA"[37] | Swindle | Peace, Love & Music | |
"God Said Trap (King Trappy III)"[38] | Jay IDK | SubTrap | |
"Leave It Behind"[39] | 2016 | Virtual Riot, 12th Planet | Chemistry EP |
"Long Way Down"[40] | 2018 | Sahtyre | The Gorgeous Darkness |
Remixes
- 2010
- "Glaciers (Ashtrobot remix)" by Her Majesty & the Wolves[41]
- 2011
- "When I Look At You (Ashtrobot remix)" by Emalkay[42]
- "She Will (Ashtrobot remix)" by Lil Wayne[43]
- "Beg for Mercy (Ashtrobot remix)" by Adam Lambert[44]
- "Purple Swag (Ashtrobot remix)" by ASAP Rocky[45]
- 2014
- "Oakland (Ash Riser remix)" by Vell[46]
- "No Type (Ash Riser remix)" by Rae Sremmurd[47]
- 2015
- "Run Ricky Run (Ashtrobot remix)" by Manolo Rose[48]
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | To Pimp a Butterfly (as background vocalist) | Best Rap Album | Won |
References
- ^ a b "RIP Ash Riser: Death of producer rocks LA music scene". 13 June 2021.
- ^ "Ash Riser on SoundBetter".
- ^ "ASH RISER". Facebook.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d "TrapStyle's Q&A with Buygore & DREAM Brigade's Ash Riser TrapStyle | More Than Music". Archived from the original on 2015-05-20. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
- ^ "Kendrick Lamar "co-signs" Ash Riser". YouTube. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "21st Century Electric Church Music - EP by Various Artists". Music.apple.com. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Ash Riser - Modern Medicine (EP) - BLUNTIQ". Archived from the original on 2015-04-27. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "[Mixtape] Ash Riser- "Modern Medicine" (Prod. Ash Riser) - the Come up Show". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ "NEW MIXTAPE: Ash Riser – MODERN MEDICINE EP | Mitchell DeGuzman". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
- ^ https://twitter.com/ASHRISER/status/605462403837362176 [dead link ]
- ^ a b "DXclusive: Ash Riser Unveils "R.I.S.E." EP". HipHopDX. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Doc Brown and the Kid - EP by Ash Riser". Music.apple.com. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Ash Riser - VS The World EP Pt.1". SoundCloud.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Ash Riser - VS The World EP Pt.2". SoundCloud.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Ash Riser: Modern Medicine EP". Str8outdaden.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Ash Riser – HOME (EP) | Lunchroomraps". Archived from the original on 2016-01-08. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
- ^ "Ash Riser Releases "Late Praise" EP". HipHopDX.com. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "On Everything". Amazon.
- ^ "SSSSH - EP by Ash Riser". 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Get millions of songs. All ad-free". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Moon Cry (Feat. Papo & Mike G) - Single by Ash Riser". 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Impressed - Single by Ash Riser". 27 July 2018.
- ^ "Howl - Single by Ash Riser". 17 August 2018.
- ^ "20 Something - Single by Ash Riser". 29 August 2018.
- ^ "Hallelujah - Single by Ash Riser". 17 September 2018.
- ^ "Chris Moody feat. Ashtrobot - Rock Me". Discogs.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Get Sore (feat. Ash Riser) - Single by Atom Pushers & Choppa Dunks". Music.apple.com. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "The Quiet Hype - Jupiter Rising | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Kendrick Lamar EP Mixtape Hosted by Unknown". LiveMixtapes.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Kendrick Lamar - Overly Dedicated - Unknown". Archived from the original on 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ a b "Section.80 - Kendrick Lamar | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Control System - Ab-Soul | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ http://taebeastproducer.bandcamp.com/track/-feat-ash-riser-ben-freedlander [permanent dead link ]
- ^ http://www.malaysiansafari.com/2014/music/bikini-radio-ep-out-now-free-download/ [dead link ]
- ^ "PREMIERE: Sikdope ft. Ash Riser - "Never Wanna Leave (VIP)"". Complex.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ Digital Booklet - To Pimp a Butterfly (Media notes). Kendrick Lamar. Top Dawg Entertainment. 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Peace, Love & Music by Swindle". Music.apple.com. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Jay IDK - Subtrap Mixtape". LiveMixtapes.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Get millions of songs. All ad-free". Music.apple.com. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "The Gorgeous Darkness, by Sahtyre".
- ^ "Glaciers Hmatw Ashtrobot Remix". Wn.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "EMALKAY When I look at you ASHTROBOT REMIX". YouTube. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Lil Wayne ft. Drake- She Will [Ashtrobot Remix]". YouTube. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "Get millions of songs. All ad-free". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ http://www.askmeaboutmymusic.com/post/8899008514/purple-swag-ashtrobot-remix-purple-swag-asap [dead link ]
- ^ "Vell - OAKLAND Feat. DJ Mustard (Ash Riser Remix)". Runthetrap.com. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "[Trap] Rae Sremmurd - No Type (Ash Riser Remix)". YouTube. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ "run ricky run ashtrob remix". MediaFire.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Ash Riser at AllMusic
- Ashtrobot at AllMusic
- Ash Riser discography at Discogs
- Ashtrobot discography at Discogs
- Ash Riser's channel on YouTube
- Ashtrobot's channel on YouTube
Further reading
- Meet Ash Riser. VoyageLA. Retrieved June 29, 2021
- 1989 births
- 2021 deaths
- 21st-century American singers
- American male singer-songwriters
- American rock singers
- American rock songwriters
- Alternative hip hop musicians
- Alternative rock guitarists
- Lead guitarists
- American alternative rock musicians
- American hip hop record producers
- American hip hop singers
- American electronic musicians
- Singer-songwriters from California
- People from Redondo Beach, California
- West Coast hip hop musicians
- Remixers
- American audio engineers
- 21st-century American guitarists
- Guitarists from California
- American male guitarists
- Engineers from California
- Record producers from California
- 21st-century American male singers
- Dubstep musicians
- Trap musicians (EDM)
- Grammy Award winners for rap music