Waajeed

Waajeed (born Robert O'Bryant) is a Detroit-born music producer, and one half of the hip hop and R&B group Platinum Pied Pipers, and a founding member of Tiny Hearts. He formed the Bling47 record label in 2002, which has released projects by J Dilla, Waajeed himself, and others. Since 2013, he has preferred the name Jeedo. The name "Waajeed" means "finder" or "seeker" in Arabic. Before he began producing records, Waajeed was studying art and DJing in and around the Detroit music circuit. He was a prominent photographer in the local hip-hop scene and designed the cover for both Slum Village's "Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1)" and Fantastic, Vol. 2, among others. Waajeed was an executive producer on Dwele's pre-debut project, Rize, which ultimately led to Dwele getting signed to Virgin Records shortly thereafter. He has been a close friend of Slum Village since its earliest days, DJ'ing for them on their earliest tours, convincing the group to release their first album/demo, Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1), choosing the group's name, and introducing them to fourth member Elzhi. Since his earlier records, Waajeed has made a shift towards a "darker" sound which he explains in a 2013 interview. "People often ask me what my music is about and they see it as dark or bleak and yes, I do think it’s dark, but it’s also hopeful and optimistic. I make dark music to be a better person. I make dark music so I don’t go out in a temper and take a son from a mother. You have to camouflage yourself. You have to lay in the cut…. My music is dark because it’s a reflection of the times too. These are serious times we live in so even at its brightest moments there’s a taint to my work. What’s going on with all the gunplay – this is not a time for happy sing-along shit.