K-Salaam
Adjunct Instructor
Kayvon Sarfehjooy (p/k/a “K-Salaam”) is a Producer, Audio Engineer, & DJ / Turntablist, originally from Minneapolis, MN. In Minnesota he first made a name for himself as a Turntablist in the budding Midwest Hip-Hop scene in the late 90’s. Kayvon DJ’ed on the #1 Hip-Hop Radio show in the Twin Cities. He toured around the country and also performed at various shows in his hometown, alongside many major artists (Nas, De La Soul, Rage Against the Machine, etc.)
After releasing two critically acclaimed mixtapes –“The Hands of Time,” and “Real DJs Do Real Things,” (which garnered him somewhat of an underground cult following), K-Salaam (a former trumpet player himself) met multi-instrumentalist Beatnick (born Nick Phillips, 1986 in St. Paul, MN), to form “Beatnick & K-Salaam Productions.” The two decided to make the move to New York City with the collective goal of becoming professional Music Producers. Shortly after their move, they signed a major Record deal in 2006 with VP / Universal, as well as a Publishing deal with Sony / ATV. The promotion and execution of the project did not match Beatnick & K-Salaam’s expectations. However, it did open up opportunities with various artists, managers, A&R’s, and other music industry entrepreneurs. As a result, Beatnick & K-Salaam went on to produce for some of the biggest Artists in both Hip-Hop & Reggae (and even some Rock and R&B). Some of these artists include: Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Nas, Keane, Tech N9ne, Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def, Bun B, G-Unit, Freddie Gibbs, Collie Buddz, Buju Banton, Sizzla, Junior Reid, Talib Kweli, Hollywood Undead, Dead Prez, & much more. As of today, Beatnick & K-Salaam have garnered over 100 million YouTube views for songs they have produced for various artists, spanning over 5 different genres.
Besides Producing Music (as well as Mixing & Mastering the majority of songs / projects that they produced), Kayvon and his partner were also hired as Sound Designers for the legendary Ms. Lauryn Hill during her 2012-2013 tours. During this time they created custom made sounds for the keyboard player, custom drum sounds for the drummer, and also helped with the overall sound of the entire live show. They also worked with Ms. Lauryn Hill as in-house Music Producers. (None of the music that they created has yet been released.)
The duo also traveled to Brazil and produced Emicida’s entire album, Doozicabraba e a Revolução Silenciosa, released in 2011, resulting in Emicida receiving MTV Brazil’s 2011 Artist of the Year Award. They later went on to produce for Emicida’s newest signee - “Rael,” where they recorded, composed, mixed, mastered, and produced the entire Album from scratch in Brazil – “Ainda Bem Que Eu Segui as Batidas do Meu Coração.” This project featured some of the greatest musicians in Brazil, and has already garnered well over 25 million views (all independently) on YouTube. Shortly after, Beatnick & K-Salaam produced 3 more songs for Emicida, in which one of the songs were used in NBC’s opening montage of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Another song featured a video with soccer phenom Neymar, and the 3rd song was featured on EA Sports FIFA 15.
Other full length LPs produced by the duo include: Murs & Fashawn’s “This Generation” (2012), & Smif-n-Wessun’s Born and Raised (2013), both on Duck Down Records.
As a DJ / Turntablist, K-Salaam has toured Brazil & the U.S., and has performed alongside some of the biggest artists in the world (Lauryn Hill, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, A Tribe Called Quest, etc.) just to name a few.