Editing Def Jef

{{short description|American rapper}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2010}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Def Jef
| image             = 
| caption           = 
| alias             = 
| birth_name        = Jeffrey A. Fortson
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1970|9|27}}
| birth_place       = [[Manhattan]], New York City, U.S.
| occupation        = {{hlist|Rapper|music producer|actor}}
| genre             = [[hip hop music|Hip hop]]
| years_active      = 1984–present
| label             = {{hlist|[[Delicious Vinyl]]|Thugline}}
| associated_acts   = [[Young MC]]<br>[[West Coast Rap All-Stars]]<br>[[Shaquille O'Neal]]<br>Funkytown Pros
| website           = 
}}

'''Def Jef''' is the stage name of '''Jeffrey Fortson'''<ref name="LarkinDM">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1998|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0252-6|page=80}}</ref> (born September 27, 1970), an American [[alternative hip hop]] musician and rapper of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was born in [[Harlem]], New York City.

His debut album was 1989's ''[[Just a Poet with a Soul]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p28|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Def Jef|last=Kellman|first=Andy|publisher=[[All Media Guide|AMG]]|accessdate=May 7, 2010}}</ref> which won critical acclaim for sociopolitical lyrics and original beats.<ref name="LarkinDM"/>  Additionally, he was a member of the [[West Coast Rap All-Stars]], a collaboration of [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]]-based hip hop artists who released the anti-violence single "We're All in the Same Gang" in 1990. He performed on the television variety show ''[[In Living Color]]'' in 1990.<ref name="imdb Def Jef">{{IMDb name|id=0420101|name=Def Jef}}</ref>

After his second album, ''[[Soul Food (Def Jef album)|Soul Food]]'', was released, Def Jef moved into production full-time.<ref name="LarkinDM"/>  Since the 1990s, he has produced, written, arranged and remixed artists including [[Nas (rapper)|Nas]], [[Snoop Dogg|Snoop Doggy Dogg]], [[Mary J. Blige]], [[Kimberley Locke]], [[Maxwell (musician)|Maxwell]], Avant, [[Tupac Shakur]], and [[Shaquille O'Neal]]. He has worked with [[Krayzie Bone]] and Thugline Records.

He produced the theme songs for the Disney sitcom ''[[That's So Raven]]'' and ''[[The Game (American TV series)|The Game]]''.

Def Jef also appeared in the feature film ''[[Deep Cover]]'' in 1992.<ref name="LarkinDM"/>

==Discography==
*1989: ''[[Just a Poet with Soul]]''
*1990: "[[We're All in the Same Gang]]" (single) (as part of the [[West Coast Rap All-Stars]])
*1991: ''[[Soul Food (Def Jef album)|Soul Food]]''
{| class="wikitable"
|+Production Credits
!Year
!Song
!Artist
!Album
|-
| rowspan="2" |1989
|Hi Powered 
|Body & Soul
|{{Non-album single}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/703616-Body-And-Soul-Dance-To-The-Drummers-Beat}}</ref>
|-
|En La Casa
|[[Mellow Man Ace]]
|''[[Escape from Havana]]''
|-
|1991
|Mean Green
|Tone-Loc
|''[[Cool Hand Lōc]]''
|-
|1992
|Good Things Don't Last; Let It Move You; Forward Bound; Best in Me
|The Poetess
|''Simply Poetry''<ref>{{Cite web |title=YouTube |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1262480-The-Poetess-Simply-Poetry}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="3" |1993
|Deeper; Process of Elimination; 1800 Bodies
|[[Boss (rapper)|Boss]]
|''Born Gangster''
|-
|I Know I Got Skillz; I ate to Brag
| rowspan="2" |[[Shaquille O'Neal]], Def Jef
|[[Shaq Diesel]]
|-
|I Know I Got Skillz Remix
|{{Non-album single}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2700230-Shaquille-ONeal-I-Know-I-Got-Skillz}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="5" |1994
|The Right Kinda Lover (Def Jef Remix)
|Patti LaBelle
|{{Non-album single}}
|-
|Life's a Bitch (Arsenal Mix)
|Nas, AZ
|{{Non-album single}}
|-
|Out of Control
|Wells
|''NBA JAm Session''<ref>{{Cite web |title=discogsy |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1042594-Various-NBA-Jam-Session}}</ref>
|-
|Cherish This Love; DOn't Let Me Catch You Slippin'
|Brigette McWilliams
|''Take Advantage of Me''<ref>{{Cite web |title=discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1732559-Brigette-McWilliams-Take-Advantage-Of-Me}}</ref>
|-
|Shaq-Fu: Stand and Deliver
|Shaq
|''[[Shaq Fu: Da Return]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/205534-Shaquille-ONeal-Shaq-Fu-Da-Return}}</ref>
|-
|1996
|80 Ways
|Def Jef
|''Phat Beach (soundtrack)''
|-
|1997
|Under Pressure 
|Nadanuf
|''Worldwide''
|-
|1999
|Betta Dayz
|Snoop Dogg
|''[[No Limit Top Dogg]]''
|-
|2000
|Tha Eastsidaz 
| rowspan="2" |Tha Eastsidaz
|''[[Snoop Dogg Presents: Tha Eastsidaz]]''
|-
| rowspan="3" |2001
|Late Night
|''[[Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way]]''
|-
|Shackled Up
| rowspan="2" |Krayzie Bone
|''[[Oz (soundtrack)]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=discogs |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1626129-Various-OZ-The-Soundtrack}}</ref>
|-
|A THugga Level; I Don't Give a Fuck
|''[[Thug on da Line]]''
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0420101|name=Def Jef}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jef, Def}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:African-American male actors]]
[[Category:African-American male rappers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male rappers]]
[[Category:Delicious Vinyl artists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Manhattan]]
[[Category:People from Harlem]]
[[Category:Rappers from Manhattan]]
[[Category:21st-century American rappers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]


{{US-hiphop-bio-stub}}