Legendary performer and producer joins Chuck D, GrandMixer DXT, and others for a celebration of Hip Hop 50

Lord Finesse, legendary artist, producer extraordinaire, and member of the iconic hip-hop crew Diggin’ In The Crates (D.I.T.C.), will open The TEC Experience at NAMM 2023 on April 13.

Consistently named as one of hip-hop’s most influential producers and heralded DJs, Lord Finesse will be the vibe curator performing an eclectic DJ set celebrating Hip Hop 50 at the TEC Experience, an evening honoring the people and products advancing music.

The evening celebration will include Chuck D, the legendary leader of Public Enemy, social activist, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award winner, as he’s honored with NAMM’s Impact Music & Culture Award. The award recognizes individuals who move culture through the power of music.

The world’s first “Turntablist” and Rock Walk of Fame inductee, GrandMixer DXT, will be presented with the Hip Hop Innovator Award for his contribution of innovating the turntable as a musical instrument, the impact of which can be heard in every musical genre.

Lord Finesse’s decades-spanning career began in 1989. Finesse discovered the late, great Harlem rapper Big L, mentoring him as his protégé and producing a large portion of Big L’s debut album, Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous.

As an artist, he released three albums, The Funky Technician, Return Of The Funky Man, and The Awakening. In 1992 his second effort, The Return of the Funky Man, which included a series of self-produced songs, helped to launch his career as a much-respected hip-hop producer. In 1994, Finesse made a production appearance on The Notorious B.I.G.’s classic five-time platinum debut album, Ready to Die, producing the track “Suicidal Thoughts.”

He returned in 1996, releasing the acclaimed album, The Awakening, which featured the single “Hip 2 Da Game.” The song would be used over a decade later on Mac Miller’s breakout single “Kool-Aid and Frozen Pizza.”

In 1999, Lord Finesse produced “The Message” on Dr. Dre’s eight-times platinum album The Chronic. Also, that year, Finesse provided the vocal sample on the hook to the international smash “The Rockafeller Skank” by British musician Fatboy Slim from his album, You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby. The song features Finesse’s repeated line, “Right about now, the funk soul brother. Check it out now, the funk soul brother.”

Today, Finesse continues to be one of the most respected staples in hip-hop, constantly touring internationally as an iconic artist, producer, and world-renowned DJ. Rap’s biggest names still seek him for everything from production to music business consultation.

TEC Experience is a communal reception that gathers the crossroads of the industry to applaud the achievements of the researchers and developers, product designers, marketers, and innovators behind the innovations in pro audio.

Additional notable Hip Hop 50 events planned during NAMM 2023 include a Friday, April 14 session from 5-6 p.m.: “Chuck D on Hip Hop at 50, Hosted by Brian Hardgroove,” presented by Black to the Future and showcasing a historical look at the American music and cultural phenomenon.

On Saturday, April 15 from 3-5 p.m., the Yamaha Grand Plaza stage will come alive with the MIDI@40 celebration showcasing a performance by Resonant Alien, the new band featuring Brian Hardgroove and DJ Johnny Juice of Public Enemy.

The performance will recognize the impact that hip-hop and MIDI — as an underlying, enabling technology — have had in breaking down barriers, as MIDI drum machines, sequencers, synths, and turntables are at the heart of many of the iconic records that made hip-hop the cultural phenomenon that it is today.