Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986),[3] known professionally as Boi-1da (a play on Boy Wonder)[4] is a Canadian record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Samuels moved to Canada when he was three and grew up in the North York and Scarborough districts of Toronto.[5][6] He was also raised in Ajax, Ontario, where he attended Pickering High School.[7][8] His father was a keen listener of dancehall music and so Samuels was brought up listening to Jamaican music.[9] At the age of eight, his mother bought him a Casio keyboard, and at the age of 15, Arun Sellai had introduced him to FL Studio (formerly FruityLoops). Without any formal musical training, he started using the FL Studio beat-making program. A few years later, he won three consecutive Battle of the Beatmakers championships; because of this accomplishment, he was given a spot in the Battle of the Beatmakers judging panel.
His first production work was at the age of 18, when he worked on two tracks on a mixtape (Room for Improvement) for Drake.[5]
Career
Samuels began his career producing for Canadian actor Drake's early mixtapes, Room for Improvement (2006) and Comeback Season (2007). In 2008, he produced "Set It Off" by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, which featured American rap duo Clipse and spawned a remix from American rapper Dr. Dre.[10] In an interview with FLOW 93.5, Boi-1da revealed that he was working on beats for Dr. Dre's highly anticipated album, Detox, which was to be released in 2011.[11] However, that album was indefinitely shelved,[12] and none of the released or leaked tracks by Dr. Dre featured Boi-1da's production. He has since stated that he was working with songwriter Sean Garrett and has submitted tracks for Usher.[13]
In October 2023, it was announced that he had partnered with alcohol brand Bacardi to release an AI-powered album called ‘The A.I. Powered Album’, which involves training an AI model on a selection of his unreleased beats.[17]
Musical style
Boi-1da is known for his distinctive dancehall sound,[18] having been brought up listening to dancehall before hip-hop.[9] He often incorporates live instrumentation and an air horn sound effect into his beats, as used in dancehall and reggae, and frequently incorporates samples in his productions.[9] Boi-1da has spoken out against songs which imitate dancehall, criticising fellow Toronto musician Tory Lanez for doing so in his 2016 single "Luv".[19]
He currently uses FL Studio 12 to make beats, previously, he used Fruity Loops 3.56, 7 XL and 9.[3][6]
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) hosts a series of awards shows, honouring people in different music categories; pop music is one of its seven categories. In 2011, Drake presented the award to him and 40. They both won the ASCAP Pop Music Award for the Songwriters of the Year for "Over".[20]
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