Check the Credits

Living in Pembroke Pines, StreetRunner went to Flanagan High, where he began to make beats for rappers from his school, quickly moving from the SP1200 to the MPC2000XL. Eventually, however, he thought he was getting too nice on the sampler for his surroundings. "After a few years, I felt my beats were too good for local talent; rappers weren't moving at the pace I was moving — I'm like breakneck right here with these beats. So I got up to the point where I needed to take it to the next level." At the time, his only option was to mail out beat CDs to major labels, one of which handed him his first check, for placing a couple of beats on a Hip Honeys DVD. He also signed up the services of a manager, Jay, who in turn linked him with Cool & Dre, which resulted in the "Take Me Home" single. "Having a manager is superimportant to handle the wolves in this industry," explains StreetRunner. (He also maintains the consulting services of Spliffington Management.)

And still, he probably most enjoys working with Fat Joe. "He always brings the best out of me. He takes it to the level," he says, "and makes sure that I come with it." Lacing two of the best tracks off Fat Joe's last LP, Me, Myself & I, StreetRunner provides two more for The Elephant in the Room, due out March 11, including the intro and the superhard "Kill All Rats." "I get influenced in so many ways while he works on an album, because so many people present [tracks] to Joe. Hopefully this album will do something special; regardless of the sales, it's going to be a classic."

Rolling percussion, chopped samples, synthesizers, sped-up and slowed-down vocals — StreetRunner can do it all, but growing from just a beat maker to a true producer means stepping out of one's element as an artist. In addition to the aforementioned hip-hop heavyweights, he has begun to branch out into R&B and pop with a record for local boy Casely, as well as a possible spot on Jamie Foxx's next album. "I have to come with music for all kinds of different artists. Whatever artist it may be, I need to have that heat ready to go for them," he says. "That's where I've grown as a producer. Before, I was dead-set, like, this is my style no matter what. Now, instead of it just being me and what I'm about, I'm working on trying to do something for them."