monte booker

Chicago producer Monte Booker is an innovative beatmaker whose jazz- and electronic-flecked hip-hop instrumentals have been the foundations for songs by Noname, Smino, Saba, and many others. Collaboration is a frequent component of the tracks he releases under his own name, with co-production by Booker and Kenny Beats meeting with unique vocals from Reggie and forming a powerful combination on the 2021 single "Ain't Gon Stop Me."

Booker was born in Chicago in 1995 and was making his own music by his early teens. Along with Ravyn Lenae and Smino, Booker founded the Zero Fatigue collective, an assemblage of music-makers pushing each other forward creatively. In addition to releasing new music of his own, he produced songs for various rappers and other artists nonstop, amassing a list of credits that included work with Mick Jenkins, Spillage Village, Bari, Noname, and many others. In 2016, he was tapped to produce an EP for independent radio show/label Soulection's White Label series. Booker continued producing for other artists as he released new material of his own, offering up stand-alone tracks like 2020's "Backstage Pass," a collaboration with Smino and indie rock band the Drums, and 2021 songs "Everybody Loves You" and "Ain't Gon Stop Me." ~ Fred Thomas