Kijana Elcock, aka “TheKeytolife”, is a RIAA certified Gold selling Music Producer based out of New York City. Formerly one-third of the production team, “The Narcotics”, his production credits include artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj, LL Cool J, Kanye West, Teairra Mari, Sha Stimuli, Sizzla, Kingpen Slim, Keshia Chante, Freeway, Afro Punk, and Astro.
Growing up in a Trinidadian-American household in the culturally diverse East Flatbush section of Brooklyn, NY greatly impacted his love for all genres of music. Both his father, who was in a band in his younger days, and the predominately West Indian community exposed him to the global sounds of Calypso, Soca, Reggae, and Dancehall. R&B, Funk, Rock, and Soul were also dominating forces, but it was his love for Hip-Hop that eclipsed all others.
It was one fateful day in high school that would put him on the path to music production. He was hanging out afterschool with his best friend, Sherod “Sha Stimuli”, when he was introduced to his older brother. Sha’s older brother turned out to be music producer Lord Digga, who at the time had multiple production credits on The Notorious B.I.G.’s legendary debut album, “Ready to Die”, as well as a rapper affiliated with Masta Ace.
This introduction provided him with a first-hand glimpse of the production process. However, it wasn’t until his freshman year at Howard University that Kijana would try his hand at producing. This meant collaborating with other producers in the area, including famed engineer Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton. However, it was his very first track, with the help of producer “A Kid Called Roots”, that landed him in his first studio session at ChuckLife Studio in DC, studio of famed, late producer Chucky Thompson. This moment was possible because Young Guru happened to be working in the studio as the recording engineer. After receiving compliments from both Chucky and Young Guru for his beats, Kijana was armed with the confidence that he could pursue music production professionally.
Junior year, his networking and hard work earned him his first placement. He created the theme music for B.E.T.’s hit show, VideoLink. This opportunity opened up the door to working with several up-and-coming hip hop artists in the DMV area, allowing him to slowly perfect his craft for the next chapter.
Soon after graduating from Howard University, he started collaborating with his childhood friends, eventually becoming a member of the producing trio, The Narcotics. What started off as just a hobby, turned into a viable career in the music industry. After taking a 10-year hiatus from music to obtain his MBA, work in Corporate America, and raise a family, he is focused on finishing what he started so many years ago: sharing his music with the world!
Today, his focus is two-fold; working with aspiring artists looking to perfect their sound and providing soundtracks for various forms of media outlets.
Discology
Teairra Mari
Make Her Feel Good (Remix) Produced by Thekeytolife
