Kato (producer)
Kato (born Christopher Ju) is a Korean-American music producer/artist. Originally hailing from Fairfax, Va, in 2006, he moved to Atlanta where he currently resides. Notable artists he has worked with includes Roscoe Dash, Lil' Scrappy, Kalenna (Diddy Dirty Money), Crown J (Korean artist), as well as numerous upcoming independent artists like Dumbfoundead, Jarren Benton and Elz jenkins. His name 'Kato' comes from the 1960s television show The Green Hornet, where Bruce Lee plays the role of Kato.
Early History
Chris was born and raised in Fairfax, Va. where he attended elementary and high school. During his early college years, he attended Drexel University in Philadelphia, where his love for creating hip-hop music began. While in Philadelphia, he started a rap duo with a high school friend - C.U.R.E. (Can't Underestimate Real Emcees), where he took on the alias 'Inkarnation' and played the dual role of emcee/producer. They soon released a demo that included 4 self-produced tracks. Shortly after, he relocated to Flowery Branch, Ga. where he lived with his family for a year. He continued to produce and record music throughout this time, also taking on a new alias - 'Kato'.
During the next few years, his parents divorced and he bounced around between midtown and north Atlanta, where he currently resides. He also attended Georgia State University for two years, before dropping out to pursue music full-time.
Credentials
In 2008, Kato was selected to perform at Atlanta's first Kollaboration event, a nationwide talent showcase for Asian-Americans. He was again selected in 2010 for the 3rd annual Atlanta Kollaboration show. He has performed in much of the Southeastern U.S. region, as far up north as Philadelphia. Kato's music has also been featured on mixtapes and popular sites like MTVK, KevinNottingham, 2DopeBoyz, DJBooth, RapReviews, LiveMixtapes, etc. as well as both American and Korean publications.
Studio Albums/Mixtapes
- Kato EP (2006)
- Ears & Voices Mixtape (2007)
- T.I.M.E. Vol. 1 (2009)
- Mike Petrone - The Last Hundred Yards LP (2010)
- T.I.M.E. Vol. 2 (2010)
Production Credits
- Above Ave - ("Don't Be Hard On Yourself", "Every Time", "Sip Of Life") (2008)
- Tommy Lee Soul - Go (2009)
- Dumbfoundead - Rapper-O's (2009)
- Thirsty Fish - Party Snatchers (2009)
- Adrift Da Belle - Real Song (2009)
- Mike Petrone ft. Lil' Scrappy - Crank It (2010)
- Grady ft. Roscoe Dash - I Go Hard (2010)
- Vox Merger - More Reasons (2010)
- The Canz ft. Young Lyxx, Niko Villamor and FKi - Bananas (2010)
- Jarren Benton ft. Elz Jenkins - Justin Bieber (2011)
- Elz Jenkins - Fallin' Off The Floor (2011)
General Sources
- MTV Iggy: T.I.M.E. Vol. 1 Review
- Koream Magazine Feature Article: "Crankin' It"
- ChannelAPA: 16 Bars With Music Producer Kato
- Beatstudies: Kato Reasons Things Out