A-Trak

Canadian producer and DJ A-Trak has traveled all over the world, performing at DJ competitions, clubs, and music festivals in countries including Australia, Japan, South Africa, and Norway, all before the tender age of 18. He was the youngest DJ to ever win a DJ-battling world championship (at 15); the first to win all three major championships -- International Turntablist Federation (ITF), Disco Mix Club (DMC), and Vestax World Extravaganza; and the first to win five world championship competitions -- again, all before 18. The turntablist wunderkind made himself a pioneer in this subculture of hip-hop within just a few years. As if the tide couldn't turn more in his favor, Kanye West picked him up to be his personal touring DJ in the early 2000s (which lead to his involvement on West's Late Registration). During that era, his featured interviews in hip-hop magazines and on MTV brought this almost-lost art form much-needed mainstream exposure. Into the 2010s, he worked with artists across the genre-spectrum, founded the Fool's Gold label, and teamed with Armand Van Helden as the Grammy-nominated Duck Sauce. Singles, EPs, and collaborations continued into the 2020s, during which time he formed the Brothers Macklovitch duo with his big brother, Chromeo's Dave 1.