Darren Lighty | |
Birth Name: | Darren F. Lighty |
Alias: | D-Life, Smooth |
Birth Date: | 1969 4, mf=yes |
Birth Place: | Paterson, New Jersey |
Genre: | Hip hop, R&B |
Occupation: | Session musician, Record producer, Background vocalist |
Instrument: | Keyboards |
Years Active: | 1990 - present |
Label: | Cold Chillin', Divine Mill |
Associated Acts: | Intelligent Hoodlum, Heavy D, Blackstreet, Marley Marl, Next, Donell Jones, Naughty By Nature, Jaheim, Craig G |
Website: | Darren Lighty's Twitter Page |
Darren Lighty (born April 6, 1969 in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American hip-hop and R&B record producer and songwriter.
Lighty got his initial start in the industry as part of the group The Flex, which also included his brother Cliff Lighty and Eric Williams.[1] They were discovered by hip hop producer Marley Marl, who had them sing the hooks on songs he produced for LL Cool J, Heavy D. & the Boyz, Craig G and Intelligent Hoodlum.[2] The group disbanded before recording an album and the trio went their separate ways. Darren and his brother Cliff continued on as songwriters and session musicians, while Eric Williams became a member of Teddy Riley's group Blackstreet.[3]
In the early 2000s, Lighty closely worked with Eddie F. on several songs as a producer. He later collaborated with Naughty by Nature member Kay Gee for production and songwriting.[4] Lighty has worked with artists such as Aaliyah, Donell Jones, Jaheim, Next, Luther Vandross, Queen Latifah, Nas, Mario and more.