Born in Baltimore, Maryland, DJ Class debuted as a DJ and producer in the early 1990s and became closely associated with the emerging Baltimore club scene.[1] He released his debut single in 1991, gaining underground fame with his productions for the Baltimore club label Unruly Records.[1] Among his notable releases at that time were "Wuz Up Baby" (1995) and "Tear da Club Up" (1999),[2] the latter of which became a Baltimore club staple years following its release.[1]
In 2000, DJ Class produced music for the soundtrack to the film Cecil B. Demented.[2] After releasing the single "Next to You" in 2001, Class took a break from producing club music.[2] During this period, he produced a gospel hip hop album entitled The Book of Daniel under the name D. Class.[2] In November 2008, Class re-emerged with a new club single entitled "I'm the Shit" (entitled "I'm the Ish" in censored form). Prior to its release, he had e-mailed the track to Unruly Records owner Shawn Caesar, who responded favorably.[2] The single initially gained airplay solely on Baltimore radio,[1][2] but later crossed over to radio stations outside of the city.[3] In December 2009, R&B singer Trey Songz and hip hop producer Jermaine Dupri released a remix of the song.[3] The single's success eventually led to DJ Class and Unruly Records signing a deal with Universal Republic Records in January 2009.[3] Rapper Lil Jon, a fan of DJ Class,[2] recorded a remix of the song with him in Atlanta, Georgia, and another remix featuring Kanye West was recorded in Hawaii.[3] Other artists who have contributed to remixes of the song include Pitbull, Estelle, Paula Campbell, Mullyman and PenDragon.[3]
In April 2009, Universal Republic Records released "I'm the Shit" digitally to the iTunes Store.[3] The same month, the Lil Jon remix entered the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, where it peaked at number 22 and remained for three weeks.[4][5] It also peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Rhythmic singles chart.[6] Class was later named the Best Club Music Producer of the year by the Baltimore City Paper and followed "I'm the Shit" with the singles "Dance Like a Freak" and "I Don't Give a Fuck".[3] In 2010, he produced the Pitbull single "Watagatapitusberry"; the following year, he was featured on the single "Favorite DJ" by record producer Clinton Sparks.
