David Sweeten AKA DJ Burn One

Over the last 20 years, Burn One has cemented a reputation as one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the modern South. Known for producing trunk-rattling and deeply funky hip-hop, Burn One began releasing mixtapes as a high school student. This led to the first part of his legend: as the DJ who educated Gucci Mane about the necessity of doing mixtapes, and who de facto executive produced the Zone 6 icon’s seminal, Chicken Talk.

During the blog era, Burn One was the DJ and tastemaker widely credited as helping to break Freddie Gibbs, Yelawolf and Pill. Shifting his focus to production, the Atlanta, Georgia native made the beat for “Houston Old Head,” one of the most celebrated songs from A$AP Rocky’s classic, Long.Live.A$AP. Over the years, Burn One’s production resume has included underground kings like Starlito and Young Dro to platinum superstars like Lil Durk, Nicki Minaj, Don Toliver and Rich the Kid. One of the first to create original samples for other producers, Burn One and his Five Points Bakery have had their names pop up in the credits for everyone from Jidenna to Young M.A. In addition to his compositional work, Burn One engineers for David Banner and mixes and masters for many artists from independent to major. He calls his sound “retro-future.” Something old, something new — always knocking.

Along with production and mixing, Burn One has a keen ear for talent. Discovering and developing a young Pi’erre Bourne from SAE student into one of the most influential hip-hop producers of the past 5 years. Other notable achievements include providing sound design for the Academy Award-winning 1917 and Justice League movie trailers respectively. Burn One also provides the curriculum at the University of Illinois School of Music for their Music Monetization 499 course.