Dem Jointz

Dwayne Allen Abernathy Jr. (born July 17, 1976), known professionally as Dem Jointz, is an American record producer, songwriter and singer. He has been credited with production work for artists including Kanye West, Rihanna, Anderson .Paak, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, EXO, NCT, Aespa, and Itzy, among others. He served as in-house talent for Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment in 2015, during which he produced four tracks on Dre's third album, Compton (2015). That same year, he produced several tracks on Janet Jackson's Billboard 200-number one album, Unbreakable (2015).

Since 2020, Abernathy has contributed production or backing vocals to West's albums Donda (2021) and Donda 2 (2022), as well as on his 2020 single "Nah Nah Nah".

His record label, U Made Us What We Are, was founded in 2015 and has signed artists including Maryland-based rapper K.A.A.N., gospel singer Keedron Bryant, and his spouse, singer Stalone. He formed the supergroup Read the PDF with fellow Aftermath producers, Mr. Porter and Focus… in 2022.

He has won a Grammy Award from two nominations.

Dem Jointz was Born on July 17, 1976, in Compton, California. He was inclined to music at an early age, playing drums in his local church.

Prior to fully committing to music, Dem Jointz worked at a telecommunications company. In 2005, he was unexpectedly fired, which motivated him to pursue music seriously.

In 2015 he was recruited as an in-house producer for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. That same year, he contributed to four tracks on Dre’s d album Compton (2015), which featured an all-star lineup including Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem.

In 2015, he also co-produced several tracks on Janet Jackson’s Unbreakable album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Over the years, he went on to work with Kanye West, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Anderson , Paak, Eminem, and Brandy, among many others. His contributions to Kanye West’s Donda (2021) and Anderson, Paak’s Ventura (2019) earned him multiple Grammy nominations and two Grammy Awards.

Dem Jointz founded his own record label, U Made Us What We Are, in 2015. The label was created to support and develop emerging talent.

Around the same time, Dem Jointz began making waves in the K-pop industry. His first major K-pop placement came with Red Velvet’s "Don’t U Wait No More" from their debut studio album, The Red (2015). The success of the track resulted in collaborations with SM Entertainment, leading to a long-term partnership with the powerhouse label. He produced major hits for EXO, NCT 127, Aespa, BTS, TXT, and IVE. EXO’s "Obsession" was named K-Pop Song of the Year by Billboard, while Aespa’s "Supernova" dominated the charts for 11 weeks at No. 1 and won Song of the Year at the Korean MAMA Awards.

Abernathy's productions can be identified by his "Incoming!" producer tag, which can be heard in the beginning of his productions—namely Kanye West's "Nah Nah Nah". He also uses the tag "Now, the breakdown" before the bridge of many songs, including Taeyeon's "Something New" and Lee Chaeyeon's "Hush Rush".

On November 6, 2021, Dem Jointz announced on Instagram that he's engaged to his partner, Stalone, a Grammy-winning vocalist.

• Winner – Best R&B Album – Ventura (Anderson. Paak) – [Dem Jointz contributed to "Reachin’ 2 Much"]

Sources:

• Winner – Best Rap Song – "Jail" (Kanye West ft. Jay-Z)

• Nominee – Album of the Year – Donda (Kanye West)

• Awarded to the Aftermath production crew: Dr. Dre, Fredwreck, Dem Jointz, Focus…, Blu2th, and Trevor Lawrence, Jr.

• 2019: K-Pop Song of the Year – "Obsession" (EXO)

• 2024: Song of the Year – "Supernova" (AESPA, 11 weeks at #1 on Korean charts)

• Dem Jointz credits on AllMusic