Needlz
Khari Cain (born April 19, 1978), known professionally as Needlz, is an American record producer and songwriter.
Also recorded as Khari Cain
Needlz
- Name
- Needlz
- Birth Name
- Khari Cain
- Birthplace
- Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
- Born
- 19 April 1978
- Occupation
- * Record producer
- Nationality
- United States.
- Fields
- popular music, music production and pop music.
- Education
- New York University, Florida State University, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and Florida A&M University.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Khari Cain (born April 19, 1978), known professionally as Needlz, is an American record producer and songwriter.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Needlz. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q6986658 · wikipedia · Needlz
In this article
Biography
Biography
Needlz studied at New York University, Florida State University and Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is popular music, music production and pop music. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are hip-hop.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Needlz • Birth Name — Khari Cain • Birthplace — Lansing, Michigan, U.S. • Born — 19 April 1978 • Genre — Hip hop • Occupation — * Record producer • songwriter • Years Active — 2001–present • Label — Dry Rain Entertainment
Early life and career
Early life and career
Cain was born on April 19, 1978, in Lansing, Michigan. He began to DJ while an undergraduate in Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Florida State University. He majored in the graduate music business program at New York University's Steinhardt School and originally intended to pursue a career in artist and repertoire (A&R). After attaining an internship with Bad Boy Records, he was inspired to begin a career in record production. With the help of A&R Folayan Knight, Needlz associated with Black Entertainment Television (BET) and MTV and created theme songs for Rap City and Suckafree Sundays, respectively. Fellow record producer Swizz Beatz assisted Needlz to "exposure" by collaborating in album production, including Cassidy's I'm a Hustla and Swizz Beatz One Man Band Man.
Production style
Production style
Needlz chiefly produces songs in the hip hop genre. He describes his style as "an oxymoron: clean and dirty at the same time". He uses Akai MPC2000XL and Pro Tools to produce beats and utilizes Kurzweil K2661 and the Roland MKS-80 for synthesizers. He has endorsed the Native Instruments Maschine.
Production discography
• Year — Title — Artist — Album • 2001 — "We Don't Give a Fuck" "Gonna Be Sumthin'" — Ruff Ryders — Ryde or Die Vol. 3: In the "R" We Trust • 2002 — "Miss You" — Afu-Ra — Life Force Radio • 2003 — "Gangsta Shit" — G-Unit — Beg for Mercy • "Keep It Hot" — Mic Geronimo — Long Road Back • "Think Y'all Know" — Fabolous — More Street Dreams, Pt. 2: The Mixtape • "Good God Almighty" — Nappy Roots — Wooden Leather • 2004 — "Put Your Drinks Down" — Drag-On — Hell and Back • "Pass Out" — Ludacris — The Red Light District • "Mein Song" — Max Herre — Max Herre • "Bang Bang" "Let Me In" — Young Buck — Straight Outta Cashville • 2005 — "No Need for Conversation" — Fabolous — Coach Carter soundtrack • "Beauty Queen" — Czar*Nok • "Special" — The Game — The Documentary • "Piggy Bank" "God Gave Me Style" — 50 Cent — The Massacre • "Crack" — Cassidy — I'm a Hustla • "Throw It Back" — Trina — Glamorest Life • "No No No" — Kool Savas & Azad — One • "Drugs, Basket Ball, & Rap" — Talib Kweli — Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD • "Put Ya Hands Up" — Norfclk — Ludacris Presents: Disturbing tha Peace • "Stopp die Party" "Zähl mein Geld" — Afrob — Hammer • 2006 — "The Pen and the Needlz" — Lupe Fiasco — Fahrenheit 1/15, Part I (The Truth Is Among Us) (Mixtape) • "Tilted" — Kick Push CD Single • "Hurt Me Soul" — Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor • "Floating" — Megan Rochell — You, Me and the Radio (Unreleased) • "Serius" "Life in the City" "Ride Out" — Serius Jones — King Me (Mixtape) • "Grind Mode" — Non-Album Track • "Get Clapped" — Lloyd Banks — Rotten Apple • "Here We Go Again" "Shake the Room" — Jaley — Jaley • "Born and Raised" — Dave Chappelle — Dave Chappelle's Block Party soundtrack • "Hey Babe (Give Me Ya Lovin')" — Shareefa — Point of No Return • "Grind Boy" — Smitty — The Voice of the Ghetto • "Turnt Out" — Diego Redd — Gettin Money. Gettin Paid. a Hustler's Story (Mixtape) • "Raised in the Mitten" — P.L. — Without Warning Vol.2 (Mixtape) • 2007 — "Get Away" — Ria — "R. Kive" 1996–2006 • "Gangsta (Interlude)" — Rich Boy — Rich Boy • "Bust Ya Gunz" — Swizz Beatz — One Man Band Man • "Slow Down" — Tage — The Jerk Vol 0 (Mixtape) • "Nuttin' on Me" — Freeway — Free at Last • "My Life" — Joe Budden — Mood Muzik 3.5 • 2009 — "Diesel" — Freeway — Month of Madness (Mixtape) • "One 4 the Treble" "Get Dirty" — Ralph Dogg — Reckless • "How You Like Me Now" "What Money Sounds Like" "Gangsta Shit (Evasocold Mix)" "Tear It Up" — Archie Eversole — Back Like I Never Left (Mixtape) • "We Miss You" — Busta Rhymes — Back on My B.S. • "Intro" — Serius Jones — Why So Serius (Mixtape) • "The Necessary Evils" — Skyzoo — The Salvation • "Walk These Streets" — Rakim — The Seventh Seal • "Help! (I Been Robbed)" — Serius Jones — Life Is Serius (TBR) • "Letter to B.I.G." — Jadakiss — The Last Kiss • "I'm Goin' In" — Drake — So Far Gone • "Hands 2 Myself" — Russell Taylor — Confessional • "Gone" — Donnis — 10.Deep Presents: Diary of an ATL Brave • "Baggage Claim" — 88-Keys — non-album track • 2010 — "One 4 the Treble" "Get Dirty" — Ralph Dog — Reckless • "Dome Shotz" — Minacci featuring Young Buck — 5 Mics • "Maybe Baby" — Donnis — The Invitation (Mixtape) • "OD" — Fashionably Late (Sampler) • "Greatest Trapper Alive" — Young Jeezy — Trap or Die 2: By All Means Necessary • "Yup" "Eat You Alive" "Lighting" (co-produced) "For The Kill" (co-produced) — Donnis — Fashionably Late (Mixtape) • "The Overdose" "On Da Korner" — Pill — 1140: The Overdose (Mixtape) • "The Beginning" (co-producer) — Stat Quo — Statlanta • "Just The Way You Are" (keyboard and drum programming, strings by Needlz) — Bruno Mars — Doo-Wops & Hooligans • "She & H.E.R.", "Suicide ediciuS", "Stars" (co-produced) — John Regan — Sorry I'm Late • "Reflections" — Pill — The Medicine • "Right To Say" — Emilio Rojas — Life Without Shame (Mixtape) • 2011 — "Till I Get There" — Lupe Fiasco — Lasers • "Oh No" — Big Perm — Reign Delay (Mixtape) • 2012 — "It's All On Me" — Pill — The Epidemic • 2013 — "YOLO" — The Lonely Island — The Wack Album • 2015 — "Oui" (keyboard programming) — Jeremih — Late Nights • 2016 — "Selfish (PnB Rock song)" (keyboard and drum programming, bass by Needlz) — PnB Rock — GTTM: Going Thru the Motions • 2017 — "Jussa Lil Bih" — Musiq Soulchild — Feel the Real • 2018 — "Ring" (featuring Kehlani) — Cardi B — Invasion of Privacy • "You" — Nicole Bus — TBA
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Needlz”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q6986658: Needlz
General reference · Wikidata
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Studied at
1- Florida State UniversityOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Born at
1- LansingPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,438 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Neda Agha-SoltanPerson
- Nedda CaseiPerson
- Nedunuri KrishnamurthyPerson
- Needlejuice RecordsOrganisation
- Neely BrucePerson
- Neeraj ShridharPerson
- Neeta SenPerson
- NeffaPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Needlz?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.