About the Author

The year was 1992 and New York was on fire. From hip-hop to the big apple dominated the music scene, delivering raw, unparalleled talent from the boroughs to the mainstream. While infamous industry folk like Sean "P Diddy" Combs were in the forefront of developing legendary acts such as Mary J. Blige, a somewhat hidden genius lay in the cut quietly drumming out some of the craziest sounds heard round the world. Introduced to the music business through Diddy himself, this multifaceted Mt. Vernon, NY native went on to compose, arrange, mix, engineer and produce for over two decades. Working on countless songs and remixes alongside the Bad Boy founder, Dofat created and produced hit tracks and remixes for everyone [to name a few] from Heavy D, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Will Smith, Black Rob, Method Man, and Jodeci toTina Turner, Notorious BIG and MTV's Da Band. Highly respected for his command of the recording studio and for his creative vision, Dofat is regularly called upon by the industry's leading icons including Andre Harrell, Diddy and Heavy D to consult on artist development and musical direction. Having produced, remixed, and released over 120 compositions with numerous Top Ten hits (42 RIAA certified Gold, Multi Platinum) he is without a doubt a powerhouse in his own right. Working under the tutelage of Diddy at Bad Boy since its inception, Dofat was a member of the crucial production unit, The Hit Men. In addition to creating a plethora of chart toppers for the Bad Boy roster, Dofat went on to tackle the big screen in 2001 with the release of a New York Times Critics choice Hip-Hop Documentary, "Street Dreams/Ballers". Produced & Directed by Dofat, under the banner of his Chinavision Films and distributed through a deal with Ventura/UrbanWorks Entertainment, the award-nominated documentary by Urban World Film Festival, Hollywood Film Festival, explored the world of rap music and the evolution of hip-hop culture as few had seen before. After years behind-the-scenes in the lab, this visionary connected his persona to his respected reputation when he appeared on MTV's Making the Band 2 and 4, where he was the primary entity assigned by Diddy to work directly with the hip-hop ensemble. Credited as Associate executive producer, record producer, musician, writer, and engineer/mix engineer, Dofat created Da Band's album, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and was certified Gold in the first week of release, Dofat completed the project in less than eight weeks and produced the "Too hot for TV" studio album including the two lead singles "Badboy This, Badboy That" and "Tonight". In 2009, Dofat's work was nominated for a Grammy Award with Heavy D's LP release, Vibes, contributing as Producer, co-Executive Producer, Musician, and Mix Engineer. Somewhere throughout the hectic production schedule and long studio hours, Dofat managed to tour the world and work on the live side of music as Musical Director and Pro Tools editor. Multi platinum Artists such as Diddy, Jay Z, Timbaland, Usher, Jagged Edge, Danity Kane, Day 26, Jamie Foxx, and many others called on Dofat regularly to arrange and mastermind their live performances. Currently, Tony Dofat is an associate professor, Record Producer, Independent Consultation, Author, Audio & Mix Engineer, and also instruct Master Classes for music.