The #1 song in the country hasn’t just made a star out of its performer, but its producer, too. Menace, the 22-year-old beatmaker behind rapper Desiigner’s chart-topping hit “Panda” has just landed a publishing deal.
Real name Adnan Khan, Menace worked as a cellphone repairman before uploading the “Panda” beat (originally titled “Maniac”) to YouTube and selling it to Desiigner for $200. The Brooklyn rapper’s version was then heavily sampled on Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo, via track “Pt. 2.” (West would later sign Desiigner to his G.O.O.D. Music label.) Now, Khan has inked a deal with Stellar Songs, a Sony/ATV affiliate that also boasts Sam Smith, Emeli Sande, and Charli XCX on its roster.
Menace offered up words of encouragement, saying, “It’s amazing and shows people that you do anything if you’re in the right place at the right time, with fate on your side. Desiigner and I didn’t have the backing of a record label when we made the song. You, too, can make a hit on your own. I’m just excited now to be working harder than ever.”
He added, “Since I just signed a publishing deal, they’ll be setting up studio sessions with everyone and I can’t wait to get to start working on new projects.”