Words by Salaam Remi, as told to Jesse Serwer:::Photo by Daison Osbourne—

During a recent afternoon with Salaam Remi at his Miami studio Instrument Zoo, we spoke with the unsung production genius about everything from his days on New York radio with Funkmaster Flex to his mastery of the reggae hip-hop remix and his hand in Nas’ new classic Life is Good, in an interview you can read in full here. While we had his attention—Salaam prefers to fly under the radar and rarely gives interviews— we had to ask about some of his best-known tunes, and a few forgotten favorites. Click through below as Salaam shares the stories behind everything from Super Cat’s “Ghetto Red Hot” to his wicked flip of the Don Dada for Nas’ recent smash, “The Don.” Selector!