DJ Snake

William Sami Étienne Grigahcine, born 13 June 1986 and known professionally as DJ Snake, is a French record producer. Born in Paris to Algerian parents, he grew up in Ermont, a banlieue district outside Paris. During his youth, he produced graffiti art, which earned him the moniker "Snake" for his ability to evade the police. He was influenced early on by hip-hop artists KRS-One and Cypress Hill, as well as Cut Killer's appearance in the French film La Haine. Grigahcine began DJing at age 14 and started producing music at 19, performing at Paris venues such as Le Bains Douches. In 2005, he met his manager, Steve Goncalves, who encouraged him to begin creating his own music.

In his early career, DJ Snake contributed production work for several prominent artists. In 2011, he produced for Lady Gaga's album Born This Way, co-producing the song "Government Hooker," which earned him a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year in February 2012. He later co-produced tracks on her 2013 album Artpop, including "Applause," "Sexxx Dreams," and "Do What U Want." He was also credited with production work on Pitbull's single "Shut It Down" and released remixes for artists such as Kanye West, AlunaGeorge, Duck Sauce, Major Lazer, and Junior Senior.

DJ Snake gained widespread recognition with his 2013 single "Turn Down for What," a collaboration with Lil Jon released by Mad Decent and Columbia Records. The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 19 on the French SNEP singles chart, receiving an octuple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The track won Top Dance/Electronic Song at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards and was nominated for Best Music Video at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2014, he released "Get Low" with Dillon Francis, which was featured on the Furious 7 motion picture soundtrack. He followed this with a 2014 remix of AlunaGeorge's "You Know You Like It" and the 2015 collaborative single "Lean On" with Major Lazer featuring MØ, which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped music charts in nine countries.

DJ Snake released his debut studio album, Encore, in August 2016 through Interscope Records. The album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and featured singles such as "Middle" featuring Bipolar Sunshine, "Talk," "The Half," and the Billboard Hot 100 top-five single "Let Me Love You" featuring Justin Bieber. His second studio album, Carte Blanche, was released in July 2019 and reached number 48 on the Billboard 200. Carte Blanche was supported by singles including "Magenta Riddim," "Enzo," "Loco Contigo," "Fuego," and the top-20 single "Taki Taki," featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B.

Throughout his career, DJ Snake has performed on major tours and at prominent events, including the 2014 Mothership Tour with Skrillex and Dillon Francis, the 2015 Coachella Music Festival, and a performance at the Arc de Triomphe promoting Paris' bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. His industry recognitions include being named to Forbes' "30 Under 30 in Music" list in 2016 and placing ninth on Billboard's Dance 100 ranking in 2018. Beyond his solo career, he is a member of the French DJ collective Pardon My French alongside Tchami, Mercer, and Malaa. In March 2018, he established his own record label, Premiere Classe, and later secured a residency as a DJ at Zouk Nightclub and AYU Dayclub at Resorts World in Las Vegas.

In his personal life, DJ Snake holds citizenship in both France and Algeria. He is also a fan of the French football club Paris Saint Germain.