Noah "40" Shebib

Noah "40" Shebib
Andrew Louis · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Noah "40" Shebib
Birth name	Noah James Shebib
Birth date	1983
Birth place	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Record producer, songwriter, audio engineer, record executive
Years active	2000s–present
Notable works	Take Care; Nothing Was the Same; Views

Noah "40" Shebib is a Canadian record producer, songwriter, and audio engineer known for his minimalist, ambient-influenced production and close collaboration with Canadian rapper and singer Drake. He co-founded the production team and record label OVO Sound and has worked with artists across hip hop, R&B, and pop. His work has influenced modern popular music production and helped establish Toronto as a major music hub.

Early life and education

Shebib was born in Toronto, Ontario, and raised amid the cultural scenes of Toronto neighborhoods while his family maintained connections to the Canadian entertainment industry through his father, Donald Shebib, a film director associated with works like Goin' Down the Road. Early exposure to film and music led him to study audio engineering and production techniques influenced by engineers linked to institutions such as NFB projects and independent studios across Ontario. He pursued practical training in studio environments often frequented by producers connected to labels such as Def Jam Recordings, EMI, and Universal Music Group, and he developed skills comparable to those taught at programs associated with Humber College and industry mentors linked to studios like Metalworks Studios.

Career

Shebib began working in Toronto studios in the early 2000s and emerged within circles that included artists and producers affiliated with Massari, Jully Black, and Toronto hip hop collectives. He gained recognition through collaborations with emerging acts connected to Young Money Entertainment and through engineering sessions that placed him alongside figures from Roc-A-Fella Records-influenced networks. His partnership with Aubrey Graham, professionally known as Drake, crystallized while both were navigating the mixtape era that involved releases similar in context to So Far Gone and projects circulated via platforms tied to DatPiff and MySpace. With Drake and business partner Oliver El-Khatib, associated with Warner Music Group discussions and management practices seen in firms like SBR management, he co-founded OVO Sound, which interacted with distributors including Cash Money Records systems and licensing structures resembling those of Warner/Chappell Music.

Shebib expanded into executive roles, producing and engineering for albums distributed through major labels such as Republic Records and Young Money Entertainment, while contributing to sessions linked to producers from No I.D.'s circle, Static Major legacies, and engineers who worked with artists on Billboard charts. He also composed for projects tied to film and television industries engaging entities like HBO and Netflix during soundtrack placements.

Production style and influences

Shebib's production is noted for sparse arrangements, low-frequency prominence, and atmospheric textures bearing lineage to producers and artists associated with Brian Eno, The Neptunes, and J Dilla. His approach evokes ambient and downtempo aesthetics evident in works by Massive Attack, Portishead, and Tricky, while drawing on contemporary R&B and hip hop techniques related to Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, and Kanye West. He favors intimate vocal treatments reminiscent of techniques used by engineers who worked with Alicia Keys, Sade, and Frank Ocean, and he integrates analog sensibilities linked to studios like Electric Lady Studios and vintage equipment brands such as Neve, SSL, and API. His mixing style often emphasizes space and negative space, a conceptual lineage traceable to producers associated with Low, Brian Eno's ambient projects, and the minimalist approaches of artists like The xx.

Collaborations and notable works

Shebib's most visible collaborations have been with Drake on albums including Take Care, Nothing Was the Same, Views, and mixtapes in the vein of So Far Gone. Beyond Drake, he has worked with a range of artists tied to major and independent labels: Rihanna, Beyoncé, Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Future, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, J. Cole, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, SZA, Post Malone, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Majid Jordan, Mary J. Blige, Sampha, Eminem, Chris Brown, John Legend, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Miguel, Halsey, Lorde, Billie Eilish, Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa, Nick Jonas, Olivia Rodrigo, Skrillex, Mark Ronson, Disclosure, M.I.A., Sia, Khalid, Zayn Malik, Kehlani, JoJo, Kelly Clarkson, John Mayer, Florence and the Machine, Janelle Monáe, N.E.R.D., The 1975, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Burna Boy, Dua Lipa]. Notable tracks and placements include singles that charted on Billboard Hot 100 and albums nominated for Grammy Award categories such as Album of the Year and Best Rap Album.

Awards and recognition

Shebib's work has been recognized through nominations and wins at the Grammy Awards, Juno Awards, and industry acknowledgments from publications such as Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Complex (magazine). Projects he engineered or produced contributed to Drake's multiple wins and nominations at the BET Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and American Music Awards, and to chart success tracked by Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart. He has been featured in industry panels associated with SXSW, MIDEM, and Canadian Music Week.

Personal life and advocacy

Shebib has publicly discussed living with multiple sclerosis, aligning his advocacy with organizations such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and awareness campaigns often coordinated with public figures like Michael J. Fox. He has supported charitable efforts and benefit concerts tied to foundations similar to UNICEF, War Child, and Canadian arts funding bodies like Canada Council for the Arts. Shebib has maintained a low public profile regarding his private life while participating in industry initiatives concerning artists' rights, streaming economics debated at forums with representatives from IFPI, SoundExchange, and label executives from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.

Category:Canadian record producers Category:People from Toronto