Kutmasta Kurt

Kurt Matlin, better known as KutMasta Kurt a.k.a. The Funky Redneck, is a hip hop producer and turntablist who is best known for his work with Kool Keith and the Beastie Boys. He is based in Santa Monica, California, USA.

Kurt got his start as a DJ in the mid-80's at Santa Cruz community radio station KUSP. His show aired on Saturday nights and featured live mixing, rhyming, and beatboxing. In 1988, in addition to graduating from Santa Cruz High, he started deejaying at Stanford University college station KZSU on a show hosted by Kevvy Kev. He then began to DJ on Salinas radio station KHDC with THE VERBAL TEK in 1992. His reputation grew and he mixed at parties around the University of California, Santa Cruz campus as well as throwing numerous parties of his own including a 1990 mc battle. When local MCs began to ask him to produce tracks for them, he bought studio equipment and taught himself how to make beats. His first production was for a local rapper, M.C. Groove, and he also had his own group called Red, Black, and Green. RBG released an album titled Serious as Cancer. Kurt also helped produce tracks for the legendary local rap group West Coast Terrorists (Tragedy & E-Drama) who's local hit "Crack a 40 and Laugh" was bumping all over the Santa Cruz hip-hop scene in the summer of '91. It was right after his work with WCT that he remixed and edited Tim Dog's "Fuck Compton" in his home studio. The edited version he created was bought by Tim Dog's label and allowed them to get some limited radio play and to make a video for the single and show it on MTV. This was Kurt's first paying gig in the record business. He also worked with local artist MC Time. He would go on to provide remixes for Buju Banton's "Vigilante" and Hurricane's "Comin' Off" in 1993 & 1994 respectively.

Kurt became friends with the Ultramagnetic MCs, through whom he got his big break in 1994. Kool Keith, ex-leader of the Ultramagnetic MCs, asked Kurt to produce tracks for his new solo career. Kurt produced a few tracks for Keith's 1996 release, Dr. Octagon and then produced Keith's entire album, Sex Style. In 1999 Kurt produced Kool Keith's First Come, First Served and then Matthew in 2000.

After Matthew was released, Kurt began to build his career independently, remixing for Beastie Boys, Planet Asia and Blackalicious, among others. In 2000, Kurt started his record label, Threshold Recordings and released Masters of Illusion, a collaboration with Kool Keith and Motion Man.

His relationship with Keith began to dissolve, but his career survived, thanks to his work on Dilated Peoples' hit single "Work the Angles" in 2000. In 2001 Kurt produced the remix of Linkin Park's "In the End" for their Reanimation remix album. The same year, he produced Motion Man's solo debut, Clearing the Field.

In 2004, Kurt reunited with Kool Keith and released Diesel Truckers. Later that year, he released his own best-of album, Redneck Games.