Respected and emulated New York-based producer, DJ, and label chief Osunlade grew up in a musical environment; as a youngster, he took piano lessons and sang in his church choir. At the age of 17, he joined the cast of the popular children's show Sesame Street as a presenter. He later produced music for the program. During the late '80s, he started working as a producer and session hand; since starting out, he has leant his talents to records by Musiq, Patti LaBelle, Najee, India.Arie, and Eric Benet. In 1999, Osunlade established the Yoruba label and began releasing deep house productions of his own while cultivating new artists.