He formed the hip hop duo Gang Starr alongside American rapper Guru, with whom he has released seven albums.

Alongside this, he has been credited with production work on releases for ASAP Mob, AZ, Common, Eminem, the Game, Griselda, Jeru the Damaja, J. Cole, Jay-Z, Joey Badass, Kanye West, Limp Bizkit, M.O.P., Mos Def, Nas, the Notorious B.I.G., O.C., Rakim, Royce Da 5'9, Run the Jewels, and Showbiz & A.G., among others.

[3] He attended Prairie View A&M University, where he honed his musical skills as the campus DJ, and he also occasionally performed with the Marching Storm band.

Premier was fully responsible for the production of Jeru the Damaja's first two albums, The Sun Rises in the East and Wrath of the Math.

[4] Other artists closely tied to the Gang Starr Foundation who Premier collaborated with include: Afu-Ra, Bahamadia,[5] Krumbsnatcha,[6] Big Shug,[7] Smiley the Ghetto Child,[8] and NYGz.

[9] Premier collaborated with MC Jeru the Damaja on the album The Sun Rises in the East, released in 1994, as well as the 1996 follow-up, Wrath of the Math.

Premier produced and supervised Livin' Proof by Group Home, also from the Gang Starr Foundation; although overlooked at the time of its 1995 release, the album eventually received acclaim.

The relationship started with the remix of "Rugged, Neva Smoove" in 1994, a single from the group's first album, which also included the exclusive B-side "Downtown Swinga."

Then, when they heard "Ain't No Other Man," "Back In The Day," and all the other records were still constructed like Premier tracks they were like, "Yo, I really love this album.

[14] In September 2012, Immortal Technique said that a song called "Born in the Trap," on his upcoming album, titled The Middle Passage, would feature production by Premier.

[17] In mid-2014, Premier collaborated with Korean hip-hop group Dynamic Duo on two singles "AEAO" and "Animal", which were both warmly received.

[20] On May 16, 2019, DJ Premier released a collaboration with Buffalo (New York) rappers Conway The Machine, Westside Gunn, and Benny the Butcher, called "Headlines."

[21] DJ Premier hosted a weekly two-hour show, Live From HeadQCourterz, on Sirius Satellite Radio's Shade 45.

In an interview with XXL Magazine, DJ Premier was asked how his sound evolved, to which he replied, "Marley Marl is my number-one inspiration.

[27] He also made the finals in Vibe magazine's 2010 search for the greatest hip hop producer of all time—he finished second after Dr. Dre received 62 percent of the votes.