Who Is Burt Blackarach?

Amani “Burt Blackarach” Smith is an award-winning Music Supervisor and Composer whose work spans film, television, documentaries, and some of the biggest stages in sports and entertainment. What distinguishes Burt is his ability to oversee a project’s entire musical landscape—shaping its soundtrack as Music Supervisor while creating its original score, themes, and custom music as Composer. In this industry, Burt is a bona fide unicorn. 

His music supervision credits include Netflix’s 2026 Oscar-nominated The Perfect Neighbor; the Oscar-shortlisted Stamped From the Beginning from Roger Ross Williams and Mara Brock Akil; Lee Daniels and Saladin Patterson’s reimagining of The Wonder Years for ABC; and Genius: MLK/X for National Geographic from Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood.

Burt has also served as both Music Supervisor and Composer on projects including Michael Jai White’s Trouble Man, Showtime’s Passion Play: Russell Westbrook, and Vice TV/adidas/Religion of Sports’ Running While Black, where he co-wrote the main title with Public Enemy’s Chuck D. His compositions have supported projects from filmmakers and producers including James Cameron, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Will Gluck and Ryan Murphy.

For more than two decades, Burt has collaborated with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, co-writing for Public Enemy and creating original themes and music for The ESPY Awards, X Games, Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN’s Home Run Derby, and LeBron James’ Shut Up and Dribble on Showtime.

That combination of creative and practical experience gives Burt a unique approach to storytelling: he understands when a scene needs score, when it needs the perfect song, and how the two can work together to create one cohesive musical identity. Over the past four years, he has managed more than $12.5 million in music budgets across film and television productions, balancing creative ambition with fiscal discipline. From spotting and creative song selection to licensing, clearance, and music budgets—and from composing original themes to underscore and final delivery—Burt can carry a project's musical vision from script to screen. 

His foundation as a Grammy-winning engineer, acclaimed music producer, legacy music publisher, and internationally respected DJ brings another layer to that work. He has collaborated with artists ranging from Aerosmith to André 3000, performed on bills with Prince, Jay-Z and Nas, and contributed his signature turntable work to recordings by Kelly Clarkson, Method Man and Public Enemy, as well as composition and music supervision for major national advertising campaigns – including American Express, Vivint and Chevron’s Super Bowl spots. 

Never one to keep the magic to himself, Burt created the Airbnb top Experience "Be A DJ For A Day"—a first-of-its-kind, hands-on one-hour adventure where anyone can step behind the turntables and feel the rush of DJing, no experience required.

At the heart of it all, Burt champions legacy. He carries forward Salamani Music Publishing, the pioneering Black-owned publishing house founded by his parents in 1971. Its catalog has been sampled and celebrated by J Dilla, D’Angelo, A$AP Rocky, DJ Premier, Dionne Warwick, Maurice White, Chaka Khan, and Etta James.

Bringing this publishing catalog to life, Burt created UnShazamable—his electrifying one-man show where he DJs, rhymes, and shares untold stories while spinning unreleased gems from Salamani’s vault and its legendary circle of friends, including Bob Dylan, Rick James, Toto, and David Foster. It’s history, performance, and storytelling rolled into one—a living bridge between generations of sound.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Burt also holds a Canadian dual citizenship. His credits can be found on IMDB and Discogs. A full list can be requested.