Q&A with Che

Catching up with legendary producer Salaam Remi -- Black on purpose !

Chicago-born manager and entrepreneur Jake Udell is a music industry juggernaut. Featured on Forbes’ 2016 “30 under 30” list, he started his first business at 13 and has gone on to become a rapper, manager for Krewella and other artists, founder of the TH3RD BRAIN talent management company, and Head of Activation for Community, a text-based conversation platform that allows celebrities and brands to communicate directly with their fans. On this episode of “Q&A with Che,” Jake talks to Che Pope about breaking records during the pandemic, transitioning from artist to manager, online marketing, learning at school vs. on the job, starting a business as a kid, realizing your value and adding value to anyone you meet, bridging the gap between celebrities and their audience, and more. Jake doesn’t do podcasts except for his friend Che, so you’re not going to hear his wisdom anywhere else. Listen up! Follow “Q&A with Che” on social media! IG: @chepope_podcast TW: @chepope_podcast FB: Q&A with Che Podcast

Strong musicianship, professionalism, and a focus on relationships will take you far in the music industry. They did for Grammy-winning producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and member of The Roots James Poyser, who emerged from his family’s church in Philadelphia to work with musical heavyweights like Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Aretha Franklin, Adele, and Eric Clapton. On this special quarantine episode of “Q&A with Che,” James sits down with Che to talk about coming up in the church, building and sustaining a career through relationships, finding a vibe with artist clients, getting leverage in a publishing deal, balancing songwriting and production with playing in The Tonight Show houseband, keeping an open mind for new music, and more. Follow his example and you’ll go places! Follow “Q&A with Che” on social media! IG: @chepope_podcast TW: @chepope_podcast FB: Q&A with Che Podcast

Producers and songwriters Brittany “Chi” Coney and Denisia “Blu June” Andrews are blazing a trail. As black women, they didn’t have producer role models who looked like them when they were growing up. With Nova Wav, their Grammy-winning production duo, they’ve made magic with superstars like Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Ariana Grande, and Kelly Clarkson, and have become an inspiration for generations of girls to follow. On this special remote episode of “Q&A with Che,” Chi and Blu sit down with Che to talk about how they connected online, finessing an internship, continuing education on the job, how they avoided sputtering out after their first wins, bossing up in a male-dominated industry and owning their own business, working with huge artists, and much more. If you have dreams you want to manifest you need these lessons in your life! Follow “Q&A with Che” on social media! IG: @chepope_podcast TW: @chepope_podcast FB: Q&A with Che Podcast

Terrace Martin is a music industry multi-hyphenate. Originally a talented jazz musician, the L.A. native transitioned into a hit-making producer for Kendrick Lamar, YG, Snoop Dogg, The Game, and others, as well as a songwriter, rapper, singer, and label owner. On this special quarantine episode of “Q&A with Che,” Terrace sits down with Che to talk about transitioning into new creative roles, manifesting your vision, making connections with VIPs, turning adversity into art, how to kill a studio session, and much more. Get ready to be put up on game! Follow “Q&A with Che” on social media! IG: @chepope_podcast TW: @chepope_podcast FB: Q&A with Che Podcast

What you start out doing in music isn’t necessarily what you’ll stay doing. The industry is full of people whose career focus shifted over time. Just look at Che: When he was producing hip-hop early on, he never envisioned he’d one day produce K-Pop or become a label executive and entrepreneur, but here he is! On this special quarantine episode of “Q&A with Che,” Grammy-winning producer, songwriter, and artist Camper (né Darhyl Camper, Jr.) sits down with Che to talk about starting out as a musician and how he transitioned into his current roles working with artists like H.E.R., Mary J. Blige, Drake, and Jay-Z, and making his own music. Listen up and don’t box yourself in! Follow “Q&A with Che” on social media! IG: @chepope_podcast TW: @chepope_podcast FB: Q&A with Che Podcast

You’re never too young to work in the music industry. Artist managers and Stomp Down Entertainment co-owners Ezra Averill and Toby Oniyitan have been making waves for several years, and Averill — who started out managing his infamous friend Tay-K — is still in his teens. On this episode of “Q&A with Che,” the partners sit down with Che to talk about how they broke into the industry at such young ages, how they educate themselves, why their partnership works, what they look for in artists, and the keys to building a successful music business. These gems are for everyone, no matter how old or young you are! Follow “Q&A with Che” on social media! IG: @chepope_podcast TW: @chepope_podcast FB: Q&A with Che Podcast

Everybody has gripes about the Grammys — who gets nominated, in what year, in what category, who wins, and more — but not many people understand the process behind the Recording Academy's awards. On this episode of "Q&A with Che," Len Brown, Project Manager for the rap, R&B, and reggae Grammys categories, joins Che to clarify how submissions, nominations, and winner voting works. In addition, Brown explains how the music community — emerging and established — can get more involved to ensure that the most deserving artists get nominated and in the right categories. Follow “Q&A with Che” on social media! IG: @chepope_podcast TW: @chepope_podcast FB: Q&A with Che Podcast

On this episode of “Q&A with Che,” Milana Rabkin Lewis, co-founder and CEO of Stem, joins Che to talk about her game-changing business, which helps people in the music industry make sense of and manage the murky and time-consuming financial side of the business. In addition to Stem’s new developments, she discusses the importance of apprenticeship and online education, the key considerations for any deal you sign, the difficulties of entrepreneurship, and how to be the best boss you can be. Whether you’re looking to run a company or just want to make sure you get paid every penny you deserve in the music biz, you don’t want to miss out on these priceless jewels!

Grammy-winning producer Hit-Boy became a household name crafting songs for the biggest artists in music, from Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Kanye West, to Justin Bieber, Drake, and Travis Scott. On this episode of “Q&A with Che,” Hit-Boy talks about his transition from artist to producer, his experience recording the Grammy-winning single “Racks in the Middle” with Nipsey Hussle, and, most important, the versatility that has allowed him to make megahits with a wide variety of artists. From seeking out music education wherever you can and winning with melody, to keeping an open mind to new sounds and always pushing music forward, these are the lessons of a bona fide hit-maker.

This week on “Q&A with Che,” Che sits down with Tiffany Kumar, fearless founder of Beat House, the LA-based music agency that identifies and signs new and emerging songwriters and producers to co-publishing deals. With a journey that spans from creative to executive, Kumar talks about interning for Kanye West, writing songs for Diddy’s artists, running creative for producer RedOne’s publishing company 2101 Songs, creating the Secret Genius brand while working in Songwriter Relations at Spotify, and leveling up to boss and owner with Beat House. Kumar’s career is a study in how far you can go in the music industry when you’re self-reliant and hustle hard.

Few people in the music business understand publishing, and even fewer understand what a performing rights organization (PRO) does for artists and songwriters. (Spoiler: They get them paid!) To shed some light on how PRO’s fit into publishing, Che sits down with Mario Prins, Senior Director of Creative Services at SESAC, a respected for-profit PRO. Prins, who is also a DJ, worked many different jobs in the music industry before getting into publishing and breaks down how he wound up in the field, why every artist and songwriter needs a PRO, how PRO’s serve clients, and the differences between SESAC and non-profit PRO’s like ASCAP and BMI. Educate yourself and maximize the money you make!

In music, publishing is key to monetizing your work, but even industry veterans don’t always understand what it is or how to use it to their advantage. To help make sense of music publishing, Che sits down with Vice President of A&R at peermusic Tuff Morgan. Tuff, who worked as a concert promoter, rap artist, songwriter, producer, and A&R before becoming a music publisher, provides a master class on the subject, breaking down his own publishing mistakes as an artist and his transition into the field, as well as the different kinds of publishing deals and what they mean. You and your wallet do not want to miss this priceless lesson!

On this, the third installment of Q&A, hip hop veteran, John Monopoly joins Che. His story and work in the industry is remarkably unique and compelling. Coming up in Chicago his diligence and ingenuity, linked him with the one-and-only Kanye West. His eye for talent led him up the ranks of the music industry. John shares his experience, wisdom and insight to one of the most essential aspects of the game, the hustle.

In the second episode of Q&A, artist, producer and writer, FKi 1st talks to Che about how it all starts and ends with relationships. From his early days in Atlanta to the places and cultures his work has taken him, it is all discoverable in his work. As Che finds, those in your network will make you great and ensure your longevity.

On the very first episode of Q&A, Che is joined by DMV hip hop sensation, IDK. Che has been an admirer of IDK's organization, focus and follow through. They explore how an artist must have a vision, of course, but work to push the genre and their craft to unique and unclaimed depths.

On Q&A with Che, he’ll answer all of your questions as only he can, against a soundscape only he could create. So sit back and let Che be your guide on a sonic journey toward musical enlightenment… any questions?