Che Pope knows a thing or two about the landscape of popular music in the last quarter decade. He was there in the 90s, recording to tape and making use of sampling machines you now find on eBay described as vintage. But as he made clear at a roundtable discussion during the 13th annual Business of Hip-Hop/Urban Music Symposium, its not the gear that makes your career. For one, Pope won a Grammy using that equipment in 1999 with Lauryn Hill, and another Grammy with the Weeknd using current production technologies in 2015. In between, hes worked with everyone from Santana and India.Arie to Kanye West and Teyana Taylor.
[As a producer] Its your job to get the record finished, so that the artist is happy, but that also the record label is happy, because you are the bridge between the two.
-Che Pope
As he relayed in a conversation with fellow panelists Tonya Butler, assistant chair of the Music Business/Management Department, and Prince Charles Alexander, professor in the Music Production and Engineering Department, success for Pope is more about fulfilling the basic definition of a producer, being the person who takes a song from A to Z, he said, noting that his work isnt done until the song is officially released. If the songwriting needs work, fix the songwriting, he went on. If the chorus needs to be reworked or reorchestrated...its your job to do that. Its your job to get the record finished, so that the artist is happy, but that also the record label is happy, because you are the bridge between the two.
When asked about the right way to make and sustain a career as a producer, he stated up front that there is no right way, but at the core of success is to ensure your skillset is up to par. He cited Berklee students as being set up particularly well for production success because of their training as musicians. As he said, musicians are more prepared for real-life situations. Nothing can replace a musician. Because when youre in the studio and its 12 at night, and the song aint right, the fact that that person can sit at a piano or guitar and fix that song? Thats intangible.
Related categories:
News
Related Reading
Nashville Said Her Gender Was a Liability. Now Shes Starting Her Own Label. Emma White B.M. '10 talks songwriting, launching a female-centric record label, and navigating the unsolicited advice given to performers.
Night School at Wally's Berklee Today
Fall
2018
Volume
30
Number
2
New Law Could Help Cash Flow to Artists Berklee Today
Spring
2019
Volume
30
Number
3
More from Berklee Now
Most Popular
What Is Contemporary Music? Its practically Berklees middle name-but what are we talking about when we say contemporary music?
Latest
Kanye Producer Talks Modern Definitions of Success Grammy-winning producer Che Pope (Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, the Weeknd) reflected on his career as part of this years Business of Hip-Hop/Urban Music Symposium.
Nick Isherwood Named the 23rd Jimmy Lyons Scholar to Berklee Isherwood is the first bassist to receive the prestigious four-year, full-tuition scholarship.
Global Jazz Students Inhabit the Wonderful World of Garzone The Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors, led by faculty saxophonist George Garzone, had no trouble making themselves heard at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Berklee Blogs
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Soundcloud
Spotify
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
Che Pope knows a thing or two about the landscape of popular music in the last quarter decade. He was there in the 90s, recording to tape and making use of sampling machines you now find on eBay described as vintage. But as he made clear at a roundtable discussion during the 13th annual Business of Hip-Hop/Urban Music Symposium, its not the gear that makes your career. For one, Pope won a Grammy using that equipment in 1999 with Lauryn Hill, and another Grammy with the Weeknd using current production technologies in 2015. In between, hes worked with everyone from Santana and India.Arie to Kanye West and Teyana Taylor.
