G Koop
G Koop | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Mandell |
| Origin | Boston,Massachusetts,U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Website | gkoop |
Robert Mandell,professionally known asG Koop,is an AmericanGrammy-nominated record producer, songwriter and musician.
Early life
[edit]G Koop is originally fromBoston,Massachusetts.His father had a large collection of albums, and his mother contends that G Koop's first word was "doobie," interpreted as a request forThe Doobie Brothersto be played. His first job was at a record store. As a young child, he learned to play a number of instruments, including guitar, bass, piano, and drums.[1]
G Koop graduated fromBerklee College of Music.While there, he studied music theory and performance. G Koop plays some of these instruments in his own studio while making his samples. Also while at Berklee, G Koop metGraham Richardsand Anthony Caruso. The three have had an ongoing collaboration dubbed "G Koop and O-Man" since then.[2]
Career
[edit]G Koop moved toCaliforniain 2002 and formed a jazz band, "The People's Quintet," with drummerDonald "Duck" Bailey.Unable to find work for the group, G Koop instead began working with music production software, such asPro Toolsand Reason.[1]
He has been called a specialist in "replaying samples",in which an originalsampleis reinterpreted and recreated in the studio. The resulting track is a new interpretation that is no longer under the original's copyright, but it still retains the original's character. Producers can use the new work in their own songs without having to pay the fees required to sample the original track.[3][4]
G Koop first produced for the Bay Area hip-hop group Foreign Legion. The group'sMC,Prozack Turner, introduced him to producerJake One,who in turn employed G Koop as a piano teacher. The two worked together on Jake's 2008 album,White Van Music,with G Koop performing instruments. He also worked on Jake's 2009 collaboration withFreeway,The Stimulus Package.The two also partnered together onDrake's "Furthest Thing"for his 2013Nothing was the Samealbum. Jake One found the original sample for "Furthest Thing" from a 1990s livegospelalbum that Gene Brown, a record collector, recommended to him. However, the rights owners to the song requested high fees. Instead, Jake One asked G Koop to make an interpolation of the sample to avoid publishing issues. G Koop played all the instruments—guitar, piano, organ, drums, and bass—in his studio. The album's main producer,Noah "40" Shebib,recorded the vocals for the track with a choir inToronto.[1][5]
G Koop's first major placement as producer wasNelly's "Self Esteem" featuringChuck D,which was on Nelly's 2008 gold albumBrass Knuckles.He has worked with a number of artists, includingAtmosphere,DOOM,Funkadelic, The Game,G Unit,Ice Cube,Pusha T,Rhymesayers,andRihanna,among others. G Koop also wrote, produced, and played a number of songs withGeorge Clintonon Funkadelic's 2014First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate.The album, the first for the band in 33 years, provided 33 tracks with a number of artists, includingSly Stone,Soul Clap,andBootsy Collins.The second single on the album, "Ain’t that Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You," was written and produced by G Koop and George Clinton. Hip Hop producer Ill Tal, in his review, called it "one of the best songs on the album and the name of George’s new auto-biography. The song is smooth, mellow, and funky with George doing most of the vocal leads." Nick DeRiso, in his review of the album for Something Else Reviews, called "Ain’t that Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You" the "perfect reintroduction of George Clinton… since it begins with a darkly ingratiating embrace rather that the expected turn-this-mother-out groove." DeRiso goes on to call the track the "standout moment from Funkadelic’s sprawling new comeback effort." Other G Koop songs were singled out in reviews as well. Ill Tal wrote of "You Can’t Unring the Bell," that it is "probably my favorite hip-hop influenced song on the album." Ill Tal went on to refer to G Koop (although not by name): "Whoever made the beat did a great job sampling a break beat for the drums and what sounds like an old horn riff from George’s vaults." G Koop's bass playing was also recognized in E.E. Bradman's review forBass Player,who commended G Koop's bass playing on a number of tracks.[6][7][8][9][10]
With Metro Boomin, G Koop co-produced the song "Bad and Boujee"by Migos, featuringLil Uzi Vert—his first no. 1 hit. The song was released in October 2016, and it rose to no. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100in January 2017. The song has goneplatinumin the United States. The album the song appeared on, Migos'Culture,debuted at no. 1 on theBillboard 200.The sample pack used on the song was originally sent toMetro Boomin,and was used to make not only Bad and Boujee, but also21 Savage's "Ocean Drive."[11]
G Koop worked with producerSouthsideof808 Mafiaon DJ Khaled's 2016 "I Got the Keys,"featuringJay Zand Future. I Got the Keys has gone platinum, and rose to no. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is on the albumMajor Key,produced by Southside and co-produced by G Koop and Jake One as co-producers. The album was released at no. 1 on the Billboard 200, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Album.[1][12][13][14]
Since then, he has worked with Ant, one of two members of Atmosphere, on Atmosphere's albumsFishing BluesandSouthsiders,and in a collaboration withBrother Alion the latter's album, "All the Beauty in this Whole Life."[15]
G Koop's studio, "Fuzz Deluxxe," is based in Oakland. He also runs the website "Sample Replay Society," which works as a catalog for his work. He collects old instruments, such as the Clavinet andFender Rhodes,and has several Fender guitars. He is a client of Pulse Recording.[16][17]
Selected discography
[edit]| Year | Group | Song Title | Album | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Katy Perry | "Smile" | Smile | Producer |
| 2017 | 2 Chainz | "It’s a Vibe" | Producer | |
| 2016 | Migos | "Bad and Boujee" | Culture | Producer |
| DJ Khaled | "I Got the Keys" | Major Key | Songwriter/Producer | |
| Little Louie Vega | "Ain’t That Funkin Kinda Hard on You" | Louie Vega Starring… XXVIII | Producer | |
| 21 Savage | "Ocean Drive" | Savage Mode | Songwriter/Producer | |
| Atmosphere | Fishing Blues | Songwriter/Engineer/Musician | ||
| Atmosphere | Frida Kahlo vs. Ezra Pound | Songwriter/Engineer/Musician | ||
| Rihanna | "Woo" | Anti | Producer | |
| DJ Esco | "Benjamins Burn feat. Future" | Project E.T. | Producer | |
| Royce da 5'9 " | "Pray" | Layers | Producer | |
| 2015 | The Game | "Last Time You Seen" | The Documentary 2 | Producer |
| The Game | The Documentary 2.5 | Producer | ||
| G Koop | "Butterfly feat. 13teen" | Soul Clap Presents: Tempo Dreams, Vol. 3 | Featured Artist | |
| G Unit | "Boy Boy" | The Beast is G Unit | Producer | |
| Future | "The Percocet and Stripper Joint" | DS2 | Songwriter/Producer | |
| 2014 | Funkadelic | "Ain’t The Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You" "In Da Kar" "Not Your Average Rapper" "You Can’t Unring The Bell" "Old Fool" "Pole Power" "Boom There We Go Again" "Meow Meow" "Catchin’ Boogie Fever" "Zip It" "Dippety Dippety Doo Stop The Violence" |
First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate | Songwriter/Producer/Musician |
| Freeway & The Jacka | "We Holdin'" | Highway Robbery | Producer | |
| 2013 | Atmosphere | All Songs | Southsiders | Engineer |
| Latryx | "Nebula's Eye" | The Second | Producer | |
| Drake | "Furthest Thing" | Nothing was the Same | Musician | |
| 2012 | Gift of Gab | "Protocol" "NLP" "Rise" "Everything Is Fine feat. George Clinton & Latryx" "Toxic feat. Martian Luther" "Wack but Good People" "Dream Warrior feat. Ms. K" "Beyond Logic" "Effed Up" "Market & 8th" |
The Next Logical Progression | Mixer/Mastering/Production |
| Yo Gabba Gabba | "Atomic Frogs" | Music is… Awesome! Vol. 4 | Producer | |
| 2011 | Keak Da Sneak, P.S.D. The Drivah, Messy Marv | "Ghetto Love" "K.I.M. (Keep It Movin)" |
Da-Bidness 2 | Producer |
| Lincoln Adler | "Grateful" "Visas of Freedom" "Island Dreams" |
Grateful | Musician/Engineer | |
| 2010 | Locksmith | "Man Up" | Production | |
| Foreign Legion | "Travel Lite" | Synth | ||
| Fiber | "Planecrash" | (Single) | Producer | |
| Ice Cube | "Pros vs. Joes" | I am the West | Production | |
| Lyrics Born | "I'm The Best (Funky Fresh in the Flesh)" | Production | ||
| Daboy Dame | "You Better Tuck It" | Production | ||
| 2009 | DOOM | "Microwave Mayo" "Rap Ambush" |
Born like This | Co-production |
| 2008 | Nelly | "Self Esteem" | Brass Knuckles | Producer/Engineer |
| Ben Barron | Spirit of the Guitar | Producer/Engineer/Mixer/Recording | ||
| The Mighty Underdogs | "Gunfight feat. MF DOOM" "Want You Back" "Ill Vacation feat. Lyrics Born" "Lovelife feat. Ladybug Mecca" "So Sad feat. Julian and Damien Marley" "Escape feat. Mr. Lif and Akrobatic" "Folks" |
Droppin’ Science Fiction | Musician/Engineer | |
| Jake One | "I’m Coming feat. Black Milk and Nottz" "Bless the Child feat. Little Brother" "Oh Really feat. Posdnus and Slug" "Trapdoor feat. MF DOOM" "Home feat. Vitamin D, C Note, Maine and Ish" "How we Ride feat. Freeway" "Get er Done feat. MF DOOM" "R.I.P." |
White Van Music | Musician | |
| 2007 | 2Pac | "Resist the Temptation" | The Best of 2Pac, Pt. 1: Thug | Co-producer |
| Young Buck | "Clean up Man" | Buck the World | Producer | |
| Subkrew | "Welcome Hell" "Loose Change" "Knightlife" |
Entermission | Producer | |
| 2006 | Prozack Turner | Bang a Thon | Engineer |
References
[edit]- ^abcd"Meet G Koop, Your Favorite Producer's Secret Sample Clearance Weapon".DJBooth.DJBooth.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^"G KOOP, L'ARME SECRÈTE DES LABELS POUR CONTOURNER LE SAMPLE CLEARING".The Back Packerz.The Back Packerz. 25 January 2017.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^""Bad And Boujee" Co-Producer G-Koop Lets Us In On His Secret Method ".hnhh.hnhh.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^"Sample Replay Society - About G Koop".Sample Replay Society.Sample Replay Society.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^Matson, Andrew."This Beat's For You: The Making Of Drake's 'Furthest Thing'".npr.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^Baker, Soren."Brother Ali Discusses Creative Direction Of New Album".HipHopDX.HipHopDX.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^Tal, Ill."Review: Funkadelic - First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate".illtal.com.illtal.com.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^Deriso, Nick."Funkadelic – First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate (2014)".SomethingElse! Reviews.SomethingElse! Reviews.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^Capobianco, Ken."Funkadelic, 'First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate'".Boston Globe.Boston Globe.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^BRADMAN, E.E."CD Review: Funkadelic" First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate "".Bass Player.Bass Player.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^JOHNSON, TYRESE."Khyenci on her relationship with G Koop & working closely with him (Exclusive Interview)".Thizzler.Thizzler.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^"Billboard DJ Khaled Charts".Billboard.Billboard.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^Johnson, Zach."2017 Grammy Awards: Complete List of Nominations".E! online.E! online.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^Ivey, Justin."DJ Khaled Sued for His Song" I Got the Keys "".XXL Magazine.XXL Magazine.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^Eustice, Kyle."#DadRap: Atmosphere Relinquish Their Egos With" Fishing Blues "".HipHopDX.HipHopDX.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^"gkoopandoman - About".gkoopandoman.gkoopandoman.Retrieved25 May2017.
- ^"G KOOP".Pulse Recordings.Pulse Recordings.Retrieved25 May2017.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- G KoopatAllMusic
- G Koopdiscography atDiscogs