Examining the Producer + Performer Relationship in Music
Written by Chandler Rose
Today, more than ever, there are a plethora of young and emerging artists providing us with catchy, cool, and creative songs that we didn’t know we needed. Oftentimes, there are various collaborators behind the scenes who make this creative genesis possible. But more and more frequently, we see artists who prefer to work with only one main producer, leveraging a close bond to create the best music possible. In this article, we will explore four producers who have managed to foster an exclusive working relationship with some of the most exciting and up-and-coming artists in the industry.
Ice Spice/RIOT USA
“Stop playing with them Riot”
Photo Credit: Mastermind Artists
Treated like an essential opening lyric, this producer tag has prefaced some of Ice Spice’s most popular songs in the last few years, including chart-topping hits like Munch, In Ha Mood and Deli. We all know about the Bronx-native “Princess of Rap” who has taken the industry by storm, but who is Riot?
RiotUSA, whose real name is Ephrem Lopez, is Ice Spice’s primary producer and has been by her side since the beginning of her career in 2021. And while it seems that his success happened overnight, RiotUSA has been working on his craft for much of his life. Music was a vital part of his childhood experience in the Bronx, NY. His father is DJ Enuff of Hot 97, and his mother is also a music industry professional. So it’s no surprise that after starting drum lessons at just eight years old, his craft grew into an important part of his identity.
Later, he began to experiment with production, trying different software before landing on a cracked version of FL Studios. This is what RiotUSA used as he entered SUNY Purchase freshman year—and also where he met the veritable Ice Spice. They had overlapping classes and became fast friends. Although she decided to drop out around her sophomore year, he continued his studies and graduated with a degree in communications in 2022. Since graduating, RiotUSA has produced five Billboard Hot 100 Songs in the past year. In June, he signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. The next month, the Barbie Movie released its soundtrack which featured Barbie World with Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, and Aqua, and his production reached the top 10 in 16 countries.
Despite all of his success so far, RiotUSA isn’t stopping anytime soon. He ultimately wants to release solo music alongside his collaborations. Already off to a very positive start, RiotUSA will surely maintain and expand his impressive portfolio in the music industry.
Lil Cherry/GOLDBUUDA
Photo Credit: Angella Chloe
From her roots as a poetry major at NYU to her transformation into the impeccably-dressed rap sensation we know today, Lil Cherry, born Jung Sunwoo, is anything but your conventional hip-hop artist. While K-Pop has cemented Korea as an influential powerhouse in pop music, a similar ecosystem has yet to be established in the rap world. In that regard, Lil Cherry is something of a trailblazer: her lyrical blend of Korean and English, mumbly delivery, and almost nonsensical lyrics have resulted in a distinct catalog unlike anyone else. Her signature sound has been largely influenced by her older brother, Jeong Jae-woo, who also doubles as her primary producer under the name GOLDBUUDA. In 2017, he made his Soundcloud debut after deciding to turn his bedroom into a studio. His subsequent decision to offer his sister the mic launched the artist we now know as Lil Cherry, as well as his own production career.
With each project, GOLDBUUDA looks to create music similar to the songs he loved growing up, and reflect his blended upbringing in Miami, New York, and Seoul. He also enjoys experimenting as much as possible. For example, he has explored non-rap genres such as drum & bass. Through breakdancing in highschool, he naturally became an avid listener of the genre, an influence that can be heard in songs such as Catwalk and Memory. Other songs, like Power Rangers, have been likened to hyperpop. His latest solo release Dora Dora is a clear take on amapiano in its drum pattern. The ability to fuse one’s own style with seemingly any genre is a feat not many producers can accomplish, especially at the beginning of their career.
With two albums released as collaborators, it's clear GOLDBUUDA and Lil Cherry have been able to use their sibling relationship to propel their artistic endeavors. On the production side, we look forward to seeing where GOLDBUUDA’s genre-bending style will take the duo next.
REMA/LONDON
“London”
Photo Credit: @d_re_y
You may know him from his hit song Calm Down, which became a global sensation overnight and charted all across Europe. The Nigeria-born Divine Ukubor, otherwise known as Rema, has become the latest face of the Afrobeats genre. Afrobeats has reached new heights in the last few years, resulting in a growing number of cross-genre collaborations. Behind this superstar’s success is an equally talented producer by the name of LONDON, born Michael Ovie Hunter, who also hails from Nigeria.
LONDON’s musical pursuits began at the age of seven with his role as a drummer at his local church. In his adult life, music started as a hobby that LONDON enjoyed outside of the graphic design job he held. He began to focus on production upon discovering FL Studios. After the success of his work on the song Turn Up by DJ Tunz in 2018, LONDON managed to get into the room with artists such as Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, and Ayra Star. He has also created music with artists outside of Afrobeats, like aforementioned Lil Cherry on Pye Life. His biggest project to date has been Rema’s debut album Raves & Roses, for which LONDON served as executive producer and produced 14 of the 16 total tracks.
To say Rema and LONDON have musical chemistry is an understatement. Their output has been high quality thus far, setting up LONDON for a future that we hope will allow for the continued release of high-quality collaborations, as well as the realization of his dream to share solo music.
BENEE/Josh Fountain
Photo Credit: Apra Amcos
Over the past six years, BENEE, born Stella Rose Bennett, has risen to become a recognized pop figure not only in her native country of New Zealand, but across the globe. The former competitive water polo player dropped out of university to pursue a music career, and producer Josh Fountain has been with her since the very beginning, working on almost all of her songs including Tough Guy, Supalonely, and Glitter.
Fountain has been in the industry for over 15 years, but his current success did not come without struggles. His first job after graduating from school was at Warehouse Stationery, an office products company, while he lived at home working on his own music. He eventually moved on to create jingles and had a brief stint with Kidz in Space, a band that no longer exists. Through his determination and openness, he continued to push artists to be better versions of themselves, creating fruitful outcomes—such collaborations with Gracey, Ruel and Kian. The most prominent of these partnerships has been the one cultivated with BENEE.
Her early SoundCloud tunes caught the attention of Fountain, and through a leap of faith, he reached out to her for a potential collaboration session. A few years later, their work together led to his receipt of New Zealand’s Producer of the Year award back to back in 2019 and 2020—an award he had been striving to achieve since college. Going forward, we can expect to see his relationship with BENEE to continue to grow, as well as the number of hits he amasses as one of the most in-demand producers New Zealand has to offer.
While there are plenty of benefits to working with an ensemble of creators, nothing can compare to the power of a single relationship. Because songs are often extensions of artists themselves, being able to share themselves fully goes hand and hand with some of the best music. Such a vulnerable position may be hard to maintain if working with many. But cultivating a strong bond between one producer can allow that process to flow more naturally. Each producer highlighted has been able to create that opportunity for their respective up and coming artist to feel comfortable to be themselves, and in turn create great work. The future is most definitely looking bright for these artist / producer pairings!
