Che Pope | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Che "Guevara" Pope |
| Born | (1970-05-03)May 3, 1970 (age 54) |
| Origin | Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations |
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| Labels | |
| Website | wrkshp |
Che Pope (born May 3, 1970) is an Americanrecord executive and record producer fromBoston,Massachusetts. Best known for his work with American rappersKanye West andLauryn Hill, Pope served asco-executive producer on the former's albumYeezus (2013), and co-producer on the latter'sThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). Furthermore, Pope waspresident and chief operating officer (COO) of West's record labelGOOD Music from 2012 to 2015, and wonAlbum of the Year at the41st Annual Grammy Awards for his work on the latter album.[1]
Pope has been credited with co-production on West's Grammy-nominated 2013 single "Bound 2",[2] and executive production on GOOD Music's compilation albumCruel Summer (2013). He is also the founder of Wrkshp Media.[3][4][5]
Pope entered the music industry in 1994 upon signing toTeddy Riley, after Riley was introduced to Pope's instrumentals via a mutual friend. In 1995, Pope relocated to New York where he began producing forWyclef Jean and his group, theFugees. He also contributed to Jean's production works, which included the hit singles "No, No, No Part 2" byDestiny's Child, "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" byPras, and "Gone Til November" by Jean himself.[6] While working with Jean, Pope was introduced toLauryn Hill, who invited him to produce and write with her on several projects includingAretha Franklin's "A Rose Is Still A Rose",Carlos Santana's "Do You Like The Way",The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and more. Pope's production onThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill earned him his first Grammy win.[7] Due to improper crediting and compensation, several lawsuits stemmed from the project.[8] Pope and his then co-producer opted not involve themselves in the ongoing litigation surrounding the album, but parted ways with the production team to pursue independent efforts.[9]
After his time working with Hill, Pope continued to produce projects in both domestic and foreign markets. In 1999, he was hired as Vice President of A&R atWarner Bros. Records.[7] Pope later moved to Los Angeles to explore film composition, and was hired by composerHans Zimmer as a staff producer. This led to credits on several films and media, but Pope parted ways with Zimmer in 2000.[9]
Pope was then introduced toDr. Dre through a mutual friend, and subsequently offered a position on the latter's immediate production team, with whom he collaborated for eight years. Pope worked on Aftermath projects including projects byEminem and50 Cent among others. In an interview, Pope estimated that he had produced over 1,000 unreleased tracks for Dre and Aftermath during his tenure with the label.[10]
In 2012, Pope joinedGOOD Music as a partner, as well as head of A&R. In addition to his administrative work for the label, Pope continued to produce for the label's signed artists. In 2014, he was named Chief Operations Officer of the label.[11] Pope is also credited with establishing the initial collaborative relationship between West and apparel companyAdidas, the then-distributor of theYeezy clothing line.[9] Pope co-producedASAP Rocky's song "Jukebox Joints", which appears on Rocky's albumAt. Long. Last. ASAP (2015)[12] andthe Weeknd's single "Tell Your Friends" that same year, which appears on the latter'sBeauty Behind the Madness. Both songs were co-produced with West.
| Year | Nominee / Work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Kanye West - "Bound 2"[13] | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
| 2015 | Kanye West - "All Day" | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
| 2015 | The Weeknd -Beauty Behind the Madness | Album of the Year | Nominated |
the miseducation of lauryn hill che guevara.
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