Session Drummer/Producer

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I just recently worked and recorded drums as a session drummer for Grammy-Nominated artist Kim Sledge of legendary Disco group, Sister Sledge. I'm proud of this session because the song that I recorded drums on was for Kim Sledge's new single titled, "Unity Strong" which was featured and used by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. This opportunity was more than a blessing and absolutely a great experience !

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am working on a few live show dates, backing up legendary Disco group, Sister Sledge as their drummer!

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Jordan Chavous is that guy! His professionalism and punctuality is refreshing to add with his high level bass playing skills. If you need a killing bass player for any of your tracks/projects, please hit up Jordan!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I think both are cool! In analog recording, the sound waves are usually created using magnetic charge. However, digital uses PCM which creates the model of the sound waves by storing a sequence of numerical intensity, at various points along a wave. Therefore, having a hybrid of both digital and analog are with an A/D converter!

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise to communicate effectively with my clients and to put all of my effort and passion into their projects!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I like being creative, versatile and adding flavorful musical contributions to any professional situation, song, or project.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: How did I get involved in music production and beat making while also being a pro drummer is the question that most commonly get asked. I usually say that I started playing drums in church as early as the age of 2. I stuck with it, and really cultivated my gift in that aspect. However, growing up I was always fascinated with the old AKAI MPC 2000 XL Drum Machines. They had a cool feature about them where one could pull a sample from an old record and then chop it up on to 16 pads to compose a beat. This cool venture led me to get my first real drum machine which was the Native Instruments Maschine MK2. From then, I started composing beats and making beats for friends, and my own projects. By the time got enrolled into Berklee. I entered the Music Production & Engineering Department and I haven’t looked back since!

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: I think the biggest misconception about what I do is that music production is just and only centered around making beats for an artist which is not the case. Taking the role of a music producer sometimes means that I have to bring a lot of my musical input to the project, from modifying musical forms, and sounds to giving suggestions and directions to the vocalists, instrumentalists and so much more.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I normally love to ask what my prospective client's vision is for their project so that I can make sure that I am complimenting that and helping to give everything that they are looking for.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: I would say do some of your own research on whomever you are looking to do business with !

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: I would bring my Macbook Pro, Focusrite 2i2 interface, Ni Maschine, Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones, and my Rode cardioid condenser mic.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: Being a recent graduate and drum principal of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, I've been involved in music as a drummer for a long time!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I would describe my style as versatile, current, powerful dynamic, and fluid!

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: There are a lot of artists that I would like to work with! Some of my top artists that I would like to work with are HER, Robert Glasper, Moonchild, Kim Burrell and Kirk Franklin just to name a few. One common thing that I enjoy from all of these artist is that they bring soul and versatility to their music which I really enjoy and love to hear!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: It will always be my goal to bring heavy grooves, incredible feel and extreme dynamics to a song. I want my client to always feel how much effort and care that I will add to their project!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For live drum tracking, I usually like to listen to my clients song to obtain it in my memory. I then start the recording process by making checking my levels on my recording interface and I always like to make sure that my drums are tuned well enough to fit the song/songs that I am currently working on.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Right now, I make sure that my studio set - up user friendly and straight to the point so that I can deliver high-quality work to my clients at very reasonable time. I currently use my new generation Focusrite 18i20 audio interface which I absolutely love. I love using my DK-707 drum mics for drum tracking as well. I currently use Logic Pro X to track my drums. For beat making and music production, I currently use my Native Instruments Maschine MK2 with the newest updated Maschine software. I use this music production software to craft very high - quality beats for an affordable price!

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: The amount of musicians and music producers that have inspired me in the past year is countless to be honest! Being a drum principal and recent graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, I've had the opportunity to learn from and play with some of the world's best drum faculty such as Marko Djordjevic, Ralph Peterson, Billy Kilson and Omar Hakim. While studying at Berklee, I've had the privilege of majoring in Music Production and Engineering.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skills are live and studio session drumming, music production/mixing, and beat making!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: When ever you feel a sense of creativity, take time to lay those ideas down into a composition. You never know where your creativity can lead you.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I usually produce music in the genre of modern Trap, Hip Hop, Soul and R&B. When playing drums, I love to play just about any genre, but I love to play Gospel, Neo-Soul, Funk, and R&B the most.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I perform and record live drums to my clients demos and tracks. I also produce music and make beats for my clients as well. I really enjoy what I do!