Atlanta producer Jeremy Reid who goes by the name J. Reid says that collaborating with Nicki Minaj has been a transformative experience, shaping his life in profound ways. At 36 years old, Reid, signed to Minaj’s label imprint ‘Heavy On It,’ stands as the creative force behind Billboard chart-topping hits such as “Chun Li,” and “Barbie Tings” which he reveals was produced over the course of a single weekend.
The serendipitous union between the Young Money artist and Reid transpired through a mutual acquaintance. After helping Nicki to craft her sound on the critically acclaimed Billboard No. 1 album, “Queen” he is now the producer of “Pink Friday Girl,” a track featured on the sequel, “Pink Friday 2.”
Reid, who plays several musical instruments as part of a symphony orchestra in school also took the reins in producing the dancehall-infused “Ganja Burn,” and says working with Nicki is a dignified experience as she rolls out the red carpet to make sure he feels appreciated.
In this exclusive interview with WMV, the Decatur, Georgia native who runs Chevic music label shares how his life has changed over the past five years since meeting Nicki Minaj and making global hits.
Where are you from and how you got into music?
I am from Atlanta Ga, and I have been doing music for about ten years, I grew up in the church, then I started a band in middle school and through high school. I play the drums, guitars and french horns. I fell in love with the production process and instruments and so on.
How did you start working with Nicki Minaj?
One of my guys Brinx Billions, I was working with him on an independent level and he just happen to know Nicki. They were long term friends and he was like the song we just did could go to Nicki Minaj, at first I didn’t believe him but he said she like your stuff and one day he clue die out the blue to go see her in 2017.
Was that a life changing moment?
Yes, especially coming from where I am from, even when I started making music she wasn’t superstar. The biggest artist I grew up with and was inspired by was T.I. or Jay-Z, there weren’t any main female rapper cat the time and I remember hearing her album come out, the ‘Pink Friday,’ it was a breathe of fresh air. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be working with somebody like that. It was definitely a life changing, an eye opener something that I will never forget.
How she treated me with respect and value, there is a lotta celebrities out here but they don’t act like that. She rolled out the red carpet for me and really accepted me for what I can do not knowing me a day in her life so it put me in a realization that this is happening.
You really helped ushered in her ‘Chun Li’ era, and you are the sound behind that, whats your music style and how did you manage to help her create sound which took off in Asia and all over the world?
I don’t really have one particular style, because of my background in music, when I started learning music I was learning classical music. I was playing in the symphony, so I really don’t have one type of music. That song is more East Coast New York Rock kinda vibe.
When she came to me and expressed thats the sound she was looking for she put me in the studio by myself, gave me the studio like here, it took me two days to catch the one she love. The first one was ‘Barbie Tings’, out of 15 beats, then she said play me some more beats and that video is upon YouTube of her getting a massage while I’m playing her beats and she came upon the Chun Li beat, the rest is history, its triple Platinum and its a testament of hard work. That beat took me like 15 or 20 minutes to make?
So the whole song was created in one weekend?
It’s just the testament to how hard she works, I literally seen her been in the studio, 2 or 3 days in a row. Just seeing her work ethic and she doesn’t have to do that, you gotta be really passionate regardless how much money you make. Same thing that got me here because its 5 years between Queen and this album. You gotta be patient and put you head in the sand.
‘Pink Friday Girls’ has a sample, take me through that creation?
I was in the studio with my artist Morgan who I have been working with her for five years. At the end of last year I was working on the beat for ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,’ and she (Morgan) said ‘I can hear Nicki Minaj on the song.’ I sent it to Nicki to see what it do. Low and behold I received my plaques, and Nicki told me congrats on my plaques then she said I saw this song so send me the beat. So I sent her the beat and I went out there in March and we networked and grind and did a couple songs.
She shouted me out and said ‘J. Reid bodied the production’ and Cyndi Lauper stamped in on her page. Very surreal this time around.
I was a rookie when I came in the game with Chun Li, now I am a veteran and understand whats going on. I can see stuff a little bit clear.
Who are some of the people you have worked with?
Boosie and Webby, Lil Wayne, Lloyd, Rick Ross, The Weeknd, Jagged Edge, T.I. and Tiny’s daughter Zonique, my own artist Morgan and Jamar Langley show as on The Voice. Money Bagg Yo.
Do you own your masters and publishing?
Yes, I get a percentage of the masters, this new song is a sample, so it’s a give or take. The other records I owned a lot of that stuff, thats what makes the business lucrative having ownership of some of your stuff. I didn’t do a major publishing deal with anybody yet, thats one the horizon. I have been through couple lawsuits and all kinda stuff.
Tell me about the lawsuits?
I can’t, I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus just know I went through it and came out on the other end still smiling. It’s a win, I didn’t win but it’s a win.
From issues with sampling music?
I don’t really sample, the reason is for example Chun Li they were surprised I didn’t sample. The label was asking what I used and is said nah. This is the only song (Pink Friday Girls) that I produced that has a sample on it ever. I rarely use samples because it gets weird or it don’t get cleared. This is one of those rare moments when I sample a song it will do better than all the songs I do with her.
Nicki samples a lot of songs on Pink Friday 2, how is your musical taste, have you don’t any dancehall?
Yes, I got an Afrobeats artist I am working with now. I produced Ganja Burn and thats dancehall. As a producer nobody can put me in a box. I don’t wanna be boxed in, next I am looking for K-Pop, and Latin, I got latin tracks I want give to artist or find my own Latin artist. If I am doing five beats a day, none of those beats are gonna be the same. Recently I been tapping into old drum Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder loops, because that music never die, so we can have that same feeling on new generation of music.
I don’t have nuttn to lose. I am in the trenches trying to find the next sound to give something different to the game instead of doing regal trap beats with samples on it. Even Pink Friday Girls is a 90s bass, on a 80s pop record. Nothing sound like that on her album so its a producer moment being able to express my talent on a high level.
Watch full interview on YouTube
