YouKnowIGotSoul had a chance to talk with Harvey Mason Jr who’s at present the Interim President and CEO of the Recording Academy. Harvey is most identified for his work together with his manufacturing crew The Underdogs as they’ve produced numerous classics for the likes of Chris Brown, Omarion, Tyrese and Tank. On this interview, we discuss concerning the work that he’s doing with the Recording Academy proper now together with the Music Cares program and the COVD-19 Reduction Fund. Harvey additionally discusses what his plans are for the Grammy’s and responds to a few of the criticisms that he’s seen with the annual award present. Lastly we focus on his work on Aretha Franklin’s upcoming biopic in addition to a few of his historical past with Rodney Jerkins and The Underdogs.
Picture credit score: Courtesy of Recording Academy®/Picture by Wealthy Polk, Getty Photos©
YouKnowIGotSoul: You performed basketball on the College of Arizona after which turned one of many largest music producers within the trade. Now you’re working the Recording Academy, so simply speak about the way you’ve been capable of efficiently transition by way of every part of your profession.
Harvey Mason Jr: I take into consideration that and I take a look at all of the those that I went to school and performed basketball with like Steve Kerr and Sean Elliott. We’ve all completed the identical factor. We’ve used our background and coaching from basketball and pivot to totally different careers. For me, I used all the teachings that I discovered in sports activities and I used these in music. It’s a bizarre mixture however the competitors, sacrifice, onerous work, dedication, capability to be persistent and singularly deal with one thing, these are issues that don’t usually include being a producer. It positively comes with being an athlete, so I introduced that to my music making. I sacrificed and wouldn’t exit to golf equipment and occasion with my buddies. I might be within the studio making an attempt to get higher. I might have doorways slammed in my face and they might say “This isn’t’ excellent” and I might be like “Nice, that’s my motivation. That’s what I have to get higher”. These are stuff you get from sports activities or hanging round folks like Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott or my coach Lute Olson. I’ve been in a position to do this all through my music profession. As soon as I bought into the music profession, the need to be taught and be challenged additionally got here from sports activities and people folks I performed with as a result of to transition into being concerned within the Recording Academy comes from desirous to do one thing else thrilling and essential. To have the ability to be taught, develop and evolve, I’ve been very fortunate to do a number of issues within the trade. It’s not nearly producing information all day. It went from producing information after which making music for TV and movies and now concerned within the Recording Academy. Having the chance to develop different components of my skilled profession and private life has been very gratifying.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Speak about your position with the Recording Academy.
Harvey Mason Jr: I ran for chair which is an elected place. I received that place a couple of 12 months in the past after which I used to be requested to step in as because the Interim President and CEO of the Recording Academy. In that place, I’m actually answerable for the day after day operation. It’s all the pieces from our associates program like Music Cares which raises cash and helps folks in want who’re music professionals. Not simply members, however anybody within the career who has points with addictions or wants assist with invoice paying or medical care. It’s for somebody who has been concerned in a catastrophe and has misplaced their instrument or their studio has been broken. Individuals within the music neighborhood has Music Cares as a useful resource. The opposite factor that the Academy does is advocate on behalf of individuals in Washington, DC. It’s folks engaged on laws to guarantee that music persons are pretty compensated. We simply made an enormous push on the COVID-19 Reduction Fund. Our groups in DC made certain the voice of our music folks had been heard and represented. That labored as a result of now music enterprise persons are thought of small companies they usually can apply for loans or unemployment. We’re additionally very lively in schooling and ensuring younger persons are uncovered and educated round music from an early age. We offer devices and lecturers for faculties. After all we’re additionally concerned within the Grammmy course of. We reward and award greatness in music in addition to preserving and ensuring historical past in music is regularly archived and preserved. As President and CEO, I’m answerable for ensuring that the group is doing all of these issues to the perfect of our capability. We additionally guarantee that we’re representing our 22,000 members in our academy in addition to the music trade as an entire in order that it may be one thing that we will be pleased with.
YouKnowIGotSoul: We’ve seen a variety of adjustments which have taken place within the music trade because the begin of this pandemic. How has it affected you as a producer?
Harvey Mason Jr: I’m very lucky that I’ve nice those that I work with and I’m capable of proceed writing. I’ve a studio that I can create from. I’m one of many uncommon few. There are such a lot of folks which were affected and their profession has come to a grinding halt. I’m fortunate that I’ve a few movies and songwriting that I’m doing. It’s very troublesome for lots of music folks to undergo this. It’s one of many the reason why I believed the COVID-19 Reduction Fund was so essential.
YouKnowIGotSoul: The pandemic has pressured musicians to innovate and discover new methods to advertise their music. Timbaland and Swizz Beats have been doing these Verzuz battles. Can we anticipate The Underdogs becoming a member of in on a battle quickly?
Harvey Mason Jr: I don’t know. *Laughs* I’m not nearly as good at bragging and dancing on display as I might have to be to do good in a type of settings. Lots of people have been asking us if we might wish to do one. Who is aware of? I certain take pleasure in them. Teddy Riley and Babyface was considered one of my favorites. Plenty of them are those that I’ve admired and revered for thus a few years. To see all these string of hits collectively again to again, it’s unbelievable
YouKnowIGotSoul: The final time we spoke, you had been engaged on the music for the Aretha Franklin “Respect” biopic. Speak concerning the music that you just did for that.
Harvey Mason Jr: It’s popping out in December now. We pushed it again a few months due to the craziness that’s been occurring. The music and movie are nice and Jennifer Hudson is wonderful. We’re very excited. The music was actual recreations of the basic and iconic copyrights and Jennifer is singing all of them. She’s singing them as new variations. Some movies use unique variations, however that is all Jennifer re-recording all of the songs. It’s actually thrilling and it sounds wonderful.
YouKnowIGotSoul: What’s your strategy while you’re recreating basic songs?
Harvey Mason Jr: It’s a effective line that you just actually should stability. What folks love concerning the unique music and respecting the copyright after which ensuring you’re giving the viewers one thing that they’re used to listening to at the moment. They’re used to listening to massive bass and sharp excessive ends. The 1960’s didn’t have these qualities. You’re strolling a line between “How do I ensure I don’t screw up the classics” and balancing that with “How do I ensure when persons are listening to the songs in theater, it blows them away?”. It’s concerning the music sounding wonderful and related.
YouKnowIGotSoul: You spoke concerning the Grammy’s earlier and I do know lots of people on social media complain that the Grammy’s are rigged. How do you make sure that the authenticity of the Grammy awards continues to be there?
Harvey Mason Jr: I feel it’s ensuring folks notice what the method is and schooling round what we do and the way we derive our winners is essential. There’s completely zero a part of our course of that’s rigged. It’s as much as us being clear and letting folks know our guidelines and procedures. It’s ensuring that we talk these items correctly and it’s positively a precedence for me as a result of I would like the glory of successful a Grammy to all the time be constant. I would like any individual to win the Grammy and say “That is the best night time of my life”. That’s what it’s all the time meant to me and I feel anybody who has ever received a Grammy would say the identical. It’s emotional and thrilling, so I wish to guarantee that continues and get the phrase out to anyone in the neighborhood that has questions on how our course of works and the way pristine our voting course of is. However that falls on us and it falls on me particularly because the individual main the Recording Academy. It’s my job proper now to verify what our course of is and it’s additionally my job to guarantee that the method is completely unquestionable. These are all issues I’m engaged on and it’s an enormous precedence for me. I’ll additionally inform you that you just’re going to see some adjustments. I’ve been right here 4 months and within the subsequent month, you’re going to see adjustments with what we do. We’re going to institute new issues into our course of and we’ll be speaking about it. I do know that is essential to you, however you’ll see how essential it’s to me.
YouKnowIGotSoul: The opposite criticism folks have is that the R&B classes are by no means broadcasted in the course of the Grammy’s telecast. I do know there’s lots that issue into these choices equivalent to rankings, however how do you guarantee that each style will get the eye that it deserves?
Harvey Mason Jr: It’s positively a balancing act as a result of we wish to signify all of the totally different genres and we wish to cycle between totally different genres and which one we are able to present on the telecast yearly. There are 12 slots and also you’re making an attempt to juggle which genres you may fill yearly and also you’re balancing that with what our community companion needs to see on our present. As an academy, our funding comes from the present. It’s not funding that we simply have events with, that is funding that goes into working the Academy and ensuring we’re offering for the music neighborhood. That goes again to the Music Cares, advocacy, schooling and museum. Every thing we do as an academy is funded by that tv present. We actually should stability our want to be truthful and balanced and showcase all genres with ensuring our CBS partnership is robust and supplies us with the earnings to verify we are able to maintain our applications and supply for the music neighborhood.
YouKnowIGotSoul: You and Damon Thomas signed a variety of songwriters to The Underdogs camp. Speak concerning the significance of discovering youthful expertise and grooming them.
Harvey Mason Jr: Though I used to be older than Rodney Jerkins, he was truly like my little brother and he’s any individual that introduced me into his Darkchild camp. I discovered a lot from being round him and grew a lot as a producer and songwriter throughout my two years there. After I completed working with Rodney, Damon was ending working with Babyface. That’s why we named ourselves the Underdogs as a result of we got here out below two very profitable manufacturing corporations. As we bought increasingly busy, we began assembly different proficient those that had been coming to us. We simply began signing folks to our firm. We had been turning into so busy that we had been having to jot down ten songs every week for various artist. Having proficient folks round us that introduced us wonderful inspirations, concepts and songs was all the time a part of the plan. We knew we had been going to construct a collective group of creatives and that’s why The Underdogs was so particular. We had an excellent mix of distinctive folks working collectively.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Speak about growing James Fauntleroy early on. He’s among the finest songwriters within the music trade proper now.
Harvey Mason Jr: We noticed a tremendous quantity of creativity. It was hyper creativity coming from any individual who didn’t have any expertise or data about songwriting, however simply the artistic capability to jot down genius lyrics and melodies. Once we first signed James, he didn’t have lots background in skilled songwriting, however he had this fashion with phrases. It was in contrast to something I had ever heard. We wished him to be part of what we had been doing and he got here in instantly with out the boundaries of realizing what you’re presupposed to and never presupposed to do, it was simply pure artwork. He was a real artist in each sense of the phrase. He bought into our system and simply bought the repetition that he wanted and the quantity of collaborations and interactions with different creatives. He actually grew in that system. Don’t get me improper, He was nice when he bought there, however he added some extra expertise to repertoire after hanging round all of the totally different folks within the camp. He’s positively grown into one of the vital proficient songwriters within the recreation proper now.