Today we’d like to introduce you to Smurph .
Hi Smurph, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It was the early 90s, I was just a kid growing up in Toledo, OH. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I loved building things, drawing, basketball and ultimately music. At around
10 years old my mom bought me a mini keyboard, I would sit in front of the radio and try to play
any song that came on. In Jr high I had a music teacher, Mr Carr, he would let me play the piano
at the end of class. I would play songs like “I Get Around” and “So Funkdafied”. I became
popular in school because I played songs that people knew. Hearing all of my peers singing
songs together in moments like this showed me the power of how music could connect us.
In church I would play solos on youth Sunday. Growing up with Gospel Legend Rance Allen,
and Artist Chris Byrd, gave me the opportunity to watch them create and work out their musical
ideas. Eventually they trusted me enough to let me travel with them and perform all over the US,
and soon internationally as well.
While in high school, Chris gave me an MMT8 sequencer and a keyboard for Christmas. I
started making beats. Soon after that I bought an MPC and I started selling beats.
After High school I was given the opportunity to intern at Owens Illinois as a Design Engineer. I
designed plastic bottles and closures by creating digital 3D files which would then be used to
create the real products. I loved that job, it gave me a taste of the corporate world. OI went thru
a reconstructive phase and I was asked to relocate to York, PA. This was a pivotal moment
because engineering was my backup plan just in case the music didn’t work out, and now my
dreams of working in the Music Business were slipping away and replaced by something that I
wasn’t sure about. I didn’t go to work and see anyone I aspired to be one day, so I declined the
new position and left the company. 30 days later I found myself in London playing for Deitrick
Haddon.
All thru out my college years I kept a studio Downtown in Toledo. I sharpened my skills in the
studio and over time, grew my relationships.
I traveled to LA and Atlanta often connecting with creatives and industry professionals that
would one day help solidify my future in the music business. During this time Detroit became a
second home for me. I often went there for studio sessions and to play in the clubs a few nights
a week. All types of celebrities would come out often, especially rappers and singers. One day
an owner of one of the clubs called me to play for Raheem Devaughn. After rehearsal I handed
Raheem some headphones and played him songs that I had worked on with my business
partner Tubbyoung. He asked if I had any more beats…I had already made a beat CD for this
moment. This is where preparation met opportunity, I recognized moments like this and loved to
connect directly with potential clients. This interaction led to me landing my first major placement
called “For Letter Word” on the #1 Billboard R&B HipHop Album “Love Behind The Melody”.
Around the same time I placed a record called “Are You Single” on artist Ray Lavender. He was
the first artist signed to Akon’s Record Label.
I started spending even more time in studios in LA and Atlanta working with Kenny Kold, who
was instrumental in helping me navigate these markets.
Even though I loved being in the studio, I also took on the responsibilities of bringing songs to
life for live tv performances, festivals and tours. I had learned to manage different personalities
and find solutions on the fly. I am grateful for people recognizing the value I could add to their
projects. This led to getting calls to work with artists like Dwele, Bone-Thugs-in-Harmony, Musiq
Soulchild, T-Pain, B.o.B, Chris Brown, 21 Savage, multiple Grammy and Dove award
nominations, and multi-platinum albums.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In the early stages of my career it was always a challenge meeting the right people. The strategy I ended up using is going to events and sessions and treating everyone the same. Over time I realized how important this was because you never know who is just starting out that will be the boss in a few years. At the same time, people that are in control now may not be running the show in the future. Some of my biggest opportunities were given to me by people that were starting off around the same time as me, but they ended up in high managing positions, doing major deals, or having a lot of influence in who gets called first.
Managing my finances was always something that I had a lot of discipline with, and thank God, because in this business money comes and goes very fast. I have worked on albums that came out before receiving the Production Advance. Being on tour is an amazing experience, but you can get caught up in that “Rockstar Lifestyle” and as Gucci says “Might Don’t Make It”. I had to be smart with my money. Once the tour was over, I wasn’t sure how long it was going to be until my next deposit hit. Learn how to survive on a budget, maintain a standard to how you present yourself, but don’t waste money on things that are too trendy. Learn how to invest, you don’t want to have to be at work to get paid, put your money to work.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Mainly I specialize in the creative process from start to finish. Some ideas are created in the studio, and others are created on stage. I have always loved being a part of a gifted team of individuals, and in some cases separate entities, that have to work together. This has allowed my team the space to be vulnerable with their creativity and then fine tune every detail when it’s time to execute the final product. I’ve had long term success in the entertainment business because the creatives feel confident bringing ideas to the table and the non creatives feel comfortable interacting with me about the non creative details like managing budgets, or possible personality conflicts, and so on. I am proud of how I have maintained so many long term relationships over the years. There have been countless times where I found myself with a new challenge with a client and I needed to find the right people or resources in order to get across the finish line. Being able to speak the language of the strictly creative and seamlessly switch over to the business side of things is something that sets me apart from others.
What does success mean to you?
Life has different types or levels of success which all deserve celebration, even the small wins. Ultimate success is what I would consider the highest level. For me personally, I would feel ultimate success if I’m not only able to build a business that’s established in the marketplace, but I have taught others how to maximize on what I have built. If I can convince someone to take advantage of all of my hard work, mistakes and experiences, and they are able to use that as the foundation to grow what I have started, then I would feel successful.
I have seen people achieve enormous amounts of record and ticket sales, make tons of money, buy big houses and expensive cars. What followed was losses from not being around the right people. Friends took advantage, as well as agents, managers and legal counsel. I know families that were left assets and when the next generation got older the assets were sold and that current generation wasn’t even aware of what they had done. They were given the gift of ownership without the knowledge of how to maximize capitalization on it. They weren’t raised in a culture of knowing how to manage those things.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @blaqsmurph
- Linkedin: Courtney Dwight
