Che Pope facts for kids

Che Pope (born May 3, 1970) is an American music producer and record executive from Boston, Massachusetts. He is famous for his work with popular rappers Kanye West and Lauryn Hill. Che Pope helped produce Kanye West's album Yeezus (2013). He also co-produced Lauryn Hill's album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998).

From 2012 to 2015, Pope was the president and chief operating officer (COO) of Kanye West's record label, GOOD Music. He won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1999. This award was for his work on Lauryn Hill's album. Pope also helped produce Kanye West's song "Bound 2" in 2013. He was an executive producer for the GOOD Music album Cruel Summer (2013). Che Pope is also the person who started Wrkshp Media, his own company.

Che Pope's Music Journey

Starting in Music

Che Pope began his career in the music world in 1994. He signed with music producer Teddy Riley. Teddy Riley heard Pope's music through a friend and was impressed. In 1995, Pope moved to New York City. There, he started producing music for Wyclef Jean and his group, the Fugees.

Working with Famous Artists

Pope also helped Wyclef Jean produce hit songs for other artists. These included "No, No, No Part 2" by Destiny's Child and "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" by Pras. He also worked on Jean's own song, "Gone Til November".

While working with Wyclef Jean, Che Pope met Lauryn Hill. She asked him to produce and write songs with her. They worked on many projects together. These included "A Rose Is Still A Rose" for Aretha Franklin and "Do You Like The Way" for Carlos Santana. Their biggest project was The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Pope's work on this album helped him win his first Grammy Award. After this, Pope and his co-producer decided to work on their own projects.

New Roles in the Music Industry

After working with Lauryn Hill, Pope continued to produce music. In 1999, he became the Vice President of A&R at Warner Bros. Records. A&R stands for "Artists and Repertoire." This role involves finding new talent and helping artists develop their music.

Later, Pope moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to explore making music for movies. He was hired by the famous composer Hans Zimmer. This led to Pope getting credits for his work on several films, TV shows, and commercials.

Collaborating with Dr. Dre and GOOD Music

A friend introduced Che Pope to Dr. Dre, another very famous music producer. Dr. Dre offered Pope a job on his production team. Pope worked with Dr. Dre for eight years. During this time, he worked on projects for artists like Eminem and 50 Cent. Pope has said that he produced over 1,000 songs for Dr. Dre and his label that were never released.

In 2012, Pope joined GOOD Music as a partner and head of A&R. He continued to produce music for the artists on the label. In 2014, he became the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of GOOD Music. Pope also helped start the partnership between Kanye West and the sports brand Adidas. This partnership led to the popular Yeezy clothing line. In 2015, Pope co-produced "Jukebox Joints" for ASAP Rocky and "Tell Your Friends" for the Weeknd. Both songs were also co-produced with Kanye West.

Che Pope's Production Work

Che Pope has produced many songs and albums over the years. Here are some of his notable works:

Music from the 1990s

• 1997
  • Wyclef Jean - The Carnival
  • Destiny's Child - "No, No, No Part 2"
• 1998
  • Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
  • Aretha Franklin - A Rose is Still a Rose
• 1999
  • Santana - Supernatural

Music from the 2000s

• 2004
  • Eminem - Encore
• 2005
  • The Game - "Hate It or Love It"
  • 50 Cent - The Massacre
• 2006
  • Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
• 2008
  • RZA (as Bobby Digital) - Digi Snacks

Music from the 2010s

• 2012
  • G.O.O.D. Music - Kanye West Presents: G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel Summer (executive producer)
• 2013
  • Kanye West - Yeezus (executive producer)
  • Kanye West - "Bound 2"
• 2015
  • The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness
  • A$AP Rocky - At. Long. Last. A$AP.
  • Kanye West - "All Day"
• 2018
  • Christina Aguilera - Liberation
  • Kanye West - Ye
  • Nas - Nasir

Music from the 2020s

• 2022
  • Brent Faiyaz - WASTELAND - FYTB
• 2024
  • ¥$ - Vultures 1
  • Future - Mixtape Pluto

Awards and Nominations

Che Pope has been recognized for his work with several awards and nominations.