fred jerkins- 100 percent inspiration
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photo by steed media service
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Producer
In
the music industry, the Dark Child label is synonymous with
chart-topping musical production. Most fans can identify the label’s
work through a myriad of R&B hit singles like Mary J. Blige’s,
“Enough Cryin’ ” and Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s collaborative single, “Déjà
vu.” Producer Fred Jerkins, who shares production duties with his
brother, Rodney Jerkins, attributes the success of the label to a
dedication to music and staying surrounded by people who share the
vision. “You’ve got to live it. We spend countless hours in the studio
so I mean for us, we live it. God keeps giving us our creativity and
the thing about staying creative is it’s about not having ‘yes’ people
around you,” he asserts.
Although most recognize Dark Child’s
productions because of urban music, Jerkins felt it was important to
allow his creativity to transcend genres. “You have to be up for change
[and] listen to what is going on. We definitely try not to limit
ourselves to only urban songs and tracks, but we don’t compromise our
sound,” he shares. “We have had different styles of music, we’ll do pop
tracks, we’ll do country tracks, but we try to keep it where [people]
can still identify it with us.”
Since the addition of Dark
Child Gospel to the label, which already boasts a résumé of work with
artists like Kirk Franklin and George Huff, Jerkins has high hopes that
the company will have a strong impact in gospel music too. “Gospel is
new for us, but [we understand] it’s not just about singing good. The
element in anointing is needed in gospel music, period,” he says. “It’s
never an easy thing, but if we keep God first and stay on the grind,
success will happen.” – jamana Jamison
