You Need To Watch G.O.O.D. Music President Che Pope's Red Bull Music Academy Paris Lecture

He talks working with Kanye, A$AP Rocky, Lauryn Hill, The Weeknd and more.

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Complex Original

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When Che Pope talks, people listen. If you're not familiar, the Grammy award-winning hip-hop producer serves as the president of G.O.O.D. Music. He also produced Kanye West's Grammy-nominated track "Bound 2," executive produced the album Cruel Summer and co-executive produced Yeezus. In his most recent lecture, Che Pope sat down at the Red Bull Music Academy Paris to talk G.O.O.D MUSIC, Yeezus, working with the greatest names in the business from Kanye to the Weeknd and more.

During the lecture, Pope explains that Yeezus was made entirely in Paris over a six month period and is the feistiest of Ye's album to date. As someone extremely close to Kanye, he discusses the difference between Kanye's public and private persona and how working with him reinforced to him how productive collaborations can be. As the president of G.O.O.D. Music, Pope explains the label is not a monetary endeavor but is more about "getting out our dreams" in a stream-dominant world of disposable music.

Pope goes into detail working with Kanye on “Bound 2” and the song's subsequent visual as the direct result of fashion photographer and video director Nick Knight. The track was actually one of the first things the producer gave Kanye when they started working together. He also discusses the time he worked with the Weeknd on “Tell Your Friends.” Pope, Kanye and Mike Dean worked on the track that was originally meant for Kanye who was supposed to rap on the track. Instead, the trio ended up giving the song to the Weeknd for his albumBeauty Behind The Madness. Of course, he also provides insight on working with A$AP Rocky and his fearless attitude in the studio as they created "Jukebox Joints" and how creating "To Zion" with Lauryn Hill "felt like two friends hanging out." Hear everything Che had to say about his life's work by watching the full lecture above.

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