I got a chance to catch-up with Jamiene “J Skills” Thompson, one of the most popular brand-spankin’-new producers in the gospel industry.  And, I was honored to have done so– this is GospelPundit.com’s FIRST interview with producer (but it won’t be the last).

You’ve heard J Skills’ work on George Huff’s latest project (he wrote and produced the hit single, “Don’t Let Go,” along with half of the entire project) and, most recently, on the awesome track, “This Is Me,” on Coko’s new album, The Winner In Me.

I wanted to chat with him NOW (before he gets any bigger… and he will), so that we can all say that we knew him “back in the day.”

‘Nuff intro… here’s J Skills:

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EJ:  Hey bro, how are you?

JSkills:  I’m doing pretty good, man.

EJ:  Very good.  Thanks for chatting with me, I really appreciate it.

JSkills:  Oh yeah, yes sir.

EJ:  Folks might say that you’ve blown up in a relatively short time.  I think the question on a lot of folks’ minds is “where did he come from?”  But it may not have been a short journey for YOU, so tell us… where did you COME from?!

JSkills:  Well… *laughs*  It’s funny that you ask.  I’ve been around for a while.  I’ve actually been producing for about 11 years and God just allowed things to happen for me in the past couple of years.  But I’ve been around– producing for 11 years, I’ve written for a lot of different artists.

EJ:  You were a songwriter first?

JSkills:  Yeah.

EJ:  Who were you writing for?

JSkills:  Well, at the time, I was doing a lot of ghostwriting.

EJ:  Oh, wow.

JSkills:  Yeah, for different artists.  And I was singing background as well.  If you know of a guy named Carnell Murrell, I was singing with him and his group when I was a little younger.  And I got my start there for singing.

EJ:  Yeah, I’ve heard of him.  Now, you mentioned ghostwriting and a lot of times, we hear about ghostwriting in hip-hop… is it popular in gospel, too?

JSkills:  Well, in some sense, it is.  Sometimes, as a writer, you don’t get full credit for writing songs.  I won’t name some of the artists, but I’ve been in the studio with different artists, wrritten songs, and never did get any credit for ‘em.

In the early days, when I started writing and doing things, I was young and just wanted a chance to write, so…

EJ:  That had to be discouraging.

JSkills:  It was.  It was very discouraging, you know… being in the studio, writing, and you think people will give you credit or tell others about you, but they don’t.  Or, a year later, you hear the song come out, go buy the CD and your name is not on there.

EJ:  Man!  Knowing that you worked on it?

JSkills:  KNOWING that you worked on it.

EJ:  And hearing your ideas on there.

JSkills:  Right.  Right.  So, I would encourage all producers, writers… whenever you’re working with a known producer or writer, make sure you do a split sheet after everything is completed.  Make sure you handle your business.  Make sure you have your information about who contributed to the song.

EJ:  And that’s unfortunate, that we’d have to do it in gospel for fear that someone is gonna steal your stuff, but it’s real.

JSkills:  Oh yeah.

EJ:  How would you characterize your production style or sound?

JSkills:  I would say definitely a lot of vocal harmonies, very urban… in a sense, there’s a church element to it, but a very urban type of sound.  That’s my sound.

EJ:  And I think you do it well.  A lot of people can’t merge urban with churchy, but some of the stuff you’ve done with George Huff and, most recently, with Coko, you managed to pull the churchy sound into the urban gospel genre.

JSkills:  Thanks.

EJ:  How long does it take you to create a track, from concept to completion?

JSkills:  Well, it depends on how I’m feeling the track.  If I’m REALLY feeling the track, I can do a full track in about 30 minutes.

EJ:  No way!

JSkills:  Yeah.  And just to let you know, George Huff’s lead single, “Don’t Let Go,” that track was done in about 45 minutes.  And after I finished the track, I wrote the song in about 30 minutes.

EJ:  And that’s an awesome song, dude.  I remember hearing it and thinking that it reminded me– and I told George this too– reminded me so much of Kim Burrell’s Everlasting Life album and the work she did with Asaph Ward.

JSkills:  Wow.

EJ:  Yeah, the vocal and musical production of it sounded like that album to me.  And I don’t think anyone was prepared to hear George Huff like that… you kinda brought that outta him, I think.

JSkills:  Alex Asaph Ward is one of my favorite producers.  I have really been influenced by his productions.

EJ:  He does some phenomenal stuff.  I dunno if you saw my interview with George Huff a few weeks ago, but he recounted the story of how you two hooked up– how he blew you off at first and wasn’t too sure about you once he saw your studio set-up…

JSkills:  Right.  Lemme just say this… *chuckles*

EJ:  *laughing*

JSkills:  I had more equipment than he really said I had.  It wasn’t just a computer… *laughing*  Cuz I sure did call him, I said “George, what are you talking about?!” *laughing*  He said it was just a computer and a small mixer, but it was more equipment than that!

EJ:  *laughs*  Thanks for setting the record straight!  What was that experience like for you?

JSkills:  Wow.  It was great.  George is a very comical type of person.  He’s very funny, but he’s also very spiritual.  As far as working with him in the studio, it was great.

Vocally, I just feel like he’s one of the best out there and I feel like a lot of people, in the past, have overlooked his true vocal ability.  The Lord allowed me to pull stuff out of him– it was already there, but I think that when you get a good producer and a good artist together, and they have that chemistry in the studio, magic happens.

EJ:  Absolutely.  And I think that a lot of people, though you’ve been around for a minute, a lot of people took notice of you.  Did that lead to your placement on Coko’s latest project, with the track, “This Is Me?”

JSkills:  Yes and no, in a sense.  We did a song together when she was on George’s project, the song “Destiny.”  I submitted a song to her and God allowed me, at the last minute, to get the song on the project.  She heard it and said “this really fits with where I’m going.”

EJ:  Awesome.  That’s one of my favorite tracks on her album, too.

You just announced on Twitter that you got an endorsement deal.  Can you talk more about it?

JSkills:  Yes, I can.  It’s an endorsement deal in the works with an audio production company.  I’m in the process of getting a deal for the software that they’re releasing this year.  So, God is really blessing me, man.

EJ:  That’s awesome, man.  And for readers who don’t know, what is an endorsement deal and why is it important?

JSkills:  With an endorsement deal, the producer endorses the product and the company allows you to use it.  So, whenever you go somewhere, whether you’re endorsed by a drum company, a keyboard company, or whatever, you use their product for free.

EJ:  Good for you.  Can you tell me what else you’re working on right now?  What’s coming up, where are people gonna start seeing you?

JSkills:  Right now, I’m working on my wife’s project.  For those of you who don’t know, her name is Cassandra and she’s an artist in her own right.  We’re working on her project right now.  And I’m actually submitting some songs and doing some work for The Church Girl, Onitsha.

EJ:  Nice!  Wow, that’s gonna be good.

JSkills:  And then I’ve got some other artists in the works.  Let’s just say that I’m producing and working with an artist that was on Sunday Best.  So you’ll be hearing from her soon.

EJ:  Really?  And you can’t say anything about who it is? *laughing*

JSkills:  *laughing*  Well, I’ll say it like this… I’m actually doing something for TWO people from Sunday Best.

EJ:  Okay, now you’re just teasing people.

JSkills:  *laughs*  I’ll say that one of them is out of Chicago.

EJ:  From THIS season?

JSkills:  From the first season.  But you’ll find out soon enough.

EJ:  *laughs*  Fair enough.  Well, this seems to be your year, where everyone is starting to take note, finally.

JSkills:  Definitely, man.  I just believe that when you’re faithful to God, when you’re a giver, and when you pour out to others, God will bring that blessing back to you.  I really believe that.  When you seek God and stay humble– a lot of producers get to a certain point and don’t stay humble… they change in a lot of different ways.

But I believe, if you really stay the same way that allowed you to GET to that point, and you stay humble,  God will continue to bless you.  And that’s for artists, producers, or whoever you are in the industry.  We have to stay humble because we’re just people who got an opportunity.  There’s always somebody out there that can take our place.

EJ:  That’s the truth.

JSkills:  Especially in gospel music, we have to learn how to fellowship with one another.  It shouldn’t be about competition because we’re building the Kingdom of God.  We gotta show more love, man.

EJ:  I agree.  Listen, man, I’m a supporter in a big way.  I think you’re a good guy, but I also love the music.  I’m following your gift because I think you’ve got a lot going for you and the Lord is going to open many doors for you.

JSkills:  Thanks, man.

EJ:  No doubt.  And thanks for taking the time to chat with me.

JSkills:  Man, I thank you for the opportunity.  And I thank God for you and what you’re doing over there at GospelPundit, man.

EJ:  I appreciate that.  And let’s keep in touch.

JSkills:  Definitely, man.

EJ:  Alright, bye-bye.

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So, that’s my chat with J Skills.  I’m thrilled that I got to chat with him because I think God has great things ahead for him… excited to watch the progression.  And some great advice for all of you aspiring producers/songwriters– get your business in order!  That’s real talk.

Visit http://www.myspace.com/producerjskills to connect with J Skills.  And follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/JamieneJSkillsT.

What do you think about what he had to say?  Holla at me!