James Gregory Scheffer (born June 8, 1970), known professionally as Jim Jonsin, is an American record producer from South Florida. He has produced for numerous musical artists, including Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Usher, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Eminem, Pitbull, Yelawolf, Nelly, Mary J. Blige, Wiz Khalifa, Danity Kane and Jamie Foxx, among others. He won a Grammy Award for his work on Lil Wayne's 2008 single "Lollipop,"[1][2] and received a nomination for Best Rap Album for his work on "Whatever You Like" by T.I. that same year. Furthermore, both songs peaked the Billboard Hot 100.[3]
Jim Jonsin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jonsin in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Gregory Scheffer |
| Born | June 8, 1970 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | South Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Rebel Rock Entertainment |
| Website | rebelrock |
Jonsin's productions have been on other Grammy Award-winning albums such as Beyoncé's I Am... Sasha Fierce (2010 Best Contemporary R&B album),[4] Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III (2008 Best Rap Album),[5] Usher's Raymond v. Raymond (2011 Best Contemporary R&B album),[6] and Usher's "There Goes My Baby" (2011 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance),[6] and Eminem's Recovery (2011 Best Rap Album and Album of the Year).[6]
Jonsin launched the record label Rebel Rock Entertainment in 2006, through which he signed then-unknown rapper B.o.B that same year.[7] Jonsin's label partnered with Atlantic Records and later T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records to release B.o.B.'s debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010).[8][9] The album debuted atop the Billboard 200, and was followed by Strange Clouds (2012) and Underground Luxury (2013).[10] Jonsin signed other acts to the label including singer Leroy Sanchez, as well as fellow producers FnZ,[11] Danny Morris, and Frank Romano.[12][13]
Outside of music, he entered into the field of professional racing in February 2012 and formed his own motorsports team, Rebel Rock Racing.[14] Jonsin drove a Porsche 911 in the Grand-am Road Racing series with co-driver D.J. Randall that same year.[15]
Music career
In the late 1990s, Jonsin was no longer on tour and returned to Miami to produce more bass records, and ultimately landed a position as an engineer at the locally-based Slip-N-Slide Records.[16] From his tenure, Jonsin produced songs for Trick Daddy and Trina.[17] Jonsin wrote and produced the former's 2004 single "Let's Go" (featuring Lil Jon and Twista).[18] Soon after the success of this song, Jonsin began working with Miami native Pitbull and produced his 2004 single "Dammit Man"[19] from the rapper's debut album M.I.A.M.I., which received gold certification by the RIAA.[20] The music industry began to take notice of the Miami-based producer, and Jonsin was tapped by Bad Boy Records to produce for the group Danity Kane, who were made popular from the MTV reality series Making the Band.[21][22] Jonsin produced their 2006 single "Show Stopper", which peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.[23]
Jonsin saw his furthest success for his production on Lil Wayne's 2008 single "Lollipop", which peaked the Billboard Hot 100, received diamond certification by the RIAA, and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song.[18][24][25][26][1] In that same year, Jonsin found similar success with his work on T.I.'s single "Whatever You Like".[27][28] The song peaked the Billboard Hot 100 for seven non-consecutive weeks, and yielded one of the rapper's furthest commercial successes.[29] "Whatever You Like" was also a popular ringmaster, spending 18 weeks atop Billboard Hot Ringmaster's chart.[30]
In the closing of 2008, his string of success was continued with his production on Soulja Boy's "Kiss Me Thru The Phone".[18] The song was downloaded over 2 million times and was also a popular ringmaster, spending 11 weeks atop the Billboard Hot Ringmaster's chart.[31][32] The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.[32]
In 2009, Jonsin co-produced the single "Sweet Dreams" by American singer Beyoncé. The song was the sixth single from her Grammy Award-winning album, I Am… Sasha Fierce.[4][17][33] The song received platinum certification and peaked at number ten on Billboard Hot 100.[34][35] Shortly after its release, Jonsin reunited with Pitbull to produce his 2009 single "Hotel Room Service", which received platinum certification and peaked at number eight on Billboard Hot 100.[18][34][36]
The summer of 2010 proved to be another high point for Jonsin's career. On August 16 Nelly released "Just a Dream", co-produced by Jonsin.[16] The song received platinum certification and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.[34][37] The day after "Just a Dream" was released, Kid Cudi released the Jonsin-produced single "Erase Me" (featuring Kanye West), which peaked at number 22 on the chart.[38][39] Released that August, Jonsin wrote and produced American Idol winner Fantasia's single "Falling In Love Tonight", from her Grammy Award-nominated album Back To Me.[40][41]
In early 2011, Nelly released the single "Gone" (featuring Kelly Rowland), which was also co-produced by Jonsin in tandem with singer Rico Love.[42] The song is a follow-up to Nelly's 2002 single, "Dilemma".[43] Jonsin produced Eminem's "Space Bound" from his Grammy Award-winning Recovery album, which was the best selling album of 2010.[13][44][45] The Jonsin-produced single "On My Level" (featuring Too Short) was released by Wiz Khalifa on his major label debut, Rolling Papers on March 29, 2011.[46]
Ventures
Rebel Rock Entertainment
Jonsin formed his record label, Rebel Rock Entertainment, in 2006.[11] He signed B.o.B as the label's first artist, who in 2010 made his debut appearance on to the music scene with great success.[47] B.o.B first released the double platinum single Nothin' On You which went to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and was nominated for 3 Grammys.[48][49] The artist followed "Nothin' on You" with the triple platinum single "Airplanes"[50] which made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100[51] and was itself nominated for a Grammy.[49] B.o.B's third release, "Magic", went platinum and landed at #10 on Billboard's Hot 100.[50][51]
Jonsin served as executive producer for B.o.B's debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray and is credited with choosing the artist's first single, "Nothin' on You".[52] The song ultimately turned out to be one of the biggest records of the year.[53] B.o.B. garnered several awards in late 2010 and early 2011. The rapper was nominated at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards for five awards.[49] Additionally in 2010 he was nominated for 3 American Music Awards,[54] 3 BET Awards,[55] 7 BET Hip Hop Awards,[56] 4 MTV Video Music Awards,[57] and 1 MTV Europe Music Award.[58] B.o.B won the 2010 Soul Train Awards for Best Song "Nothin' On You" and gained a nomination for Best New Artist.[59] B.o.B won the 2010 Teen Choice Awards Hook Up Song for "Airplanes" and was nominated for five others.[60] Jonsin plans to follow up the success of his imprint's first artist with two other singers which he signed in 2011, Nick Merico and Leroy.
Rebel Rock Productions
Jonsin signed three producers, Finatik and Zac—an Australian production duo, and Danny Morris to his production company, Rebel Rock Productions.[13] Danny Morris has worked with Jonsin on several releases including Usher's "There Goes My Baby",[61] and "Making Love (Into the Night)",[62] Fantasia's "Falling In Love Tonight",[62] Kelly Rowland's "Take Everything" and "Motivation", Tank's "Scream",[63] N Dubz's "Girls"[64] and Wiz Khalifa's "On My Level". Finatik and Zac also have some upcoming releases for the Def Jam artist Wax ("Two Wheels/DUI") and the Universal Records artist Pac Div ("Loose").[65]
Rebel Made
Jonsin formed Rebel Made Publishing Company in 2009 as a venture with his management team, Made. Writers signed to Rebel Made's roster include Terence Reid, formerly of The Network, along with fellow producers Finatik and Zac and Danny Morris.[13]
Rebel Rock Racing
In 2010, Jonsin formed a racing team named Rebel Rock Racing, composed of him, Bucky Lasek (Pro Skateboarder and ten time X Games gold medalist)[66][67] and Marius Avemarg (pro driver from Germany). The race team is supported by its ambassadors, Pitbull, Kyle Loza, and Yelawolf and sponsors such as Beats by Dre and Oakley.[15]
American Idol
Jonsin appeared on the 10th season of American Idol in 2011.[68] Jonsin was handpicked by Interscope's Jimmy Iovine as one of a handful of producers to serve as mentors to the contestants,[69] working with them to produce and record cover songs for sale on iTunes.[70]
Musical influences and techniques
Jonsin has cited DJ Jazzy Jeff and Jam Master Jay as strong musical influences on his style and has been known to use an MPC 3000, a Roland TR 808, and an Access Virus TI as his preferred gear.[17][71][72]
Personal life
Jim Jonsin was born in Brooklyn, New York City but was raised in South Florida.[73] Jonsin's first job in the music business was as a scratch DJ.[74] At the age of 14, Jonsin was spinning records at local skating rinks and other venues.[18] By 18 Jonsin had graduated to spinning at Miami and South Florida dance clubs and formed his own record label called Cut It Up Def Records and produced one of its first singles, "Cut It Up Def" which independently sold 40,000 units.[75] Jonsin had become well known in the region by the time he released his next production, the single "Party Time", which he also rapped on.[75]
Jonsin's success in South Florida led him to a deal with California-based Heat Wave Records.[75] Going by his new artist moniker, DJ Jealous J, he released a compilation of Miami bass songs titled Miami Bass Jams.[18] The first two singles from the collection were certified Gold.[75] Jonsin went on to tour with some of the most popular acts of the time such as Cypress Hill, 2 Live Crew, and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.[18]
Discography
Singles produced
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Rap | AUS | CAN | GER | IRL | NZ | SWI | UK | ||||
| "Let's Go" (Trick Daddy featuring Twista and Lil' Jon) | 2004 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 35 | — | — | 27 | — | — | 26 |
| Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets |
| "Dammit Man" (Pitbull) | 119 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | M.I.A.M.I. | ||
| "Grind With Me" (Pretty Ricky) | 2005 | 7 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 26 |
| Bluestars |
| "Your Body" (Pretty Ricky) | 12 | 22 | 5 | 45 | — | — | — | 13 | — | 37 |
| ||
| "Unpredictable" Jamie Foxx featuring Ludacris | 8 | 2 | — | 22 | — | — | 26 | 13 | 85 | 16 |
| Unpredictable | |
| "Show Stopper" (Danity Kane featuring Yung Joc) | 2006 | 8 | 33 | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | — |
| Danity Kane |
| "Leather So Soft" (Birdman and Lil Wayne) | 118 | 41 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Like Father, Like Son | ||
| "Lollipop" (Lil Wayne) | 2008 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 10 | 22 | 28 | 3 | 39 | 26 |
| Tha Carter III |
| "Whatever You Like" (T.I.) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 12 | 57 | 19 | 1 | — | 47 |
| Paper Trail | |
| "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (Soulja Boy featuring Sammie) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 10 | — | 11 | 2 | 88 | 6 | iSouljaBoyTellEm | ||
| "Sweet Dreams" (Beyoncé) | 2009 | 10 | 48 | — | 2 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 5 | I Am… Sasha Fierce | |
| "Hotel Room Service" (Pitbull) | 8 | 7 | — | 11 | 7 | 22 | 29 | — | 11 | 9 |
| Rebelution | |
| "There Goes My Baby" (Usher) | 2010 | 25 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 138 | Raymond v. Raymond | |
| "Just a Dream" (Nelly) | 3 | — | 6 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 22 | 8 |
| 5.0 | |
| "Erase Me" (Kid Cudi featuring Kanye West) | 22 | 51 | — | 50 | 12 | — | — | 22 | — | 58 |
| Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager | |
| "Girls" (N-Dubz) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | — | — | 18 | Love.Live.Life | ||
| "Space Bound" (Eminem) | 2011 | 119 | — | — | 51 | — | — | 31 | — | — | 34 |
| Recovery |
| "On My Level" (Wiz Khalifa featuring Too Short) | 52 | 30 | 19 | — | 96 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rolling Papers | |
| "Motivation" (Kelly Rowland featuring Lil Wayne) | 17 | 1 | — | — | 99 | — | — | — | — | 169 |
| Here I Am | |
| "Right There" (Nicole Scherzinger featuring 50 Cent) | 39 | — | — | 8 | 44 | 61 | 7 | 7 | — | 3 | Killer Love | ||
| "Mr. Wrong" (Mary J. Blige featuring Drake) | 87 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) | ||
| "No More" (LL Cool J featuring Ne-Yo) | 124 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Lemme See" (Usher featuring Rick Ross) | 2012 | 46 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 90 | Looking 4 Myself | |
| "Pay Attention" (Big K.R.I.T. featuring Rico Love) | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cadillactica | |
| "L$D" (ASAP Rocky) | 2015 | 62 | 20 | — | 83 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | At. Long. Last. ASAP | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Awards and nominations
- 2006 BMI Urban Songwriter of the Year[76]
- 2006 BMI Urban Award for "Grind with Me", "Let's Go", and "Your Body"[77]
- 2006 BMI London Awards – Urban Award for "Here We Go"[78]
- 2007 BMI Urban Awards for "Girl Tonite", "Here We Go", and "Unpredictable"[79]
- 2008 Grammy Award – Best Rap Song – "Lollipop"[1]
- 2009 BMI Creative Inspiration Producer Award[18]
- 2009 BMI Urban Award for "Lollipop"[80]
- 2009 Billboard #3 Hot 100 Producer of the Year[18]
- 2009 Grammy Award nomination Album of the Year – Beyoncé – I Am… Sasha Fierce[81]
- 2010 BMI Pop Award for "Whatever You Like"[82]
- 2010 BMI Urban Awards for "Hotel Room Service" and "Kiss Me Thru The Phone"[83]
- 2010 BMI London Awards – Pop Awards for "Hotel Room Service" and "Sweet Dreams"[84]
- 2010 Billboard #16 R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year[85]
- 2010 Grammy Award nomination Album of the Year – Eminem – Recovery[86]