Brian Soko (born 1991) is a

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

an songwriter and record producer who is based in the United States. He won three awards at the 2014 edition of the Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) R&B/Hip-Hop Awards for composing

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's song, "

Drunk in Love "Drunk in Love" is a song by Beyoncé featuring American rapper Jay-Z. The duo wrote the song with the help of its producers Detail, Andre Eric Proctor, Rasool Diaz, Brian Soko, Timbaland, J-Roc and Boots. The song was one of the two lead s ...

", in 2014 and a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for his production work on the same song.

Background

Soko was born in 1991 in Zimbabwe in the small town of

Chiredzi Chiredzi is a town in Masvingo province in south-east Zimbabwe. It is located near the Runde River, which has a tributary called the ' Chiredzi'. As the administrative center for Chiredzi District, it is where both the rural and district coun ...

before moving with his parents to South Africa where they stayed for a short while. They moved to

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

, in the United States, where he briefly played football before deciding to study sound engineering. He has two brothers named Prince Soko and Arnold Soko.

Career

Soko started as a rapper and used to sell his beats online. He switched to make beats for others while he was still in high school. During his first year at Tampa in Florida, he met

Dre Moon Andre Eric Proctor (born June 9, 1991), better known by his stage name Dre Moon, is an American record producer from Brandywine, Maryland. He won Best R&B Song at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards for co-producing and co-writing Beyoncé's 2013 si ...

and Rasool Diaz, who were also interested in music production. From then on, they focused on making

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

beats. Soko's first break with his friends, who became partners, was in 2012 after the release of

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

's "No Worries". Soko, together with his partners (The Order), composed and produced Beyonce's "

" in 2013. He also worked on the first compilation album of the group,

Rich Gang Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Baby" Williams. The label gained prominence in the late 1990s for having signed and released albums for New Orleans–based musical ac ...

and wrote and produced "100 Favors" which features

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

, Birdman and Detail. Soko's vocals were featured for the first time on a track titled "E.F.T." which stands for electronic funds transfer, released by a Pretoria-based rapper

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

, formerly known as Chad Da Don. He also worked with South African hip hop artists such as

Cassper Nyovest Refiloe Maele Phoolo (born 16 December 1990), professionally known as Cassper Nyovest, is a South African rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, record producer and amateur boxer. Born and raised in Mahikeng, North West (South African province), Nor ...

on his song, "Phumakim", K.O's "Mission Statement" and MaE. He has also worked with

Tinashe Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( ; born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena, California, as a child, where she pursued w ...

. In 2014, Soko launched a media management, marketing and production company, Anashe Media Group, focused on the African music sector with the help of his brothers, Arnold Soko who is a video director and Prince Soko. Anashe Media Group has opened branches in Nigeria with the help of Oladipo Tandoh, Angola, Congo and South Africa. The group has produced videos for Suki Yaki.

Production discography

*"E.F.T" by

(Formerly Known As Chad Da Don) *" Phumakim" by

" by

featuring

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

*"Mission Statement" by K.O *"

No Worries ''No worries'' is an expression in English language, English meaning "do not worry about that", "that's all right", "forget about it" or "sure thing". It is similar to the American English "''no problem''". It is widely used in Australian and N ...

" by

*"Sgelekeqe" by DJ Vigilante *"Lie 2 me" by Ma-e *"Pretend" by

*"100 Favours" featuring

, Detail and Birdman *"True Colors" by

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to re ...

*"Maybe" by

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Taylor (born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model, dancer, choreographer, and music video director. After choreographing the video for Beyoncé's 2006 single " Ring the Alarm," she signed ...

*"Tap Out" by Rich Gang

Awards

Billboard Music Awards

Soko has received two

Billboard Music Award The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a Billboard charts, music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annu ...

nominations. , - , ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, , ''

Drunk In Love "Drunk in Love" is a song by Beyoncé featuring American rapper Jay-Z. The duo wrote the song with the help of its producers Detail, Andre Eric Proctor, Rasool Diaz, Brian Soko, Timbaland, J-Roc and Boots. The song was one of the two lead s ...

'' , Top R'n'B/Hip-Hop Song ,

Grammy Award

, - , rowspan=2,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, , rowspan=2, "

" , - , Best R'n'B Song, , *Most Performed Song 2014 R&B/Hip-Hop Award Song for Lil Wayne's "No Worries" *Billboard No 1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song for Beyoncé's "Drunk In Love" *Billboard No 1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay for Beyoncé's "Drunk In Love"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soko, Brian Zimbabwean songwriters Zimbabwean record producers 1991 births Living people