Interview: Skeng, Jahshii Producer John Coop Working Towards Grammy Win
John Coop has not yet reached the two-year milestone as a Dancehall producer, but despite that, he is sure of his goals which include several Grammy awards, Billboard plaques, and to reach the success level of the famed record executive, DJ Khaled.
But who is John Coop? Well, if you’re a fan of Skeng and Jahshii, chances are you’re a fan of John Coop, CEO of John Coop Records. The 20-year-old is the man responsible for some of the biggest breakthrough hits in Jamaica through the pandemic, including Jahshii’s Keep Up and Skeng’s Brrrp.
Born Malik Miller, he first stepped into the recording studio with his father Creig Miller (the road manager to Reggae singer Ginger) at the age of 10 years old. From then on, the past student of Spanish Town Primary was sure that music would be his chief aim in life. These studio visits continued throughout primary and high school.
“I decided to do music because I have loved listening to music since primary school. I left high school about three years ago and then recorded Skeng which turned out to be the track Duppy Dem,” he told DancehallMag.
Like most Jamaican children, Malik, who is a past student of Eltham High has been listening to Dancehall music before he even understood the raunchy and aggressive nature of the lyrics. “Dancehall music was what I listened to most growing up, Bounty Killer was my artist from dem time deh.”
On December 19, 2020, when Skeng’s Brrrp was released on YouTube, Coop said he knew there was no turning back. “After Brrrp came out, I heard it everywhere I went, radios and all over just picked it up. It was then that I developed a different love for music, now I am making my own beats and dropping hits after hits in the Dancehall industry,” he said. “I composed the beat for Jahshii’s breakout song Cream of The Crop,” he added. That track was produced by Active Music.
The success of Brrrp and Keep Up unlocked a new level of ambition in Malik. “I want to have 1000s of plaques and to be a Grammy-winning producer, I want DJ Khaled level success by age 25, and I want to do a production collaboration with him,” he expressed.
Unphased by the criticisms of the Trap sounds currently saturating Dancehall, the producer is steadfast in the work he puts in whenever he commits his time to the studio.
“I am doing pretty well at the moment, also working towards my reggae album from my label, and I have a juggling with Fanton Mojah as well, I am always into good music,” he told DancehallMag, whilst remaining tight-lipped about who else will be included on the project. “I won’t list all of who is on it, just stay tuned to John Coop Records.”
As Skeng’s personal producer, John Coop, who acquired the moniker from a friend, but has no idea how he came up with the name, travels everywhere with the deejay and is enjoying his success from the music, as Dancehall evolves into a fused sound that Generation Z is addicted to.
“I knew Skeng from he came to Spanish Town, before doing music, we have been friends. Then we decided music would be our path, so we started in the industry at the same time,” he revealed.
“Shacko DiTruth, who made the beat for Duppy Dem and produced the songs Street Cred, Ypree, and Heaven Passport; he was the one with Budda who introduced me to Skeng. Budda is Skeng’s road manager right now and the second producer for Di Truth Records, we all started doing music at the same time.”
John Coop’s international pursuits do not stop at the Grammys or DJ Khaled, as he has also expressed a desire to work with American rapper Rod Wave, who is hailed as the trailblazer for Soul Trap.
On his process, he said he allows artists to vibe to the rhythm and gives them the freedom to be expressive on their own. His latest production from Skeng on the track Rain Like Hail.