Swagg R’Celious is a Grammy Award winning music producer, having earned that honor for his work on the album H.E.R. by H.E.R., but his influence doesn’t stop there. Swagg also helped produce Kehlani’s debut mixtape Cloud 19, which had a huge impact on R&B today. He ultimately works as a visionary, helping artists define their sound and songwriting. In his conversation with Jejune, we learn that Swagg R’Celious is also a mentor and advocate for Black Youth in the music industry. He is a a professor at both Berklee College of Music and NYU, where he has set out to become the professor that he has always wanted growing up, a conduct between real life experience and the classroom. Swagg R’Celious recently became an ambassador for the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective, which aims to build trust and empower Black artists, creatives and music executives. Through his work as an ambassador, he is able to provide insight and input on how Black artists are represented at the Recording Academy. Continue reading our interview with Swagg R’Celious to learn more about his background, his work on H.E.R. and Cloud 19, and some upcoming projects that he has coming up!

Where are you based?
I'm based in New York and Connecticut, but I was born in Georgia.

You started refining your musical talents at such a young age. What was your inspiration to get into music?
I was first introduced to music by my family and the church. Growing up in the church I would see my siblings play instruments and get involved with music and I wanted to be part of that.

When did you decide that music production was the right career choice for you?
Probably between my senior year of high school and first year of college. I was writing a lot of songs and my brother would produce them, then he taught me how to produce my own music and that's how I fell in love with the whole process of producing music.

You have collaborated with some big names, including but not limited to H.E.R., Kehlani, and Snoh Aalegra, what do you look for when finding an artist to collaborate with?
Collaborating with artists is always exciting, I love being a disruptor and creating things that haven’t been heard before. I enjoy working with people who are down to create a new sound and innovate, and that's something that I look for when I’m working with someone.

Kehlani’s debut mixtape, Cloud 19, was just recently released on all streaming platforms. Could you explain to us what went into making this mixtape?
The whole process of working with Kehlani and creating the mixtape was exciting from start to finish. I was first introduced to Kehlani by H.E.R., then Nick Cannon told me about Kehlani and the rest is history. We were in New York for a week and we did three songs-the project has eight songs. The sound of the project started shaping as she started to feel more comfortable and opening up about who she was. I helped her define her songwriting — I made sure that the hook and everything worked with the songs we were making. The EP has a very nostalgic 90s vibe. Before we met she was trying to find her sound as an artist and was in a Hip Hop group, but she was down to experiment and that's how Cloud 19 was born.

This album had a huge impact on R&B today. In what ways have you noticed it changes your own ways of music production?
Thank you so much for your kind words. I don’t think it changed the way I made music, it was more a confirmation that I wasn’t crazy and that people were connecting with the music. I tried with two other artists but they didn’t connect with what I was trying to do. When ‘FWU’ went viral online, the labels started hitting me up because my songs were a huge success and I was super excited.

It was a confirmation to be more confident in what I feel - my instincts. It’s scary to be a visionary, but when you are able to get something out and it connects, it just encourages you to not be afraid. It helped me trust myself and think forward, like combining sounds and creating something that is unique.

Favorite memory from the creation of this mixtape?
My favorite memory is probably seeing the hunger from Jahaan Sweet. He started as a mentee, I mentored him for two or three years. We were just making music with no expectations, everyone was excited trying to make something great, something amazing. It’s great to reflect on that — so innocent in a way. We were not trying to make a hit record, we were just trying to make music that was fun.

How did the release of the mixtape affect your own career trajectory?
It helped me rediscover myself in the music industry. There were certain label executives who saw my name and reached out.

You won a Grammy for your production work in the album H.E.R. by H.E.R. What was it like working on this album?
This was a little more personal, in the sense that I’ve known H.E.R. since she was 12 years old. Shoutout to Jeff Robinson CEO of MBK Entertainment & Suzette Williams for giving me the opportunity to have a front seat and play a creative role in her development from a kid to a young woman. It was very emotional and personal. I’m like her big brother, so she was very comfortable sharing intimate things about her life. There was an emotional moment on both ends of the spectrum, it was very exciting.

She got signed at 13, so no one expected that this album was gonna be as big as it is. There were absolutely no expectations, we were just doing our thing. That’s what made it so special, we were able to be vulnerable, there was no clock on her. We got to work with different people, try different things. The sound of the album changed along the way with different producers, trying to figure out what worked and how transparent she wanted to be. It paid off.

Could you have predicted the success each of these albums - H.E.R. and Cloud 19 - would have while making it?
I was not thinking about a Grammy or the impact these albums would have on RnB. It was just a surreal feeling because when we were creating them, we were just innocent, we were very naive. I remember thinking “Just have fun”, they were a challenge, and I wanted to prove that I could complete the challenge.

You're also a professor at both Berklee College of Music and NYU — what drew you to academia?
That’s my background, my parents are educators and I have siblings who are into education. I pursued higher education, and with an entrepreneurial spirit I always thought outside of the curriculum. Even though I had no desire to be a teacher — when the opportunity presented itself I decided to become the professor I always wanted to be, and be a conduct between real life experience and the classroom — a conduct between reality and university reality.

The industry is a living organism, and you need to work on a mentality on how to flow with the changes. For me, it was just an opportunity to tap in “this is what I’m experiencing in real time, let me give you some gems, this is what happened to me last week, this is what is happening right now”.

Are there any memorable experiences that have happened during your time as a professor so far that you could share with us?
Just seeing students that I taught help them get internships and seeing them killing it. I got one of my students an internship with Alex Da Kid, and some students turned their writing club into a band and they just got a deal. I love being able to get them real opportunities.

What advice would you give to your students or other young people looking to get into the music industry or music production?
First thing is to take yourself serious, start being professional. The minute you decide to do this, learn all you can about the industry you want to get into. Have a work ethic, hard work pays off. Don’t give up, you have to create a vision for yourself.

You’re an active soldier for women empowerment and people of color in music. What kind of change do you want to see in the music industry in the next year or two that will create more opportunities for these groups?
There are strategies being placed in the Recording Academy to celebrate female creatives. We have to figure out more platforms that really highlight female producers and female engineers, we don’t see that many. We need to celebrate women in those areas, it’s very male dominated and it's discouraging for them to not see representation.

The Black Music Creative provides black and brown creatives a platform to show their contributions, providing opportunities to minorities. Pop music gets more budget than RnB and Hip Hop, and we want to give the same opportunity to everyone.

You recently became an ambassador for the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective, can you explain the mission of this Collective with us?
Yes, for sure! The Black Music Collective aims to build trust and empower Black artists, creatives and music executives. Right now we are in a transformational period at the Recording Academy, so this collective couldn't be more important. As an Ambassador of the Black Music Collective, I provide insight and input to make necessary changes in the way Black music and its creators are represented at the Recording Academy and in the music industry.

Where do you hope to see the Black Music Collective in the future?
I want to see the impact initiatives of our initiatives, see more black creatives — educating them. Grow business opportunities, keep inspiring and have more black creatives get invoiced. I want my voice heard.

What motivates you to use your platform to uplift others and serve as a role model for the Black youth?
I come from a very rural area in Georgia where the epitome of success as a minority was to be a school teacher. I was fortunate to have educated parents, so I was able to see the rest of the world. It’s cool to see someone who looks and talks like you to be successful. The entrepreneurial spirit of all, this is what I love to do, there’s a business component to what I do. You might not be the dopest pianist, but check these different avenues if you love music, or how you can build a business. Show something different, expose them to something they might have not thought about.

How are you staying positive during the current wave of the pandemic? Are you almost back to normal?
I’m almost back, it’s been challenging to be honest. You just have to remember why you love what you do. When my memory gets foggy, I like to step away from frustration, chill with my family, my kids, and talk to people who inspire me.

Were you able to continue working on music during the heat of the pandemic last year?
Yes, I have been able to continue working through Zoom, tech and other creative ways. Staying productive helped me get more into sound design and reconnect with myself.

Are you working on anything new at the moment that you could share with us?
I’m working with Leo The Kind from Boston, he will be dropping new music next year. I am also working with this band The Struts, and another young artist Annalise Azadian, Kate Stewart and Alex Harris. I just spoke to Snoh Aalegra to start working with her again next year. H.E.R. and I have been talking about working again too. So there’s a lot of conversations, and some other projects that I’m working on that I can’t talk about.

What is your motto in life?
Greatness is not a destination, is a way of life.

You can find more from Swagg R’Celious on the social media platforms below:
Instagram: @ifswaggdidit
Twitter: @ifswaggdidit

Swagg R'Celious Has Us on Cloud 19