Brian Soko (born 1991) is a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

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's song, "

Drunk in Love "Drunk in Love" is a song by American singer Beyoncé featuring American rapper Jay-Z. The duo composed the song along with credited production and writing by Future, Detail, Andre Eric Proctor, Rasool Diaz, Brian Soko, Timbaland, J-Roc and ...

", in 2014 and a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

for his production work on the same song.

Background

Soko was born in 1991 in Zimbabwe in the small town of Chiredzi before moving with his parents to South Africa where they stayed for a short while. They moved to

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...

, 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 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 in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

and hip hop 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 September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

'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 "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip h ...

and wrote and produced "100 Favors" which features

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

, Birdman and

Detail Detail(s) or The Detail(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''Details'' (film), a 2003 Swedish film * ''The Details'' (film), a 2011 American film * ''The Detail'', a Canadian television series * "The Detail" (''The Wire''), a television epis ...

. 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, 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, he is regarded as one of t ...

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, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Her notab ...

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

" by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z *"Mission Statement" by K.O *"

No Worries ''No worries'' is an expression seen in 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''". The phrase is widely used in Australian speech an ...

" by

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

*"100 Favours" featuring

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. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 20 ...

*"Maybe" by

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert ( Taylor; born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, actress, dancer and choreographer. In 2005, she signed a record deal with Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Afterwards, she choreographed ...

*"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'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of t ...

nominations. , - , ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , ''

Drunk In Love "Drunk in Love" is a song by American singer Beyoncé featuring American rapper Jay-Z. The duo composed the song along with credited production and writing by Future, Detail, Andre Eric Proctor, Rasool Diaz, Brian Soko, Timbaland, J-Roc and ...

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

Grammy Award

, - , rowspan=2, 2015 , , rowspan=2, " Beyoncé's

" , - , 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