4 Years in a COMPLEX industry

In this fickle industry known as the “Recording Industry”, record labels, production companies, and recording studios open up very quickly and can shut down just as quick. The problem with most new “studios”, are that they are run very poorly due to a lack of some kind of structure. Regardless of the location, be it in a 5,000 square foot loft, or a dank basement, if the operators have no sense of business structure, then they are destined to fail.

When Cayex initially launched COMPLEX 2010, in the year 2010, he was just hoping to be able to become a good enough engineer that could bring in a steady clientele.

Fast forward almost four years later, not only has Cayex became a GREAT engineer, he’s become a Grammy Nominated engineer, and has one of the best studios in the city of Chicago. 

4 years in the business of recording is counted in dog years. That means in a figurative sense, that COMPLEX 2010 has been in business for 28 years! 28 years is nothing to take lightly by any means.

So I guess that means that are celebration is on the horizon. INDEED!!

Not only is COMPLEX 2010 going to celebrate 4 successful years in the business, it will also be throwing its end of the year holiday celebration, which unfortunately is only invitation only. 

So what will the individuals that aren’t fortunate enough to get an invite be missing?

Welp, there won’t be any lemon pepper chicken from Sharks. No sir!! There will be catered food from Uncle Joes Jerk Chicken. Some may say that chicken is chicken. If you say that, then clearly you aint been to Uncle Joes and had any of their Jerk wings, the red beans and rice, or the string beans.

This event is more than just food!! 

There will be some sort of industry big wigs in the building. Some you may know on sight, many you may NOT know on sight, OR by name. But know this much, the cats that you DON’T know, are the cats that you SHOULD know!! Those are the quiet individuals that wield the most industry power. The true movers, shakers and the candle stick makers.

This is one of the Chicago music events that if an invite goes out and you were meant to receive it, then that means that you were MEANT to be there. If this pertains to you, then that means that I will see you.

Damn, wait a minute!! I gotta make sure that I can include myself on the invitation list. LOL!

Grammy Nod (Nothing to do with a Grandmother going to sleep.)

Initially Thursday October 30th, 2014, was seeming like any other day down at COMPLEX 2010. Artists coming in and out, endless conversations about how the song that they’re about to make is going to be the next hit, how they’re about to “blow up”, Blah Blah Blah and whatnot. 

The buzzer rings to the doorbell. I get up from my office/workstation/pit/desk/barstool, and I approach the intercom. I hit the button and reply “Complex”. (Thats how I answer the intercom system.) “FedEx” is what the voice says to me. I take the steep hike up the 1 flight of stairs, down the hall, peek thru the peek hole, (because people have tried that FedEx line with me before just to try to get in.) verify the uniform, and I open the door. "Package for Syex EElah?”, the young caucasian courier says. 

"Its pronounced Kay Ex”. 

“Oh I’m sorry.” 

"Not a problem at all. I’m used to it, and so is Syex. LOL!”

"Hey, do you have one of those names too?”, the courier asks.

“Nah just Jonathan!” 

Now I could’ve told him that my alternate name was Joe Blacula, but I can guarantee that I would STILL be at the door explaining how I came up with that one.

I sign for the very wide, but very thin padded envelope and I bring it back down to Cayex, who was in the middle of a mixing session. 

“This is for you bro”.

“Could you open it up for me?”

I tear it open, place the envelope on the mixing console, and I start to return to one of my several posts inside of the COMPLEX. 

“WHOAAAAAAA!! JB come here!!”

Not having a chance to have sat down just yet, I pivot and return back to the “A” room.

“JB I got my paperwork!!”

"Paperwork for what?”

“My Grammy paperwork?”

“WHAAAAT?”

“Yessir!!”

“Congratulations bro!! You most definitely deserve it. So what do you need me to do?”

“Ima need for you to take some money out of the frivolous box (Thats a box that we have, hidden out of sight, for food or chicken runs to Sharks.”) and go to Sharks and get us a tray of wings!” Im also gonna need for you to go to the liquor store on State and bring back some Vodka because we are TOASTING this!!…Awww JB, you don’t drink anymore do you?”

"No sir, but I mos def will toast the event with a chicken wing!!”

We both laugh.

How did Cayex receive a Grammy nomination?

Cayex goes back several years with R&B Diva Syleena Johnson. A few years ago, he produced an mixed a song for Syleena, that would up on the Faith Evans project entitled "R&B Divas”. When Cayex found out that Syleena was going to submit one of his songs to the Faith Evans compilation, he never thought that it would be accepted, or heard, and DEFINITELY aint think that it would be nominated for a Grammy.

Well the song was nominated. It didn’t win…but it was nominated! As Ron Burgundy would say, “Thats kind of a big deal!”

After the 50 wings with lemon pepper were brought back to the COMPLEX, and the drinks were toasted, it was back to business as usual at COMPLEX 2010.

The RETURN of the "Super Emcee" on FSD!!

On Thursday September 26th, 2014, COMPLEX 2010 decided to have an event titled SUPER EMCEE, where we invited numerous local rappers into a studio session, where they could all write together, and see what the end product would be. The event was great, all egos were checked at the door, and a great song...actually SEVERAL great songs were completed and recorded. You can record as many songs as you want, but TRULY great songs come to life during the mixing process. That's when speculation, turns to confirmation.

Fake Shore Drive is a very popular music blog for the city of Chicago's music scene. If I could compare it to anything, I would compare it to what the Source magazine once was for nation rap music. Andrew Barber created the Fake Shore Drive brand, and has gotten it to the heights of being mentioned on MTV and even CNN. So when I was notified that Andrew had heard of the Super Emcee event, and that he wanted to do a review on the finished, needles to say (but I'm gonna say it anyway!) that I was STOKED!!

The mix was jumped on, literally attacked with key precision, and made sure that it was sent off to Drew. 

In this sanitized media world of words that we live in at times, I tend to feel that no one will ever have anything to say about anything because they are rightfully scared of the consequences and repercussions of their actions. Well know this; Drew aint one of these kinda people ya dig? Some people chop down the product, and you can always tell that the person that's reviewing a project, either is a washed up artist who has his own agenda, or if they just feel like being a prick. Drew will cut ya down, but he will give you his specifics on how he feels that the project or song, can become that much better.

I am happy to say that Drew did not cut the song down.

Fake Shore Drive Article

Soundcloud link to "Working"

But now the question is this; NOW WHAT? Drew has written about it and now people want it. They may even want to buy it! Maybe they would and WILL! 

I set up a SoundCloud account to see if the song generates heavy traffic. If so, I will get the artists to sign off on the song. Then I'm gonna set an ITunes account up, set a price and see what happens next. 

Hopefully the "CHING CHING" from a deposit...A  HEAVY DEPOSIT!! LOL