Renaissance Man: Sylvania producer up for two Grammys for work with Beyonce
Jamiel Aossey stands out as the rarest breed of man – someone who is in complete control of his own destiny. On February 5, fate will give him another hand in an already full life – he’s been nominated for two Grammys for his work on Beyonce’s best album in years, Renaissance.
And there we find Aossey, 38, in his basement studio in Sylvania, which is a study in serenity and unbridled creativity. There are a few old-school arcade games, including NBA Jam. A decades-old collection of keyboards and synthesizers takes up most of the space to the right of the large mixer.
“This is my office. It was an evolution,” Aossey said, gesturing around the room. “It wasn’t always this elaborate. It was in a closet, a garage with an $80 Casio and a bedroom, basement. It’s just nice to have this place.”
Mahogany cabinets line the back wall, stuffed with an ungodly amount of vinyl, Aossey’s inheritance from his late uncle Mohammed Shousher, better known as Moe on WIOT FM 104.7. In his day, Moe was the Wolfman Jack of Toledo rock radio. He played the obscure album tracks that were never intended for radio airplay. Aossey recalls going to the WIOT and watching his beloved uncle work the soundboard, riveted to every knob setting. But that was then and that is now, and Aossey and his business partner Larry Griffin, Jr. — known professionally as S1 — have become a much-in-demand music production team, working with the likes of X-Ambassadors, Eminem, the Pussycat Dolls, and Beyonce.
There’s a whiteboard with a to-do list with “Win Winners” at the top. “To win, you will lose. And you could lose quite a bit. Some moments I’m fine, some moments I’m not.”
Aossey was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and moved to Toledo as a child. He began learning the piano at the age of 3 and became an accomplished drummer by the age of 6. After graduating from Southview High School in 2002, he recorded his own albums and released The Gift: The Book of Screilosophy the summer after graduation. In 2004 he enrolled in the Chillicothe Recording Workshop and became a certified recording engineer.
In 2008, Aossey independently produced and released The Euphonious Suite.
Aossey’s business and creative partner S1, aka Larry Griffin Jr., who has worked with Kanye West among others, met Aossey at a music industry conference and became friends with him. Together, the duo have collaborated with the likes of Eminem and X-Ambassadors, and are currently marketing new audio plug-in software called Flux, based on the Flux Capacitor in Back to the Future.
“We’ve been working on it [The Flux] when the Beyoncé thing happened,” Aossey said. “The timing couldn’t have been better. You just never know when things are going to happen the way they’re supposed to.”
Although the music industry is primarily based in Los Angeles and New York, Aossey’s determination to stay in the Toledo area has made him who he is today.
“I will always live here. Out in LA, it takes 45 minutes to travel two miles. So Toledo will always be the home base.”
Right now, Aossey is waiting for the Grammy Awards to air, but he’s ready to get back in the studio where he belongs
“It still occurs to me. I’ve been doing this for so long,” Aossey said. “It’s a good lesson for my kids. There are so many “almost”‘s and then this happens. But as great as this is all, it’s time to get back to work.”
The 65th Grammy Awards will air Sunday, February 5 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m
