That Grape Juice‘s latest feature ‘Meet The Makers’ spotlights the gifted names who engineer the spectacle in all facets of entertainment. Music, TV, and beyond.
Today we celebrate the work of Prince Charlez, the brains behind Rihanna’s ‘ANTI’-lifted single ‘Needed Me.’
Our conversation with Charlez takes place as he celebrates the release of his new project ‘Black & Gold‘, an eight-track set now available to spin here.
Of course, there’s little doubt that the project will attract the attention of Rihanna loyalists who have him to thank for the aforementioned Grammy nominated number ‘Needed Me.’
I started out when I was 16 and began working with the producer Red One after a friend introduced me to him. As a child I was fortunate enough to be around great writers and that inspired me to pick up the pen myself.
Once in One’s camp, Charles penned numbers for Usher’s sixth studio album ‘Raymond v. Raymond’ making him one of the industry’s most sought after scribes.
Then, keen to find inspiration to write fresh hits, the singer/songwriter made his way to Europe to take a break from the demands of the fast-paced industry.
While there, he stood as one of several up & coming R&B songwriters invited to pen material for Beyonce who, after witnessing the rise of Electronic Dance Music on the charts, sought to create fresh opportunities for lyricists in her genre.
I was in Milan when I got a call asking me to return to Los Angeles to work on Beyonce’s self-titled surprise album. I was sent the instrumental for the song which would become Ring Off. Bey didn’t like the first one so my publisher asked me to send another one. At first I was discouraged because the practice of writing songs and trying to get them onto albums is tough because there are a million other writers submitting songs for the same albums. However, I gave it another shot, freestyled over the beat, sent it back and got a call from Big Jon (Beyonce’s A&R collaborator) who told me that he wanted it. That’s how ‘Ring Off’ happened. I didn’t think about the songwriting process because I wanted to express myself. My mother went through it so I wrote something that I know she’d would have appreciated. It’s a song encouraging women to stand up for they are and to fight what they believe in. Roc Nation heard it and so they called me in to work with Rihanna.
When you’re working with an artist you’re there to enhance what the singer wants and articulate what they want to express but it can be easier because you’re in the room with them. The placement game is hard because the challenge is to expound on an idea, submit it and hope the artist takes it. It can be tedious. Once the song is done, you sign up to a royalty collection company after agreeing with the other writers how much each of you are to earn from the song. That’s usually based on what you contributed. The royalty collections company collects your share of the song on your behalf and pays it out to you…after a while. Some writers earn from their work on the spot by charging the artists to work with them and all producers take half of the song’s earnings. If you’re not in that position the game is hard because it can take up to a year before you see any of the money you’ve earned.That’s why I think it’s important that writers know their worth and are mentored because unlike artists and producers they aren’t protected from the dangers of not earning from your work as soon as you’ve created it. Would you believe I worked five jobs even after i had a placement to earn money. That’s why it can be difficult.
I was with Rihanna, Starrah and DJ Mustard in Malibu and we were playing beats Mustard has created. She loved one that she heard and asked if we could write to it. It was done in twenty minutes. When she came in the next day we played it for her and she flipped out! She recorded it then and there and gave it so much energy and life. We were shocked because we thought that she would have preferred one of the Pop songs we had penned but no, she wanted ‘Needed Me’ and I’m thankful that she did. Who better than her to tell that story.
I want to start my introduction to the world with black and Gold because it represents strength and years of hard work, in some Very dark places. Yet and still, I’m coming out and breaking through boundaries “Gold”.
Lana just released a new single called Love
https://t.co/IqVJgi0Ldn
OH MY GOD! Elfixlsndjdoskfjfh. I WAS AT WORK. THANK YOU SOOO MUCH ( I was just thinking about where the hell she’s been the other day. I Hope it slays!!)
Hes pretty. The video isn’t is cute. BUT the song is a resounding No. Not sure if he wants to Be MJ or RiRi. I’ll listen to his second single , but if it’s wack I’m over it.
Seems cool & talented!
What language is he speaking? I couldn’t seem to figure it out
he’s speaking flop language, hes gonna flop like Elijah Blake, Trey Songz, Rita Ora, Chris BRown, Usher,August Alsina, Camila Cabello, Nicole sherjsfhgfhbvhs etc.
And you have me thinking all this times that Beyoncé wrote Ring off…thought she was telling her mother story…
The desilusion i am facing…
So she basically the same in the studio as Rih darling
Not at all BEYONCÉ can sang for starters. Stop trying to put Rih on that level when home girl is nothing more than a cute bop… STOP IT in 2017!
As i wrote above “In the studio” i did not say on stage
@Discount and Streaming Icon
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Beyonce STILL SINGS in the studio, and without enhancement from drugs, ganja and alcohol too
Beyoncé has been writing and arranging songs since the beginning of her career she’s also always been open to hearing people’s songs, making them her own or keeping them the same if they’re bomb enough. The main job is to correlate the story to your life, Beyoncé mother was cheated on and got 2 side kids to clearly the song correlated to her life a lot, which is why she probably wanted it
There is no denying the talent of an accomplished songwriter but what is that gibberish he released? What is he saying and what does it mean?
LOL
yall not gonna post about Selena and Kygo new song it ain’t me???
Who and who??
I really like his story. I hope people find inspiration in his journey.
“Bitty” is a certified mess I don’t understand how he can write all these bops and then do that bs.
There the Beehive was thinking Beyonce wrote Ring Off…lmaoooooo
Ring Off is trash and so is Bitty. LMAO
…Buuutttt….I thought “Ring Off” was written for and about Tina, Matthew and Tina’s new husband. I thought it was about her hard marriage but finding new love…I guess she wanted to make the song “personal”.
That song though ? Trying to be a thug but clearly a queen smh
Needed Me has Rihanna in its writing credits. But according to this, she asked the producer to write it, and she just recorded the song. I guess Sia wasn’t lying. But at least, she was there during writing session?
Artists “buy” into getting credit in order to insure they get royalty check. This is why writing your own material and owning your masters is so important over all as an artist
LOL
GURL!!!!! NO MA’AM!!!!
lol
So Beyonce’s personal album was made picking from housands of writers submissions, so she can “arrange” the vocals and get Songwriting Credits.
why not comment under your usual username you coward ghetto trick?
Oops, did I hit a nerve LMAOOOOO
you cannot hit anything besides the last position in your class thats why the only thing you posess in your life is your birth certificate ONLY
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hold this L and go think about your life full of failures and poverty!
I love Needed Me but Live she didn;t do it justice
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i see she was using Beyonce’s echoes(the ones Navi dragged Beyonce for using live and she still failed)
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she sucks live but she has good music
So basically what dude said was the process of writing for Rihanna is better and more lucrative than for Beyoncé. Where have I heard this before?…Oh, Soundz, the producer when he was talking about how Beyoncé takes a percentage of a song she never even wrote–how she just changes a few words and gets songwriting credit. Then that was the last we heard of him .smh That’s why payback ate her last Sunday.
you are as irrelevant as your gravatar despite being the same age as Madonna (but in visiting this site)
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bye irrelevant
I’m just as irrelevant to you as you are to me because we don’t know one another, and personally judging by your intellect or lack thereof for that matter, I don’t even care to know you. Facts are facts! She didn’t write anything but that tired “Thank You Speech” she thought she was going to use for ALBUM, SONG, and RECORD OF THE YEAR…Those of which she lost on last Sunday. Remember?
riddle me why your paragraphs keeps expanding, such anger bxtch sxch angerrrrr!!!!!
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you know me and you care about me!!!!!!
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to me you’re nothing just like your faves existence to the GP
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seetheeeeee!!!!!
I know the haterz will never rest, same old tired drags about people not writing their s*** – like we should only respect people who can do everything in life – regardless of their standout skills. Read this article about why historically some of the most talented artists rarely got to where they did alone >>>>
https://www.fastcompany.com/3068276/work-smart/why-youll-never-do-your-best-work-alone
Prince Charles is a song stealer him & captain cuts stole the melody off
Another writer she called all them out on instagram??? Y r u not reporting on that??? Huh
the lessers are mad and seething!!!
i see Bruno Mars is outselling ANTI already
NEWSFLASH!!!!
Marketingyonce submitted songs in the pop. Rock, country and rap field and lost all those categories.
you are still irrelevant in a blog
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bye keke
and by the way, there is this delusional rabid fanbase who are running loose and wild like hyenas , meanwhile they faves is nothing but a struggling discount artist (smoke and mirrors)
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i am ready for them
The hive claimed lemonade was a master piece but I just found out it lost the Grammy for Music Film, Smokeandmirrorsyonce didn’t even win that.
random bxtch bye!
Rollingstone and every other outlet, including adele said that it was a masterpiece. That’s whats wrong with dumb muthafluckas today, can’t be happy for no one. ya’ll take that whole navy and beyhive s*** to serious. I love both bey and rih, but bey is the better vocalist to my ears but rih def make good music.
Oh that song’s really not good…and why is he trying to do. in that Video? Strutting around like Rihanna and trying To be a gangster parallely?
Whatever – good luck
Beyonce is soo amazing and creative, she just open her email account and pick her favourite songs, then “arrange” the vocals and that’s it, her name is on the writing credits, soo ethical and honest.
its 2017 and your faves still hasnt sold Platinum
BTW, who’s that Santana old fragile dried out biltong looking as$?
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what claim to fame does he have?
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what’s his networth and his achievemnet?
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its a good thing he apologised for his words like all other has-beens and never was’s always do
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#BowDown
That “has been” is a TWO time AOTY Grammy winner(if you include his contribution on Lauryn Hill’s album) an award your fave has failed to win three times in a row.he has won 8 Grammy awards in one night a record he holds with MJ.He is selling artist who has sold over 100 million records during the 40+ years of his career. Ask more question since you are clueless as usual
A diamond selling*
we still don’t know him nor his songs, what kind of a slaying non slayer????
this bxtch Jasmine looks over worked and pressed , stay mad fat as$!
Lmao I’m the one that’s pressed when you’re the one that’s leaving multiple comments on this thread all because I answered your question.
I wouldn’t expect you to know his music because his music doesn’t cater to peasants with an IQ that’s lower than their shoe size like you.
so this ho Jasmine is worked over some Mexican-American has-been who had 1 very successful era in their entire resume
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more flops than success
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no wonder we don’t know them
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bye!
WTF was that!? Naw man! i mean your a talented writer but that song dude, is just bad! video idea was cool but still just bad man! best of luck dude! No Bueno!
Some people should stay behind the pen…OMG what?