Heavy Hitters
By: Sylvia M. Massey

Hands down, the summer banger of 2003 was Monica’s “So Gone.” The teenybopper turned woman owes much of her recent success to the hit production team Spike and Jamahl, the creators behind the #1 single. Most people start from the bottom and work their way to the top. Super- producers Spike and Jamahl, started right where they belong, at the top. “Connections, the right place, luck and blessings,” are the reasons Spike Cunningham (one half of the duo) cites for having the opportunity to work with A-listers. P. Diddy, Faith, and the Diplomats are only a handful of people the heavy hitters have blessed with beats.

The pair met over a decade ago, and has been making banging tracks since their collaboration. Jamahl Rye got his foundation working as a DJ. After meeting Spike in their neighborhood, he introduced the art of producing to Spike, who was looking for his own path in life. “I was going to school at Columbia, and realized all I needed was experience or a teacher.” He quit school and started focusing on his talents. At that point, Jamahl started teaching Spike the basics of producing tracks. “He would do the necessities and then pass it to me.” The two recognized their chemistry, and two men became one powerful production team. Recently, the creators impressed the likes of Missy Elliot and are about to change the game, while putting the Midwest on the map.

The Chicago natives have been focused on building a production empire, but fortune is not the only thing the producers want to achieve, helping others is also a goal. Spike wants to do more than just make hit records. “We want a career, [we want to] feed ourselves, whether it’s making beats or teaching someone.” They also want to continue to show love to Chicago by working with locals like, Twista and Shawnna of Disturbing Tha Peace. With hot beats and earning power in the game, Spike and Jamahl will continue to make their way up the ladder.