J. Cole has joined Beatclub, an online marketplace for beats, according to Variety.
The new music platform, which is expected to launch later this year, is already home to several notable producers. Mike WiLL Made-It, Scott Storch, Mike Dean and Timbaland, the co-founder of Beatclub are already in the mix.
“We are proud to have J. Cole join Beatclub,” Timbaland told Variety. “He has made a massive impact on many music creators through his work not only as an artist, but also as a songwriter, producer, beat maker and label executive (Dreamville). Having Cole partner with Beatclub to sell his beats as a producer on our platform opens the doors to millions of other creators looking to do business this way. We look forward to working with J. Cole, Ib, and the rest of the Dreamville team to ensure that they can build another revenue stream while also helping them continue their legacy in the music creation space.”
Beatclub’s website describes it as “the premier global marketplace that connects the music creator community with record labels, music publishers, film & tv, brands, content creators and independent artists.” It appears the space will also house educational content and share industry opportunities for both aspiring producers and established ones. Beatmakers will reportedly keep 100% of their music rights and 100% of their revenue plus they’ll be able to set their own terms for pricing and take control of their publishing splits and royalties.
While Cole is more known for his impressive rhyming skills, he also has quite the catalog as a producer. He’s produced hit songs for Wale, Kendrick Lamar, Young Thug, Bun B, Talib Kweli and others.
Joining Timbaland’s Beatclub is actually a full circle moment for Cole, who has previously credited Timbo with inspiring him to produce music. On his latest album, The Off-Season, Cole worked with Timbaland and T-Minus on the track “Amari.” And in a 2019 interview with MusicRadar, Cole discussed his beat making beginnings.
“I think the first time I started paying attention to production was around 1997: the year Biggie’s second album Life After Death and Puff Daddy & the Family’s album No Way Out came out,” Cole said. “Puff’s crew The Hitmen was sampling all these older songs that my mom would recognize, or my stepfather would call out, so I got into the credits to find out who produced the songs.
“But the first time I got interested in how to make something was listening to Timbaland productions, trying to figure out how he did those things,” Cole continued. “I couldn’t even fathom it, where you would get started, but I was interested. On Aaliyah’s third album Aaliyah, the song “More Than a Woman” was so next-level to me. I just sat there trying to imagine how he made it. After that, I started trying things on the Ensoniq ASR-X Pro … the red machine with just the drum pads.”