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The It Factor: You may know his wife, one half of the hit-making gospel duo Mary Mary, Erica Campbell. But the sound you hear behind those powerhouse voices is that of Warryn Campbell, Grammy award-winning producer and CEO of record label, My Block Inc. Campbell’s resume includes a jam-packed roster of music heavyweights including Kanye West, Yolanda Adams, Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Tupac and Jennifer Hudson.
The Vision: Campbell got an early start in music, becoming a master drums, bass, guitar and piano player by age 15. “I knew basically from the time I was 4 or 5 years old,” Campbell says. “I’d already been playing drums in church as a toddler. My father bought me a professional drum set and had me play for our neighbor and he was blown away. ” Having honed his craft in church, Campbell was a member of gospel group, New Visi
on, and by 16, discovered his talent for music production after being mentored by award-winning California producer DJ Quik during his time at Death Row Records. Before starting My Block, he was also vice president of A&R for Elektra Records.Campbell says once his father supported his talent, he knew music was what he was supposed to be doing . “I saw that my father was proud, and I started doing it every day, becoming more interested in music,” he adds. His father, a pastor, was also a musician, and his whole family was musically inclined. A young Campbell joined a group called Souls of Zion that would sing at churches and county fairs and would eventually open for artists including Yolanda Adams, Commission, and The Winans. “It was fun at the time, and I always knew I wanted to be a leader, a producer.
The Defining Moment: At 18, Campbell began doing session work as a musician at Def Row Records. Also during this time, he got his first opportunity to co-produce a song for a major artist. “I got co-production credit on that song, and that’s where it all started, where I learned the ins and out of the business,” Campbell recalls. “I got a royalty check from that song along with the initial pay as co-producer, and it was on from there!”
He began pursuing a publishing deal and got one from EMI, where he began to write songs and pitch songs for various artists.
Pro Mentorship: He learned more about how to produce from DJ Quik, who allowed him to learn on the job. “I would sit in the corner for months and months, just watching what he did. He had a drum machine that I had never seen before, and I [eventually] saved up and bought one. He saw my interest in learning, and one day came in with a briefcase with floppy disks and told me to go home, copy [the disks] and he will teach him ow to work the machine.”
After experimenting with those beats, he would soon form a sound that would become Mary Mary‘s smash “Shackles,” a single that catapulted the group to the top of the charts.
Juggling Two Music Worlds: With a faith-based background, yet producing for secular acts, Campbell faced criticism as well as a moment of self-doubt about being involved in both types of genres. But any doubts were shut down by his father. He discussed the issue of secular versus religious music with him and
was given a bit of advice he took throughout the rest of his career: “He told me, ‘You are a musician. This is your occupation. If you want to do secular music, it’s your occupation. You can’t let your occupation run all over your salvation. Simply do it with integrity and standards.’ ”Though the music industry can involve many elements that are not morally positive, Campbell says he found a way to stick to his spiritual roots and rise about those elements. “I recall being at Death Row Records and working on music. And mainly that’s what we were doing, and maybe Tupac or Snoop would come in later to put the lyrics down. [After the songs were finished,] I would hear what they’re saying on top of that music at the time and think ‘Oh my God, I can’t put my name on this,’ but once I became a more well-known producer, I could pick and choose what I thought upheld a certain standard.’
As for other aspects of the music industry including nightclub appearances and the party life that’s associate with it, Campbell says he chooses to be an example of the values he grew up with. “It’s my job in those places, I will be the only one not doing the things other people are
doing. One of my best friends was Heavy D, and I remember him saying something to me. We were in studio, and he said, ‘Hey, I notice you don’t curse or anything like that. You don’t do none of the stuff.’ I like to lead more by example.”Advice for Up-and-Comers: Campbell urges rising producers and music professionals to be like sponges. “Get into a situation to not be seen, and not be heard for a while,” Campbell says. “That’s how you learn.” He says some young professionals come in already macho or ego driven, but should realize they don’t know it all. “The moment that you think you know everything, you’re too good to learn, your career is over,” he says. “I was willing to sit there and be alone and learn.”