Jason King (journalist)

Jason King
Also known as Company Freak
Origin Canada
Genres Pop, Soul, Disco, Electronic, Hip-Hop, EDM, Dance
Occupation(s) Musician, DJ, Scholar, Writer, Filmmaker, Producer, Creative Director
Years active 1990s-Present
Labels Superlatude
Website http://jasonkingonline.com/

Jason King is a Canadian-born singer, journalist, professor, producer, curator, and filmmaker who has spent the last two decades mastering every conceivable executive and artistic role in the music industry. He has laid the ground work for music programs all over the world from New York City to Abu Dhabi. King has written both cutting-edge academic essays on soul music and salient pop criticism for publications like the New York Times. King is the co-founder of The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU[1] and has been the creative director and founder of music programs at both the Berlin and NYU Abhu Dabi campuses. He has also taught at multiple international NYU campuses including in the MFA program in International Media Producing at Tisch School of the Arts Asia. King is also a consultant for seasoned and aspiring artists on branding, visual presentation, and musical consistency. He is the CEO of his own music and film production company, Superlatude. You may have also hear him on your (internet radio) as an NPR contributor, where he hosts and curate NPRandB, a 24/7 streaming radio channel devoted to R&B and soul music.[2]

Personal life

King left his hometown of Edmonton at 16 to attend Carlton University in Ottawa, where he studied Mass Communications and Journalism for a year. Even though he was doing well, there was something in him that really wanted to be in New York. So, during spring break, he stayed with a friend in the city, sleeping on the living room floor. From there, he applied to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where he studied musical theater and took music theory. He pent a lot of time in the performing arts library learning about every musical that had been on Broadway—particularly African-American ones.

Having received his actor's equity card, and motivated by his parents, King decided to enroll in an advanced program where he could study what he loved: performance, pop culture, and music.

He applied to Tisch’s graduate school, but couldn’t find a department that would allow him to study popular music from a scholarly angle. So, he called an NYU administrator and asked, “Can I study hip-hop, pop, rock, and R&B in this program?” Five minutes later, he got back on the line and said, “Sure, why not?” At the same time, King began writing musicals, as well as a play entitled, The Story of My Father. Carl Hall played the grandfather; Vivian Reed played the mother.

King earned his big break in music journalism while on a panel with Emil Wilbekin, then-editor of Vibe. He was impressed with King's perspective and background, and gave him the opportunity to write for the magazine.[2]

NYU

King was the inaugural and founding full-time faculty member of The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University and acted as Associate Chair and Artistic Director. He continues to teach classes in branding, marketing, music history, emergent media, and technology. He is currently director of the Clive Davis Institute's Writing, History & Emergent Media and has been instrumental in developing its music journalism and technology curriculum. He also teaches approaches to recording and producing global music at New York University's campuses in Singapore and in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

As the Director of The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, King produced a tribute conference to hip-hop group Public Enemy called The Making of Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions.[3] The large-scale event was covered extensively in the mainstream press. It featured Chuck D, Fab 5 Freddy, producer Hank Shocklee, Daddy-O of Stetsasonic, Vernon Reid, and Will Calhoun of the rock group Living Colour, photographer Glen E. Friedman, and journalists including Robert Christgau, Greg Tate, and Armond White.[4] King produced a tribute to Roc-a-Fella Records featuring hip-hop CEO Damon Dash[3] with performances by Def Jam artists Nicole Wray and Rell.

King was also one of the organizers of the conference entitled Sylvester: The Life and Work of a Musical Icon, on disco artist Sylvester, which included performers Martha Wash of C&C Music Factory and Billboard dance artist Kevin Aviance[3] with scholars and journalists Jim Fouratt, Barry Walters of Rolling Stone, and Joshua Gamson (who wrote the biography entitled The Fabulous Sylvester).

King produced the 2012 Experience Music Project "EMP" Pop Conference, featuring a keynote plenary by alternative soul artist Santigold, jazz virtuoso Esperanza Spalding, hip-hop MC Himanshu Suri, and global pop recording artist Angelique Kidjo.

Music

King was music manager for Indian pop recording artist Asha Puthli and for electronic music artist Jimmy Edgar and R&B-gospel group The Craig Lewis Band via his entertainment company Superlatude. He has co-written and co-produced songs with electronic soul artist Selan and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest. He has been recruited as a music marketing and branding expert in high profile legal cases on behalf of pop superstars Jay-Z, Madonna and Lady Gaga.

King also manages and sings in his own disco ensemble band, Company Freak, which features legendary performers like Asha Puthli and legendary Broadway singer Vivian Reed, Shayna Steel, Matia Washington, and Melissa Musique.

Writing

King is not just a musician, DJ, producer. He is also a widely published author who writes on a number of salient pop culture issues. His June 2003 Village Voice essay on the down-low phenomenon in black communities is considered by some a pioneering piece on the subject. His October 2009 book The Michael Jackson Treasures: Celebrating the King of Pop in Memorabilia and Photos, published by Barnes and Noble's Fall River Press, was one of the first full-length written biographies published about the pop superstar in the aftermath of his death.

He is currently writing a biography of rock star Freddie Mercury. .

Film

He is a featured member of the cast of director Spike Lee's 2013 full-length feature film documentary Bad 25 (film), on the making of Michael Jackson's classic 1987 album Bad.

References and sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jason King (journalist).
Notes
  1. ↑ "NYU Tisch School of the Arts". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  2. 1 2 "Interview: Jason King – Music Scholar, Professor, and Industry Force". Retrieved 2015-10-05.
  3. 1 2 3 Jason King, Artistic Director, Recorded Music; Associate Professor on the site of the Tisch School. Accessed 2009-04-25.
  4. ↑ "Jason King". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
Sources
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 28, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.