Matthew McGurk
| Matthew McGurk | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Matthew McGurk |
| Born | June 6, 1980 |
| Origin | Philadelphia, PA |
| Genres |
Pop Hip Hop R&B |
| Occupation(s) |
Talent Manager Producer Artist |
| Years active | 2002 – Present |
| Labels | PrimeTime Productions |
| Associated acts |
Asher Roth[1] Vidal Davis Amber Blu Markus Schulz (Producer) Meghan Trainor RaWhesli Gamble |
Matthew McGurk (born June 6, 1980) is an American Talent Manager, music producer and artist.[2] He is known for the initial discovery of artists such as Asher Roth (Def Jam Records), Jay Watts (Republic Records), Maria K (Stereotypes/Sony Music) and Keshia “KING” Peterson (Polow Da Don/Zone 4).
Early life and education
McGurk was born and raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, just north of Philadelphia. He attended Notre Dame High School in Trenton, NJ, received his undergraduate from Kutztown University,[2] and his master's degree from St. Joseph's University. His first real love for music began in 1986, when at the age of six he took his sisters Beastie Boys “Licensed to Ill” tape and listened to repeatedly. He emulated their style and started to rap as a hobby, which later became his passion and launched his career in music.
Career
After graduating college in 2002, McGurk moved from Philadelphia to New Orleans accepting a job offer as a talent scout for Trans Continenta Records, a Lou Pearlman company.[2] After about a year of working in New Orleans, he realized his special talents for discovering and developing artists and moved back to Philadelphia.[1] In 2003, he discovered and managed, hip-hop artist Asher Roth, who would later go on to sell over 2 million records of his hit single, “I love college”. Asher Roth released 2 CD’s while under McGurk.[3] His first E.P. called “Just Listen”, and a mix tape called “Believe The Hype”. With the success of Asher Roth, McGurk became only the third person in music history to have discovered a solo white rapper who sold a million or more records of their first hit single, succeeding Dr. Dre and Eminem. McGurk and Roth later decided to go their separate ways and end their business relationship. Asher Roth went on to sign with talent manager Scooter Braun, who also manages Justin Bieber.
McGurk went on to discover a teenage girl group that consisted of Maria K (Sony), Keshia “King” Peterson (Powlo Da Don/Zone 4), and Rackel Jurdi. After two years of recording and development, he decided to dismantle the group in support of their individual pursuits for a solo career. This led to major record deals for 2 out of the 3 girls. Around this time McGurk was also mentored by Multi-Grammy winning Producer Vidal Davis, who produced hit records for Usher, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, and many more.
In 2009, McGurk decided to take a break from music to answer the call of duty and serve his country as a United States Army Officer. He earned the rank of 1LT and served as an Army Ranger Platoon Leader in the 172nd Infantry Brigade. After being injured in the line of duty, he was retired in 2013. McGurk was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal for his service.
After his retirement from the Army, McGurk moved to Los Angeles and went back to working in the music business. In 2014, his team consisting of Markus Schulz and Daniel Kier, co-wrote 7 records with now megastar Meghan Trainor. While he continues to discover, produce, and write for many talented artists, McGurk is set to release his new album in late 2016.
Personal life
In 2015, McGurk met and started dating international model Rania Benchegra and helped negotiate her modeling contract with Next Models. McGurk currently resides in Beverly Hills, California.