An Introduction to Cody Colacino

At the young age of 27, Cody Colacino is a successful record producer, musician, and entrepreneur residing in Los Angeles. His credits include Lil Xan, Trippie Redd, Tyla Yaweh, Lil Keed, Ski Mask the Slump God, Blac Youngsta, Tee Grizzley, FaZe Clan, and Bad Neighbors. Cody is recognized for pushing boundaries within the rap and trap music ecologies, encouraging musicians to move into more complex melodic and rhythmic motives than typically found within the genre. I spent an afternoon with Cody via Zoom to address the central questions being addressed in this chapter. Before speaking with Cody, I provided an outline of the chapter and explained the purpose of my call and for interviewing him. Like I did with Chris, after completing the chapter I asked Cody to review the work to make sure I was presenting his stories in ways that were authentic. Lastly, I was asked to speak with Cody’s agent to address how this work might be amplified through social media.

Confronting Bias, Again. Just as I described my bias when interviewing Chris, I also address my own issues and shortcomings when approaching an interview with Cody. Before my interview I had heard of Cody and his work as a musician and record producer. Cody and most of the artists he represents are tattooed and surrounded with images that are aggressive. I worried about my ability to connect Cody’s story to the field of composition and creativity as codified within this book. However, knowing that I am a music teacher-educator, Cody began the interview describing his music education experience, and I realized how wrong I had been in presuming the lack of connection to music education. His mother placed him in piano lessons at the age of three, and he began playing other instruments in band during elementary school. He enjoyed learning various brass instruments and also the violin during middle school. Music in his household was valued and he was appreciative of the access to lessons and to his early musical training.

Cody was overt and passionate about his support for music education in schools, which was highlighted by his successful early exposure to piano lessons and band. However, when Cody left middle school for high school he was placed in a school that offered no opportunities for arts education. This shift, moving from a school that fostered his musician training to a high school that provided no arts education, was profoundly jarring and upsetting to Cody as a young man. The absence of an outlet for his artistic identity created so much dissonance in his life that Cody rebelled and began to get into trouble at school and at home. Cody was so distraught by his lack of artistic space he left home during his freshman year and lived on the streets. Cody described himself as a very angry and upset young man who struggled with a life on the streets where every day was a battle. In his late teens he found his way to Los Angeles, and began working various jobs at coffee houses and bars to improve his quality of life.

It was during this time he began reflecting on his real passions of making music. After driving by a school that focused on recording and sound engineering every day, he decided perhaps he should attend, or at least begin a few classes, to see if the fit was right. Within the first few weeks Cody realized that making music was indeed his passion and life mission. He applied to the school’s four-year program in recording, sound engineering, and music business and was accepted. During these four years Cody described how his teachers were able to introduce him to various studios through internships. I asked if all the students received the same opportunity for dynamic internships, having a feeling that this could not be possible.

He sheepishly replied, “No, very few got internships" which led to my following question: “Why you?” Cody explained that his life on the streets taught him to be assertive and seek out the things he wants in powerful ways. In school, he described himself as hard-working and a self-starter, skills that were quickly noticed by the faculty. Additionally, he asked questions, a lot of questions. So much so faculty members would sometimes confuse his interest and questions as being cross. Cody mentioned that it was during this time he decided that no one would work harder than him in school. He wanted to know every detail the teacher knew about the topic being presented. He was mesmerized by the possibilities of creating and mastering music in ways no one else had thought of or could complete due to the technical knowledge required.

It was during his last internship at Universal during his senior year that Cody had a pivotal point in his career. Cody had already started recruiting musical talent in his early 20s and would invite clients to record at the studio at a discounted rate. He brought so many musicians into the work room during his brief tenure that Universal made more than $40,000 from their recording fees. Impressed with Cody’s ability to bring in and work with talent, they hired him at the studio full-time. At his age, to be given that job and that much responsibility was something unique, and he cherished the opportunity. It was during this job in his early 20s that Cody really learned the music business and gained experiences in the wide array ofjobs involved in the multifaceted music industry. In 2018, Cody began his own label, Pure Sinners Ent., as producer and founder. This venture was possible due to experience Cody had gained in recruiting musicians, building brands, mastering recordings, and marketing their work.

Before interviewing Cody, I began listening to the songs he produced, to get a better understanding of him and his aesthetic. The group he recently signed—Bad Neighbors—has already produced a music video and song that is gaining traction on social media. The artists themselves have an aggressive look, but their rapping style is quite different from what one might typically hear. These artists are singing the lines as much as they are speaking them. There are moments of just talking over a beat, but the main hook and chorus are complex lyrically. I asked Cody about the music and why his music stood out.

I constantly draw on my formative skills of music-making at the piano and elsewhere when I am writing and producing. The rappers I am working with aren’t using the standard language of “crescendo or decrescendo,” so I communicate my musical wants differently. Without question my experience as a musician in my early years shapes my approach and provided me with the technical language needed to make good music.

Two themes are often present when Cody is discussing his music making—good music, and technical skill. I pressed him to define good music, the markers he believes are required for some rap or trap songs to sound or better. He explained that a lot of rap music has been boiled down to an extremely simple formula, sometimes just simple words over a beat. He likes to hear more complex combinations lyrically and rhythmically when his artists are in the studio. Technical proficiency was also of paramount importance, as a musician but especially as the person mastering the records. The technical skill Cody gathered in school is a source of pride, but also a source of confidence that draws artists to his label.

Last, Cody spoke with authority and sense of assuredness when speaking about creating his own style in the studio. When he signs an artist, they understand they are expected to make at least 500 songs in the studio within the first six months.

If you only make three songs, there is no way to know what you sound is like. You have to work and work to get at what you are as a musician. In the beginning, I want them to try everything, be fearless, and throw as much paint on the wall as possible. Later, after a period of months, we start zooming in on what themes keep happening, what sounds work and what is authentic.

Without question Cody’s work ethic is present at every part of the music-making venture. This drive and attention to detail is no doubt one of the attributes that has led to his success in establishing his own label.

How to Be Successful. When I asked Cody about what it takes to be a successful musician/producer in Los Angeles his demeanor changed to one that was buoyant.

Look, there are people that might know more. But no one is going to out-work me. I tell young people all the time, if you are not willing to work 24/7 . . . every day, and sacrifice everything you have, do something else. Being in this industry in Los Angeles is one of the hardest things anyone could ever do. Being a musician is hard.

Cody also stated that the difficult part of his job was having to be proficient at so many areas of the music business. According to Cody, you cannot cheat and hire out the work you do not want to do or doesn’t come easy. Everyone must learn the job before giving it to someone else. Being a musician also meant being able to write, mix, record, manage talent, master, produce, execute contracts, create engaging social media, and more. While Cody is adamant that hard work and a diverse knowledge base are essential, he also described the importance of knowing one’s own voice and staying true to what you know.

When people approach me and want to work with me, I have to be honest with them and myself. If it is not a genre that I know, then it isn’t right.

Cody further explained that sometimes artists engage the wrong producer for their work and aesthetic, and the product of that mismatch is often a source of consternation for all involved.

Last, Cody stated that he has worked hard to develop his “critical listening” and states that you can passively listen to music or you can critically listen to music, and those two very different roles have to be defined when working. According to Cody, a critical ear is one of the most difficult things to develop and often the most overlooked. Knowing the sound you want and how to achieve it through mixing and mastering is critical to his work.