Years active 2003–present Name Shama Joseph | Website SakPase.me Role Record producer | |
Also known as Sham, Sak Pase, ShamRock Genres R&B, hip hop, pop, dancehall, world music Occupation(s) Record producer, songwriter Instruments Piano, bass guitar, etc. People also search for Timothy Thomas, Shontelle, Rihanna Associated acts Kanye West, Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, T.I. | ||
Shama Joseph: Recall
Shama "Sak Pase" Joseph is a Haitian producer. He has produced and co-written tracks such as "Man Down" by Rihanna (Loud) and "Who Gon Stop Me" by Kanye West and Jay-Z (Watch the Throne), with both songs charting prominently on Billboard. Under his stage name Sham or Sak Pase he has also produced songs such as "New Slaves" by Kanye West (Yeezus) and "Private Show" by T.I.. With a style drawing equally on hip-hop, R&B, reggae, and the traditional Haitian style of kompa, as of 2015 his material had been nominated for six Grammys.
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Early life and education
Shama Joseph was born on June 24, 1982 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Raised by first-generation Haitian parents, at a young age he listened to diverse genres of music such as rock, world music, reggae, and dancehall. He also learned both piano and bass guitar. After graduating high school at Deerfield Beach, Florida, Joseph went on to study at Michigan State University before dropping out to attend Full Sail Real World in Orlando, Florida. After he began producing music he selected the stage name Sak Pase, which translates to the common Haitian greeting "what's happening" in Creole.
Music career
While working at AT&T in 2001, Joseph met and befriended the producer and songwriter Verse Simmonds, and together they formed the production duo The Jugganauts. The Jugganuats moved to Los Angeles, California in 2003 to work on a number of projects for major record labels. Together they wrote and produced 13 of 17 songs on Capital Records' artist Aksent's album entitled International, which went gold in Japan. Several years later The Jugganauts moved to Atlanta, Georgia where they began working closely with R.City.
In 2007, Joseph was signed to Reverb Music Publishing in the United Kingdom, though he remained in the United States. In 2013 he contributed production o the single "New Slaves" on the Kanye West album Yeezus. Since 2007 he's produced for T.I., Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, and Jennifer Lopez. As of 2015, Joseph's material has been nominated for six Grammys.
Musical style and influences
According to New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Sak Pase's style draws "equally [on genres such as] hip-hop, R&B, reggae," kompa, and dancehall, Joseph has cited musicians such as The Fugees, Bob Marley, Freddie Mercury, Quincy Jones, and Dr. Dre as influential on his sound.