ThankGod4Cody explained
ThankGod4Cody |
Birth Place: | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
Birth Name: | Cody Jordan Fayne |
Alias: | Cody of Nazareth[1] |
Label: | ThankGod Records / BMI |
Occupations: | Producer, songwriter, artist |
Cody Jordan "ThankGod4Cody" Fayne is an American producer, songwriter, and musician, most known for his production work on SZA's acclaimed albums Ctrl and SOS, as well as his 2019 debut album Cody of Nazareth.[2] [3] [4] [5]
Life and career
Early life and career beginnings
Born in Memphis in the 1990s, Fayne had a Southern, Christian upbringing, and was not allowed to listen to much secular music. It was not until his older sister began secretly burning CDs that he would listen to his first album: Kanye West's 2004 album The College Dropout.[6] After a period of study at Middle Tennessee State University, Fayne moved first to Atlanta and then Los Angeles to enter the music industry at the behest of friend and Top Dawg Entertainment producer Tyran "Scum" Donaldson, hoping to work with fellow Tennessean Isaiah Rashad who Fayne knew through mutual friends. He worked at The Home Depot in the meantime to make ends meet, descending into a brief period of depression when his efforts to produce or write on various iterations of Rashad's future album The Sun's Tirade proved unfruitful.[7] Fayne continued to refine his productions, encountering Rashad's TDE labelmate Solana "SZA" Rowe at an impromptu LA studio meeting.[8] Rowe overheard Fayne's production from an adjacent room and immediately knew she wanted the track for herself, which evolved into her 2014 single "Sobriety".[9] She subsequently asked Fayne to attend her 2016 writing camp held at producer Carter Lang's Michigan lake house, where he crafted notable Ctrl records "Love Galore" (with Lang) and "Broken Clocks", among other contributions.[10] [11] [12] [13]
2018-2023: Protest arrest, Ctrl Deluxe and SOS
Post-Ctrl, Fayne did not accept any production or songwriting session requests from other artists, and instead began to work on his own music, releasing debut album Cody Of Nazareth in 2019.[14] In 2020, Fayne was arrested in the midst of the George Floyd protests in Los Angeles County, California, which inspired him to release single "Light My Way", asking a "higher power to light [his] way out [of this dark world]".[15] [16] In 2022, "2AM", a record that Fayne worked on for the original "Ctrl" sessions in Michigan (interpolating "Come and See Me" by PartyNextDoor and Drake), as well as co-written outtakes "Percolator", "Tread Carefully", and an alternate version of "Love Galore", appeared alongside several other tracks on a deluxe version of Ctrl released for its fifth anniversary. Fayne also contributed to 7 songs on SZA's sophomore album SOS, including Billboard top-ten single "I Hate U"and "Conceited".[17] [18] He next co-produced "Pray It Away" from Chloe Bailey's 2023 debut solo album In Pieces.[19]
Discography
Studio projects
- Cody Of Nazareth (2019)[20]
Production and songwriting credits
Credits are courtesy of Discogs, Tidal, Apple Music, and AllMusic.
Guest appearances
Awards and nominations
Notes and References
- Web site: After Being Arrested in LA, Grammy Producer THANKGOD4CODY, Channels Message with His New Single "Light My Way" . 4 June 2020 . 14 December 2022 . 14 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221214015932/https://respect-mag.com/2020/06/after-being-arrested-in-la-grammy-producer-thankgod4cody-channels-message-with-his-new-single-light-my-way/ . live .
- Producer ThankGod4Cody Talks Going from Memphis to Producing on SZA's Grammy-Nominated Album 'CTRL' . . 2022-11-28 . 2022-11-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221128080619/https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/thankgod4cody-sza-ctrl-interview-8047078/ . live .
- Web site: ThankGod4Cody: The 25-year-old producer behind SZA's biggest tracks . 2022-11-28 . 2022-11-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221128074246/https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/8xzea4/thankgod4cody-cody-of-nazareth-sza-adama-jalloh . live .
- Web site: ThankGod4Cody from Producing for SZA to Releasing His Own Music . 2022-11-28 . 2022-11-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221128074258/https://archive.flaunt.com/content/thankgod4cody-from-producing-for-sza-to-releasing-his-own-music . live .
- Web site: SZA is Trying to Save Herself . 12 December 2022 . 2022-12-14 . 2023-01-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230101033237/https://consequence.net/cover/sza-cover-story-sos/ . live .
- Web site: ThankGod4Cody | from Producing for SZA to Releasing His Own Music . 2022-11-28 . 2022-11-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221128074258/https://archive.flaunt.com/content/thankgod4cody-from-producing-for-sza-to-releasing-his-own-music . live .
- Producer ThankGod4Cody Talks Going from Memphis to Producing on SZA's Grammy-Nominated Album 'CTRL' . . 2022-11-28 . 2022-11-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221128080619/https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/thankgod4cody-sza-ctrl-interview-8047078/ . live .
- Web site: Producer ThankGod4Cody Discusses Working on SZA's 'SOS' and Where He Sees R&B Going in 2023 . 2023-03-03 . 2023-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230303191921/https://genius.com/a/thankgod4cody-interview-sza-sos . live .
- Web site: SZA's 'SOS' is the Biggest R&B Album of 2023; ThankGod4Cody is a Big Reason Why - Okayplayer . 16 February 2023 . 3 March 2023 . 17 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230217082004/https://www.okayplayer.com/music/sza-sos-thankgod4cody-producer.html . live .
- Web site: SZA Talks New Album and Wanting to Have Kids 'Soon' . 2023-01-24 . 2023-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124185647/https://stories.complex.com/sza-new-album-cover-story/12/ . live .
- News: Beat Break: Cam O'bi Shares the Story Behind His 5 Biggest Songs . Djbooth . 2023-01-24 . 2018-02-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180221234025/https://djbooth.net/features/2017-07-17-cam-obi-interview-beat-break . live .
- Web site: SZA's 'CTRL' Collaborator Dropped His Own Cathartic Album . 6 April 2019 . 24 January 2023 . 24 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124054922/https://uproxx.com/music/thank-god-4-cody-new-album/ . live .
- Web site: No, really, thank God for Cody . 2023-01-24 . 2023-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124190806/https://dailymemphian.com/article/33100/memphis-producer-thankgod4cody-sza . live .
- Web site: SZA's 'CTRL' Collaborator Dropped His Own Cathartic Album . 6 April 2019 . 24 January 2023 . 24 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124054922/https://uproxx.com/music/thank-god-4-cody-new-album/ . live .
- Web site: ThankGod4Cody Talks LA Protest Arrest and How That Relates to His Newest Release . 20 June 2020 . 31 March 2023 . 31 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230331004227/https://www.loadingmag.com/thankgod4cody-talks-la-protest-arrest-and-how-that-relates-to-his-newest-release/ . live .
- Web site: After Being Arrested in LA, Grammy Producer THANKGOD4CODY, Channels Message with His New Single "Light My Way" . 4 June 2020 . 14 December 2022 . 14 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221214015932/https://respect-mag.com/2020/06/after-being-arrested-in-la-grammy-producer-thankgod4cody-channels-message-with-his-new-single-light-my-way/ . live .
- Web site: Now Playing: SZA "Conceited" . . 17 December 2022 . 24 January 2023 . 24 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124054903/https://www.npr.org/sections/now-playing/2022/12/17/1143631750/sza-conceited . live .
- Web site: SZA "S.O.S." sample guide: All the songs featured on her new album . . 9 December 2022 . 14 December 2022 . 14 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221214081522/https://www.newsweek.com/sza-new-album-sos-sample-guide-all-songs-tracklist-1765821 . live .
- Web site: Chlöe Previews Debut Album with Angelic "Pray It Away" Single & Visual . HNHH . 27 January 2023 . 31 March 2023 . 31 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230331005231/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/625620-chloe-previews-debut-album-with-angelic-pray-it-away-single-visual . live .
- Web site: Super Producer ThankGod4Cody Debuts Solo Career with "Cody of Nazareth" . HNHH . 17 April 2019 . 24 January 2023 . 24 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124054906/https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/163181-super-producer-thankgod4cody-debuts-solo-career-with-cody-of-nazareth-new-mixtape . live .
- Web site: Don Lifted & ThankGod4Cody capture magic on "Wolf River" . 27 October 2018 . 24 January 2023 . 24 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124054903/https://earmilk.com/2018/10/27/don-lifted-thankgod4cody-capture-magic-on-wolf-river/ . live .
- News: 2018 BMI hip hop r&b awards. August 31, 2018. BMI.com. January 19, 2019. September 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180904003116/https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/2018-bmi-rb-hip-hop-awards. live.
- Web site: Bet Announces Official Nominees for the 2018 Soul Train Awards . 2022-11-28 . 2022-11-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221128075811/https://www.betpressroom.com/press-release/bet-announces-official-nominees-for-the-2018-soul-train-awards/ . live .
- Web site: 2023 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. BMI.com. January 26, 2024. December 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231219195022/https://www.bmi.com/award-shows/rnb-2023/. live.
- Web site: 2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List | GRAMMY.com. www.grammy.com. 2023-11-10. 2023-11-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20231110180725/https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-nominations-full-winners-nominees-list. live.