# Che Pope

Che Pope (born May 3, 1970) is an American record executive and record producer from Boston, Massachusetts. Best known for his work with American rappers Kanye West and Lauryn Hill, Pope served as co-executive producer on the former's album Yeezus (2013), and co-producer on the latter's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). Furthermore, Pope was president and chief operating officer (COO) of West's record label GOOD Music from 2012 to 2015, and won Album of the Year at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for his work on the latter album.
Pope has been credited with co-production on West's Grammy-nominated 2013 single "Bound 2", and executive production on GOOD Music's compilation album Cruel Summer (2013). He is also the founder of Wrkshp Media.

## Career

Pope entered the music industry in 1994 upon signing to Teddy Riley, after Riley was introduced to Pope's instrumentals via a mutual friend. In 1995, Pope relocated to New York where he began producing for Wyclef Jean and his group, the Fugees. He also contributed to Jean's production works, which included the hit singles "No, No, No Part 2" by Destiny's Child, "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" by Pras, and "Gone Til November" by Jean himself. While working with Jean, Pope was introduced to Lauryn Hill, who invited him to produce and write with her on several projects including Aretha Franklin's "A Rose Is Still A Rose", Carlos Santana's "Do You Like The Way", The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and more. Pope's production on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill earned him his first Grammy win. Due to improper crediting and compensation, several lawsuits stemmed from the project. Pope and his then co-producer opted not involve themselves in the ongoing litigation surrounding the album, but parted ways with the production team to pursue independent efforts.
After his time working with Hill, Pope continued to produce projects in both domestic and foreign markets. In 1999, he was hired as Vice President of A&R at Warner Bros. Records. Pope later moved to Los Angeles to explore film composition, and was hired by composer Hans Zimmer as a staff producer. This led to credits on several films and media, but Pope parted ways with Zimmer in 2000.
Pope was then introduced to Dr. Dre through a mutual friend, and subsequently offered a position on the latter's immediate production team, with whom he collaborated for eight years. Pope worked on Aftermath projects including projects by Eminem and 50 Cent among others. In an interview, Pope estimated that he had produced over 1,000 unreleased tracks for Dre and Aftermath during his tenure with the label.
In 2012, Pope joined GOOD Music as a partner, as well as head of A&R. In addition to his administrative work for the label, Pope continued to produce for the label's signed artists. In 2014, he was named Chief Operations Officer of the label. Pope is also credited with establishing the initial collaborative relationship between West and apparel company Adidas, the then-distributor of the Yeezy clothing line. Pope co-produced ASAP Rocky's song "Jukebox Joints", which appears on Rocky's album At. Long. Last. ASAP (2015) and the Weeknd's single "Tell Your Friends" that same year, which appears on the latter's Beauty Behind the Madness. Both songs were co-produced with West.

## Production credits
### 1990s
#### 1997

* M People - Fresco
* Destiny's Child - "No, No, No Part 2"

#### 1998

* Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
* Aretha Franklin - A Rose is Still a Rose
* Pras - Ghetto Supastar

#### 1999

* Santana - Supernatural
* Mary J. Blige - Mary

### 2000's
#### 2002

* Beverly Knight - Who I Am

#### 2004

* Eminem - Encore
* Eminem - "Ass Like That"
* Eminem - "Just Lose It"

#### 2005

* The Game - "Hate It or Love It"
* The Game - The Documentary
* 50 Cent - The Massacre

#### 2006

* Mobb Deep - Blood Money
* Busta Rhymes - The Big Bang
* Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
* India.Arie - Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship

#### 2008

* RZA (as Bobby Digital) - Digi Snax

#### 2009

* Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II

### 2010's
#### 2012

* G.O.O.D. Music - Kanye West Presents: G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel Summer

#### 2013

* Pusha T - My Name is My Name
* Kanye West - Yeezus
* Kanye West - "Bound 2"

#### 2014

* Teyana Taylor - VII

#### 2015

* The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness
* A$AP Rocky - At. Long. Last. A$AP.
* Pusha T - King Push — Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude
* Kanye West - "All Day"

#### 2018

* Christina Aguilera - Liberation
* Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E.
* Kanye West - Ye
* Nas - Nasir

#### 2025

* The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow

## Awards
### Grammy Awards

| Year | Nominee / Work | Award | Result |
| 2014 | Kanye West - "Bound 2" | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
| 2015 | Kanye West - "All Day" | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
| 2015 | The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness | Album of the Year | Nominated |