ROOTED IN MUSIC FROM DAY ONE
Music has been apart of my life since day one. I was born into a big music family on both sides with my father and his 9 siblings singing gospel music since young children. At the age of 5 I would imitate my father playing the bass in church, which is where I got my first taste of what being an audio engineer is. My home church audio engineer Forest Payne took an annoying little kid that liked buttons and knobs and taught me the foundation of how to set up and maintain the operations of a sound engineer. Throughout my childhood I would travel with my father to different shows, concerts, and studio sessions to either watch him and my uncles and aunts sing or watch others perform with local and major artists which made me see that I could have a career in music.
THE PURSUIT OF THE CRAFT
After graduating high school in 2007 I went to Atlanta to attend The Art Institute of Atlanta , it wasn’t the experience I expected so in 2010 I went back to New Jersey to regroup and figure out a new plan. I then discovered SAE NYC in 2015 and decided to attend to further my knowledge with all things audio engineering, I completed the 900+ hour program and graduated in June of 2017. From there I got my first internship at Engine Room Audio in NYC and my first job with Strike Sound Stage and Lighting of New Jersey & Anthem Productions of New York working live sound events. While at Engine Room I started running errands for podcast like Angela Yee’s Lip Service, Premium Pete, Brilliant Idiots, Flagrant 2, The Friend Zone and The Read. After a trail period I was scheduled to start recording these podcast and certain hip hop and r&b sessions with local artists, which lead to me becoming recording engineer for Dave East in 2019 .
ROOTED IN MUSIC FROM DAY ONE
Music has been apart of my life since day one. I was born into a big music family on both sides with my father and his 9 siblings singing gospel music since young children. At the age of 5 I would imitate my father playing the bass in church, which is where I got my first taste of what being an audio engineer is. My home church audio engineer Forest Payne took an annoying little kid that liked buttons and knobs and taught me the foundation of how to set up and maintain the operations of a sound engineer. Throughout my childhood I would travel with my father to different shows, concerts, and studio sessions to either watch him and my uncles and aunts sing or watch others perform with local and major artists which made me see that I could have a career in music.
THE PURSUIT OF THE CRAFT
After graduating high school in 2007 I went to Atlanta to attend The Art Institute of Atlanta , it wasn’t the experience I expected so in 2010 I went back to New Jersey to regroup and figure out a new plan. I then discovered SAE NYC in 2015 and decided to attend to further my knowledge with all things audio engineering, I completed the 900+ hour program and graduated in June of 2017. From there I got my first internship at Engine Room Audio in NYC and my first job with Strike Sound Stage and Lighting of New Jersey & Anthem Productions of New York working live sound events. While at Engine Room I started running errands for podcast like Angela Yee’s Lip Service, Premium Pete, Brilliant Idiots, Flagrant 2, The Friend Zone and The Read. After a trail period I was scheduled to start recording these podcast and certain hip hop and r&b sessions with local artists, which lead to me becoming recording engineer for Dave East in 2019 .
FIRST BIG BREAK
That opportunity gave me my first Grammy nomination in 2022 with Mary J. Blige ft. Dave East and there song “Rent Money” on her Good Morning Gorgeous album. While working for both sound companies it gave me the experience of working different live events working with different types of gear and setups for what the client requested,starting from a stage hand working my way up the latter and becoming a monitor engineer and ultimately Front of house. While gaining experience I was fortunate to get another opportunity to work as an engineer at The Groove & the famous Cafe Wha? in the village of NYC in 2018 for bands like The BlackSoul Experience, Cafe Wha? Band, Cheryl Riley Black Velvet Mondays, Linards Many Moods, and other local bands doing not only sound but lights at well. While working at The Groove I was recognized by a manager for Jaheim at the time and was booked to be FOH for a Valentine’s Day show at Barclays Center 2019.
GRINDING TOWARD GREATNESS
Throughout the years of 2017-2020 I would be apart of so many different studio recordings and live sessions even working with my father and uncles group “The Frierson Brothers” being a recording engineer and playing bass on two of there projects, working with my hometown legends like Derrick Lee MD of Bobby Jones Gospel, James Perry and Carlton Pope. Having recorded and mixed sessions with local artist like JayT, Da Kid Leak, Billie Wrote It, Ant Man Cuso, Timmy Takeover, Jay Smallz. Due to the pandemic work slowed up and I moved to Atlanta in February 2021 where I hit the pavement with a stack of resumes and a dream, by the second week I gained a internship at Soul Asylum Studios where I quickly rose to becoming a paid engineer running recording and mixing sessions and learning Dolby Atmos mixing. While there I worked with the legendary Syleena Johnson and Yung Bleu on there respective projects. Networking and grinding in Atlanta led me to working for churches in the area Covenant Baptist church & Change Church and a corporate wedding band Big Swing and the Ball Room Blasters where I was able to expand my base and cement my name in the Atlanta area.
FINDING THE NEXT LEVEL
During the pandemic there was a clubhouse group of professional engineers,Techs, and touring musicians that was ran by Jermaine Butler & Jerz Mason which gave me a insight to the world I wanted to be in and access to the actual people that makes the decision to hire for the positions I wanted. I used that network to get in touch with Jermaine Butler in 2023 to see if had any opportunities for work and by chance he did and I went to go and be a A2 audio tech for Summer Walker with my first show being DreamVille Festival 2023. From there I would do a string of festival that year and currently still active working with Summer in 2025, working for her allowed me to work with Joseph Spencer a veteran Engineer/PM/TM who would help me take my career to the next level. During rehearsals with Summer, Joe would be teaching me about the desk we where using and how to operate in this new space I was in, at times when he needed a break I would hop on monitors and would start to get my practice setting mixes for the band & background singers IEM’s. That practice would give me the confidence I needed to know how to operate when it was my turn to step up and be the guy in what is know as “THE HOT SEAT”.
THE HOT SEAT MOMENT
Joe would give me that first opportunity when he had a prior obligation that would have him at miss Lovers and Friends festival in Las Vegas 2023. He asked “FRY YOU READY?” & I sure was, my first time on Monitors was for Summer Walker at Lovers and Friends 2023 from there I knew this is what I’ve been working for. After I had proven myself that gave Joe the confidence to have me to come work Essence Fest 2023 with him to be A2 for Monica, which later would turn into me filling in for Joe on monitors anytime he wasn’t available. From there it’s been a series of calls from Joe and others in my network which led me to work for Janelle Monae(A2), Brownstone(Monitors), Stokley(Monitors), Johnny Gil(FOH), Rapsody(FOH), Band of Brothers(FOH), Ms.Lauryn Hill(Monitors), October London(Monitors), 112(Monitors), TI(Monitors). With every gig no matter how big or small I bring the same attitude and approach to them all and also bring all the knowledge given to me from my mentors and fellow engineers such as Joe Spencer, Gordon Mack, Brandon Blackwell, Irvin Picott, Cory Washington, Jeremy Ogletree, Justin Niles and many others.
That opportunity gave me my first Grammy nomination in 2022 with Mary J. Blige ft. Dave East and there song “Rent Money” on her Good Morning Gorgeous album. While working for both sound companies it gave me the experience of working different live events working with different types of gear and setups for what the client requested,starting from a stage hand working my way up the latter and becoming a monitor engineer and ultimately Front of house. While gaining experience I was fortunate to get another opportunity to work as an engineer at The Groove & the famous Cafe Wha? in the village of NYC in 2018 for bands like The BlackSoul Experience, Cafe Wha? Band, Cheryl Riley Black Velvet Mondays, Linards Many Moods, and other local bands doing not only sound but lights at well. While working at The Groove I was recognized by a manager for Jaheim at the time and was booked to be FOH for a Valentine’s Day show at Barclays Center 2019.
FIRST BIG BREAK
Throughout the years of 2017-2020 I would be apart of so many different studio recordings and live sessions even working with my father and uncles group “The Frierson Brothers” being a recording engineer and playing bass on two of there projects, working with my hometown legends like Derrick Lee MD of Bobby Jones Gospel, James Perry and Carlton Pope. Having recorded and mixed sessions with local artist like JayT, Da Kid Leak, Billie Wrote It, Ant Man Cuso, Timmy Takeover, Jay Smallz. Due to the pandemic work slowed up and I moved to Atlanta in February 2021 where I hit the pavement with a stack of resumes and a dream, by the second week I gained a internship at Soul Asylum Studios where I quickly rose to becoming a paid engineer running recording and mixing sessions and learning Dolby Atmos mixing. While there I worked with the legendary Syleena Johnson and Yung Bleu on there respective projects. Networking and grinding in Atlanta led me to working for churches in the area Covenant Baptist church & Change Church and a corporate wedding band Big Swing and the Ball Room Blasters where I was able to expand my base and cement my name in the Atlanta area.
GRINDING TOWARD GREATNESS
During the pandemic there was a clubhouse group of professional engineers,Techs, and touring musicians that was ran by Jermaine Butler & Jerz Mason which gave me a insight to the world I wanted to be in and access to the actual people that makes the decision to hire for the positions I wanted. I used that network to get in touch with Jermaine Butler in 2023 to see if had any opportunities for work and by chance he did and I went to go and be a A2 audio tech for Summer Walker with my first show being DreamVille Festival 2023. From there I would do a string of festival that year and currently still active working with Summer in 2025, working for her allowed me to work with Joseph Spencer a veteran Engineer/PM/TM who would help me take my career to the next level. During rehearsals with Summer, Joe would be teaching me about the desk we where using and how to operate in this new space I was in, at times when he needed a break I would hop on monitors and would start to get my practice setting mixes for the band & background singers IEM’s. That practice would give me the confidence I needed to know how to operate when it was my turn to step up and be the guy in what is know as “THE HOT SEAT”.
FINDING THE NEXT LEVEL
Joe would give me that first opportunity when he had a prior obligation that would have him at miss Lovers and Friends festival in Las Vegas 2023. He asked “FRY YOU READY?” & I sure was, my first time on Monitors was for Summer Walker at Lovers and Friends 2023 from there I knew this is what I’ve been working for. After I had proven myself that gave Joe the confidence to have me to come work Essence Fest 2023 with him to be A2 for Monica, which later would turn into me filling in for Joe on monitors anytime he wasn’t available. From there it’s been a series of calls from Joe and others in my network which led me to work for Janelle Monae(A2), Brownstone(Monitors), Stokley(Monitors), Johnny Gil(FOH), Rapsody(FOH), Band of Brothers(FOH), Ms.Lauryn Hill(Monitors), October London(Monitors), 112(Monitors), TI(Monitors). With every gig no matter how big or small I bring the same attitude and approach to them all and also bring all the knowledge given to me from my mentors and fellow engineers such as Joe Spencer, Gordon Mack, Brandon Blackwell, Irvin Picott, Cory Washington, Jeremy Ogletree, Justin Niles and many others.