Producer Eric B. wraps life lessons into music

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Producer wraps life lessons into music

Thursday, June 19, 2008

BY JEFFERY C. MAYS

Star-Ledger Staff

In a small recording studio in a Newark public housing community center, hip-hop legend Eric Barrier advises an aspiring performer how to improve the verse of a song.

When nothing had changed by the fourth take, his 19-year-old student, Rahman Henderson, grew frustrated.

Barrier, a record producer who is half of the duo Eric B & Rakim, picked up a set of headphones and walked into the booth.

"When you make records you gotta think about what's going to be happening at the concert," Barrier told Henderson. Later, he said he was less concerned with Henderson's verse than teaching lessons about following directions, learning from others and pushing yourself to make good into great.

"Kids have this resistance to listening to adults and authority, period. He didn't understand all the ins and outs of recording, but he thought he knew everything. He was hard-headed," Barrier said about Henderson. "I'm out to teach more life lessons than recording."

Barrier, 40, hopes to impart those lessons through the studio program he's running with the Newark Housing Authority.

Operating out of The Clubhouse on Irvine Turner Boulevard, the studio is equipped with professional equipment. In addition to singers, rappers and producers, the free program is looking for Newark students and housing authority residents ages 13 to 19 who want to learn all aspects of the music industry.

"We are using this as a trap to get them off the streets and to go to school and college," Barrier said.

Before his hip-hop career took off, and while working as a disc jockey at a local radio station, Barrier, a native of Queens, New York, would sneak into LaGuardia Community College to sit in on classes.

"I was just trying to learn," said Barrier, who wanted to be a dentist.

Barrier's ability to sample and scratch old James Brown beats and Rakim's intricate rhymes gained him recognition as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Then came the international stardom associated with hits like "Eric B for President" and "Paid in Full."

Eric B & Rakim traveled the world, from Frankfurt and Russia to Japan and Dubai. Though Barrier, a father of five, never made it to college, he calls his years of traveling and learning the music business a first-hand education

The duo produced four successful albums before they split in 1993. There are no plans for a reunion. Barrier said he regrets some of the time he didn't get to spend with his kids.

"This is what I'm doing now and it feels good," said Barrier who owns a home in Essex County.

Despite his status, some of the kids Barrier works with aren't sure who he is. They look him up on the internet or ask their parents, who often come to the studio in half disbelief. "Then they think I'm important," he said.

The idea for the program gelled a couple of years ago when he was talking to Keith Sheppard, a former homicide detective with the Newark Police Department, who now works for the Inspector General's office. The pair knew one another from Sheppard's days as security for Newark native, rapper and actress Queen Latifah.

Barrier heard about the authority's plan for a studio through Rahaman Muhammad, president of Service Employees International Union Local 617. Muhammad suggested Barrier to Newark Housing Authority Executive Director Keith Kinard.

"Our thought was we wanted to do something creative and challenging because not everyone wants to play basketball or box," Kinard said. "Eric B understands the music business from every angle and he also understands this isn't just about music, but being successful in life and making positive choices."

Barrier decided to name the program the Keith Sheppard Studios to honor the source of his inspiration.

"It blew me away. I almost fainted," Sheppard said. "It's amazing that a guy like Eric B that can be anywhere with his experience is here to give back."

Barrier said he has the connections to help the talented kids he finds through the program. There are already a few who have real musical potential, but his focus is on getting kids to consider college and the business side of music.

"You might not be the greatest rapper or singer, but the businessman always outlasts the talent. That's what I teach them," said Barrier, who hopes to expand his program to other cities after it is fully established in Newark.

Noah Lynch, a 21 year-old sound producer and engineer, is working with Barrier on the program. A graduate of Arts High School, Lynch earned a bachelor's degree in business entertainment from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, where he learned how to operate a studio and other business skills. Top notch engineers can earn $150 per hour.

"I tell kids you can go anywhere in the country and use your credentials," Lynch said. "You can do this for as long as you want."

After ending his first session in a professional studio, Henderson appreciated Barrier's efforts.

"It's like someone trying to direct and mold you," he said.

[VIsqo]

This is what people out there should be doing

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This probably didnt get much posts to just caus people ignore what I write right?