Today we’d like to introduce you to Jmo Ontheclock.
Hi Jmo, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I started taking music seriously in 2012 when I joined the Madefresh Breadboiz. Our main studio was called the Stackhouse where Team Eastside (Snoop, Babyface Ray, Peezy, Lil P, Damedot & GT), Dam Jon Boi, and host of other talented artists did majority of their recordings. I was so motivated by all the greatness that studio produced. I decided to build my own studio in 2015 and pay me of my mentors Ghetti808 to teach me how to record and mix my own music. From 2015 – 2018 I recorded just my close friends and family members & myself. One day in 2018, I got a call from my cousin Rico LaVelle say that Lil George, a celebrity artist from Detroit needed an engineer to work with that had availability. I then knew it was my time to shine. I literally dropped everything I had going on as far as music and slowed down recording all of my friends and family to work with Lil George. We locked in the studio for months and countless hours. My first experience at BMB Entertainment was very interesting, seeing how I was coming from a home studio in my upstairs bedroom to an Industry standard studio with just a couple of years of knowledge learning from different engineers and YouTube videos. I was trusted and did great work with all the artists I was blessed to work with there. Thanksgiving 2018, at my mother’s house my older cousin said to me “you know your little cousin Sterl rapping now he in College at Cleveland State” “you need to get him in the studio with you.” Sometime a couple weeks later Sterl came home on break and hit me up to get in the studio, and I took him with me to meet Lil George and they made a hit song that the world will never hear. From there on, my main focus was Sterl Gotti. In 2019 I started my own label on the Ontheclock Productions and was blessed enough to open my own recording studio in downtown Detroit. In the midst of focusing on Sterl, I’ve been able to network with it seems like just about every artist in Detroit either for recording them or booking them to do a show. The other half of my business is promoting showcases/mini-concerts. I got into doing shows for the artist because it seems like there’s not enough platforms locally for the artist to voice themselves. I started booking major artists to come to Detroit to give our local artists a good presskit for the industry. Since then, I’ve just been working very hard at my craft to become one of the best engineers, producer promoters, and business owners that I can be. I am also into acting and writing. I wrote my first movie in 2018 called Can’t Stop The Movie, and I started in it as well; only findable on YouTube under my YouTube channel Jmo Ontheclock. In 2022 I enrolled back into school for Sound Technology, so I can be able to work at any major studio in the world. It’s the best decision I’ve made my entire music career.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth roll at all this industry is very competitive. I’ve done priceless work for artists and never received a dollar or recognization. I’ve done paid shows where only 4 artists showed up and still gave a grand prize $300 to the winner; I did that for months. There’s a lot of people who will criticize you for what you do and don’t do, and you just have to remain humble and roll with the punches sometimes.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My business is a safe place that Artist can come to express themselves. I offer recording, mixing, editing, voiceovers, graphic design, and photography. I am mostly known for recording and mixing audio. What makes me different from others is I go over and beyond for the artist, especially if I see they are a good artist and serious about their craft. I just want to see the artist win because, in the end, it will help me win. I want all the readers to know that I care about the Artist community a lot.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Yes, I am. I’ve risked losing my family by being in the studio nonstop for hours and hours recording artists for free, trying to come up with a hit. That alone put a wedge between me and some family members.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmo_ontheclock/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/OTCPRODUCTIOS/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/jontheclock
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC7wZFAEO-niTardJrJ3YUPw
- SoundCloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/jmo313
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Jmootc
