Caymanian record producer and songwriter Jason Gilbert has become a Grammy U Mentor in the international recording academy’s mentorship programme, dedicated to fostering the next generation of aspiring music professionals and creatives.
“I have been a Grammy voting member for years. I’m also part of the Florida chapter. This year I received an email about applying to become a Grammy U mentor. I felt like it was aligned with what I was doing, so I applied and here we are.”
Gilbert joins the list of Grammy voting and professional members from all recording academy chapters who are paired each year with Grammy U members to provide them the opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge from top industry professionals.
“I’ve always wanted to be a music educator,” Gilbert told the Compass. Gilbert, whose artist name is JG, said, “This year I started with the Hopscotch summer camp, and I’ve also been working with students at John Gray High School. I have been mentoring unofficially for years, so to become an official Grammy U mentor further solidifies this path for me.”
Gilbert was recently paired with a mentee who is a senior at the University of Central Florida. “On our first meeting we set out goals we want to achieve from our mentorship and work together over the next few months to achieve them.”
Cayman’s first Grammy nominee
Gilbert is no stranger to the recording academy. He became the first Caymanian to be nominated for a Grammy, winning the award for Best Rap Album in 2011 for his production work on Eminem’s 2010 Recovery album. He was also nominated for Album of the Year.
He has also produced for international artists, including Akon, JoJo, Kes (band), Melanie Fiona, Bad Meets Evil, Taio Cruz, and Christina Aguilera.
Among other notable achievements, in 2016, Gilbert was honoured with the Cayman National Cultural Foundation’s Gold Star for Creativity award for his contribution to the music industry in the Cayman Islands. He describes completing a master’s degree in finance at Florida International University as a “major accomplishment for me”. Gilbert is also a board member of the Cayman National Cultural Foundation.
Since the Hopscotch summer camp, Gilbert has been working in schools, “I’m also starting an after-school programme in January. Being a part of the Grammy U programme also gives me valuable lessons and experiences to use in my local programmes.”
These days, Gilbert continues to write, produce, mix and master music, “working towards winning more Grammy awards, while teaching others what I’ve learned”.
Gilbert, who resides both in the US and Cayman, has been recording/performing music under the moniker Skorch Bun It, and releasing though his label Happy Parrot Records. “I’ve also been developing and working with the next generation of Caymanian artists at Hopscotch studios, which I now manage.”
For Gilbert, working with the next generation keeps him going, “I love that I get to express myself to the fullest no matter how I’m feeling, and I love that I get [to] collaborate with others, knowing that it all adds to my legacy.”
Related Videos
