We are only roughly one month away from The Game’s 1992 featureless, throwback album. The album is labeled under a certain Bongo Productions—a familiar name which also appeared on Game’s hit The Documentary 2 and The Documentary 2.5 double album.
Now, if you were like me, you probably scratched your heads regarding the whereabouts of this Bongo character, who although obscure, has managed to appear as lead producer for hits like Kendrick Lamar’s “On Me” and Future’s “Dedicated”.
Ever the obscure figure, media and internet sources provide limited information about the mysterious producer. Despite the limitations, however, sources provide substantial bits pertaining to the obscure producer, and boy do these bits sound interesting.
Uforo Ebong was born in Nigeria but then raised in Rhode Island where he began his journey as a beatsmith at age eleven. He received a degree in Psychology, graduating from North Florida University in Jacksonville, but took an unprecedented dive to pursue a career in the music industry.
Despite his lack of prominence, Bongo would accomplish a very impressive productive catalog featuring production with Musiq Soulchild, Big Sean, Lecrae, and ultimately, The Game.
Bongo’s roots take back to L&F Productions (Lost and Found), a partnership founded with his cousin C4, but eventually ended as they parted due to “creative differences”. The parting would eventually lead Bongo to Marcus Black, which then heralded his involvement with Game.
“Everything just happened organically,” mentioned Bongo on his thoughts regarding his work with Game, “It wasn’t like I was just sending beats, I was in the studio the whole time… Even on other people’s tracks, like on the Alchemist track, there’s like chords being played on top, there’s a different hook”.
It is evident that Game and Bongo would develop a strong working relationship, thus leading to Game’s forthcoming album. However, it is interesting to note that the partnering progressed over a short amount of time. And as the two continued, their finished products only reflected the ingenuity of the both their individual talents and profound blend of brilliance the tandem creates.
On an interesting subject, Bongo is also a self-professed minimalist: “Literally, all I need can fir in a book bag... I try to be the right person for the moment. I have my own stuff that I do that I’ll bring in and I’ll play for them and if they riding with it we can definitely go in that direction, but I like to be the dude that knows what needs to be done for the specific situation”.
In terms of moving forward, Bongo alludes to one mantra: work hard. And his efforts show payoff, considering the unveiled collaborative projects with artists like Jeremih, Omarion, and Ty Dolla $ign to name a few.
Aside from speculation and curiosity garnered by fans and Hip-hop enthusiasts, the legendary Dr. Dre exclaimed his praise towards the obscure producer: “I didn’t know what to expect, but… I’m f*cking pleasantly surprised, this s*it is hot”.
Ever the artist, Bongo also expresses his ambitions to transcend the confines of a single area of music: “I want to touch on every genre. I don’t want to just be a Hip-hop producer, Hip-hop is like all my love because it’s what I grew up listening to and what I gravitate to… I wanna do work with Christina Aguilera. I wanna do work with Taylor Swift. As long as I can make fans, keep expanding myself, and making great music, that’s what I want to do”.
Bongo is scheduled to continue showcasing his talents with the upcoming 1992 album with Game. Underneath it all, I find it refreshing to learn about obscure, organic,minimalistic individuals looking to simply make great music in the Hip-hop scene and in the music industry in general.
By Jods Arboleda for RAPStation.com
