Where Are They Now: Lucius Hoskins
Lucius Hoskins, music producer, has worked with most of the top R&B and Gospel vocal artist in the industry. The Grand Rapids native and 1997 graduate of Ottawa Hills High School resides in Houston, Texas.
When the Grand Rapids Times last interviewed him in 2014, he had been traveling all across the world as a guitarist for R&B group "TGT" — Tank, Genuine and Tyrese).
He is also the owner of four companies: a production company, LP Music Group; two publishing companies, Looze Phingazz Publishing BMI and Hoskins Music ASCAP; and Stats No More — SNM and has written a book that will soon be released.
In this article with the GR Times, Lucius discusses his latest projects, learning about the music business and more.
GRT: How did you get started as a music producer?
Hoskins: The first artist that I worked with was The Wonder Boys in Grand Rapids. I got a lot of knowledge when I was in Grand Rapids but I really didn't realize it. I had always been fascinated by the DeBarge family and by Marvin Sapp, my Dad, my grandfather; and, of course, my biggest fascination as a kid was Al Green.
So I was really influenced by people who had become successful in music who were from Grand Rapids.
I remember sitting with Tommy DeBarge and marveling over his house and I was amazed at how good he was on the bass guitar. Even though at that time he was having drug issues, he still stayed sharp regardless of his addiction problem. I looked past that and was amazed at his knowledge of the music business, and amazed at the discipline he had at practicing so that he kept up his skills.
Pastor Marvin Sapp (now Bishop Sapp) and his late wife Dr. MaLinda would let me go to the studio at the house they had built in Crystal Springs and I would just work and create.
I would leave their house and go up the street to Chico DeBarge's house and do the same thing. They were helping me build on my musical skills.
GRT: What was your very first hit on the radio?
Hoskins: My first radio hit was by Keith Wonder Boy Johnson with a song called "He Laid His Hands On Me" and it was a spinoff of a song that my Dad had written with The Wonder Boys. The song was in the top 22 songs on the billboards in 2010.
Every since then, I have had at least one song on the radio since 2010, and at this point, I have had about thirty songs on the radio. I have had four number hit songs and I am just grateful for my success.
I now own my own record label and my first artist Cheryl Fortune, gave me my number two hit song on the billboard charts. Her album and single went on to be number six on the billboard charts. I am now about to launch three more artists.
GRT: When did you begin learning about the business side of the record business?
Hoskins: I am a student of music, but Dr. MaLinda Sapp taught me how to be a student of the business side of the music industry. When I was about twenty - two years old, she made me get a book called "All You Need To Know About The Music Business" — from managers, to A&R, production points, setting up a record label and so on — which is like the industry bible. It was written by one of the top entertainment lawyers, Donald S. Passman.
One of the key things that Marvin Sapp taught me is about having multiple streams of income, which taught me that I could make money as a songwriter, producer, or an executive. The book gave me some knowledge about mechanical royalties, performance royalties, and all the different ways you can make money.
Now I have multiple streams of income coming in even outside of music.
GRT: Tell me about your new book?
Hoskins: The book is almost finished, we are just tweaking it. I signed a publishing deal with a company in California.
The book should be finished by April. It will go to publication in March should be available to the public on Amazon and iTunes. The title "Hanging By A String: How Music Saved My Life", and what that speaks to is the fact that I play guitar and other instruments, but the strings of a guitar are kind of a metaphor between God and me. There are six parts to the book and six strings on a guitar.
So each part is an acronym for one of the strings.
GRT: Would you ever think of moving back to Grand Rapids?
Hoskins: We are actually looking to move back to this city. I am looking at some land in Ada, Michigan. When do move back, I am looking to be involved in some things in the Black community where I come from. To be honest, we really miss home. We miss the snow. It is strange to look out my window in Houston, Texas and see reindeer in someone's yard when it is 90 degrees in December; so we definitely miss home.
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