Cody Jordan "ThankGod4Cody" Fayne is an American producer, songwriter, and musician, most known for his production work on SZA's acclaimed albums Ctrl and SOS, as well as his 2019 debut album Cody of Nazareth.[2][3][4][5]
ThankGod4Cody | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Cody Jordan Fayne |
| Also known as | Cody of Nazareth[1] |
| Born | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | Producer, songwriter, artist |
| Labels | ThankGod Records / BMI |
Life and career
editEarly life and career beginnings
editBorn in Memphis in the 1990s, Fayne had a Southern, Christian upbringing, and was not allowed to listen to much secular music. It was not until his older sister began secretly burning CDs that he would listen to his first album: Kanye West's 2004 album The College Dropout.[6] After a period of study at Middle Tennessee State University, Fayne moved first to Atlanta and then Los Angeles to enter the music industry at the behest of friend and Top Dawg Entertainment producer Tyran "Scum" Donaldson, hoping to work with fellow Tennessean Isaiah Rashad who Fayne knew through mutual friends. He worked at The Home Depot in the meantime to make ends meet, descending into a brief period of depression when his efforts to produce or write on various iterations of Rashad's future album The Sun's Tirade proved unfruitful.[7] Fayne continued to refine his productions, encountering Rashad's TDE labelmate Solana "SZA" Rowe at an impromptu LA studio meeting.[8] Rowe overheard Fayne's production from an adjacent room and immediately knew she wanted the track for herself, which evolved into her 2014 single "Sobriety".[9] She subsequently asked Fayne to attend her 2016 writing camp held at producer Carter Lang's Michigan lake house, where he crafted notable Ctrl records "Love Galore" (with Lang) and "Broken Clocks", among other contributions.[10][11][12][13]
2018-2023: Protest arrest, Ctrl Deluxe and SOS
editPost-Ctrl, Fayne did not accept any production or songwriting session requests from other artists, and instead began to work on his own music, releasing debut album Cody Of Nazareth in 2019.[14] In 2020, Fayne was arrested in the midst of the George Floyd protests in Los Angeles County, California, which inspired him to release single "Light My Way", asking a "higher power to light [his] way out [of this dark world]".[15][16] In 2022, "2AM", a record that Fayne worked on for the original "Ctrl" sessions in Michigan (interpolating "Come and See Me" by PartyNextDoor and Drake), as well as co-written outtakes "Percolator", "Tread Carefully", and an alternate version of "Love Galore", appeared alongside several other tracks on a deluxe version of Ctrl released for its fifth anniversary. Fayne also contributed to 7 songs on SZA's sophomore album SOS, including Billboard top-ten single "I Hate U"and "Conceited".[17][18] He next co-produced "Pray It Away" from Chloe Bailey's 2023 debut solo album In Pieces.[19]
Discography
editStudio projects
- Cody Of Nazareth (2019)[20]
Production and songwriting credits
editCredits are courtesy of Discogs, Tidal, Apple Music, and AllMusic.
| Title | Year | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Sobriety" | 2014 | SZA | Non-album single |
| "Easy Bake" (Featuring Kendrick Lamar & SZA) | 2015 | Jay Rock | 90059 |
| "Frendz" | 2016 | 20NVR | Non-album single |
| "Looking For God" | Loose Voltage | Voltage 2: Voice of Love Truth and Good Energy | |
| "My Gun" | |||
| "Praying" (Featuring Willie Hyn) | |||
| "Love Galore" (Featuring Travis Scott) | 2017 | SZA | Ctrl |
| "The Weekend" | |||
| "Broken Clocks" | |||
| "Wavy (Interlude)" (Featuring James Fauntleroy) | |||
| "Looking For Love" | Cyhi the Prynce | No Dope on Sundays | |
| "Sleep Walking Challenge" (Featuring Tha Landlord) | Starlito | Insomnia Addict 2 | |
| "Cuffing Season" | DC the Don | Non-album single | |
| "Closer" | 2019 | Free P | 2Live4U |
| "I Hate U" | 2021 | SZA | SOS |
| "Love Galore (ALT Version)" | 2022 | Ctrl (Deluxe) | |
| "2AM" | |||
| "Percolator" | |||
| "Tread Carefully" | |||
| "Seek & Destroy" | SOS | ||
| "Love Language" | |||
| "Notice Me" | |||
| "Gone Girl" | |||
| "Conceited" | |||
| "Too Late" | |||
| "Pray It Away" | 2023 | Chlöe | In Pieces |
Guest appearances
edit| Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Wolf River"[21] | 2017 | Don Lifted | Non-album single |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Work | Award | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | BMI 35 Most Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | "Love Galore" | Won | [22] |
| Soul Train Music Award for The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award | "Broken Clocks" | Nominated | [23] | |
| 2023 | BMI Most-Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | "I Hate U" | Won | [24] |
| 2024 | Grammy Award for Album of the Year | SOS | Nominated | [25] |
References
edit- ^ "After Being Arrested in LA, Grammy Producer THANKGOD4CODY, Channels Message with His New Single "Light My Way"". 4 June 2020. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Producer ThankGod4Cody Talks Going from Memphis to Producing on SZA's Grammy-Nominated Album 'CTRL'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "ThankGod4Cody: The 25-year-old producer behind SZA's biggest tracks". Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "ThankGod4Cody | from Producing for SZA to Releasing His Own Music". Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "SZA is Trying to Save Herself". 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ "ThankGod4Cody | from Producing for SZA to Releasing His Own Music". Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "Producer ThankGod4Cody Talks Going from Memphis to Producing on SZA's Grammy-Nominated Album 'CTRL'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "Producer ThankGod4Cody Discusses Working on SZA's 'SOS' and Where He Sees R&B Going in 2023". Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ "SZA's 'SOS' is the Biggest R&B Album of 2023; ThankGod4Cody is a Big Reason Why - Okayplayer". 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
- ^ "SZA Talks New Album and Wanting to Have Kids 'Soon'". Archived from the original on 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ "Beat Break: Cam O'bi Shares the Story Behind His 5 Biggest Songs". Djbooth. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ "SZA's 'CTRL' Collaborator Dropped His Own Cathartic Album". 6 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "No, really, thank God for Cody". Archived from the original on 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ "SZA's 'CTRL' Collaborator Dropped His Own Cathartic Album". 6 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "ThankGod4Cody Talks LA Protest Arrest and How That Relates to His Newest Release". 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ "After Being Arrested in LA, Grammy Producer THANKGOD4CODY, Channels Message with His New Single "Light My Way"". 4 June 2020. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Now Playing: SZA "Conceited"". NPR Music. 17 December 2022. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "SZA "S.O.S." sample guide: All the songs featured on her new album". Newsweek. 9 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Chlöe Previews Debut Album with Angelic "Pray It Away" Single & Visual". HNHH. 27 January 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ "Super Producer ThankGod4Cody Debuts Solo Career with "Cody of Nazareth"". HNHH. 17 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "Don Lifted & ThankGod4Cody capture magic on "Wolf River"". 27 October 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "2018 BMI hip hop r&b awards". BMI.com. August 31, 2018. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ "Bet Announces Official Nominees for the 2018 Soul Train Awards". Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "2023 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards". BMI.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.