After Ben Thomas graduated from Temple, Fox ’18declared the lofty goal of winning a Grammy Award. He was so committed to this aspiration that Audio turned down his offer of a job at Deloitte to pursue music full-time as his engineer, producer and mixer.
The bet on myself paid off. In 2021, he received his first Grammy nomination for Album of the Year for his contribution to Justin Bieber’s album. justicerecorded the song “There See Go”.
“I was having lunch in New York with my best friend (music producer) Charlie Heat when I saw my nominations.” I called her mother and got very excited. “
He also worked on Ingrid Andres’ debut album ladylikeIt was nominated for Best Country Album and participated in the production of Jazmyn Sullivan’s Grammy-winning album. Hotails.
He was invited back to the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 5th, where his work on Pusha T’s song was recognized. almost drywas nominated for Best Rap Album.
In addition, Thomas has worked on projects that have been nominated for BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, NAACP Image Awards and American Music Awards, contributing to platinum and gold certified records and four Billboard No. 1 albums. He made tracks with former President Barack Obama and worked with Temple alum Karen Allen. TFM ’18about music Ellen ShawOver the past few years, his main gig has been engineering Lil Uzi Vert, including his latest single, “Just Wanna Rock,” which recently went platinum.
Thomas has been nominated for various music awards and contributed to Gold and Platinum certified projects. (Courtesy of Ben Thomas)
Thomas also owns and operates After5 Studios in the Kensington area of Philadelphia, which specializes in single vocalists, duets, rappers, acoustic singer-songwriters and podcasters, and is a joint venture with independent record label and management company nicethingsMUSIC. Also the owner.
He majored in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management at Temple and developed business acumen. In addition to his internships at financial companies such as Firstrust Bank, Thomas has worked in one of the largest recording studios in Philadelphia.He leads RECPhilly and Studio Breed. Recording’s college division, he served as his ambassador on the campus of GrammyU. Arts and Science, the organization responsible for the Grammy Awards.
At Temple and other colleges, Thomas has worked with such celebrities as Post Malone, Bryson Tiller, Future, Ty Dolla $ign, Lauryn Hill, Meek Mill and Chloe Bailey, but his favorite My best experience is making music with my friends. One of his best friends is Chill Moody, who is from West Philadelphia. Thomas recently collaborated on songs for independents and his artists around town that are played at his Eagles home games.
But music isn’t the only thing that matters to Thomas. He likes giving back to his loved ones and community. Not only has he been able to support his family, but he has been able to hire friends at After5 Studios during the pandemic. He also hopes the studio will eventually offer free summer camps for kids to learn to make music.
Thomas also supports his alma mater. Each semester, a Temple student does an internship at her After5 Studios. he also hip hop and black culture The class was taught by Timothy Welbeck, Associate Professor of African and African American Studies and director of the Center for Anti-Racism, a close mentor of Thomas. “I want to inspire others and help people I care about,” Thomas said. .”
A New York native, Thomas moved to Philadelphia while in high school and is grateful he chose to stay in Philadelphia and attend Temple. “Every time I mention my visit to the Temple, I am met with a smile and a warm story,” he said.
“I had the wonderful opportunity to stay in Philadelphia. It was the best career decision I made because it gave me mentorship and opportunities that I wouldn’t have had anywhere else.”
