Clarence Jenkins—known by many as “CJ”—is a Man for All Seasons: record producer, music manager, executive music producer, and Label Head at Hit Mission/Mi5 Recordings/Universal Music Group. He is also a twenty-one-year veteran public school educator in Richmond, VA, a twelve-year veteran of the United States Armed Forces. CJ played a major role in developing and introducing famed superstar artist and singer Chris Brown to the music world.
CJ has worked in the music industry for over thirty years, during which he played critical roles in developing, financing, and executive producing stand-out projects with songwriters, talent developers, and music industry leaders, including Timmy Allen (Change, Britney Spears, Millie Jackson, Freddie Jackson, James Ingram, Stephanie Mills, Michael Bolton, Tom Jones, Backstreet Boys) and music artists Lamont Fleming and Chris Brown.
CJ landed his first production and recording deal for the Trio Group One To Grow On, with Character Music Corporation and Steven Spielberg Dream Works. After developing Chris Brown through his production company HitMission, CJ went on to work artists Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore.
CJ also took on the responsibility of financing many young protégés and their careers, including a trio group, "LaMaRe," singer songwriter Lamont Fleming, and many others. His work with BET’S producer Sita Lewis (President of Voicez Music Group and TV Producer), who signed the group for BET’s," Talent Showcase Teen Summit,” put the group as one of the top competitors—including up against the female vocal group X-SCAPE—and “LaMaRe," won distinction as the top act.
For ten years CJ also developed a working relationship with Troy Taylor, who had worked with such iconic artists as Destiny’s Child, Tyrese, Carl Thomas, Johnny Gill. CJ, Troy Taylor, and Charles Farrar packaged and shopped the trio LaMaRe later changing the group's name to One to Grow On. DreamWorks' Gerald Busby signed the group; CJ managed the whole project with production costs, financing and logistics while Lamont Fleming and Troy wrote and produced seventy-five percent of the album.
But it was time for CJ to create his own record label. Hit Mission, a production company and now record label (distributed through Mi5 Recordings, Universal Music Group) brought in all of CJ’s former partners and artists as well as Timmy Allen. Together with Mi5 Recordings (a label created by former Modern English band member and multicultural British producer Ted Mason), Hit Mission expanded its horizons and looked toward creating record label and distribution deals for established and new artists. Mi5 Recordings has worked with a wide array of international artists in Rock, Urban, Hip Hop, and Rai/North African music, including Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Pharrell Williams, Common, Gang Starr, Cheb Khaled, Souad Massi, Downton Abbey’s Elizabeth Mcgovern, Jeff Beck, Robert Plant, Santana, Naked Eyes, just to name a few. Ted Mason and CJ plan to expand new opportunities and marketing ideas for both Hit Mission and Mi5 Recordings.
Other projects with Hit Mission include production and co-songwriting for Atlantic Records' artist Young STEFF, along with songwriter-producers B.COX, T.PAIN, and RICH HARRISON.
Clarence Jenkins also worked with Foxx King enabling Lamont to write and sing the theme song for From Gs to Gents, Jamie Foxx's reality show on MTV/VH1.
Clarence Jenkins (CJ) Executive music producer, artist manager, and Label Head (Hitmission/Mi5/Universal Music Group) and musician.
