Grammy award winning producer Che Pope and Quicken Loans co-founder, Cleveland Cavalier owner and Detroit native Dan Gilbert are starting a new record label here in Detroit. The name of the label is, WRKSHP, which is a music-based lifestyle company based in downtown Detroit, and was launched on Wednesday by Pope, who is a longtime friend of billionaire entrepreneur Dan Gilbert.
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The company plans to work with aspiring musicians/artists on talent development, management, marketing and more. Pope released a statement saying “Everything we do — whether it’s a song, or building an artist, or putting out content — it’s always still about the story of it, right? “The story of WRKSHP is so much better a story coming from Detroit than it is being in L.A. or one of the places that’s already sort of established because Detroit was the mecca.” Ironically, WRKSHP’s launch coincides with the 63rd anniversary of Berry Gordy Jr.’s founding of Motown.
Pope, who has worked with artists such as Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, Eminem, The Weeknd, and many others, says it was Gilbert who prompted him to set up his studio in Detroit. Pope who is originally from Boston, MA had nothing but nice things to say about the city of Detroit, calling it the “mecca.” Pope said, “This literally was the mecca of culture and art. To not be a company that’s leaving the city but a company coming back and setting up shop is much more of an amazing story that I’d want to be a part of.” According to the Detroit News, WRKSHP will be located in the same building as the Detroit Institute of Music Education, along Griswold Avenue and Grand River Avenue. Detroit musicians, its your time make sure you visit WRKSHP and get ready to take your talents to the next level.