A clean cut.
Jisu Sheen photo
Arthur Thomas, Rashad Johnson, and Aaron Rogers at the fireside chat.
Grammy award winners Aaron “Y.A.” Rogers and Rashad “Snacks” Johnson might be known in the music industry for their production work with artists like Earthgang and K‑pop boy band NCT 127, but their ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for the new Skiro Studios brought them back to their core.
The oversized scissors didn’t even come out until Johnson’s grandmother blessed the crowd with a heartfelt prayer.
“We was church boys from the beginning,” Rogers said. He and Johnson, now known collectively as “The Breed,” met as kids in God’s house. One day in 2008, Johnson invited Rogers to his home in the Hill, where they played beats for “about two, three hours” — and to this day, they haven’t stopped.
Fans of Issa Rae’s hit HBO show Rap Sh!t might have heard some of The Breed’s newer beats on four tracks from Season Two’s soundtrack, including the Sexxy Redd standout single driving the album. With no end in sight, it looks like the duo will just keep climbing.
“Everything we do, we build from the ground up,” said Rogers. With the opening of Skiro Studios, at 295 Treadwell St. in Hamden, they’ve built the infrastructure they need to expand further than ever before. (Rogers and Johnson are also key organizers of the city’s annual Black Wall Street festival, which is slated to hold its fourth iteration on the Green this Saturday.)
The new studio on Treadwell Street features two recording studios, a computer lab, and a venue spacious enough to fit a DJ booth, live music pit, stage, and bar without feeling cramped. The main room was clearly designed with sound at the forefront, housing a set of speakers in designated pockets that keep the equipment flush with the stage — there will be no masking-tape sign stating, “NO drinks on the speaker please!” at this polished venue.
At Tuesday’s opening, an LED screen at the back of the stage glowed “Skiro Studios” in electric green. Greetings melted quickly into congratulations as attendees entered the venue area, hugging each other and buzzing with excitement over the success of The Breed’s newest endeavor.
“I’m very proud of my son and his partner Snacks,” said Arthur Poole, Rogers’ father. The two persevered, he said, and “overcame all the obstacles that came their way.” He was already imagining the activities the space would make possible.
Displayed on a series of placards throughout the space were predictions of a Breed-influenced future for the local music scene: 30+ new jobs, digital press kits for collaborating artists, and degree pathways into entertainment and tech industries.
Education is important to the founding duo. In the studio’s first-ever public presentation, a fireside chat between Rogers, Johnson, and Arthur Thomas of Integrity Solutions Group, Rogers recounted a time when he was living in Queens and Johnson called him from Berklee College of Music in Boston. The latter was having doubts, considering dropping out of school.
Rogers threatened to stop collaborating with Johnson unless he kept working toward his degree, and Johnson heeded that warning. In 2013, seven days after Johnson graduated, the two got their first place together.
A few platinum records later, Y.A. and Snacks stand by the value of quality education. They envision Skiro Studios to be a platform that will put rising stars on track to greatness by certifying them in areas like production and intellectual property, teaching them industry skills, and giving them a stage. When Thomas asked what was next on the horizon, Johnson replied, “Simple. Making it glow.”
The Breed’s inspirations were as brilliant as their dreams. Right at the entrance of their new studio, on the table in front of the quintessential black leather couch, was a thoughtful curation of coffee table books including The Book of HOV, a tribute compilation of Jay‑Z interviews and insights, and Something’s Off, a tome of Nike shoe collections by the late designer Virgil Abloh.
The opening was a well-deserved victory lap for a duo that stayed true to their vision for over a decade and a half. It was also a practice in gratitude, something Rogers and Johnson have been experts in since the start.
“I’d say about 70 percent of the people in this room fed into our hearts, our minds, over the last 15 years. Probably everyone, to be honest,” Rogers said. He invited the whole room to raise a glass for a toast: to Skiro Studios and the community they continue to build together.
The Breed will run their annual Black Wall Street Festival from noon to 8 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 16, on the New Haven Green.
Arthur Poole, proud dad.
Attendees file past one of the new recording studios.