Photo courtesy Thom Brand
Now a three-time Grammy award-winning super-producer, songwriter, entertainer Bongo ByTheWay achieved his latest acclaim at this year’s 64th annual Grammy® Awards as Jazmine Sullivan’s critically acclaimed project Heaux Tales won in the category of ‘Best R&B Album’ on music’s biggest night. Last year, Bongo unveiled his first production for the new year for the extraordinary R&B project with his musical arrangements for one of the lead singles from the project for “Girl Like Me” featuring H.E.R. The single has since achieved Gold status for selling over 500,000 units via RIAA, was also nominated for a NAACP award earlier this year (Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional), and peaked Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Song charts.
Uforo “Bongo” Ebong, better known as Bongo ByTheWay, is a Grammy-winning platinum record producer originally from Nigeria and raised in both Florida and Rhode Island (currently residing in Los Angeles, CA). Bongo became known for his unparalleled talent with production; he also plays bass, piano and a multitude of other percussion instruments. As a child who grew up in the church, Bongo took to music as an outlet early on and received teaching from his musically inclined older brother beginning at age eight. By the time he was eleven Bongo began creating his own beats and got his first major placement on a Musiq Soulchild track when he was only 18. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of North Florida, Bongo relocated to the entertainment epicenter of Los Angeles to focus on his music full-time. But despite his early expression of talent and validation from big names in the industry, Bongo ByTheWay never stopped striving to get better and better and merge his instrumentalist background with the wave of new technology available. As the rising super-producer has explained, “I grew up appreciating organic sounds. I played in the church, I grew up listening to Erykah Badu and The Roots, people that really have that feel of instrumentation. But at the same time, I do appreciate the nuances of technology because they allow you to express yourself in a new way and have different soundscapes that are cutting edge.”
As his career was beginning to take off in 2013, Bongo became widely known for his production on Big Sean’s number one album Dark Sky Paradise and Documentary 2 by The Game. Bongo’s unique high-caliber production turned heads throughout the industry and has since led him to producing tracks for Roddy Ricch, Nipsey Hussle, Jeremih, Eric Bellinger, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Ty Dolla $ign, Snoop Dogg and Future among many others. He’s a 4-time Grammy nominated producer for songs with YBN Cordae and BJ the Chicago Kid and his landmark Grammy Award winning production on “Free From It All” by Hip Hop – Gospel crossover star Lecrae and his extensive discography has cemented him as one of THE most sought-after producers for popular urban music. In the summer of 2020, even amidst a global pandemic, Bongo ByTheWay secured two Billboard number ones for his chart-topping production on Teyana Taylor’s The Album and Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon. A high-achieving person by nature, there’s no doubt that BongoByTheWay won’t stop his grind, no matter how many accolades he earns. As this super-producer says himself, “If you’re not truly passionate about it, you’re not going to go the extra mile.”
