‘I’ve just always wanted to make music;’ Ohio native nominated for 3 Grammy awards

HILLIARD — An Ohio native has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. Angel Lopez is multi-platinum, Grammy-winning music producer but grew up in Hilliard, according to our news partner WBNS-TV in Columbus.

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“Yeah, I definitely rep Hilliard,” he said. “That’s always gonna be home for me.”

Lopez attended classes at Memorial Middle School and Hilliard Darby High School. He was always, “the music guy,” playing his guitar pounding beats on tables in high school, WBNS reports.

“We’d have these freestyles, and I was the beat provider,” he said. “I was banging on this loud door and I was kind of that guy so it was always just that thing for me. It’s something I really love. It’s really like my first love.”

Lopez’s work with Kanye West earned a Grammy when Ye’s “Jesus Is King” won Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2021, WBNS said.

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“You know, everybody asks, what does it feel like to have one? I have a trophy in my studio and it’s a byproduct of just focusing on my work,” says Lopez. “I was never like, hey, I’m gonna win a Grammy one day. I’ve just always wanted to make music and be the best version of myself in the studio and become the best producer possible.”

This year, Lopez garnered three Grammy nominations for his work on projects with DJ Khaled and Jack Harlow. Two for Best Rap Album and one for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

He plans to attend the 2023 Grammy Awards Show; it will be his first, according to WBNS.

“Making the record ‘First Class’ with Jack Harlow gave me the real taste of like, oh everybody’s singing your song,” said Lopez. “I always wanted to make that song everyone’s tired of hearing.”

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards airs tonight at 8 p.m. here on Channel 7.

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