Kenston Grad Co-Produces Hit Eminem Track

November 7, 2013

It’s a long way from Auburn Township to the Big Apple, but Aaron Kleinstub has made a name for himself.
A music producer with Geauga County roots, Kleinstub co-produced a track on Eminem’s new album, “The Marshall Mathers LP 2.”
The track, “The Monster,” features pop artist Rihanna and is a major hit in over 40 countries, said Aaron’s father, Alan.
The album, released Nov. 5, is the artist’s eighth album and is a sequel to the 2000 album “The Marshall Mathers LP.”
The track itself is doing well, Aaron said.
“It hit No. 1 on iTunes in over 40 countries since the release Monday (Oct. 28),” he added. “The song doesn’t get officially added to radio stations until this coming Monday. However, hundreds of radio stations added it early and it received thousands of spins just in the past few days.”
Aaron said the track took one day to produce in the studio, although some changes were made after the initial session to dovetail with Eminem’s work.
He said he co-produced the work with a man named Frequency. The song is co-written by both Jon Bellion and Bebe Rexha.
“Our initial track was mostly the same as the final version, excepting little edits like track drop-outs and stutters,” Aaron said. “It came out pretty natural for all of us.”
He took a minute to discuss production values in music, adding he likes both analog and digital production.
“I love the marriage of both, as I use a lot of old analogue synths and weird samples,” he explained. “I tend to mix them with guitars or a piano because you can’t replace the feel and air between the mic of a live instrument.”
‘He Followed the Recipe’
Alan said he was not surprised at his son’s success. After all, Alan’s love of music transferred over to his son at an early age.
“I have always loved jazz my whole life,” he said.
Around age 10, a young Aaron started taking jazz trumpet lessons at Cuyahoga Community College’s Metropolitan Campus in Cleveland. His house band played at Night Town in Cleveland, one of “the top 100 jazz clubs in the world,” Alan added.
By the time Aaron graduated Kenston High School in 2007, he was participating in competitions locally and nationally, including a stint with the Grammy All-Star Jazz Band for two years.
Throughout his teenage years, he studied jazz trumpet at the college and earned both college and high school credits as part of a post-secondary enrollment program.
After graduation, he attended The Juilliard School performing arts conservatory — on a full scholarship — in New York City in 2008.
Subsequently, he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating with a degree in professional music and music production.
Aaron then went to New York City and integrated himself in the music production industry.
At this point, he was only 22 years old, his father added.
“Aaron’s been running really hard to make his way,” he said.
Cuyahoga Community College professor Stephen Enos said he was proud of Aaron and he worked hard for his success. Enos is the director of the school’s Jazz Studies department at the metropolitan campus.
The college is unique in that it contains a program in which students can transfer to Berklee after their first two years at Tri-C if they are accepted into the prestigious Boston school.
“I’ve taught him since he was 10 years old,” Enos said of his student. “I knew he was destined to be successful and I was proud to work with him for eight years.
“He followed the recipe and took care of business,” he added.
Enos said Aaron could become the next Rick Rubin, a well-known music producer and former president of Columbia Records.
“I told him to follow his heart and now he has the ability to elevate the hip-hop scene,” the professor said.
Is the success a surprise to his parents? Not really.
“The truth is, when Aaron was 12, 13 years old, we knew he’d do something and would make a mark on music,” Alan said. “He always worked hard at what he did and positioned himself to succeed.
“As a father, I encouraged him to do what he wanted to do and be who he wanted to be,” he added.
The Next Step
While hoping to work on songs for big mainstream artists, Aaron said he was more interested in working with up-and-coming artists who have their own unique sound, “because ultimately, they’re the future of music.”
Although he loves New York City, Aaron said he misses Geauga County sometimes.
“Living in New York with millions of people can get stressful after a while, but it’s great,” he added. “In Geauga County, I loved the clean air and sense of space.”
Aaron said he felt grateful working on a project involving one of the biggest rap stars of the Millennial Generation.
“Eminem is one of the greatest voices of our generation,” he said. “He’s such a hero to a lot of people and it’s a complete honor to have worked on something like this.”