the Clutch
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Short description|American collective of songwriters}}
{{other uses|Clutch (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = The Clutch
| image =
| caption =
| alias =
| origin = Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
| years_active = 2004–2010
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members =
- Candice Nelson
- Balewa Muhammad
- J. Que
- Keri Hilson
- Ezekiel Lewis
}}
The Clutch was an American collective of songwriters and record producers based in Atlanta, composed of Candice Clotiel "Gg" Nelson, Ezekiel "Zeke" Lewis, Patrick Michael "J. Que" Smith, Balewa Muhammad and Keri Hilson. They were on the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 singles Omarion's "Ice Box", Ciara's "Like a Boy", Timbaland's "The Way I Are", and Justin Bieber's "One Less Lonely Girl".
A combination of two or more of the five writers on a song is considered a track "written by the Clutch" as they rarely worked as a complete fivesome. The Clutch wrote songs themselves, but also did so in tandem with fellow commercially successful producers—including Calvo Da Gr8, Bigg D, Hit-Boy, Timbaland, Danja, Bryan-Michael Cox, Bloodshy & Avant and Tricky Stewart—to create several other hit songs.[http://www.myspace.com/theclutchinc The Clutch @ MySpace][http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/535185 The Clutch @ BMI]
In June 2023, Clutch member Ezekiel Lewis was named President of Epic Records.{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Gail |title=Ezekiel Lewis Promoted to President of Epic Records |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/ezekiel-lewis-promoted-president-epic-records/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=2023-06-03}} Prior, Lewis had been Vice President and head of A&R at Motown Records from 2011 to 2017 and Vice President of A&R at Epic since 2017.{{cite web |last1=Aswad |first1=Jem |title=Ezekiel Lewis Named President of Epic Records |url=https://variety.com/2023/music/news/epic-records-ezekiel-lewis-president-1235630112/ |website=variety.com |date=June 2023 |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |access-date=2023-06-03}}
Discography
{{Main|The Clutch production discography}}
= Singles produced =
| class="wikitable" |
| width="40" rowspan="2"|Year
! rowspan="2"|Song ! width="150" rowspan="2"|Artist ! colspan="4"|Chart position |
|---|
| width="36"|R&B
! width="36"|Hot 100 ! width="36"|Pop 100 ! width="36"|UK |
| 2004
| "Things You Never Hear" | 3LW | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— |
| 2005
| "Take Me as I Am" | align="center"|3 | align="center"|58 | align="center"|— | align="center"|— |
| 2006
| "4 Minutes" | Avant | align="center"|9 | align="center"|52 | align="center"|— | align="center"|— |
| rowspan="12"|2007
| "Only One U" | Fantasia | align="center"|36 | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— |
| "Ice Box"
| rowspan="2"|Omarion | align="center"|5 | align="center"|12 | align="center"|15 | align="center"|14 |
| "Cut Off Time" (feat. Kat DeLuna)
| align="center"|BU | align="center"|BU | align="center"|BU | align="center"|− |
| "Stunnas" / "Season's Change"
| align="center"|BU | align="center"|BU | align="center"|BU | align="center"|— |
| "Anonymous" (feat. Timbaland)
| rowspan="2"|Bobby Valentino | align="center"|17 | align="center"|49 | align="center"|— | align="center"|25 |
| "Rearview (Ridin')" (feat. Ludacris)
| align="center"|C | align="center"|C | align="center"|C | align="center"|C |
| "Forever"
| align="center"|C | align="center"|C | align="center"|C | align="center"|C |
| "Like a Boy"
| rowspan="2"|Ciara | align="center"|6 | align="center"|19 | align="center"|27 | align="center"|16 |
| "That's Right" (feat. Lil' Jon)
| align="center"|P | align="center"|P | align="center"|P | align="center"|P |
| "The Way I Are" (feat. Keri Hilson, D.O.E. & Sebastian)
| align="center"|59 | align="center"|3 | align="center"|27 | align="center"|1 |
| "More Than Words (A E I O U)"
| Menudo | align="center"|P | align="center"|P | align="center"|P | align="center"|P |
| "Promise Ring" (feat. Ciara)
| align="center"|66 | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— |
| rowspan="9"|2008
| "Keep A Friend" | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— |
| "Radar"
| align="center"|P | align="center"|88 | align="center"|67 | align="center"|46 |
| "Pretty Boy"
| align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— |
| "Official Girl"
| Cassie | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— |
| "Long Gone"
| align="center"|P | align="center"|P | align="center"|P | align="center"|P |
| "It's Over"
| align="center"|— | align="center"|62 | align="center"|31 | align="center"|— |
| "Return The Favor" (feat. Timbaland)
| align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|19 |
| "Part Of Me"
| rowspan="2"|Chris Cornell | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|18 |
| "Never Far Away"
| align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— | align="center"|— |
| 2009
| align="center"|— | align="center"|16 | align="center"|21 | align="center"|10 |
C Single release canceled
P Promo only or limited release
BU Reached only Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart
References
{{reflist}}
{{Keri Hilson}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clutch, The}}
Category:African-American record producers
Category:Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:African-American songwriters