barefootmm12
In a year where you could hardly go anywhere without hearing one of his tracks, famed producer "Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins has divulged that one of his secrets to success has been Barefoot Sound gear. Used on a majority of his output from 2014, Barefoot's MiniMain12 have become a fixture in Rodney's home studio and Capitol Records-based workspace.

"I do it all my work now on Barefoots. It’s funny because I feel like it’s hard for me to even listen to my music in other speakers now," Jerkins said of his switch to Barefoot. "In my studio, I have many different speakers built into the walls. I’ve got big old speakers, I’ve got small Auratones, but now I just stay with my Barefoots."

2014 has been a remarkable year for Jerkins. Earning acclaim for his remix of Sam Smith's smash "Stay With Me." the producer nabbed a Grammy nomination earlier this week. The track, which is up for Song of the Year, features frequent collaborator Mary J. Blige and was made exclusively with MiniMain12s.

"I’m very picky about the way I hear my music. Now that I’m working with my Barefoots, I just feel others speakers might be too bright, or the midrange isn’t right, or they don’t have the bottom end that I need." Jerkins states. "I had Mary J. Blige here last night. She told her husband, 'We need these speakers.'"

Aside from producing his own version of "Stay With Me" and working on Blige's 2014 effort, Jerkins has been busy composing for artists like Ariana Grande, Maroon 5 and Jessie J. Perhaps one of his biggest achievements was the release of the posthumous Michael Jackson record, Xscape, featuring work from Jerkins and the Prince of Pop that dates back to 1999.