STOCKTON, Calif. — As Stockton natives Jake and Johnny Kosich sit inside their Santa Monica recording studio, the feeling of shock is still overwhelming.
"It's a dream come true," said Jake. "It's still very surreal, but trying to just sink in the moment."
Nearly two weeks ago, the music producers walked down the red carpet at the 65th Grammys and recorded a video shouting out their alma mater, Lincoln High School.
When the brothers reemerged on the red carpet from the ceremony, they were officially Grammy winners.
"It's pretty surreal, the whole thing," said Johnny. "To win a Grammy is unreal."
Johnny, Jake and Southern California native Matt Schaeffer make up "Beach Noise," a producing and songwriting trio behind rap hits by names such as Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem and more.
Most recently, the three worked on Kenrick Lamar's "Mr. Moral & the Big Steppers."
The album won best rap album at the 2023 Grammys and the song "The Heart Pt. 5," which Johnny and Jake worked on directly, took home the award for best rap song of 2023.
"We didn't go into this trying to be like a Grammy Award-winning producer," said Jake. "We were just so passionate about music and about just making things and it just seems to fall in line."
The road for the two, in many ways, started at Stockton's Lincoln High School, where Johnny graduated in 2007 followed by Jake in 2016.
"One of the bigger ones was the electronic music class that I had in high school. It was my senior year, Mr. King was my teacher," said Johnny. "He was the first person that ever told me we were going to win a Grammy and to thank him at my Grammy speech, and I've been thinking about it ever since."
Hundreds of miles away, Lincoln High digital video production teacher Joel Munoz was glued to his T.V. screen.
"I watched it live," said Munoz who taught Jake in 2016. "I couldn't be more happier for someone that I actually know, but yet, one of my students that have come sat my classes. That's what we hope for, for our students to go out and pursue their dreams"
From Jake’s first class project, Munoz could tell that the brothers had talent.
“Jake was an awesome young person, very creative, always worked hard on every one of his projects," said Munoz. "One of the projects that we do in my classes is a snapshot into their life... what he did was all about music. He talked about how he loved music, how he wanted to make music and how he was already making music.”
That shared talent took the older brother, Johnny to Los Angeles where he broke into the band scene, eventually meeting the third member of their would-be trio, who was already working for Kendrick.
"We met our buddy Matt Schaefer, who's the third member of Beach Noise, and he and I became friends and we started doing Beach Boys covers," said Johnny. "He hit me up and was like, 'Would you be interested in being an assistant for the month?' And I was like, 'absolutely.'"
Eventually, the work with Kendrick snowballed with Johnny and Matt finding themselves helping in music production. Meanwhile back in Stockton, Jake was sending the two more beats for Kendrick to hear.
"We'd be showing [the beats] in the sessions all the time," said Johnny. "And eventually, Jake made his way down and just got stuck with us."
The award-winning sound of success for the two Stocktonians provides an inspiring history lesson, that Munoz says will play on repeat in his classroom.
That story will also be told when Johnny gets inaugurated into the Lincoln High School Hall of Fame in March.
"It's been really cool to kind of like see certain students really feel like 'oh, wow, I sat in the same chairs as these guys,'" said Munoz. "Knowing that we went to the same school, same neighborhoods, it's a really cool feeling for a young person to know."
As for advice, Johnny's and Jake's message is clear:
"Always be a fan," said Jake. "You just got to be like the biggest fan of what you're doing, and I think all things will work out."
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