Congrats to producer Illmind for taking the title last night as he beat out 11 other producers live on stage at Fillmore at The Theater of Living Arts. Earning runner up honors was Philadelphia native "Ritz". The event featured performances from 9th Wonder, Bahamadia, Freway, and even Rich Mediina. Both Illmind and Ritz will automatically … Read more
The latest significant sample lawsuit to hit the streets is brought to us courtesy of Kanye West, Common, Method, Redman, and a bunch of folks over at the Universal Music Group. Seems like Kanye West just can’t escape the sample clearance lawsuits lately. This time the daughter of Jazz saxophonist Joe Farrell has sued for … Read more
Multi-platinum producer Danjahandz talks about breaking into music via R&B, then moving into Hip-Hop, which is quite the opposite path for most. Also addressed are upcoming projects with T.I. and working from a remote location. Danja’s got a great attitude towards being open to any genre and the freedom to play around with any idea.
Production Duo Midi Mafia (Dirty Swift & Bruce Wayne) talk about how they began working together and broke into the business. It’s pretty amazing that these two landed 50 Cent’s "21 Questions" after only working together for 6 months along with a slew of other offers. When given the opportunity to submit tracks for 50 … Read more
Don’t really know what to say about this one. Anyone remember when having designer DJ headphones meant a big Numark logo plastered on the top? With Skullcandy entering the game, it now means your headgear will be outfitted with white fur, faux bullets, and tiger stripes. I haven’t had the chance to test any of … Read more
Here’s some crate digging nonsense for those prepping for a weekly flea market/record show mission. We all know this dude (and have probably been him at some point), but I love the line "Whaddya like put a tarp over ya!?"
In preparation for an upcoming post, I’m looking to gather some info from both established and aspiring produces about what books have been the most helpful with learning equipment, sound theory, production, and the music business. Will be great to see what everyone has been stuffing their brains with. So please, let me hear your … Read more
Doug Eisengrein hits us off with some nice tips on how to make your software synths and sounds have a warmer, more analog sound to them. Basically, the whole gist of the situation is that you needs some analog gear! He goes on to recommend some budget circuit based gear for laptop producers and even … Read more
Dr. Dre’s right hand man Bruce Williams drops some intimate details about working at Death Row, the mixing & mastering Snoop’s "Doggystyle" in 48 hours, and the truth about Suge Knight’s thuggish tendencies. Williams also reveals that during his entire time at Death Row he received a paltry $300 weekly salary and lays to rest … Read more
In a couple of video shorts, Producer 9th Wonder talks about his definition of a legacy, the importance of carrying the torch in Black music, and the responsibility of an artist.