Blog - Crate Kings

Boola – The Making of Pusha T’s Funkmaster Flex Freestyle

February 14, 2014February 10, 2011

Producer Boola (Beanie Sigel, Jim Jones, Lost Boyz, CamRon, NE-YO) goes to work in his home studio to create the musical foundation for a Pusha T / Funkmaster Flex freestyle.

Jazzy Jeff Explains “The Magnificent” Transform Scratch

February 14, 2014February 9, 2011

Pure gold right here… The Cut picks up where QSU left off. DJ Jazzy Jeff steps up to the decks to perform his famous transform scratch and explains it’s origins. Qbert, Revolution, and Jazzy Jeff finally get into a roundtable discussion about the intricacies of the transform and I was the first person to let … Read more

The Story Behind J Dilla’s Donuts Album Cover

February 14, 2014February 8, 2011

Have you ever wondered how the cover for Donuts was made? Director Andrew Gura gives the backstory behind the Donuts along with some insight into why your video will most likely not get played on BET.

It turns out that at the time that the Donuts cover was being created there were no photos of Dilla that had not been seen by the public. In the end, a shot from MED’s video shoot for “Push” was used. See if you can catch it at :22 in the video and compare it with the final Donuts cover after the break.

Ma Dukes On J Dilla’s Childhood, Foundation, Memories

February 14, 2014February 8, 2011

Ma Dukes sits down for an interview to talk about J Dilla’s childhood, her favorite memories, and the goals of the J Dilla Foundation. You’ll definitely enjoy hearing her talk about Dilla spinning records at the age of two and hearing one of his beat for the first time? He was a strange child. –Ma … Read more

J. Dilla: Still Shining (Full Documentary)

February 14, 2014February 8, 2011

We’ve all been waiting for quite some time, but it’s finally here. Brian Atkins’ film J.Dilla: Still Shining, which was created at the time of J Dilla’s funeral service and completed in 2006, is now available for public viewing.

Featured Artists: Karriem Riggins, Pete Rock, Common, House Shoes, Dwele, ?uestlove, Moni Love, and more.

He had the joint done before the MP was even turned on. — House Shoes

Chapter listing after the break!

DJ Eclipse’s Record Collection + Home Studio Tour

February 14, 2014February 3, 2011

DJ Eclipse takes views through a tour of his house and the immense collection of records contained within it. Yes, every room of his house is filled with records, including the kitchen. Studio highlights include Akai S950 and S-1000.

88-Keys – Beats No more: Operation Delete Beats

February 14, 2014February 2, 2011

I’m sure a lot of producers and overall file hoarders can relate to the most recent dilemma of producer 88-Keys. The combination of a lack of disk space and heavy New York snow finally pushed the producer over the edge to delete some of his old beats. Before doing so he was kind enough to upload 26 joints (so far) into a collection entitled Beats No More for our listening pleasure.

J Dilla – Behind The Beat (Home Studio Poster)

February 14, 2014February 2, 2011

J Dilla: Behind The Beat (Poster).jpeg

Crate Kings readers surely know by now the pictorial greatness of the book Behind The Beat, a collection of photos of producer home studios.

Stones Throw has come together with photographer Raph Rashid to make one of the most memorable photos from the book available as a 28 x 28 inch poster printed on flat (non-gloss) paper. The poster, which is only $12 and worthy of mounting in any studio, is sure to inspire greatness in anyone willing to will to embrace it.

Ski Beatz Talks Musical Politics + Creative Triggers

February 14, 2014February 2, 2011

Listen closely and try not not let the rough background noise get the way of hearing what Ski Beatz has to say. Winner’s Circle catches up with Ski Beatz as the producer talks about how he built his reputation through his work with Jay Z and Camp Lo, the politics involved in mainstream artists, his … Read more

Raekwon, D. Dot, Sean C, Absolut Talk Beats In Studio

February 14, 2014February 2, 2011

Raekwon, D. Dot, Sean C, and Absolut sit down in a recording studio to talk about some of the more esoteric aspects of production including the greatness of Havoc’s production, the art of picking beats, and the importance of timing involved in the completion of a song. The song is bigger than the beat sometimes.

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