XLR8R drops a stream of consiousness piece with Flying Lotus. Take away the odd "wonky" references and it turns out to be very insightful, particularly his views on the spiritual nature of music, distaste for trendy club scenes, and crazy RZA stories. In addition to the piece, there’s also a nice bonus musical Q & … Read more
Production duo SlapBoyz.(Yukmouth, Keak Da Sneak) talk about making the move from Korg’s Triton (now a glorified MIDI controller) to the Open Labs Timbaland Special Edition Miko via Sha Money XL’s One Stop Shop Producers Conference. They also offer up an exclusive preview of an upcoming release.
Bonafide legend Q-Tip talks about the upcoming release of his solo album entitled The Renaissance. While mostly covering the history of his career with A Tribe Called Quest, solo ventures, label misteps, and the circumstances leading up to his upcoming release, there’s some very insightful commentary from Pharrell and Santogold regarding his legacy as a … Read more
According to Timbaland himself, a classic is in the making as he could quite possible produce Jay Z’s entire next album. In an age where it’s not unusual for there to be more producers on a project than songs, having one person at the musical helm would be a feat in and of itself.
David "Mr. DJ" Sheats tells the story of beginning as a DJ for OutKast, then finally making the move behind the boards as a producer. He touches on the pros & cons of being successful while remaining out of the spotlight, enjoying the process of making music, and adjustments that came with the shift from … Read more
A short, but very interesting interview as DJ Khalil talks about the progression from DJ to producer, the influence of technology on the production, and vital studio equipment. He also reminisces on his first major label track placement and important lessons learned from working closely with Dr. Dre. Read the complete interview w/ another bonus … Read more
Another interview with 88 Keys… this time he talks about his musical influences, the recording of his beat for "Thieves In The Night" , and the importance of having the respect of other producers. Also mentioned is Kanye’s involvement in the release of The Death of Adam and working with various artists on the album. … Read more
Producer 88 Keys gives a quick rundown of his production resume, rhyming on The Death of Adam, and production. He also gives a critique on the Cool Kids production and advice for mc’s looking to attain better beats. It’s a 2 part interview so hit the link for more. Respect to Kaos Effect
Nothing too deep here… 88 Keys talks about appearing on the Fresh Rhymes and Videotape Tour, releasing The Death of Adam, and making collaborative tracks on the road. "We have some equipment on the bus. I brought my MPC 3000 (the "Raw Dawg"), The Alcemist brought his portable turntable and MPC 2500. Aceyalone brought his … Read more
Producer/artist Raphael Saadiq (Tony! Toni! Toné!) gives a tour of his studio while talking about his experiences recording with Stevie Wonder and others. Note that pictures of James Brown and J Dilla are kept on his console for inspiration.