Category: interviews

INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST COLIN TANIGUCHI by ANIMALKRACKA

Pre-post intro : today is the 2nd anniversary of our blog here at Candydrips.com ; we haven’t done as much as we’d like but we have been blessed with some choice interviews over the past couple rounds of seasons ; Thanks to all readers and contributors and anyone supporting our company by buying tapes and merch! We wouldn’t be here without you all!

Today is June 27th and in the spirit of screwston and to honor this sacred date – big DeMo’s Birthday and the date of the infamous posse cut June 27th vol. 2 tape / epic freestyle we present Colin Taniguchi an artist that has designed custom shirts and paid tribute to some of his favorite Houston, TX rappers ! I won’t spoil too much – just peep the interview and head over to this mans IG to see the proof! also see a link at the bottom of the post for the June 27th release / Houston,TX ‘Screw’d 4 Lyf’ tribute shirt! Pre-orders are over today, but dm to request a size or get your order in ASAP!

For our first Artist Series T-shirt, Candy Drips reached out to the Bay Area’s own Colin Taniguchi to design a graphic celebrating the indelible impact of DJ Screw and his music. Aside from his amazing handdrawn graphics on Pro Club tall tees (which blew me away), Colin was an obvious choice for this project as he’s an avid Screwhead with an insane rap cassette collection. I recentlly had a chance to chop it up with Colin about his art, cassettes and DJ Screw. Kracka out!

ANIMALKRACKA: Who are you and what do you do? How would you describe your art? Where are you from and how does it influence your art?

Colin: My name is Colin Taniguchi and Im an illustrator,100% hand-drawn is my forte. I was born in Daly City,CA but raised in Richmond & parts of San Pablo most my life! I would describe my personal art as just my reality. Most my drawings are the homies kickin it & good times in my life that im tryna immortalize. Or any cute shit that comes to mind when Im in my head rlly. Im from the bay so all that comes into play wit my style via the colors I use to the details in every drawing,just want people to have an idea of where im from witout telling them.

ANIMALKRACKA: How and why did you start doing custom hand drawn T-shirts? How can one get one?

Colin: I honestly started doing hand drawn t’s for fun. Didnt think it would turn into something fools would want,I just kept getting more orders. To the point I quit my job because of it! Now im fulltime freelancing. Anyone can get a piece of clothing hit by me,just dm!

ANIMALKRACKA: How did you get into collecting cassettes? How did you first become interested in DJ Screw’s music and how has it influenced your art and life?

Colin: My love for cassettes started the moment I found my pops tape case when i was 11. Shit was filled with bay area joints,what caught my eye was RBL Posse’s Lesson To Be Learned. Funny thing about Screw’s music was I was confused when i first heard it and looked passed it,then I rlly put the time and really listened a few years ago and been hooked ever since. He started a whole era which birthed my favorite rappers & it influenced my style alot bc I slap it alot while i draw.

ANIMALKRACKA: I recently seen a picture of Lil Flip rocking one of your custom t’s. How does it feel to see people rocking something you’ve created? 

Colin: Flip rockin my shit was super surreal,s/o Slumped Boyz for the flick! I flip out on anyone rocking my shit. It means so much to me to see it. Hypes me everytime.

ANIMALKRACKA: what are the essential tools to your craft that you can’t live without?

Colin: Essentials I cant live to my craft I cant live without are;my brehs,that smooth gfunk,my prismas/copics,& a good head space.

ANIMALKRACKA: Who have you collab’d with? Where can people check out desing work you’ve done?

Colin: I dont collab with alot of brands or people,im real careful bout it. But notable ones are Absent,GX1000,& Bryan Rivera(100br) for Rolling Loud. Im gonna set up a website soon though,I dont post 80% of commissioned things ive done & people always ask to see!

ORDER A SHIRT BEFORE THEY ARE GONE !!!

Follow ANIMALKRACKA : Twitter ; @ANIMALKRACKA
Follow Colin Taniguchi : Twitter ; @_colintanigucci // IG: @colintaniguchi

Nothing is Promised: An Interview with Billy Woods

Last month, I spoke with New York rapper Billy Woods: the Backwoodz Studioz mastermind responsible for some of the best solo hip-hop albums of the decade. Like Dour Candy (2013), like Today, I Wrote Nothing (2015), like Known Unknowns (2017). Woods is also part of the duo Armand Hammer, a group which includes rapper/producer Elucid. The two returned full force at the end of last year with their third album Rome. Then Elucid released a solo album. Then the duo released three music videos as well as a vinyl-only album Paraffin, which dropped in July. Fingers crossed for a digital version down the road. I spoke with the prolific MC about his creative process, his work space, his music rotations, and much more.

 

 

How’s 2018 been treating you so far right now?

Honestly? It’s been terrible. Hopefully some good writing comes out of it because 2018 has been an unmitigated disaster thus far from the moment I opened my eyes on January 1st.


You’ve released solo albums in 2013, 2015, and 2017. Given this two year pace, can we expect your next in 2019?

I never noticed that pattern before and that’s a good question. I have some stuff I’m excited about but currently waiting for some collaborators to clear their calendars, so it’s hard to say. And I hate stopping the middle of a project to work on a different one because I feel like each thing needs to be it’s own chamber, I get worried they will be too similar. Maybe that’s something I need to let go of, who knows.

Your solo and collaborative albums are incredibly consistent. Do you build them up slowly? Or do you create in bulk and trim down the tracks?

Thank you. That’s a complicated question to answer because every one of them was made a bit differently. History Will Absolve Me had lots of producers but also involved a lot of recording and winnowing out the best tracks. It was really about me and engineer/producer/consigliere Willie Green locking in and working in a bit of a vacuum. Dour Candy and Known Unknowns are basically one-producer records, there wasn’t a lot of extra fat to trim, because Blockhead (nor Aesop for that matter) isn’t giving me tons beats at a time and not everything I get is going to fit what I’m looking for. I do still have a couple joints that didn’t make it onto Known Unknowns though, and bizarrely all of them were collaborative songs. Today, I Wrote Nothing was the quickest album I ever made and was a project where form and concept dictated everything. I recorded most of that at ELUCID’s spot and it was intentionally a very un-fiddled with project. I wanted something visceral and unedited, I made songs as long as I felt in the moment, no longer, I rewrote nothing. As for Armand Hammer; collaboration necessitates entirely different processes.

 

 

You have one of the most unique, freeflowing voices in hip-hop. What’s your writing process like

Honestly, it really depends a lot on the project but usually I find a beat and see where it takes me. Sometimes I just down ideas or concept or just a line that I think might take me somewhere and then come back to that list if I am looking for inspiration. I sit at my desk and smoke and drink tea and write and yell at my cats.

What does the future of Backwoodz Studioz entail?

Nothing is promised. I hope we can continue to build, expand our reach, keep putting out records and artwork that I am proud of.


What’s your workspace/studio space look like? What are some studio essentials?

My workspace is a wooden desk I brought to my current hideout in a semi-abandoned building in Crown Heights, awaiting the gentrifiers wrecking ball. I first got this desk off the streets of Brooklyn in the early 2000s and it’s beyond scuffed, it’s probably fair to say “battered”. On top of that are three books: a dog-eared James Baldwin biography,  John Stockwell’s In Search of Enemies, and Homer’s Odyssey- which I have never actually read. There are haphazard piles of bills, random photos, a hard drive, a cup of tea, water, a watch Willie Green gave to me, a big thing full of pens, markers and scissors, some Harpers magazines, scraps of paper with notes on them and a notice from the gas company that I still owe them money from the old apartment. There is an ashtray with a spliff of that Uptown Haze in it. There is a small black cat looking out the window and an even smaller silver laptop. There is an Ironman CD in the case for Dizzee Rascal’s Boy In the Corner. I have no idea why it’s even out as I currently have no CD player. There is an untidy stack of more books and graphic novels and old comics all thrown together from the recent move that I should organize but haven’t. There is a document shredder and a Sunday edition of The New York Times from a week ago. There are two separate broken pairs of headphones.

 

 

If you were to empty your pockets, what would you find?

I have never had a wallet so, keys, cash, ID and bankcard, papers, loose change, some list of tasks written on a piece of paper and folded up in a back pocket a week ago.

 

Outside of your own music, what have you been listening to recently?

Last couple weeks?

Roc Marciano – RR2
Henry Canyons – The Cool Side
Count Bass D – Dwight Spitz
Diplomatic Immunity
stuff Kenny Segal sends me
Mach Hommy – various projects
That new Small Pro/Zilla Rocca
Serengeti – Friends & Family
Denmark Vessey guest verses – was actually thinking who has the best guest verses
Enjoyed the Pusha T record well enough but didn’t love it. Don’t think I’ll ever be able to dig the solo stuff like I did the Clipse.

Listened to that Tierra Whack album, definitely worth it.

 

 

Do you have any advice for artists/rappers working on their craft?

I’m not really sure I am in a position to advise without knowing what the person wants to get out of it.


Any final words / thoughts / shout-outs?

Check out the new Armand Hammer record, Paraffin, I think it’s an interesting project even thought it wasn’t made like your typical album.

 

Ben Niespodziany

Twitter: @neonpajamas

Blue Bottle Tequila & a Nation-Wide Tour: A Candy Drips Interview with Nedarb

L.A.-based producer and musician Nedarb has one hell of a discography. Not including production features, Ned has released over 100 songs on his own SoundCloud, including tracks with artists like Slug Christ, Yung Bruh, Eric Dingus, Cat Soup, Little Pain, Lil Peep, Wifigawd, and countless others. Now, as he prepares to tour through November with Ghostemane, Wavy Jone$, and Chxpo, as well as planning a few more releases before 2018, we decided to reach out to Nedarb and talk about his process, his drink of choice, and the influence of cloud rap. 

Candy Drips: Hey man, how’s it going? Care to introduce yourself to the reader?

Nedarb: Yerrr. I’m Nedarb or Ned or just plain old Braden. I’m 24, live in Los Angeles and am primarily a producer among other things.

Candy Drips: You’re closing out the year with a month long tour. Are you all ready to go?

Nedarb: Yes I’m going on tour with Ghostemane, Wavy Jone$ and Chxpo! I’m as ready as I can be. We’re buying some props and shit so it’ll be fun.

Candy Drips: What can audiences expect from your sets?

Nedarb: Honestly every act including myself on this lineup has crazy lit sets. Tons of mosh pits, crowd interaction, intimacy but mainly blood, sweat and tears.

Candy Drips: The tour goes from Minneapolis to Chicago and passes right through your home state. Are you salty you don’t get to play back home? When’s the last time you were in Wisconsin?

Nedarb: Wisconsin actually isn’t my home state. I grew up in Alberta, Canada throughout my elementary years then mainly grew up in New Hampshire. I’d say NH is my home state. I moved to WI in 2010 cuz of my dad’s job/me going to college there. But nah, I’m not too salty tbh. I have a handful of people I’d like to see but I get to see them enough in other cities so it’s not too bad. I haven’t been to Wisconsin since maybe winter of 2015.

Candy Drips: You’re one of the more eclectic producers in the game, with ties to names like Ghostemane but also Milo and even with a side project known as The Cigs. Are you open to all kinds of music? Does it just depend on the day?

Nedarb: Yes, I listen to all sorts of music which is why I make all sorts of music. I don’t like to stick to one genre. I think more artists should be braver and try out different shit. But at the same time sometimes that ends up being corny. I just make what I wanna hear. Obviously I’m mainly involved in rap music right now but I grew up playing in emo bands and even making techno music on Garageband in high school. But yeah, shout out Ghoste that’s my bro and Milo is a day one homie I’ve known since 2010 where we met in college. More The Cigs stuff in the works too, shout out Cortex.

Candy Drips: Can we expect to see a Nedarb blues album down the road?

Nedarb: Ehhh maybe not Blues, I’m not a good enough musician to play Blues music [laughs].

Candy Drips: Candy Drips is dominantly a cassette label. Do you think tapes will always have a market?

Nedarb: Yes, I highly believe in and support cassettes and any physical copies of music because someday the internet could get wiped like who knows, and all of the digital music would be lost. Physicals are like fossils that people will find hundreds of years from now.

Candy Drips: We chatted for a while after James Laurence from Friendzone passed earlier this year. Can you speak a bit on the duo’s influence on your music, and the cloud rap movement in general?

Nedarb: Cloud rap was definitely the coolest shit to me in terms of rap music in the past 10 years. I love ambient music, emotional stuff, trap, melodic shit, etc. etc. and it was just a perfect mix of all of that.

I’d say Clams Casino and Friendzone are my top 2 production influences for sure. They just made beats that could make me cry. I’d never felt that way about other production before.

Candy Drips: Do you make music every day or does it come in waves?

Nedarb: It comes in waves. I’ll go weeks without making music but everyday I try to do something productive in terms of my career. Life gets hella busy tho, I really have to make time to make shit, but at the same time I never like to force anything. when I was visiting home in NH last week I made the most shit I made in the past few months, mainly because I felt refreshed and peaceful at home. Also whenever anyways says, “Come to the studio” or “Let’s work right now” I never want to [laughs] I just do shit on my own time and send it out.

Candy Drips: What can we expect from you as we close out 2017 and enter in 2018?

Nedarb: I’m TRYING to wrap up an album featuring production from myself with all my homies on the vocals. That’s gonna take a while though. The only shit I have planned aside from random singles produced by me here and there is a collab tape w/ TRiPPJONES dropping around Halloween and a collab EP w/ lil zubin sometime this winter. Oh, and also I’m pretty sure i’m gonna be doing some shit with Chynna, which I’m most excited about. Also just more GBC shit of course.

Candy Drips: What bottle of liquor are you grabbing from the corner store?

Nedarb: Lately I’ve been drinking tequila. I forget what the one I get is called but it’s like hella tall and the bottle is dark blue [laughs].

Candy Drips: What’s your favorite album of the year?

Nedarb: Prolly the new Corbin album.

Candy Drips: Any words of wisdom / final thoughts?

Nedarb: Yeah, don’t let girls break your heart.

Ben Niespodziany
Twitter: @neonpajamas

Piloting a Cloudd Body Spaceship: An Interview with MondreM.A.N

Cloud Rap is still alive in the eyes of Bay Area legend MondreM.A.N. The influential visionary has been active for over half a decade (with solo work and projects as part of Main Attrakionz) and recently gave us a batch of new material to bump. Not only did he announce a partnership with Jungle Strut music, but he also released a music video and single for the track “Helen Keller” (included above). Produced by Rav Mojo, the bass-heavy track showcases Mondre in his element. I spoke with 1/2 of the Best Duo Over over email and chatted about his future plans, the tragic loss of Friendzone member James Laurence, and the impact Monre has already made on the rap game.

Candy Drips: Hey man, how’s it going? Care to introduce yourself to the reader?

MondreMAN: yerrrp wats hannnin dis Mondre Mathafukin M.A.N, salamalkim hope eybody str8 & maintainin out dere.

Candy Drips: You just announced a deal along with releasing a single and a video. Was it a loose track or part of a bigger project?

MondreMAN: i recorded dat project in LA lyk a year or 2 bak. shout out jungle strut music, “i want tha world” will be comin out soon be onda lookout for alot comin frum dat project. bt it was kinda like a few otha projects in the past. i pretty much had da music done and then a support system came and wanted to help/be apart of this so we made it happen. shout out Greg & Rav Mojo for eythang.

Candy Drips: What can we expect from Mondre as we close out 2017 and enter into 2018?

MondreMAN: i cant tell da future so just stay ready so yall ain gotta git ready haha. but im writin sum films rii now an im puttin da finishin tuches on my next project that i feel iz my best rii now! dat shit slap so hard aha bt ima hav ta doa notha 1 of these wit yall an let ya kno wats da deal with that. alot i wana say bout this new shit comin bt ima hold back.

Candy Drips: MAz is such a dynasty and an influential powerhouse. Has it been difficult promoting yourself as a solo artist?

MondreMAN: umm not really cause i ain really git ta pushin how it shud be done yet. i js ben gettin to da Big Bag of Chips ya feel me.

Candy Drips: When y’all started releasing music like crazy back in 2011/2012, did you think it would be as historic and groundbreaking five years later? How do you look back on those times?

MondreMAN: we came in dis game doin wat we loved & wanted ta do & we are actually Dope & ill at dis so it did wat it did as yall can see. i love watchin all da old videos an pics ect smh lol

Candy Drips: Do you think cloud rap is still alive?

MondreMAN: all ima say rii now iz that it neva died. Gahdamm Gahdamm lol ima gitta VVS CLOUDD piece real soon inshallah an a bust down Mishka watch on mamas aha. dis Cloudd shit bigger den rap to ME an yall will see an understand real soon. im js focus on dem blue chicken strips rii now.

Candy Drips: It’s tragic that James Laurence passed earlier this year, and I’ve found myself revisiting the Friendzone songs over the last few months. Care you to speak on Friendzone and the legacy they left behind?

MondreMAN: i got love fo dem an dey shud kno that. i miss yu jigga james an yu too dylan, holla at me yerrrrp. i find that subject hard to talk about publicly. FriendZone 4eva tho beleeve dat.

Candy Drips: Candy Drips is dominantly a cassette label. Do you think tapes will always have a market?

MondreMAN: shid i think so. just need ta come out wit sum upgraded tape players. i ain seen 1 in hella long ta be real wit cha aha.

Candy Drips: What bottle of liquor are you grabbing from the corner store? Joints, blunts, spliffs, bongs, or bowls?

MondreMAN: lol Henny raws an dutches an wateva else i wana put in my tank haha Cloudd Body! yerrrp

Candy Drips: Outside of your own music, what have you been listening to recently?

MondreMAN: tha carter 1, lil suzy frum bak nda 80s i think an whole lotta old tunes it feel lyk now aha. bt im feelin dat girl rico nasty tho aha she kinda bussin i ain neva herd a chick lyk dat. she gotta song wit trappinbenny who i wana beat frum that slap lyk ike did tina yu herd aha an shit a lot of mafuggas dat ain got no music recorded or kno anything bout da internet/music game bt got Gas tho onda real. hopefully da world will hear dem soon.

Candy Drips: Any words of wisdom / final thoughts?

MondreMAN: Boss ya Life UP! rip doughboy roc. yall be smooth out dere yo, 1love yerrrrp

Ben Niespodziany
Twitter: @neonpajamas

Never Uninspired: An Interview With Keyboard Kid

Like his frequent collaborator Lil B, Keyboard Kid is a prolific and uniquely talented artist. He produces for folks across the board, has a pretty vast discography of instrumental albums, and he raps, too! And, Keyboard is also one of the most positive dudes ever. He’s super insightful, forward-thinking and well…Based. His newest release, the instrumental collection Based In The Rain 4 is out now (you can get it on cassette now from Candy Drips!) Recently Keyboard Kid and I chatted about his career in music, Limewire, what it means to be truly be “Based,” his hometown, videogame soundtracks,  and much, much more…

Nick: The first thing I wanted to ask was how did you get your start in music? What made you wanna get into making beats?

Keyboard Kid: I always was into music growing up. I was very musical and kinda just did it as a hobby. I’d write songs. I went to church when I was younger, so I was in love with instruments. One of the first things I did as a kid when I was probably like 7 or so was I started playing the trumpet. I played that for about a year and I ended up breaking my hand playing football.

Nick: Oh damn.

Keyboard Kid: Yeah, and then I never picked the trumpet back up, but I always had the love for music. The next thing I wanted to learn how to play was the drums, but, I grew up in an apartment, a five kid household; so there wasn’t really no room for no drums. But (I) used to write songs. I used to download instrumentals by the time I got to be in highschool. I was probably like 15 or so. On Napster or Limewire. I forget which one. It was probably Limewire at the time. I would search for instrumentals. I was really into the Roc-A-Fella records sound, the soul sound, at the time. Like Just Blaze and Kanye. And I remember I downloaded some leaked Kanye. It was the “Through The Wire” instrumental. That was before I really had even heard the song. And, I fell in love with it.

I used to write my own rhymes to Kanye’s songs. Over the beat and shit. And, one day I was like “I wanna make my own beats. I wanna make something like Kanye. Something dope!” So, then I just started downloading software. And, I had some cheap ass “E-DJ” or something like that. Just a couple of break loops. But it was really by chance. I was trying to find something that I could make beats on. And my homeboy, one of my older friends, had Reason. I went to his house and he showed me Reason. It was real dope, but it looked a little complicated as someone that didn’t know music technically.

So, I was like “yo, I don’t know if that’s gonna work.” I went home and just tried to find out what was out there. I was fairly new to the software game. Because back then everybody was on MPCs. If you didn’t have have an MPC you wasn’t doing nothing. So, I was like “Do I wanna by a $2000 MPC or do I wanna buy this little car?” I was like 16, and I rather would’ve had the car. Luckily, I stumbled across FL Studio. I just downloaded it. I was kinda nerdy, you know what I mean? I was always good with computers. My mom worked with computers at Microsoft. I was just familiar with them. And, I actually figured out how to crack FL way back.

Nick: Nice.

Keyboard Kid: It was FL one, man. I’m talking like the dinkiest sounds you could find. And, I would mess with it for hours. My friends would come over like “What the hell you doing?” So, my summer going into Junior year I spent teaching myself Fruity Loops. So, it got to the point where I could make a decent loop for me and my friends to rap on. And that’s kinda how it all began. And, I made a beat one day and people was like “Yo, this is actually dope! You should get somebody to rap on it.” I was like “Yeah, ok” I formed a small group with a mutual friend. He had access to a studio, so I would go in and make beats and rap on them. That kinda dissolved. It was around ’04 or ’05 I was just fresh out of highschool.

I didn’t have much going on with the music. I didn’t really know what to do. And nobody in my city in Seattle really understood my sound or my style of beats. It was real colorful and different. I gave some people some beats and they were like “Yo, these are dope as fuck. But, they’re just too different. They’re not really what we’re looking for.” I was kinda discouraged at the time.

But, also I was like “yo, what do I have to lose?” So, I just started hitting everybody up I could find doing music on Myspace. Back when Myspace was a thing.

I always liked The Pack’s music. And, something just spoke to me. Almost like a voice spoke to me to tell me to contact Brandon, Lil B. I was like “What do I got to lose?” I messaged everybody in The Pack at the time. And, Brandon hit me back. I actually didn’t even send him a beat! On Myspace I was like “Hey, I would love to send you some music. I don’t want nothing from you. I just wanna make some dope music!” And, you know how Lil B is. A super cool, open nice person. He gave me an email. Some random email. I sent a couple beats, and he was like “Yo, these are fire! Send me some more!” He gave me a different email address I sent him some more to that one. He was like “Yo, this is so crazy I fuck with you!” Then he gave me his real email and his number. I called him, and we ended up talking for like 2 hours on the phone about music, about everything. He was like “Yo, my group situation just started to dissolve. I’m looking into doing solo music. Would you like to be a part of what I’m doing?” I was like “Yeah, I don’t got much going.” But, I was like “What’s Based?”

He was saying it was gonna be called “Based World” and it was about living with love, kinda being a rebel but living with love and positivity. And, that was something I could get behind. I was like “I’m down with Based World. I’ll help!” And our relationship just grew from there. We would send music back and forth and talk about music. Discuss ideas. He would ask me like, “where do you see music going?”

I was a young cat and I was smoking weed. Me and my homies we would listen to ambient music on Youtube and shit. And I was like “Yo, what if we rapped on ambient music?” I wanted to switch up the genre. Something calming, but still on hard-hitting ambient beats. And that was kinda the birth of Cloud Rap, really. I started experimenting with more atmospheric sounds. I would treat the sample like an atmosphere or a pad. Just trying to play it, and make it make sense. That was kinda what made me feel like I really could take music serious. I was probably like 19 at the time.

Nick: Wow. That’s awesome. And, you really addressed a lot of the shit I wanted to talk about right there! Something I’ve always felt about Cloud Rap is that there is a lot of emotion in it. And, you kinda just touched on that about how that sound came from ambient music. For me the idea of “Cloud Rap” is very emotional. When I listen to your music and also Clams Casino it feels deeply sad to me, but also hopeful. When you’re making a beat, do you feel like you are really in the zone and emotionally connected to it kinda?

Keyboard Kid: Totally, man! Not being a musician that’s technically trained it’s all emotion, all feeling. Especially growing up here in the Northwest. I spend a lot of time inside because of the rain. “Cloud” really came from Seattle, man. People really credit Clams a lot, but he told me the beats he made were inspired by my music. Because he saw me out there working with Lil B and he got inspired. So, it came through me and it filtered through Oakland with Squadda B and Main Attrakionz. They were all in North Oakland like where Oakland and Berkeley meet. Like the Turf out there. Where all the young cats would kick it.

I was using the internet and getting the beats out there. They would play each other the music. They were like “Who is this? This is crazy!” I was actually in The Bay with Squadda not too long ago. And he told me “A lot of your earlier music inspired me.” It’s just crazy because where I’m at there isn’t really a market. So, It really got picked up and commercialized. But, it all started from me.

Nick: Yeah, I feel like you are kind of a touchstone for so much music in the last like 7 years. You’ve produced for SO MANY people. You mentioned Squadda, and there have been a lot of other people on the come up that you’ve worked with. A lot of folks might be like “Oh, Keyboard Kid that’s Lil B’s producer” Which is true, but you’ve been a producer for so many other artists, too. What makes you wanna work with someone? Is there like a quality that certain rappers have? Is there something you see in the folks you’ve collaborated with?

Keyboard Kid: Yeah, I’ve always felt kinda eccentric. Like an individual. A little bit ahead of my time as far as what’s going on. I’m always looking to push culture forward. It’s just in my nature. I’m always questioning. If someone tells me something I gotta ask why. I don’t just take things at face value. I always felt like rap could always go further. It could evolve. And, when the big money gets involved people just start chasing trends. When I came in I just wanted to say “fuck all the trends.” I was like “Why isn’t my my music hip hop? I grew up listening to hip hop.”

My feeling is I don’t care what you’re doing. If you’re making dope music and doing something different then I wanna help you. I like taking risks. So, a lot of times people be asking me “Why’d you work with them?” And it’s because I wanna do something different. I don’t want my  music to sound like everybody else’s. I wanna take risks on these young kids because I remember when I didn’t have the same opportunities. Nobody really wanted to give me a shot. So, I feel like why not just help them and carve new lanes and new paths. That’s kinda what helps me make my decisions as far as who to work with. And, also personal interaction. I feel like I can kinda tell from how people approach you when they message you. It’s almost like I’ve learned a language through the internet. Like I can see who’s sincere.

Nick: Hell yeah. I actually feel kinda the same way about getting a feel from how people approach or talk with you online. I mean, in setting up this interview or the times we have talked on Twitter or whatever before you have always been very real and very positive. And, I do think that’s rare. And it’s important. It seems like you and Lil B are definitely similar when it comes to positivity. I think the Based movement inspired a lot of folks to be more open and more positive, but it has been a while. Do you think things have changed over the years at all?

Keyboard Kid: I feel like it definitely has changed, perverted a bit from what it used to be. There’s a lot more troll culture now. I mean we were kinda pioneers of that with “Based,” but I feel like there’s a lot more now. Here’s the thing: we were trolling, but with Based it was always a foundation of love, you feel me? It’s about love and understanding and trying to do something positive. I feel like a lot of people now do unnecessary things to get seen. It’s like a lot of things when money gets involved and people see you can make a lot of money. And, everybody is trying to innovate and do their thing, but let’s keep positivity first.

Let’s keep love first. I make hip hop, man. No matter how it sounds, and hip hop is about uplifting the people. As long as these young guys and these new acts are coming in with positivity and trying to help people and help music then I got no beef with what they’re doing.

And, you know a lot of the time you gotta meet people in person. That’s why I don’t really wanna point the finger and judge. And, you know times have changed. Young people have a lot more stuff to deal with these days. It’s crazy times, man. But, as long as you keep love and positivity and fun first then it’s all good. It’s just art people gotta express themselves, but people also gotta know if you’re making art you got a responsibility to push culture forward. That’s how I look at music and at art. It really is a universal language. It is saying things and speaking to people in different ways. So, lay the foundation with love. And stay true to you! Be original. I understand there’s trends. But, influence is one thing, and to emulate is another thing.

Nick: What you just said is exactly what I see as being Based. Being true to yourself, being real. It’s interesting that you called Based sort of a “positive trolling.” And I think it definitely was especially at first. Some of the things Lil B was doing like calling himself a “Bitch” and the way he dressed was like shit people never would have done in mainstream rap before. And, that is totally a troll move to me. It shook things up a lot. Have you heard about these fucking Alt Right guys who have kind of taken Based and co-opted it, trying to make it some hateful thing?

Keyboard Kid: Man, I’m on the internet all the time, so I’ve been seeing it. We’re seeing it emerge now it started on 4 Chan and the chatrooms. They definitely perverted the use of based. Using it for the opposite. Those people are strange, man. They have nothing to do with Based. They’re just complete trolls. They’re just using something that is widely accepted by a lot of people, especially young people, as a way to be impressionable on the young people. We got a lot of new, coming-of-age, spongey minds out there.

I really feel like that is some weirdo shit, man. There’s some things in the works, though. You know Lil B is aware of it, and we were having a conversation about it over the weekend. And then Fader came out with the article about it. People are noticing that. True Based people. All of that will be addressed soon. This stuff’s copywritten. So, if need be there could be some steps taken.

Nick: Yeah I mean Lil B was calling out folks for being Fake Based years ago and these guys are absolutely the definition of Fake Based.

Keyboard Kid: The truest form. Real talk.

Nick: Earlier you mentioned samples, and how you were using ambient music in your production and that helped you kinda find your sound. I wanted to ask you about what leads you to a sample? And what makes you wanna choose the samples you use? One of my favorite tracks on the new project is “Tokyo Ghoul Music” which has this awesome guitar sample on it. I feel like you really have a knack for finding beautiful samples.

Keyboard Kid: It’s just life, you know? Life experience. Everything that makes me “me” is what I put into my music. Genres I stumbled across when I was younger and pop culture. I’ve always been into animation. And, a lot of my samples come from that realm. I’ve always been into cinematography and movies. I’m all about the feel and the textures of the music I create. It’s like water, you know? Water is metaphorical for me. Say, music was water. If you could submerge yourself in the water, that’s how I feel about music. I want it to fill the room you’re in. I feel it in the air. The viscosity. Is it a thick texture? Is it smooth? Is it floaty? To me music comes out like a 3D space. It’s kinda weird to explain.

Nick: I totally get it. And anybody who has heard your music will understand that I think. That makes a ton of sense, and I think perfectly describes your beats.

Keyboard Kid: It’s like watching a movie. I want you to feel that whole vibe. Like the song “Kush In The Beamer” I want you to feel like you’re smoking kush in a Beamer.

Nick: You’ve made so many beats! I feel like you’ve done so many instrumentals and you are always producing for rappers. Do you ever feel like you get “writer’s block?” like do you ever hit a wall where you just don’t have ideas, or can’t create?

Keyboard Kid: Yeah more so that I’ve gotten older. Not so much a “writer’s block,” but more like a time thing. I got a daughter now. And I got a family. It’s a blessing, you know, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s been a balancing act with work and personal life as of recently. Sometimes I feel like I might have to go digging for new sounds. But, it’s never like I can’t make a beat. Honestly, if I had nothing else to do I’d make beats all day every day.

I’m never uninspired it’s kinda crazy. I can find inspiration in many things. Just life. Some of the things that help me if I do get in a place that’s kinda slow is I’ll play videogames. And I’ll think in my head like, “what would I make for the soundtrack for this game?” I’ll play games for like 30 minutes, and then I’ll hop back on the beats. I keep my playstation and my beats right next to each other.

Nick: That makes a lot of sense. I feel like a lot of your production does remind me of video game soundtracks in a lot of ways. That’s something you have in common with Lil B, I think. He’s a huge fan of videogames, of course. And also he’s ALWAYS working. He has put out so much music.

Keyboard Kid: I always felt like I’m the producer version of Lil B. We’re definitely kindred spirits in the creative sense.

Nick: And you’re not just a producer, of course. Earlier you were talking about rapping over instrumentals. And, it’s a bit rare to hear you rap, but I’ve definitely heard you spit on a couple things. I think you did an album with Pepperboy?

Keyboard Kid: Yeah! We did the whole Endangered project.

Nick: Oh! And I remember there’s a Mishka song, too. One of those posse cuts. I think I was on that song, actually.

Keyboard Kid: Hell yeah.

Nick: Is rapping something you wanna purse more? Or do you feel like it is more of a “here and there” thing for you?

Keyboard Kid: It’s one of those things where I get to a certain point and I feel like I’ve expressed myself as much as I can through the beats, but I have more stuff I need to get out. That’s what leads me to make rap projects. I got a few projects on my bandcamp page. Mostly freestyle shit. I’ve never really sat down and wrote except for one little mixtape I did called Under The Sea under my alias Namor. I didn’t even write all the songs on there, but I did write a few. Most of the songs that I do write I never record.

But, I do have a passion for rapping in general. I freestyle all the time. My homies are like, “just go in the booth and record the shit!” So, I think when the time is right I definitely wanna make an album. I just wanna do it right. There’s legit people in the industry I wanna tap in with and make it happen. We got a lot of work to do this year with Based World Records starting up. Getting things really popping. I think after we do this, I’ll have time to really go in on a real album. With me rapping and writing my songs and telling my stories. But, the story hasn’t even been finished yet, and I can’t even make the album I wanna make. You know what I’m saying?

Nick: You mean you feel like you wanna have more experiences, do more shit to be able to write about it?

Keyboard Kid: Yeah I wanna live a little more. There’s things going on in my career right now that I wanna talk about, but in retrospect probably. I wanna be able to close the chapter. I feel like I’m still writing chapters, getting things going. Even me and Lil B just working and trying new things. Black Ken’s really the start of a second life for Based World. After me and him knock a few more tapes out we’ll start working on my project.

I also wanna make like a Neptunes style compilation album like Clones where I produce for various artists.

Nick: You have so many connections with different artists I feel like that would be dope.

Keyboard Kid: Yeah I just wanna tap in with all the cats across the region even folks overseas. Get em all on the album. Put together some cool collaborations of underground people you haven’t heard work together. I think that’d be my goal. I’d want that album released on a major label. To shine light on people I’ve always listened to and respected.

Nick: That really speaks to how you’ve been you’re whole career in music. You’ve always lifted people up like you were saying earlier. I definitely wanna hear that project! Looking forward to it.

Keyboard Kid: It’ll be dope. And I’ve been working on my business side of things. I’ve been working with a young artist from Seattle named Misunderstood. I’m gonna be cultivating her sound. I really got my hands in a bunch of things. Just staying busy, man.

Nick: What do you think about the local scene in Seattle? I talked with AJ Suede a few weeks ago and he was mentioning that the music scene is pretty dope. Do you feel like you are really a part of the local scene?

Keyboard Kid: I feel like I’m one of the artists that helped cultivate the underground sound and scene. Just from being in touch with the Based aspect of it. And with my sound getting bigger. I’ve inspired a lot and got some shit popping out of here. A lot of people see me, and were inspired to do their own thing. GBC started up here and Thraxxhouse. I gave them the green light to use that name. Those are my little homies. Like Key Nyata, that’s my bro.

I feel like I definitely carved a scene. I think it could be more organized and more orchestrated. I’m from here so I feel like it gets redundant. The type of bills and lineups they have. But, you know I feel like I’ve done what I can do in Seattle I’m just trying to go global now. Seattle is cool. It’s a cool little scene and there’s a lot of people dedicated to the craft and the art. It’s definitely an artists’ scene like AJ was saying. AJ’s real cool. The weather really does make people wanna stay inside. It’s a producer’s place. A lot more producers and musicians came out of Washington than people know about. But, that’s because we have to go other places to get noticed. You can’t get plugged in here. There’s no real hub.

Nick: Like you gotta go to LA or to San Francisco or to like NYC?

Keyboard Kid: Yeah you eventually gotta move. Maybe just for a little bit. I feel like I was kinda in my utilization of the internet. I was getting seen. And, like I was saying when I was coming up no one really understood my shit. They weren’t really fucking with it. My first show as Keyboard Kid wasn’t in Seattle. I got booked in New York and Vegas and Portland and shit before here. Seattle can be kind of elitist and they need to stop doing that. They got their own little closed circle like a who’s. I think they should be a little more open. There’s a lot of young talent out here. There’s just not the platform. We don’t have the radio stations and shit like that.

Nick: That’s pretty much all I wanted to talk to you about. I feel like we’ve covered a lot of stuff! Is there anything else you wanna say?

Keyboard Kid: Shout out Candy Drips. Shout out Based World records. Everybody go grab that Based In The Rain 4. And look out for Millennium Thraxx it’s gonna be a very high energy, colorful project I’m dropping soon. And look out for all the music me and Lil B are gonna be dropping.

Nick: Hell yeah I really feel like Lil B is back and this is, like you said, a kind of second coming. I’m psyched to hear you guys working together on new shit.

Keyboard Kid: He’s definitely fired up. He’s got that fire in him. A lot’s happened and a lot of it happened very quickly. And we worked so hard. We had to take a little breather. But, now we back, we fresh, and going crazy.

-Nicholas Vogt
Twitter: @nicholasvogt

Iconoclast: An Interview With AJ Suede

AJ Suede is one of the most thoughtful, dedicated rappers and producers I know of.  His new album Gotham Fortress is maybe his best work yet. A dark, complex and intense project that walks the line between many sounds not just in rap but also AJ ventures into punk and hardcore, too.

AJ and I are old friends and we’ve known each other since 2012. We were somewhat out of touch the last few years, and when I called him on a Tuesday afternoon (before both of us had work) for this interview it was great to catch up with him. AJ and I talked about his relatively recent move to Seattle, the process of making his new album, old skate videos, Skyrim and more…

Nick: How have you been? You’re on the west coast now, right?

AJ: Yeah I moved to Seattle.

Nick: Oh nice. I’ve never been there but I’ve heard it’s really cool. What brought you there?

AJ:  There are a lot of people out here who’ve been listening to my music who lived out here who were like “yo, you need to come out here. Do some shows.” And I just stayed too long, you know?

Nick: Do you like it out there?

AJ: Yeah definitely. Weed is legal recreationally. Everyone is chilling. It’s cool. Minimum wage is $15 so I can still work part time.

Nick: Oh that’s right! That’s dope how high that minimum wage is. What are you doing for work?

AJ: I work at a pizza shop.

Nick: Oh word! Actually now that you say that I think you mention the pizza shop on the album. You talk about work a lot on there. There’s a line about punching a clock  and I remember you mentioning working on the weekends.

AJ: Yeah that’s what I’m doing. That and the music.

Nick: You are a super hard worker and you always have been. And it’s good you’ve been able to balance working a job and working on music. You’ve been making music for a while now it’s been at least five years since I first heard stuff by you. Do you feel like anything has changed with the scene you’re a part of? I feel like with the sort of “internet rap” community things have changed but it’s hard to put my finger on it…

AJ: Yeah it’s pretty crazy how it went from what it was when a lot of people were getting covered on Mishka in like 2012 to where certain people are now. Even in Seattle. Inside the city there’s a whole bunch of artists who are very popular in the city and have no presence on the internet. And vice versa. When I got out here I knew a lot of people from the internet side of shit, and I knew a lot of people from playing around the city. I think I bridged that a little bit as far as getting locals to play shows with people who were popping online and just kinda bringing it all together. Seattle is dope for just music in general. Bands play with rappers. And there’s a whole bunch of boom bap, too. You know I love Boom bap and I still bump hella boom bap, and there is an element of that shit that goes on that’s older. But, they’re not as accepting of new shit, so I don’t really pay attention to that.

Nick: That actually is something I wanted to ask you about. I feel like with your music you kinda bridge the gap between Boom Bap or “real hip hop” shit and the new side of things. There’s so much criticism from older people of younger guys in rap now who are popular like Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty. We saw the whole thing with Joe Budden yelling at Yachty. What do you think about that sort of rift between the older generation and newer rappers?

AJ: I mean it depends. It’s not like a general thing. I don’t really listen to Yachty. I like Lil Uzi Vert, he has hella shit I fuck with. But, I’m not really into auto-tune stuff. Some of the newer stuff I’m starting to hear is getting heavier and heavier into the auto-tune as things keep on evolving. But then There’s Roc Marciano praising Lil B for Black Ken. That’s one of the most East Coast Mcs in the game. There’s only a rift if you choose to have a rift. And, Joe Budden’s always been like that. But, as far as I’m concerned I’m gonna have bars regardless. And I love trap music, too. But, there’s a lot of stuff that I can’t get with.

Nick: As far as production goes you used to produce most of your own stuff, but on the new album you’ve worked with some other producers especially Wolftone.

AJ: Yeah that’s one of the people who brought me out here. I stayed on his couch for a minute before I got my own space. He’s been fucking with my music and was like “yo, come out here.” He’s played in hella punk bands he’s a big part of the Seattle scene. I was in the room when the beats were being made. I was like “yo, you have to take that out.” or “make that darker, speed that up.” I was there. It’s kind of a new sound. There’s only a couple people out here with it. Everybody who’s featured on the album was there in person. I wasn’t really living in my own space. I didn’t have my computer with me. So, I was making music when there was time to make music. It wasn’t like I would go in the booth and make some shit. It would be like once a week or maybe twice a week. But yeah when it came to features everybody was there.

Nick: One producer’s name that stood out to me on the album is Spaceghostpurrp. That’s a name I haven’t seen in a while, and that’s maybe because I kinda haven’t been paying attention. But, is he someone you’ve known or is this collab kind of a new thing?

AJ: I have like two other joints on his beats. We’re not really in touch though.

Nick: I’ve always thought his production was his biggest strength and his beats are unique for sure. When I heard the track he produced I knew right away like “this is the Spaceghost one.”

AJ: I haven’t heard him make a beat like that before, though. I was pretty hype.

Nick: Yeah it’s true. That track has his sound but it does feel different kinda.

AJ: It wasn’t supposed to make the tape, but I fuck with it. It’s just because that’s the only one where I wasn’t in the studio with the producer. But, other than that it definitely belonged there.

Nick: Is it different rapping on other producers’ beats vs. your own stuff?

AJ: Nah for a while I was only rapping on stuff I produced. Like on Gold and Water and all that. But that one year that I dropped like twelve I got to jump on beats that were so many different sounds that it made me a better rapper. You only have a one track mind if you’re only rapping on your stuff and you learn how to be a better producer just hearing what other people do. Now it’s perfect, though. I was in the room the whole time, so everything was being written while the beat was being made. It just worked out.

Nick: Yeah sounds like you were almost like an “executive producer” or something like the whole thing is your vision.

AJ: Yeah, but it was a good combo the whole time. The whole thing was in sync.

Nick: That’s cool you were able to work in the same space. I feel like that’s rare, too. Most collabs happen over the internet like over email or whatever. But you were able to work together in person.

AJ: Yeah anytime I work with somebody over email it doesn’t work. That’s why I don’t really do any verses that way unless somebody’s buying them. Sometimes somebody might record a line, have something a little too loud. And then you have to keep sending emails back and forth. It’s just not organic. It can be, but in general it’s not.

Nick: You mentioned earlier how in the music scene in Seattle there’s kind of a cross pollination of punk and rap. And it makes a lot of sense that you are working with people like Wolftone who’s in both worlds. I can hear that sound in the album especially on “Cryptocurrency” and “Iconoclast.” That feels like a new direction for you. The screaming is awesome. When I was listening for the first time and I heard you doing those screaming vocals I was like “Holy shit!” It’s dope. I really like how extreme it is. Is hardcore and kinda more intense punk stuff something you’ve always been into?

AJ: Yeah, but that was all through skate videos. And Tony Hawk games. That put me on to punk really early. And I always wanted to do that. I kinda waited till it was a little bit more authentic and I was chilling with enough people who knew what was up.

Nick: You definitely pulled it off. “Iconoclast” might be my favorite track on the album. I love the energy you brought to it.

AJ: That sample on “Iconoclast” is from a recording of one of Wolf’s old bands. He took the distortion of the guitar off of it and turned it into that beat. I wanted something that’s in 3/4 time signature where we could do breakdowns and hit different tempos. At this point I’m really just exercising my lyrical ability because I’ve gone on so many different types of beats. So, I wanted something in a different time signature. That was one of the first tracks I made for the album we made that three maybe four months ago.

Nick: Earlier you mentioned how you wanted a dark sound for some of the beats, and a bunch of times on the album you mention darkness. There’s a line “I keep the candles around because I know the dark is afraid of the light.” and you mention feeling like you’re surrounded by vampires at one point. The whole song “Negative Energy” is like a struggle against negativity and stress, trying to not let it drag you down. I feel like there is a lot of anxiety and kinda dread on this album. And I know darkness has always been a part of your music. But, do you feel like it is more a part of Gotham Fortress than your earlier work?

AJ: I think that has a lot to do with the area. It’s just always raining. It hasn’t rained in three months since its been summer. But, it’s very gloomy. That lack of sun. Seeing people who were born and raised here it does make people negative. Really dark really depressed.

Nick: That’s interesting that Seattle’s weather has that much of an effect on people. It’s almost surreal or something.

AJ: Yeah I mean I always kinda had that feeling. But, it wasn’t matched. when I moved here there’s people out here who can match that a lot better. When I was in New York and in parts of PA, sure. But, here it’s definitely a different atmosphere. Living here a lot of what people do is indoors because it’s always raining. We were in the studio all the time when it was raining. And that could be twelve days at a time easily.

Nick: Wow.

AJ: Yeah it’s crazy, but I think the result though is a lot of people are multidisciplined artists. Like everybody plays more than one instrument to a certain extent. And I think it’s because you’re forced to spend so much time inside. A lot of the people I’ve been working with here are just used to being inside working.

Nick: You get pretty political at times on the album. It’s not like overbearing or too heavy handed but you definitely have some moments. There’s a diss to Bill O’Reilly and you call out fake woke people. There’s an alt-right diss, too. Do you feel like this is more political than you’ve been in the past? I mean now is definitely the time to get political.

AJ: Yeah I mean I’ve always spoke about stuff. When I moved here it was January 16th I think the inauguration was the 18th or the 19th? This is a big protest city. Living in PA I’ve seen what was going on during the election. I’ve seen all the confederate shit. I’ve always not been receptive to it, obviously. But at least around here nobody was either. On all fronts. But yeah, that was just a result. A lot of good punk music came out. Good punk music and most good music in general, even hip hop, comes out when there’s some republican dickhead in office. And it’s not like this is a left or right thing. Because I think the very very very far left can be intolerant as well. And borderline delusional. But I’m definitely not fucking with that alt right neo nazi shit. And I’m making that really known. Especially because I know people who I grew up with who voted that way. You gotta speak out because shit’s not right.

Nick: Absolutely. This is a much less serious question, but you’ve always made references to sort of “nerdy” stuff like video games. And those kind of references come up a lot on Gotham. There’s a line where you mention Tomb Raider. And I think you say “always watching sci fi” on a song, too. Of course, I’ve always been into games. Are you still playing video games? Is there anything you’re into right now?

AJ: I don’t have the time.

Nick: Yeah unfortunately it’s the same for me. 

AJ: I mean before though I was playing Skyrim for like four years.

Nick: Yeah that’s a classic!

AJ: I got Elder Scrolls Online and played that for a little bit. But, I just don’t have the time. I had to get in the studio. You know, when were people playing computer games I was on Abelton. But, I grew up on that.

Nick: Earlier You mentioned how rapping on other producers’ beats has helped improve you as a rapper. And, I wanted to ask about being both a producer and a rapper. Do you think being a producer yourself helps has helped you with rapping? And maybe vice versa?

AJ: I don’t think it does. I think it can make you overthink your rapping. And it definitely makes you overthink your engineering. I think just working on being a better rapper has made me a better rapper. Focusing less on being a producer has made me a better rapper. When I go from an intense period of producing to trying to jump right back into rapping you focus too much on the math of the rapping instead of just following how you feel.

Nick: Do you feel like trying to be a better rapper has been your main focus lately?

AJ: Nah I’ve just been living. But, now that I took those six, seven months I’m working on producing right now. Like as of the last two weeks. I’ve jumped back into it. I got a new laptop and all of that. And I’ve had this whole entire period of working around dope producers. Now that it’s time for me to get back into it I’m sure that I’ll be better than I was.

Aj’s latest full length release ‘Gotham Fortress’ is available for download and stream on most major outlets as well as bandcamp and soundcloud.

Limited edition cassette’s of Gotham Fortress are available as a co-release from Black House Records and  Candy Drips.

Looking for more music from this artist?  go to Ajsuede.com

Wisdom From Atlantis: A Candy Drips Interview with DJ Burn One

DJ Burn One

[Photo cred: Micah Green]

DJ Burn One is a living legend. A producer and engineer who is seemingly glued behind the boards, he remains one of the most prolific and influential beatmakers residing in Atlanta. Having worked with artists like A$AP Rocky, Freddie Gibbs, Starlito, and others, Burn One is also a member of the Five Points Bakery, where he cooks up music with Go! Ricky Go!, Walt Live, and plenty of other artists coming and going from the studio. On top of solo work and production work, the three members are also part of the band iNDEEDFACE, featured later in the article. Like I said: prolific. Check out the interview below as I spoke with the talented musician about industry insight, multitasking, the importance of experimentation, and his heavily slept-on yoga album.

Candy Drips: How has this summer been treating you?
DJ Burn One: Pretty good, man. I signed a kid a few years back named Pi’erre Bourne. I met him at this iStandard event where they have folks come and play beats for me and I give ’em a critique. He did 6 records on Playboi Carti’s album, including “Magnolia” which just went platinum.  As far as the rest of the crew, we’ve been heavy into making our own samples from scratch for the past few years. Supplying music to some of our favorite producers. We got a gang of stuff on deck but one thing that has come out recently was Ugly God’s album The Booty Tape. We did two samples on there: “Fuck Ugly God” and “Bitch”.

All In project:

CD: You’ve been making music nonstop for quite some time. What keeps you going?
DJ: My partners Go! Ricky Go! and Walt Live always keep me motivated.  Watching them work along with our conversations about whatever we’ve learned recently is a constant source of inspiration. We’re always scouring the net for information. We constantly send each other links on everything from the latest plugins, mix tutorials, interviews and anything else we can learn from. We share a special curiosity for anything that can make our lives or music better. Knowing that there’s always something else out there that can improve what you’re doing keeps us searching and inspired.

CD: If the music industry has taught you one things, it’s ______________________. 
DJ: Get your paperwork straight before you go all out on someone. There’s so many acts that I had a big hand in getting off the ground but I never saw the fruits of my labor because they just moved on. When I met Pi’erre I knew he was talented but needed some work. I’d never signed a producer before him and making sure we got our paperwork straight up front saved me from potential headaches I had in the past. Some folks will use you up in the industry, feel they got what they needed from you and keep it moving. Past missteps helped me get this situation right.

Canape:

CD: Is it hard to split time between passion projects and making beats for other artists/vocalists?
DJ: Balancing is always difficult. We put out a yoga album called Thousand Fold two years ago and it essentially got ignored. But that doesn’t matter to me because the music touches my soul. I feel when you’re creating art it shouldn’t be strictly for commercial gain. If that comes then great but I enjoy doing the thing that warms my spirit more than anything else. A girl I practiced yoga with during the time that we were making it actually told me today how much it meant to her. That’s priceless. So I bounce back and forth but I’m really figuring all of this out as I go. Being open to changing my game plan has always been key.

CD: What’s the rest of the year looking like for you?
DJ: Hopefully a bunch of these samples we’ve been sending finally get released. We dropped Ricky’s sophomore album PLAID a few months back so we’re still getting people hip to that. I’ve been developing a new female singer named Anna Valena for the past 3 years and we’re close to being ready to roll her music out. I played her music for someone and they told me it sounds like kush and anguish. That’s probably right [laughs]. I honestly had been off just making beats just to make beats for a minute but I got my swag back and the new beats are sounding amazing. I feel like we’ve finally distilled all of our best qualities into our greatest production thus far. So I’m really excited to see who ends up getting on them.

Tapas:

CD: You’ve done everything from yoga instrumentals to concept beat tapes. Do these form organically or do you approach a beat with a certain vision in mind? 
DJ: It’s always a mood. It depends on how we’re feeling and where we’re at at the time. Most rappers are a few years back musically so for awhile it was like beating a dead horse trying to give our musical stuff to guys who just wanted the trap bell. Luckily it seems there are a few catching up and even becoming forward thinking. Everything we do is organic so once we talk about an idea we just knock it out and give it to the world.

CD: Outside of your circle of musicians, what have you been listening to as of late?
DJ: Washed Out’s new record is beautiful, it does something to me. Kali Uchis is pretty fire. There’s a dope new crop of female artists coming up that I dig. On the rap side, not too much has moved me recently. Birds in the Trap was the last album that I consistently jammed. Tay k47’s “The Race” is probably the best song out right now.

CD: How has the Atlanta scene changed in the last year?
DJ: It’s constantly evolving. I think it’s becoming more open. There had always been an undercurrent of different types of music with trap being our main export of course. Now we got kids like 6lack and JID and others who are pushing the game forward. It’s a beautiful time to be here.

CD: Do you have any advice for producers working on their craft?
DJ: Stay learning! Never think you got it all figured out. Learn from the past and figure out how to distill that into what you’re doing. You don’t have to rip off Organized Noize but listen to it and understand what made that music have the impact that it did. I see a lot of kids using a couple stock sounds and wonder why they aren’t popping. It’s because they aren’t experimenting. I feel most of what we do is pure experimentation. We stumble on incredible ideas all the time just by trying shit. Be open to other genres of music and don’t be afraid to collaborate.

CD: Any final thoughts / words of wisdom?
DJ: Be a good person. I see so many people with talent but no awareness or they just want to use people to get to the next step up the ladder. That will only get you so far. I’ve been able to make a living off music since I was 16 because I understood that I needed to bring value to situations before I deserved anything. Be honest and be kind. It’s rare these days.

Fader Burn One playlist:

check out this episode of MASS APPEAL’s “rhythm roulette” featuring DJ BURN ONE and The 5 Points Bakery

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