When did you start producing and what would you credit as the highlights of your production career so far?
I started in 88, and my first time on record was in 93 on Jamalski’s “Roughneck Reality” album on Sony/Ruffhouse. The highlights would have to be the release of my solo producer albums featuring various artists. Renegades, Untouchable, Victory, and Destiny. You can get them on ITunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-white-shadow/id275601519?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
What do you think makes a good Hip-Hop producer?
You gotta love, and know music, have a good ear, and be a good shrink. Knowing equipment, and tech shit helps too. Be original, do your own thing. Be professional, and do what you need to do. Be able to guide a record from start to finish so that the final product is dope. Let the artists, and everyone involved in the creative process have their say so you can filter the good ideas from the bad. Ultimately a producer decides what the finished track is gonna sound like, so you gotta make sure you know how to do that, and make sure the artists trust your decicions to be the best for all. There’s a lot of psychology involved actually, and the producer is the shrink, and the boss.
What rappers have you worked with?
As far as actually being in the studio with artists, I’ve worked with Jamalski, D-Stroy, Grand Agent, Maylay Sparks, Easy Mo Bee, and more. Most of my productions have been done via the Internet though, so online I’ve done tracks with Joell Ortiz, Kool G Rap, Chief Kamachi, AOTP, KRS-One, Tash (The Liks), Craig G, and many more. Probably about 200 artists over the years.
What do you prefer UK or USA Hip-Hop and why?
US. I grew up on the early Sugarhill, Enjoy, and Tommyboy Records 12″ singles, and from there the 80′s, and 90′s boom bap. I like early UK Hiphop though like especially Hijack, Hardnoise, Gunshot, Einstein, Demon Boys, and stuff like that.
A lot of producers ‘sell beats’, is this something you do or have done?
Yeah, I’ve done it, and still do if I get a good deal as in either hot featured artists, well paid, or just a dope artist or track I wanna work on. I’m not the kind of producer who sells my beats to just anyone online because I wanna make sure the artists I work with are dope.
How do you feel about doing remixes and have you ever done any?
Yeah, I think that’s cool cause it can often make a track better than the original, or give a different feel to it. I’ve done plenty. On my producer albums there’s always been a combo of exclusive joints, and remixes, and I’ve done a couple of full length remix albums as well.
How would you feel about your tracks being remixed? Have you ever done this?
I’m cool with that, and yeah it’s been done. I’m like, when I make my own albums I have total creative control, but on other peoples’ records I let them decide what to do wether it’s an original track, or a remix.
Is there an artist out there that you would just love to work with?
I’ve worked with, or done tracks, or remixes with most of my favorite artists, but I still have a few I’d like to work with, like Chino XL, Immortal Tech, Apathy, Saigon, Common, Nas, Jay-Z, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane on the same song would be bandanas.
So when you make a beat, do you start off with a sample and how do you go about the process?
I usually start by goin’ through a lot of music for samples, then I narrow it down to the best of them. Same with choppin’ breaks, or just makin’ drum patterns. I might make a lot of them, then pick the best, then I start adding samples, and go from there. Sometimes, I might just have a bunch of drums, and sounds and not sample at all. I try to be varied to keep it fun. I usually start with the drums.
How long did it take you to honestly say you could make a decent beat?
Some of the very first ones I made are still dope, so I’d say from the first beat I made cause from years of DJ’ing before I got into production I already knew what would sound good, of course some of them are dated now though, but most still bang. On some of the records I’ve produced the beat might have been gathering dust in the vaults for ten years already, and sometimes they were made especially for that record. In the early years my biggest problem was that I set rules for myself which were unneccesary like I had to do things a certain way, and that got boring quick, so when I got over that is when I started makin’ the good shit. I’d say around 95-96 is when I started gettin’ good at it, but I’m still learning.
Can you give us one production tip for any budding producers out there?
Study and listen to music and producers who came before you, and copy them. That will eventually lead to your own style, and once you have that just make a lot of beats, but make sure they all dope, then network a lot. Nowadays you can get tons of work, and make it big with the help of only the Internet. All the equipment, and samples now are available for free online, so what cost us thousands back in the days is now free. Use that to your advantage, and network a lot. Remember that one insanely dope beat is better than a hundred good ones, but you also need enough heat to go around. Peace.
Interview by Megan Clarke
http://hiphophut.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/white-shadow-interview/
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