By Jerry L. Barrow

“I would come out of Lefrak with duffle bags full of records…” - Large Professor

He studied at the feet of a master and became one of the most influential beatsmiths in hip-hop. William Paul Mitchell, aka, Large Professor is the quintessential hip-hop producer; low-key, humble and continually making magic behind the scenes. His discography reads like a who’s who of hip-hop. As a member of the group Main Source he crafted classics like “Lookin’ At The Front Door,” “Live at The BBQ” and “Fakin The Funk.” As a producer he made legendary MCs like Rakim, Kool G Rap and Nas achieve their greatness and as a solo artist he’s given us two collectible solo albums, The LP and 1st Class.

After releasing two volumes of instrumentals the Queens,NY native is releasing a new CD of original beats and rhymes appropriately titled, Main Source on September 30th. Taking things back to the break-beat foundation the CD features guest appearances from Styles P, AZ, Jeru The Damaja and Big Noyd with a lush collection of chopped soul and pulsating ear candy. I caught up with Extra P to talk about the Late Paul C, teaching Q-Tip how how to make beats why Nas doesn’t like “wearing the same sneakers.”

NF: Why did you name your new project Main Source?
LP: I wanted people to know that I still embrace that. I think people started feeling that I didn’t embrace my foundation. And with the current state of hip-hop, the Main Source album is original recipe hip-hop. When it comes to that real hip-hop I’m the main source of it.

NF: RZA told me you were one of a few producers that had the Stax box set back in the day. Is that true?
LP: A lot of that stuff I had on original vinyl just being a fan of the Stax catalogue. They had the box set which is cool, but I’m a fan of that catalogue in general. I’d check for any and anything Stax.

NF: I was listening to “Fakin The Funk” wondered how you got those drums to hit so hard…
LP: That was the engineer, Gary Clarkson, he’s passed on now. Gary just went in and beefed them up the right way. Those were the Grady Tate “Be Black Baby” drums. We had a previous mix of it where the engineer made them stiff and flat, but Gary got them slappin’ the right way.

NF: How important is the engineer to hip-hop sounding the way it did?
LP: That’s a huge part of the sound. If you have an engineer that knows how to twist them knobs… Some dudes are blessed to know them frequencies, but coming from the street you really don’t know your bottoms and highs and where everything should be. They’d compress your kick, have your snare really knocking. Have your bass crazy. Some of my favorite engineers are my dude Anton Wichanski, Dino, my dude Max Vargas and my dude I just worked with Rich. He’s crazy on the boards.

NF: On the new CD you have this sample on “Sewin Love” that is so sweet and it’s on the tip of my tongue. When I find it I’mma call you.
LP: [Laughs] It’s an obvious joint but when you find it you gonna be like ‘wow.’ A lot of people when they dig they try to be so obscure but I’ve been kind of rockin with what’s there and brought it back to the joints we always love.
[note: I later realized what it was, called P to confirm and he asked me to keep it to my self. But a sharp ear will catch it faster than I did…]

NF: I was listening to “Lookin At the Front Door” and you took a sliver for that Donald Byrd and made a classic…
LP: A whole song…
NF: Where was your head when you made that record?
LP: I had the song written out kind of and I was kind of testing it to different beats. I was in H.S. writing my rhymes while I’m in class and a lot of my friends from back then would volunteer their parents’ records. I would come out of Lefrak with duffle bags full of records and that was one of the records I found amongst those. When I heard that little piece I was like “Aight cool.”
NF: How did you feel later on when Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam used that same part for “Let the Beat Hit ‘Em?”
LP: [Laughs] That was funny man. They gotta big success with that, but they took it to another level. We all built off eachother. I built off of Donald Byrd and they built off the Main Source joint. Dudes were telling me “they bitin of you, they bitin…” but in retrospect it’s all good, we just all buildin’…

NF: Pete Rock told me about the time you gave him the sample for T.R.O.Y. Tell me about the era of sharing samples and digging. Production felt like more of community back then.
LP: That was a good era because were were still dealing with the foundation of hip-hop, the records. We came from early drum machine stages. I always relate it to graffiti. First you had the scribble letters and then dudes got better and you had Wild Style burners. The beats we were doing were like burners cuz we were filtering the bass lines and taking different pieces and making a whole different phrase…

NF: I spoke with Pharoahe Monch recently and he told me about Paul C and how he helped him with his production. How did you meet him and how did he influence your career as a producer?
LP: I met Paul being a part of Main Source. At that time everything was word of mouth. Around the way people trying to make their demos were asking, “how do I make a quality demo?” and people were like there’s this guy in Jamaica named Paul C, he did “Do The James..” they start spittin’ his credentials so we went to see him. I was already hungry making pause tapes and I knew what I wanted to do with certain records and how I wanted to chop ‘em. When Paul introduced me to doing it on the drum machine it was just on. He knew I had that drive and took me under his wing. This is the early days and an SP-1200 was a $2500 machine. Anybody didn’t just have an SP-1200. Paul knew my hunger and gave me the machine for like two weeks. He said ‘I’m gonna be in the studio, you can use the machine.’ My first beats that I sold to Intelligent Hoodlum came out of that two weeks.

NF: Had Paul C lived how do you think people would remember him?
LP: With the racial barriers and everything I think Paul C would be right up there with Rick Rubin. Paul C was that dude for real for real.

NF:What do you remember about working with Eric B and Rakim?
LP: Aww man! That was a dream come true for me. Rakim was my idol on the mic and Eric B was that dude around the way. I just put my all into everything I did for them. That took me from zero to 100 in seconds. I hooked up with them on their third album, Let The Rhyhtm Hit ‘Em. Paul C was originally working with them on LTRH but because of his untimely demise, they wanted the next dude that could do the style that he was doing. Word of mouth in the street was that I was that dude that could finish Paul’s work. I worked on “The Ghetto” “No Omega,” “Let The Rhythm Hit’ EM.” The only ones I didn’t do was “Mahogany” and “Run For Cover” and “Untouchable.”

NF: You were already familiar with “Nautilus” loop from “Live At The BBQ” what was your approach to make it different?
LP: They had the idea to use Nautilus already but I came in and flipped the drums a certain way. They just had it going [beatboxing] and I changed it [to what it is now.]

NF: That’s interesting cuz Green Lantern did over “The Ghetto” for Nas’ Nigger mixtape. Have you heard it?
LP: Yeah, it’s hot. Green is ill. He’s one of those dudes that carry on the legacy of chopping shit right.
NF: Some people credit you with Illmatic sounding so good because you picked the beats. Is that true?
LP: Wow. Na, really that was Nas. I just got him around the right people. I knew the right people that would complement his style. I didn’t want him to have no beginner producers. I wanted to have dudes that were for real, and I had those contacts. So when he was like “you think Pete Rock and Premier would give me a beat?” I was like sure. They knew from Live At the BBQ that Nas was no joke. I was there when Q-Tip gave him the “One Love” beat, seeing all that magic come together was a blessing for me.

NF: You and Tip are real close. Were you an honorary member of the Ummah?
LP: You could say that. Me and Tip became brothers. Tip was originally relying on engineers to do his beats and he was like ‘I wanna do my own beats on the drum machine’ so I helped him out. I just showed him my little style on the SP-1200 and he took some of that and took it a step further and got busy.

NF: So what did you think when you heard Low End Theory?
LP: Yo that was CRAZY! You just hear the sounds these dudes were picking that they were very thorough with the records. They were picking some old ill other shit. Low End Theory was one of the most put together joints.

NF: Are there any beats out there that you wish you’d done?
LP: I like the beat to “Breathe Easy” by the Lox. P Killer did that. Then there’s the second “Crooklyn Dodgers” that Premier did, or “Supastar,” the group home joint. That’s one of my favorites.

NF: Did you ever do a beat that you almost gave away to somebody else?
LP: Yeah! I sold “Fakin The Funk” to D-Nice! But I ain’t get no real feedback on that. And then recently I did a joint for Styles P and AZ and I submitted that beat to 50 Cent. When I go to dudes I don’t use my cards cryin’ wolf. When I come to see a dude, I’m coming with heat. If you really not feeling it I understand it, but sometimes I feel like they don’t be gettin’ at these dudes.

NF: What are your three favorite breaks?
LP: Definitely James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” “Ashley’s Roachclip” by the Soul Searchers and I’ll say “Hoochie Coochie Man”. I just wanna throw one of those rare ones. I don’t walk around with a list but those are the ones that come to mind off the cuff.

NF: Back when you were digging, did you ever give a way a break that you wish you’d kept for yourself?
LP: [Laughs] Definitely that joint for Pete. That TROY joint, but we were building. If he goes in on it, that’s your record now. I’m not even touching that no more.

NF: So how did Main Source come together and eventually part ways?
LP: Main Source just came together from three dudes in school sharing the same interests and wanting to make a record. One of the DJs mothers’ supported us, invested in us heavily. We started our own buzz and pressed our own records up. We put out Breakin Atoms and got a good response. One of the things that was always a good and a bad was the DJ’s mother being our manager. There was conflict of interest sometimes. A nepotism thing. After a while that just came to a head and it was time for everybody to go our separate ways.
NF: Do you still keep in touch with either of them?
LP: I’m still in touch with K-Cut. He’s a cool dude.
NF: How do you think the break up effected you creatively?
LP: It was a crazy effect because once you get in the industry you can’t stop and take a break. You gotta keep going. But I had to stop for a minute and get everything together for a solo career. So a little steam was lost. Also, people don’t do good with change sometimes. People were like “we like you, but we like the group too.”
NF: Why haven’t you done more with Nas in recent years?
LP: Nas is an artistic dude. He’s not just a rapper. He’s going to explore. He’s not gonna wear the same sneakers for years and years. I understood that he wanted to go out there and broaden his horizons. But when we do get up its that magic. It’s all good.
NF: What do you think the science of hip-hop is?
LP: The science of hip-hop is the street. Hip-hop comes from the street. They done industrialized everything but it comes from the street first and foremost. Paying homage to people that come before you. That’s why I can’t understand hip-hop today when they talk about you’re old school. When hip-hop started we cut up James Brown records to pay homage. The old timers could come and say ‘ya’ll scratching the records I listened to’ and it brought everybody together.
NF: I asked because I was watching a video you did in the studio and you said “this is the science of hip-hop”
LP: Oh yeah, I was talking about chopping those records and putting them formulas together. That’s the science right there.
NF: What are you using in the studio these days?
LP: I’m rocking the MPC 1000 and the Micro Korg. I like those pieces. Coming from the early clunky drum machine days these are blessings for me because they can damn near fit in your pocket. I like rocking with those and a few modules. I still keep my stuff sample-based so the 1000 is my choice.

NF: How much time do you spend a day making beats?
LP: It varies because right now outside its hot. So I’m out and about. But when it’s a little colder and you spend more time in doors I’ll be getting it in.

NF: How do you feel about replaying samples?
LP: I like replaying if you can get it right. My dude Bob Perry is coming out with a series where he does these break-beats over with a live band, but he’s having the engineer dusty the mix up and his stuff sounds exactly like the record. If you can recapture that essence [do it]. Sometimes you get stuff and its too clean and it’s not as funky or soulful. That real dusty feeling.

NF: When you are sitting down making a beat do you have records in mind that have certain sounds?
LP: I don’t really consider myself a digger anymore, I’m a record collector. I go out and buy these records and I really listen to them, the whole record. If something catches my ear I’ll play it again and again. Then it’s memorized. My joints are alphabetized, I put ‘em away. I got all my drums together and my sounds together. Then I’ll just be walking around and a song will pop up in my head and I’ll say I gotta flip that. That’s one way I go about it.

NF: On the day of the Sean Bell verdict XM65 The Rhyme was playing your song “A Friendly Game of Baseball” a lot, which spoke on police brutality years ago. As a Queens native how did you feel about the Sean Bell verdict?

LP: That’s definitely a problem that we face in urban America. Police brutality and being profiled and all these things. Even back then I knew it was something worthy to be speaking on. I hate that it even exists and that I even had to put it down like that. I hate that the Sean Bell situation happened. It’s just a mess.

Random Question, what happened to Fatal from Live at The BBQ?
LP: Fatal is good. Fatal wasn’t a rapper to begin with. He was a hip-hop do-it-all. He could be a manager, a DJ. He was DJing for Tragedy at one time. I think he’s doing magazines in California now.

NF: So what’s next for you?
LP: More projects, just keep feeding ‘em. After this drops Sept. 30th something will be coming right then and there.

Washington, D.C. - This Friday, August 29th will see the beginning of the two days of activities that make up the inaugural Million DJ March event. Consisting of a day of panel discussions and an evening celebrity basketball game on Friday at the D.C. Boys and Girls Club, and ending with the March itself on the lawn at National Mall on Saturday, August 30th, the 2 day event is expected to attract DJ’s from all over the nation.

The event will not only be an opportunity to protest unfair compensation practices but will help DJs organize their businesses, sign up for health insurance, and learn about the legal issues mixtape DJs face.

Saturday’s schedule, which begins at 11AM will consist of a day of speeches by the likes of The Wondertwinz, Jazzy Jay, Jeannie Jones (WKYS), Superstar Jay, Chuck T, CL of Digiwaxx, B Mack of Foundation Magazine, DJ Nabs, DJ Reg West, Roger Toussaint, the owners of RapMullet.com, members of the D.C. City Council and KRS One, tailored to issues pertaining to the DJ community with intermissions of live performance by artists and DJ’s such as KRS One, Dirty Harry, Joell Ortiz, Saigon, Keith Murray, Cory Gunz, Bang Bang Boogie, DJ Famous, Kia Shine, Gillie Da Kid and Nina B.

The entire event will be broadcast live on XM Satellite’s 66 Raw station (Million DJ March Mixmaster Weekend) and webcast live on http://www.thatshiphop.com

MILLION DJ MARCH TIME TABLE

Friday, August 29th - The Boys and Girls Club (2500 14th Street NW, Washington DC 20019)

4PM Panel Discussion with DJ Leggs

6PM Insurance Dinner with DJ Roz

7PM Celebrity Basketball Game

8PM - 3AM Official Million DJ March Red Carpet Media Kick Off @ The Felix (2406 18th Street NW, Washington D.C. 20009)

Saturday, August 30th - National Mall (on the lawn), Washington D.C.

11AM - 8PM Main event with special performances by: KRS One, Kia Shine, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, Cory Gunz, Saigon, Gillie Da Kid, Nina B, DJ Geometrix, Chuck T, DJ Self, Jazzy Jay, DJ Nabs, DJ Aaries, Joell Ortiz, The Dey with special unannounced performances planned.

According to Allhiphop.com and the L.A. Times Andre Young, Jr. was found dead in his Woodland Hills Home on Saturday August 23rd. He was only 20 years old.

Young went out on Friday night and came in about 5:30 A.M., but his mother found him unresponsive when she checked on him at 10 in the morning. The cause of death will be revealed after a toxicology report.

For more on this developing story check allhiphop.com.

Maybe he wasn’t in the mood. Maybe he was high. But Daz Dillinger wasn’t much in a mood to talk beats. He was in the mood to talk money, hustling beats and anything that comes from making the beats. At the end of the day isn’t that information just as valuable? With his new CD , On The Left Side, in stores now, Daz spoke candidly about leaving So So Def, working with the new owners of Death Row, getting his Detox on and what Suge Knight is doing in Boston.

NODFACTOR: How does To the Left Side compare to previous Daz albums?
DAZ: Uh, you know, a different direction. But what you heard before sticks to the script, ain’t changing. Doing no popcorn rap. Doing some hustlin’ rap, know what I mean? It’s your own music, you can put your own records out.
NODFACTOR: Did you do all the production on this new project or did you get other people to produce for you?
DAZ: I got Swizz Beatz, Soopafly, Salaam Rick.
NODFACTOR: That’s a pretty good lineup.
DAZ: Got a pretty good lineup of features too. Like Keak Da Sneak, Swizz Beatz, , Snoop Dogg, Tyrese, Nicole Ray..Obie Trice, Krayzie Bone. That’s hustlin’ rap, know what I mean?
NODFACTOR: How long were you working on the project?
DAZ: I had the album for like 2 years already. But I had put out other projects before then. ‘Cause I do a lot of albums. I got another album coming out called Who Ride Wit Us? digitally. I drop a lot of albums digitally. Like iTunes, Napster, all these other places. And I got two singles from Tha Dogg Pound on there, “Cheat” and “Get Your Drink On, Get Your Smoke On.”
NODFACTOR: Yeah, I was watching the “Cheat” video online. How’s it been touring with Snoop?
DAZ: It’s a family affair, man. We been doing this for what, 17 years? 18 years going on, probably. Since “Deep Cover.”
NODFACTOR: As a solo artist, you’re not signed to So So Def any longer?
DAZ: Nope.
NODFACTOR: So what happened there?
DAZ: Got out of the situation. Just trying to do the Bonecrusher and J-Kwon and leave the other label, go to another label. So I have to do what I do, I can always bounce back, know what I mean? I’m in the game. The other artists, I still see ‘em but we don’t really speak or nothing because I don’t want to fuck him up. I just stay to myself.
NODFACTOR: With Jermaine Dupri?
DAZ: Yeah.
NODFACTOR: Things didn’t end well, or I thought it was more his legal situation…
DAZ: All this type of shit. He was holding information, all this other stuff. I just let it be bygones. You do your thing, I’ma do my thing. Just like we would before. I’m shooting movies now, you know what I mean?.

NODFACTOR: Recently Death Row got sold in an auction. How do you feel knowing that you helped build that brand and that catalogue?
DAZ: Well, I had a conversation with the people that bought Death Row. And they’re going to need us to revamp their product. They’re going to come to us with a new deal and give us publishing. And other little stuff we did that never came out. We going to work out some deals. But who else can you get to revamp that? I did 14 videos to the Dogg Food album, different songs on there, that people wanted to hear, we shot videos for ‘em – and that’s one way to revamp some of the little things. Make money with records or make it with that, you know what I mean? We gon keep doing what we doin’ good.
NODFACTOR: So you’re working with the people that bought the rights?
DAZ: I been working with them already. When I heard they bought it, I had my lawyer call in. Then they all interested. The lawyer said you get to revamp the motherfucker. If Koch woulda cared…That’s why we never did nothing with Koch, we didn’t like that they was in cahoots with Death Row, and that’s why we ain’t have nothing to do with that type of shit. They just kept on recycling songs and all other stuff. Over here, we can do videos, we can do DVDs for all them albums. Explain, make a little video here, there, here, here…All that to revamp the shit.
NODFACTOR: You and Kurupt are still cool. Is there a Dogg Pound album coming?
DAZ: Yeah, we got two albums coming. We got an EP called West Coast Aftershots, and we got the 100 Wayz, the movie and the album. We in the process of making songs right now, I’ma drop a single with me and Kurupt, then I drop my album. My next single is “I’m From The Hood” featuring Swizz Beatz. And I got the remix with me, Swizz Beatz, Kurupt, Cassidy, on it. Just dropping it. I’m mainly in the studio, man. My room.
NODFACTOR: How much producing are you still doing?
DAZ: I’m doing a lot of producing, I just don’t be giving my beats out. I can make more money with my beats than the person I give it to. Because I put the records out, I’m seeing the money come in, I’m getting the ringtone money, everything. Life is in my songs, I can make a song tonight and have it up on iTunes in 2 days. Gettin’ money. With a cappellas, I’m just dropping singles right now. Why drop an album when I can drop singles? Drop a single with the instrumental, a capella [and] radio, that’s 4 dollars. 3.99, 2.99, whatever, for the package deal. But I could just keep dropping singles. DJs gon’ buy the a cappellas and somethin’ off that package they gonna get. And it ain’t costing me no money, I just upload! UPLOAD! [laughs]

NODFACTOR: Dre said he’s finally putting out Detox in November. Should we believe it or not?
DAZ: You better believe it, ‘cause I’m on my way out there on the 8th to drop my part. ‘Cause everybody else did theirs. Snoop did went over there, Kurupt went over there. I talked to Dr. Dre on the phone and he’s like, ‘Daz, come on over here.’ So I know it’s going down. Once you have Snoop on there, it’s solidified.
And I’ve done heard some of the songs that motherfucker did. He’s tight with that 5.1 Dooby [I think he meant Dolby] shit…Dr. Dre on some other shit. He got a song with 50 Cent, Dr. Dre and R.Kelly. So that shit knocks.
NODFACTOR: Are you just doing verses or are you contributing any production to it?
DAZ: I ain’t went over yet to let Dr. Dre hear what I got. I just need to get my shit together right now so when I get off the road, everybody going back, everybody gon’ be over there. So I go over there, late style, you know what I mean?
NODFACTOR: Now there’s a lot of stuff that you did for Death Row after Dre left but a lot of people still don’t realize how much you did. What was some of the stuff you produced for Death Row after he died?
DAZ: I mean, I did remixes of his, songs with 2pac, Top, and you know, just different other stuff. We was really about us, we was just doing the music. I’m like, g-songs, know what I mean? Just put them all on auto [?] and then my real name, all that shit going to pop up. Put that in your engine in the Google and my whole history pop up. Ever since I was 15 years old.
NODFACTOR: I read an article you did one time, you said you used to do a lot of digging online. You go to iTunes and listen to music and get ideas from beats by doing that. Do you still do that?
DAZ: Yeah, I still get a lot of ideas from everything. I’m just getting into everything. Expand your mind. Travel. You know, ‘cause I live in Atlanta.
NODFACTOR: How is that different?
DAZ: It’s some street shit, it’s about how you make it. I’m like, if it’s Too $hort out there, if it’s me, nawmean? I’m a West Coast nigga in the South! They respect me up there and I respect them. And we get money together, me and DJ Funky and other people, nawmsayin’? And I got the knowledge on this digital distribution so I just be hookin’ niggas up. You gotta have product. Have your shit, I’ll bust on your shit, here you go, homey, you can have that.
NODFACTOR: How did you become so comfortable with all the digital distribution?
DAZ: You know, learning. Keep your mind open. Never say no. Stop being traditional. Just getting into new things. My lawyer told me, ‘that digital ain’t going to pay like that!’ But now you get a check and you hear, ‘Ohhh!’ [laughs] Yeah, you know what I mean? iTunes, Napster, and a whole bunch of stores online. I just drop ‘em like that and they put ‘em on the internet. ‘Cause they got to buy ‘em to put ‘em on the internet. Or they hackin’ them motherfuckers. There’s a lot of hackers out here. I got about 300 new programs I ain’t even paid for. The internet can hurt ya and it can make ya.
NODFACTOR: Yeah, I know. If information gets out there, rappers gotta change their whole personas. People’s whole job records is out there. [laughs]
DAZ: [laughs] Nah man, they trying to put the whammy on my boy Rick Ross.
NODFACTOR: What do you think of that?
DAZ: Getting that shit published out to a motherfucker. [?]
NODFACTOR: So you think it’s Photoshopped?
DAZ: You never know. Shit. I know Suge Knight, he was doing dirty shit like this and we was doing the same thing.
NODFACTOR: Making up pictures of people?
DAZ: All kind of shit. About jealous motherfuckers trying to destroy your career.You gotta bounce back over this shit.
NODFACTOR: What kind of things did Suge ever do? I thought he just intimidated people, I didn’t think he went to those levels.
DAZ: Yeah, he ain’t did shit but lose his company. But you know, hey, they’re still here. He in Boston. Let’s check about 30 years from now and see what’s crackin’. He ain’t got no artists, he can’t get back in the game. He probably got some money hidden somewhere but goddamn, how long’s that gonna last? Money don’t last forever ‘til you work.
NODFACTOR: Now you got dude’s barbers knockin him out in nightclubs
DAZ: Heh heh. Shit, the bartender going to knock him out. Shit…a roach! Never know, know what I mean? That’s why I just keep my mind on my business and my business on my mind. And my business don’t let me go around and bullshit. I don’t give a fuck about being no big star, doing this and this and this, I’m just doing me, nawmean? I move around a lot and that’s what I like doing. I’m in the hood, I’m a hood nigga, we do all this but I’m like, handle your business. Raise your kids and shit like that.

Now only if he can get Q-tip to put out that CD…Consequence seems to know something we don’t..

Also, peep the new joint from 88 Keys featuring Kanye West “Stay Up” (Viagra)

[See post to listen to audio]

I think in years to come people will be sampling ?uestlove. I know, you’re thinking “sampling another producer in hip-hop is blasphemy” but ?uest is not simply a producer. He’s one of the best drummers of our generation. And besides, even DJ Scratch has admitted to jacking those Little Feat drums from A Tribe Called Quest’s “Bonita Applebum” and sped them up to make the beat for “Funky Piano.” Anyway, I like to jack drums from 90s neo soul from time to time and it turns out that more often than not ?uestlove has done the drumming. So I’m just giving him a heads up/warning: If you leave open drums at the beginning of your songs, they’re getting snatched….

For this latest remix I was messing with the Curtis Mayfield record, “You’re So Good To Me” which was famously sampled for Mary J. Blige’s “Be Happy.” In the begging and somewhere around 5:18 the song breaks into these angelic saxophone and keys that I looped up and chopped. Then I went through my collection of drum breaks and came across the ones from Jaguar Wright’s “Same Shit, Different Day” which were played by none other than ?uest Love. A few weeks ago I was messing with PM Dawn’s “Die Without You” and had a bassline I’d filtered laying around so I added that and the skeleton for the beat was in place.

The real work began when I found an acapella. The original beat was at roughly 84 bpms but I found the words to Jay-Z’s “Moment of Clarity” and felt they fit the mood of the beat the best. But matching up the vocals took a lot of trial an error. Simply dropping my bpm down to 82 to match the original MOC wasn’t enough. Jay had a lot of pauses to match the tempo of Eminem’s haunting original and my drums didn’t match “exactly.” However, by listening to the original over, and over…and over again I was able to make the appropriate tweaks.

[See post to listen to audio]

At the encouragement of my boy Mr Mecca I am posting the instrumental because he said pretty matter-of-factly “you didn’t need Jay-Z on this…”

[See post to listen to audio]

Now I’m wondering if ?uesto will make an appearance on the Blueprint 3? That live album they did together was great so let’s keep our fingers crossed.

“All I need is a beat with a continuous loop and the live vibe that’ll hypnotize like the flute…” –GZA “Alphabets”

Hooray, GZA has a new CD out. We all know he can spit, but how do the beats sound on a CD he had the balls to call Protools?

Intromental
Produced by Dreddy Kruger
Pianos and horns so annoyingly familiar; meaning I can’t place the sample just yet but it’ll hit me as soon as I publish this. Feel like they changed the pitch on the horns to throw me off…Dope nonetheless…

Pencil Feat. Masta Killa &RZA
Produced by Mathematics
Jingling sleigh bells and claps lead this straightforward display of liquid swordsmanship.
I like the bassline that comes in here and there to add some drama, but wish it was used more often.

Alphabets
Prod by Tru Master
This 5 Percent lingo 101 cut flaunts a simple, dirty, guitar loop with drums and infirmary ward groans

Groundbreaking
Prod by Bronze Nazareth
Vintage Wu sound. Detuned mandolin strings over thick drums. I just see Afro Samurai walking down a dusty road with a sword by his side.

7 Pounds
Prod by Black Milk
A pairing I’d like to see more often. Milk puts his spin on the RZA soul chop with is crispy drums. The change up at 1:28 is great.

0% Finance
Prod by Jose “ChocoO Reynoso
Somebody named Mike lays some live guitar plucks over drums that are occasionally interrupted by some dramatic horn riffs. This is GZA’s extended metaphor cut in the same vein as “Labels” and “Publicity,” this time talking about a relationship with some chick using names of cars and automotive references.

Short Race
Produced by Arabian Knight
Nothing special here.

Paper Plate
Produced by RZA
This is when you really wish RZA would go back to doing his own style instead of deferring to his disciples. His live instrumentation just lacks the same energy and swagger of his sampled work. This plate is leaking.

Colombian Ties
Produced by Bronze Nazareth
The hardest drum pattern on the album. Love how Naz chops in that classic Joe Tex snare, but doesn’t pillage the entire thing.

Firehouse
Prod by Rock Marcy
Love the violins on this. Bassline is thick like a Fribble. Wish my headphones were better.

Path of Destruction
Prod by J Waxx Garfield
Another winner. Straightforward loop of mellow trumpets and strings with some overdubbed drums.

Cinema
Produced by Arabian Knight
Another guy named Christian (no last name again? Ya’ll hiding from the feds?) sprinkles some guitar on a sparse drum track while Arabian Knight adds some pseudo-Dr. Dre synth plucks. Not bad, but not amazing either.

Life is a Movie
Produced by RZA
This has the potential to sound like a hot mess between the space-age 80s synths and blaring guitar but RZA manages to hold it all together with some clever drum work.

(New York, NY) — Miami radio personality, label head, and Terror Squad/KOCH Records recording artist DJ Khaled is set to release his third album, We Global on Tuesday, September 16, 2008.

DJ Khaled recently leaked “Go Hard,” the 2nd single from the forthcoming new album.
“Go Hard” featuring Kanye West and T-Pain can be heard here:

“This is the biggest record in music right now! ‘Go Hard’ is what we doing to survive in this world,” DJ Khaled says of the song. “This anthem is timeless!!!! There are so many hip hop quotables on this record!!!!!”

The first single, “Out Here Grindin’,” is currently Top 20 at urban radio and features Akon, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Lil Boosie, Plies, Ace Hood, and Trick Daddy with production from The Runners.

We Global, features Kanye West, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Nas, Ace Hood, Sean Paul, Busta Rhymes, Flo Rida, Akon, Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Plies, Lil Boosie, Trey Songz, Lil Scrappy , Birdman, Bun B, Pitbull and many more.

Producers The Runners, Danja, DJ Nasty, The Inkredibles, Cool and Dre, Goldrush, Isaac Opus, Lu Diaz and of course Beat Novacaine, are handling production on what are sure to be the hottest tracks of 2008 on We Global.

DJ Khaled was recently nominated for a 2008 BET Award for Best Collabo for his song “I’m So Hood (Remix)” feat. Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Big Boi, T-Pain, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne and Birdman.

For more info on DJ Khaled, please visit www.MySpace.com/DjKhaled

For their 20th Anniversary Issue The Source magazine has picked the top 20 producers of the last 20 years. In the articled titled ,”Sound Control,”  they list in alphabetical order their favorite geniuses behind the boards:

1. Bomb Squad
2. DJ Paul and Juicy J
3. DJ Premier
4. DJ Quik
5. Dr. Dre
6. Erick Sermon
7. Jermaine Dupri
8. J Dilla
9. Kanye West
10. Lil Jon
11. Marley Marl
12. Mannie Fresh
13. Pete Rock
14. Puff Daddy & The Hitmen
15. RZA
16. Scott Storch
17. Swizz Beatz
18. The Neptunes
19. Timbaland
20. Wyclef Jean & Jerry Wonder

The issue, which features four covers of Nas, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah and Ice Cube, also has DJ Beverly Bond leaving little to the imagination in “dime piece” and has a pic of Q-Tip sitting on a keyboard wearing a three-piece suit holding an MPC in “Back to The Lab.”

]]> http://www.nodfactor.com/2008/08/19/349/feed http://www.nodfactor.com/2008/08/18/345 http://www.nodfactor.com/2008/08/18/345#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:08:34 +0000 admin http://www.nodfactor.com/?p=345

Jersey MC Joe Budden is getting ready to drop his CD, Padded Room and has relied heavily on up-and-coming producers like Klasix and Blastah Beatz for his instrumentals.

“You can hit me on Myspace and if I’m in a good mood I’ll hit you back,” he told Nodfactor.com. His “Who” trilogy was produced by Blastah Beatz, a producer from Portugal who has been profiled on Nodfactor.com. “I don’t believe you need a humongous budget to get these big name producers to produce good music.”

You can listen to the rest of the interview below:

[See post to listen to audio]

To get more Joe Budden and his thoughts on Jay-Z, Prodigy and Gloria Velez hit up www.theurbandaily.com.