WHO DID THAT BEAT? King Karnov Is Back On His Bullsh*t
November 24, 2009
King Karnov
From: Minneapolis, MN
Credits: Busta Rhymes, “Watch How You Talk” and “We Want In”
Contact: Myspace
The very first producer featured in Hydrosonics is busy making moves. Read more…
“Watch How You Talk”
“We Want In”
NODFACTOR.COM: Glad we were finally able to catch up again. That “Watch How You Talk” is hard and it’s definitely your style. Did you make the beat specifically for Busta or was it one you had in the stash that you sent?
King Karnov: No I had that beat on a beattape. The “We Want In” was as well but then I kind of tailored that for Bus cuz I had to replay the instruments.
NODFACTOR.COM: Which ones?
King Karnov: Piano, bass, clavinet and strings.
NODFACTOR.COM: Why did you have to replay them? Sample clearance issues?
King Karnov: Yeah you know that. The majority of the album was pretty sample free.
NODFACTOR.COM: The project as a whole got some pretty bad reviews. How did that feel?
King Karnov: I feel like the reviews were pretty harsh but it’s all good.
NODFACTOR.COM: Have you spoken to Busta since the album dropped? What is your relationship like with him, if any?
King Karnov: Aw man we like family man. He definitely looks out for me. When he came to mpls we chopped it up. Was about to hit the studio and the gym but he had another show. He’s a good brother.
NODFACTOR.COM: How did you first link up?
King Karnov: Through Bishop Lamont (big up to Bishop) because they worked on a song that I produced and he hooked me up with working with Bus. Man Bishop Lamont is a great artist and friend of minds.
NODFACTOR.COM: How did u meet him?
King Karnov: Well. After I got the article in Scratch (Hydrosonics) he was like the first person that called me. At the time he just signed with Aftermath and was looking through Scratch when he turned to my article and called me.
NODFACTOR.COM: That’s hot!
King Karnov: Sent him beats and he just spread the wealth. Like everybody he knows he gave them a beattape and number. [There'] still artists that call because they got a beattape through Bishop [Lamont]. With that I got tracks lined up to put on there.
NODFACTOR.COM: So you had some big plans for a project that you were telling me about on the phone. What’s up now?
King Karnov: The mastered version of “Watch how u talk” is going on the album with 3 more artist. Just trying to get more songs and chop the first 16 for an album.
NODFACTOR.COM: You’re adding 3 more artists to that song? For your album?
King Karnov: A mixtape before the album is coming to called The Sire mixtape. The compilation afterward does not have a title yet. I’m just working on that. Got other features. Sean Price, Little Brother and others on my record and gettin more artists.
NODFACTOR.COM: Are you still using the same set-up as when you started? Or have your placements allowed you to expand?
King Karnov: Yeah. I have upgraded as far as setup goes. I upgraded to a MacBook pro. with Logic Pro 9. But now I have more guitars basses and a couple of vintage keyboards as well. I got the keyboards from a family member. Just a couple of old boards, a Roland and a old Yamaha. Also about to pick up a Moog or a poly evolver. Even though I do a lot within Logic I use Reason as well. Just working with artists has allowed me to expand
by selling brats of course but also by going to studios and studying some setups. It’s also just going to the Guitar Centers and searching for the right equipment.
NODFACTOR.COM: So do you record your self playing and treat the music like samples?
King Karnov: Sometimes or I lay the beat down and play some parts back
NODFACTOR.COM: Did you take lessons to play your instruments or just learned by ear?
King Karnov: I took piano and guitar lessons. I’ve been playing guitar and bass for along time. I’ve always played piano. My mom taught me. Then I got lessons from Sherman Davis who was a jazz musician and also my drum teacher.
NODFACTOR.COM: That’s great. I’m sure it makes a world of difference.
King Karnov: I love playing bass a lot but is hard to pick a favorite it does. Gives a lot of flexibility. man it’s been along time from 05.
NODFACTOR.COM: Yes! I’m proud to say that I played a small part in it all. lol
King Karnov: Man u played the most integral part to bringing me over the fence man. I remember when I submitted my beats to the mag. I had just lost my job at the post office. I was just like I have nothing to lose. No retreat no surrender. After that my wife got my PowerBook for my birthday right when u called. I just could not believe it. From Minnesota? I just thought the chances of you emailing me was like (John witherspoon said in ladysman) a wet bird flying at night.
NODFACTOR.COM: That’s the beauty of beats, they don’t know geography.
How has it been managing your career from out in Minneapolis?
King Karnov: King Karnov: It’s been cool. I’ve been on a couple of records, a lot of mixtapes and now I’m starting to really build my company with a great staff. Writers and a couple of personnel and preparing for first quarter. I’ve done a lot of research.
NODFACTOR.COM: What have you learned from it?
King Karnov: Minneapolis is far from the coasts but the music and the right people with you can bring good results. I learned that to produce you really have to study up on what that job title requires. It requires knowledge of music, engineering. Knowing how to work with writers, make good contacts along with great music. It’s not just putting a bunch of tight beats on a CD to send out because there are thousands of people doing that. There has to be individuals creating a different innovative sound. For me it has allowed me to not play the waiting game as long because if you are working on projects , or working with singers or mcs. It will allow you to tell artists what you have as a producer and ideas that can help them. Or you can put it out yourself as songs to be used.
NODFACTOR.COM: What have you learned on the business side?
King Karnov: The business side is the hardest part and it is where all the brainstorming takes place. That’s why I say you have to have the right personnel. Right now I’m in the process of hiring a new manager. I have 2 individuals I’m talking to right now but I have the rest of my staff hired. This is really a job along with making music. I have
three writers, one singer, one mc, and one lawyer who looks at my paper work.
I’m also working with a violinist and I am coming out with a instrumental album. I’m playing guitar and other instruments over it. [Making] joints with guitar solos or just all original stuff. Just trying to do all styles of music.
INTERVIEW: Nottz Landing
October 8, 2009
By Jerry L. Barrow
Nottz is one of the only dudes you can interview during Monday Night Football. The accomplished producer from Virginia, who has crafted rhythm for everyone from Busta Rhymes (“Everybody Rise”) and M.OP.(“Home Sweet Home”) to The Game (“California Sunshine”) and Snoop (“That’s That Shit”) is not a big fan of sports. In a hilarious clip with fellow VA hip-hop vet, Skillz, he admits that he doesn’t know the first thing about no pigskin, but that’s alright by me. Makes it that much easier to schedule interviews.
In the last few weeks his name has been popping up on releases from Skyzoo, (“Popularity”) and M.O.P (“Brownsvillian”) so I caught up with him at the start of the season to talk about his up-coming solo album, going from rapping to producing, people thinking he’d bit the “Hard Knock Life” formula and what Busta thought when Dre jacked him for Snoop’s “Boss’ Life.”
(Follow him on Twitter @TheREalNottz)
NODFACTOR: Alchemist named you one of his favorite producers who rap, along with Diamond and Dilla. Talk to me about the song you did together, “Coke On Plastic.”
Nottz: Dilla wanted me to do a joint with him on his album and while he was here I worked on a couple joints for his album and shit and he laid a verse on one of my joints. Diamond came into town and all three of us got together. Pete Rock was supposed to be on it but it didn’t happen. I did a remix to that that I’m about to throw out there.
You’re working on your own solo album, what’s it called?
I’m leaning toward the title, “You Need This Music.” There is just so much bullshit coming out man. I dunno what it is. We need hip-hop back. Raekwon, that album he put out, that shit is fuckin’ bonkers.
Were you rapping first, or producing first?
I was rapping first. This was fuckin’ elementary school. I remember that shit like it was yesterday. I had a little talent show with a little 7 second keyboard. Back then I was on Grand Daddy IU and Mobb Deep. In middle school I really started writing. I used to battle niggas in the lunchroom with Grand Daddy IU rhymes. (laughs) then I started writing my own shit. Nobody wanted to give me beats so I started workin’ on my own shit.
How did the production become the focus?
Just putting the music in the forefront. I just figured this is what I wanna do, I just love the music.
The first time I saw you live was at Beat Society in NY and you busted everybody in the head with that “Everybody Rise” beat from ELE. How did that come together?
At first I was doing shit for DV Alias Khrist, before we did the Lyricist Lounge shit we did this shit called “Candy.” Then for Lyricist Lounge Vol 1 he did the song called “Holy Water” with Khrist and Lord Have Mercy. Busta was supposed to be on it and they ain’t want him on it so he was like fuck it, do some shit for me. Back then I had tapes, cassettes with beats on it. The first three joints on that beat tape ended up being the first three beats on his album. After that, you know Busta gotta big mouth so when people were like who did that beat and he was like “Nottz!”
That beat right there… I had an artist called Black And Decker with DNP. Before we started the DNP crew he was a solo artist I had and I did it for him. It just happened to be on that tape that I took with me. He wasn’t mad or nothing. It opened up doors for the crew.
So did you slide Dre that sample for Snoop’s “Boss’ Life”?
Hell no. Dre say I’m one of his favorite producers but dude’s gonna do his homework. You know Busta was mad about that right there,though. Shit. That was crazy. Fatman Scoop hit me up one day wanting to use that as an intro to his shows and shit. I said look let me holla at Busta and Busta wasn’t having that. I wanted to see Scoop do that though, his energy is crazy.
I didn’t know that you did Skillz “Imagine” and that’s one of my favorite Skillz songs. How did you meet?
Man I done forgot how we met but that joint right there…I had a bunch of records in the studio and I just threw them on the turntable. I try to teach myself to fuck with anything. I love that record.
The synths and clavs are a big part of some of your beats, do you read music?
Naw, I just play by ear. I have this one dude named Brian that did a couple joints for Ne-Yo and he’s nasty with the keys. I bring him in every once in a while. Sometimes we need a sample replayed but otherwise I do it myself.
Another favorite of mine was Scarface’s “Girl You Know” when you flipped that Lenny Williams…
I always wanted to fuck with that sample but I didn’t know how to do it. I just came across it and just put that joint on. It was one of those days when you had beat block. When I did it Face called me up and was like “I got Lenny Williams in the truck.” And I was like “Play that shit.” He had me on speakerphone. And he was like “naw, I got the real Lenny Williams in the truck.” [laughs]. The nigga started singing and shit and I felt like a fuckin groupy and shit man! He was like ‘I love what you did with the track’ and he said it himself that I used it the best way. Me and Lenny Williams trying to knock some shit out now. Face was looking for him and for you to come home and dude is sittin in your living room not knowing his wife knew your wife, that’s some crazy shit. He came here for a play he had or some shit and invited me to come through and I said I’m not with the play shit so I sent my aunt and mom. My aunt and my mom was holdin the nigga arms walking in the joint. He gave my mom and aunt a kiss on the chick and fucked they heads up.
It was his birthday when he came down. Old head nigga and still be going to the gym pumpin iron an runnin on the treadmill and shit. That’s some shit I need to do now.
One time I went to iHop and ran into Roy Ayers around 3 am in the morning. I was leaving the studio and one of my homeboy Moose works at a Jazz station out here and he was with him.
“Home Sweet Home” is one of my favorite of your beats and now you fucked people’s heads up with “Brownsvillian.” What’s it like working with M.O.P?
Man they some of the realest dudes man. They don’t get what they deserve for real. I think they can be bigger than what they are but then I think about the image. They are fucking HARD CORE. Ain’t no changing them dudes but they deserve more. I sent them the Brownsvillian joint over the internet. Home Sweet Home was on the Lord Have Mercy album, but when he got dropped M.O.P kept it.
Was Game’s “California Sunshine” another one of those long lost “Detox” beats?
Naw, I did that shit a couple hours before I left for Cali to play joints for Game. We was going out there to mix a record and I just so happened to play them joints. It was crazy because there was a whole lotta producers in there, I ain’t saying no names, but they was playing they shit. Game was like “to the next one.” He was really getting’ on niggas. I’m out in the waiting area with my manager just chillin. Niggas kept running out the room asking me when I was gonna play my shit. There was some chicks in there and I played that shit and they were in the corner singing “California Sunshine” and Game was like “that’s one!” Then I played him the “You Heard” joint. That was originally for Little Eazy E but niggas move too slow on it ain’t fuck with it. I coulda sworn that was gonna be a video but it never happened.
And they just leaked the Snoop and R.Kelly record., “Pimpin Ain’t Easy.” It had to come from R. Kelly’s side. “That’s That shit” woulda been bigger than what it was if R. Kelly coulda toured. Snoop asked me to send him some more shit and Snoop said “we gotta another one.”
The whole process of the shit is I send him a beat and he tells me if he’ll fuck with it then I tell him where to rap at, etc. Do that, then he sends it to R.Kelly so he can do his hook, then Kelly sends it back to me so I can do some more shit to it, then I send it to Snoop. But this time we did the record he sends it back to R.Kelly to do more vocals and it never got back to me or Snoop and now it’s on the Internet saying it’s R.Kelly’s song featuring Snoop. My nephew was like “you know that Snoop joint is on the radio.”
When Busta’s “Get Out” came out people were comparing it to Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life.” Did that bother you?
Yeaaah! It did man. I always made beats like that but nobody picked up on it. I can play so many beats a couple years before that came out, with me doing shit like that. I just steer away from what the normal niggas are doing. I can go back years.
How you make a Christmas record sound gangsta, son? What’s the craziest thing you think you’ve sampled?
You know what, the Training Day joint. That was a Christmas records. I just turned that shit evil. I always felt like the fuckin Grinch.
You did “Big Money” for Swizz and “Barry Bonds” for Kanye, is it more competitive making a beat for another producer?
Na, I look at them as artists too. When I’m doing a beat for em that producer shit isn’t in my head until someone mentions that shit. There’s a couple producers I did stuff for and I smiled like the Barry Bonds joints. Kanye only fucked with niggas he thought was hot.
This “Coming To America” shit is crazy. You played that “Queen To Be” at Beat Society, too. Where is that now?
Game did some shit to it and it was gonna be on Dr’s. Advocate. It was crazy cuz he was talking about AIDS and shit, but there was a crazy interview he had at the beginning where B.I.G was talking about Eazy E dying from the Monster. The song was crazy.
So where is the song?
I dunno. You know niggas don’t wanna come off some shit.
Speaking of Biggie, how did the “Dangerous MCs” come about?
The day before I did that shit before we went to NY. We were going out to fuck with Busta. It was the same day we recorded “Get Out.” Puff called Busta at the studio asking if he had some shit for Dangerous MCs and Puff was like I need that verse. We need that record. That was the last joint recorded for the Born Again album. At first it was supposed to have been Busta, Biggie, Jay-Z and Snoop, all four of them.
I texted you when I heard Skyzoo’s “Popularity.” How did you link up with him to work?
At that same Beat Society you talking about. That was the first day I met him. We did the “Popularity” joint last year and another joint. I met him back then but never got a chance to work. When you an artist working with another producer I don’t try to step on nobody’s toes, he was messing with 9th Wonder and I said we can catch up some other time. After he got signed he said I need to come down and do some shits. He did a video to it and he’s supposed to send me a rough.
So when are you and Pete Rock doing an album together?
I’m ready over here. That’s on Pete. But I’m trying to knock this album out and hope this shit do good. The whole shit knocks. I’m waiting on a few features. I gotta joint with The Game and Scarface called “Tomorrow May be Too Late” and I have another joint with Jazzy Jeff doing the cuts. Other than that everything is straight.
Last question. What’s going on with Detox, man?
I gotta couple joints on there but he’s really really working on this shit. He started that album over and kept one joint that I did and everything else was destroyed. He started all over. I got four or five joints on the album now.
It’s been so long that people have this idea in their head of you, and DJ Khalil and Denaun in this room collaborating together for this grand finale…
Hell no, man. When I get out there I’m in one of the main rooms by myself. You be so fucking spoiled by the sound in that room, it’s so loud. I just be in there banging shit out.
DJ Scratch: Can’t Tell Me Nothin’ Part 2
July 12, 2009
I don’t believe in excuses so I’ll just apologize to you all and DJ Scratch for waiting this long to put out part 2 of our interview. But after you read it you’ll see that it’s just as timeless as his catalog.
Nodfactor.com: One signature of your beats are horns but they’re not like Pete Rock horns. They’re more like stabs.
DJ Scratch: My horns are stabs, you said it exactly. Pete Rock and Large Professor are the masters at horn (samples). They would take a horn and put it in all the pads and fade it down and bring it back up (mimmicks sound) da-da-da-da…I use them as stabs.
They add this dramatic element, which is why I guess you do a lot of album intros. Is that on purpose?
A lot of beats, especially with Busta, I would make a beat and I wouldn’t give him the beat unless he put it for an intro. In that first Busta run a lot of my shit sounded like movies, or a big event was about to happen. I’d tell him ‘you can’t put this shit in the middle of your album. You can’t even rhyme on this shit. This has to be the intro to your album.’ Intros are very important to an album. That’s the presentation of something great about to happen. A lot of my shit sounded like that.
I like that intro to Pharoahe’s Internal Affairs. You mentioned once that there was a “Right Here” Remix with Xzibit?
At the time Pharoahe got sued for the Godzilla sample so that deaded anything else moving from his album. But we did a West Coast edition with the same beat.
Now, there are also three different remixes to Busta’s “New York Shit”?
We did a Midwest remix with Common and Twista, a Dirty South with Three 6 Mafia, Slim Thug and Rick Ross and Rick Ross killed it! And we did a West Coast shit remix with Snoop and Dre. We did a New York Shit Remix with M.O.P. and Nas. I have all of them in my possession except the Snoop and Dre.
It’s funny how and where music ends up. How did you get those tracks on Phrenology?
Rock You – The Roots
I did two songs for Black Thought’s solo and he ended up putting them on Phrenology. For “Rock You”I’m a huge Bruce Lee fan and I was watching Fists Of Fury and I chopped up his whole fight scene: The punches, the kicks, the sword and just made a beat out of it. Just thinking to the left. I have a lot of beats like that but a lot of artists are scared of that and don’t understand it.
After all of these years you’re finally putting out an album. Tell me about, “Something To Spit To.”
It’s something I’ve always wanted to put out there. I’m putting some class A grade shit and make it different from all the other instrumental albums out there so I put skits on the album. The concept is that all of my producer friends and DJ friends are calling congratulating me for putting out an instrumental album and my MC friends are calling mad that I’m giving away these beats. After every beat there’s a phone call. Premier starts it off congratulating me and then LL calls in saying how I can give away these beats after I’ve charged him all this goddamn money for a track. I have DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Just Blaze, Diamond D, Alchemist, Kid Capri, Clark Kent, Spinderella, LL, Busta, DJ Cocoa Channel, Bumpy Knuckles and Da Beatminerz. All of these people are on this album are my real friends that I respect.
The DJ Premier drop they use is my voice from a skit on a Gang Starr album when everybody called in, “Aight Chill.” That drop has been used for everything with me saying “Premier-Premier-Premier-Premier” so he’s returning the favor. That’s my dude.
I sent out an email at around 1pm to everyone that’s on my album telling them to call this number and give your thoughts on me doing this album. By 8pm everybody called and did what I asked them to do.
You get asked to test a lot of DJ equipment before it comes out. So what are your thoughts on Serato?
When they first came out with Serato I wasn’t fuckin with it because it wasn’t accurate. For example, if you were scratching a record the cue point would move. It would drift. After like five updates they made a program in the Serato so you can adjust it to respond like real vinyl. I didn’t start using it til I started DJing for Puff. A lot of the stuff he wanted me to play wasn’t available on vinyl. He’d want me to play instrumentals of Biggie and No Way Out and I had to learn it while I was on tour. Even now I haven’t converted all of my vinyl to MP3s. The Serato shit is good, but it has its good and its bad. No you don’t have to carry crates of records but the bad thing is that it’s computer based and computers crash no matter what.
Fortunately mine hasn’t crashed but also, the main bad thing is that every body and their mother thinks they’re a DJ. Don’t get me wrong, the more DJs the better. But there are DJs now that have never owned one piece of vinyl and they’re getting booked over real DJs. And the new wave is these damn rappers that are becoming DJs because of Serato. If Jay-Z wanted to become a DJ right now he would get booked before me, DJ Premier, Jazzy Jeff or Cash Money. Not because he’s a dope DJ but they’ll hope he performs some of his songs. He could be a terrible fucking DJ. That’s part of the power struggle now. My whole thing is if rappers, if you’re gonna do this DJ shit, respect it. Respect this house. Ya’ll don’t respect the DJs when they’re DJing for your motherfuckin asses. You don’t want to put the DJ on the record cover, you don’t want to give the DJ royalties, or sign them to the same deal you have, but now you want to become a DJ because your career is over. So when you come over into our realm just respect this DJ shit.
Why haven’t you done more mixtapes?
The main reason I didn’t jump into the mixtape game is that the public makes more money off of your mixtape than you do, which didn’t make sense to me. I’ll make a beat for somebody and when it sells I get revenue, publishing, royalties. That lasts forever. You put out a mixtape and the only money you get for a mixtape is when you sell the master for x amount of dollars. But they take it and sell it out of their stores and make way more money off of it than you did. For example Kid Capris’ 52 Beats mixtape that he made 20 years ago is still selling and he don’t get a dime. They got Clue tapes from ’95 still selling over there and he don’t see a dime off of that. I do a beat and I get royalties for ever. I get licensed in a movie and that’s more money.
I’ll do one once every two years or so when I do one I want it to last. Like the EPMD Handle Your Business mixtape, people already have them but you flip it in your own special way. The concept mixtapes last forever.
The crazy shit is that I remember when mixtapes were actual mixtapes. When I found out that the mixtapes were done in the studio like a song that’s when I got turned off from it. DJ Clue is the dude that took mixtapes to a whole other level. Everyone needs to thank him. He didn’t start it, but he made it mainstream. But I went to one of his sessions and there was no turntables and dudes was recording like it was a regular song. They was like “hold up, I fucked up, punch me in.” It wasn’t even Pro Tools then, it was a two-inch. It’s a mix session, not a mix tape.
So when will we finally see this documentary on your life?
It’s hard because I’m still filming. I have twenty year old footage. The only reason I didn’t put it out is that I didn’t have enough current footage and my quest hasn’t stopped. So I got footage from me DJing for Puff and Snoop on the Puff Puff Pass tour, the TV show. I’m starting to buckled down and edit and should have something by the fall.
DOWNLOAD: I Bullshit You Not Mixtape F/ DJ Scratch
May 4, 2009
The not so calm before the storm with all new production by DJ Scratch! “Director’s Cut” and “Piano Man” are hardbody.
VIDEO: Busta Rhymes Announces Mixtape With DJ Scratch
May 2, 2009
Hydrosonics-Blastah Beatz “Powaful Impakt”
April 9, 2008
Name: Blastah Beatz
Age: 20
Representing: Portugal
Contact:MySpace
Key Track: “Survive” by Busta Rhymes
1)When did you get started making beats?
I started in 2003, on FruityLoops and my 450 mhz home computer. Back then I was 15, just messing around dropping factory drums over loops. But over time this led me to understand the basics of sample-driven production. I only got serious with beatmaking in 2006. Shout out to my mentor DJ Master Kutt for teaching me the basics of music theory and production.
2) How did you connect with Busta Rhymes for the mixtape track “Survive”? How did you make that beat? Did you just send him the beat or did they ask for you to track it out, etc.?
Ah man, it’s still unreal for me. Busta is one of my all-time favourite artists. I connected with DJ Kay Slay, sent him a few beats and next thing I know I get a Flipmode/Streetsweepers track on a Busta Rhymes project. Me and Slay also worked on “The Last Lyricists,” a track featuring Busta Rhymes, Papoose and Big Lou. They used a stereo 2-track for both songs.
3) What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in shopping your beats?
Excessive watermarking is prejudicial for you, but find the small tag you want to use as your trademark and always throw it in during the intro of your tracks. That way whenever an artist chooses to record to your beat and not warn you before, your ID will still persist.
4) What’s in your toolbox? Are you more hardware or software based?
I’m definitely more software based, mainly because of my location and budget. You don’t easily find good and cheap equipment in my country, and shipping gear in turns out to be really expensive (one word: Customs). I really want to make the jump to hardware though, it’s just a matter of time.
I always use the same formula to make a beat: Cool Edit 2, FruityLoops3, and Reason 3. I also use a MIDI controller for basslines and sparse instrumentation, KRK RP5 monitors for mixing and occasionally a Boss SP-303 for its crazy effects.
5) )What is the hip-hop scene like in Portugal? Where do you go to get records and equipment?
Although I’m not up to date with everything, I believe it’s developing strong. Nowhere near as the major markets, but you have a few artists reaching gold and platinum status so it’s a great look. There’s still a lot to be made and pioneered, I hope I can help in that matter. We have dope producers, MC’s, groups, DJ’s, breakers, writers, beatboxers and media outlets working hard to make our Kulture better: props to them all. To get records and equipment it’s hell on Earth, like I mentioned before. I’m not even in a major city so I’m forced to get all my records online, and my equipment is mostly virtual. I paid 350€ for my KRK’s; that’s 550 American dollars, just to make my point clear. There’s room for a lot of improvement in this aspect.
6) What do you do to shop and promote your beats, since you have so many underground placements?
The Internet is crazy. That’s how we connected even being thousands of miles away. I always wanted a manager to handle my business since I can’t fly overseas back and forth, but in the end I can cut the middle man with this tool. Everything you see in my discography, I got it myself by looking for the artists/managers/A&R’s contacts online and hitting them up with tracks. MySpace, forums, email adresses, everything works. You need to feel that you’re ready and your beats are on point before you do that though, you only get one first impression and unfortunately I wasted a few in my early stages.
