shadeed
Go Digital or Go Home
ill o.g.
Blowing Up from the Basement is a series of articles and resources written exclusively for the IllMuzik fam, designed to help the bedroom producer/artist increase their exposure and make industry contacts that will get his/her music heard. These articles will run bi-weekly or monthly and will cover the wide spectrum of topics in this business of music from selecting managers, setting up your business properly, networking, and the list goes on and on.
In the latest series of Blowing Up From the Basement, I sat down with New York based producer Skitzo. He started out as an intern for Def Jam as a teenager and moved on to battle Jin on 106 and Park, and produce the theme song for EA Sports' Fight Night 2006, as well as "Mic Check" for Juelz Santana and "Get 'em Girls" for Cam'ron's Purple Haze album, amongst other hits. Disclaimer: Don't expect your career to blow up next Tuesday after reading these articles. If you treat your music as a hobby or "something you do after work". To make it in this business, it requires that this becomes a lifestyle, which requires sacrifice, and the willingness to be told the word "No" for years of your adult life, do YOU have what it takes???
Sha: What are some ways that you recommend for an up and coming producer to get their foot in the door besides waiting on a major label to scoop them up?
Skitzo: Never wait on a major. You can't sit down and think "I'm gonna make money." I started off on a street team for Def Jam as a teenager. I got to know everybody around the industry. It's all about relationships, and once people start knowing you, then people start asking you what you do and that's when you gotta be ready to show them. I always had my beat CD ready when I was up in the offices.
Sha: You were set to attend animation school before getting into the music business, which requires a lot of detail. Do you feel that the detail and years you put into animation translates into spending extra hours on the dirty work of production such as trimming samples, or mixing a song?
Skitzo: Yeah, anything translates over with details. If you love your work then it looks like your work's been loved. When you're deep into the beat, you think "what is missing from the beat?" I've spent days looking for that one sample or drum sound, just to make it sound good with the finished product. At the end of the day, you're trying to sell the beat so you want it to be nice. Anything that's "too good" or over-produced can't be sold, because the artist won't be able to see where he fits into the beat. My goal is to make every beat "almost perfect", so that the artist can say "If I was on this beat, then it would be a classic". You gotta play to the egos of these artists out here.
Sha: What would you say are your production weapons of choice when making beats?
Skitzo: My weapon of choice is MPC 2000XL with built-in Zip Drive. All them dudes who go online and buy Timbo drums and Dre drumkits, you're makin' it worse on yourself. If you ever do get discovered, you'll be known as "the kid with the drums that sound like Dre." I just sample live drums and tweak it and make my own sounds. All my drum sounds are customized, and I think it's important to take the time out to develop your own sound. The MPC is the center of my production studio. That MP comes with me to every session I go to.
Sha: From listening to your body-of-work, you seem comfortable floating from composing tracks using samples as well as using keyboards and synths to put it down. Which do you prefer more over the other?
Skitzo: I prefer using the keyboard for the publishing aspect. I don't sample, only when specific clients want me to. When I was doing a lotta work for Rocafella, they wanted sample-based production so I gave them that. I'm not paying for some dead artists' grandson's drug habit. I play instruments, so I would rather play out the sample, and then get paid extra for re-playing the sample, which is an extra check. I don't play when it comes to publishing. When you hear all these producers out here talking about $80,000 advance check for one beat is mostly false. Certain clients may give you half up front and then you can they make the money off radio spins. The producer gets paid when it's played everyday. I'm playing the ASCAP game.
Sha: Do you rely on a good engineer to share your overall sound or do you take care of those areas yourself?
Skitzo: It depends on the engineer. I sit down and evaluate the overall engineer. If the engineer is trying to cater to every individual sound, then I'll take his input and let him do his thing. Other times if I'm not confident in his ability, I'm more direct such as "I want this and I want that." It's like the co-pilot and the pilot in an airplane. If he can't fly, then I'm takin' over.
Sha: As a producer, how important it is to voice your opinion with artists in studio sessions as far as how to record the song or do you leave it up to the artist to do what they do?
Skitzo: You always gotta put your foot down, if you have the relationship with the artist, you gotta tell him your opinion. Even if you don't have good chemistry, they're paying you so why shouldn't they listen? If you sell the track and the artist lays the vocals, that's 50% of the song, fuck that! He's doing your track. If you have no input on the overall finished product, you're a beatmaker, not a producer. It's a lot of beatmakers in the game today that front as producers. You must give your input and take charge, you gotta be in their face and active, otherwise people in this industry won't take you serious. People will say "he got hot beats, but he's not serious about this game". Even with Camron, I give him input as far as trying to do verses or what sounds right. He may listen, or he may feel otherwise, but I let him know my side of it, which he respects.
Sha: What changes and trends in the production game do you see coming up for albums released in 2007?
Skitzo: Right now, I can't say because people are claiming hip hop is dead, at this point and time quality has drained out so much. It comes to the point where everybody trying to do rap. Hip hop isn't dead, it's suffocating. You got novelty acts out there, hip hop is being strangled. As far as 2007, it's too early to know the overall direction, but I can say I'll be in that roster (ha ha). Hopefully all those 1-2-3 beats will go away and the dudes that can really play will go away. Hip-hop music is in a period of transition. There's a pattern that goes with music. From Be-bop to Doo-wop to hip-hop. The next one I feel is gonna be Trip Hop as Justin Timberlake did with Timbo. I've noticed that music is getting faster and faster within the beat. Everything is recycled, synths were big in the 80's too.
Sha: As a CEO with your own label, what do you look for in a new artist?
Skitzo: If you bust guns, show me your permit, if you got an Escalade, drive me down the block. I give you 30 seconds, if I hear about shootin' up the crack spot or all this jewelry then you're out. I can't stand fabricated rap. The "wish I coulda" raps are not original. If I lined you up in front of 10 people then I should be able to point you out. The goal of an artist is to create a music product that relates to other people. It has to relate to them, making anthems for different situation. A lot of artists are not making songs for people. If you can relate to the people you're making the music for, they'll be your fan for life. You're saying what they're afraid to say, you're their shield. Each song should be an anthem not for you personally, but for the listener to guide him through each situation in their life.
Sha: Do you feel the internet has changed the game as far as production goes and how people get noticed?
Skitzo: Not yet. The internet is an easy way for people to outlet their music. It's the goofy shit that everybody loves. A lot of songs get leaked on the internet that end up being big hits. There's an open spot for it. They can conquer the whole internet. There's certain people that's doing it, but not all the way. It's also a way to test out how your music is being felt. MySpace is the only thing that made people think about being an internet mogul. It has become the new social arena. People stopped going to clubs and started myspacing now. The person who comes up with that idea of incorporating a full-service music networking site, tell them to holla at me. MySpace is there but it's not all the way there for artists.
Sha: How do you feel about online production A&R sites that will shop your beats for you and help you get paid?
Skitzo: That shit is bullshit. There is no need for you to be out there if that's your plan. There is no way you can click a button and your problems will be solved. You gotta hit the showcases, music conferences, and shows in your area. If you get it poppin' and make your rounds and you have 100 people ready to buy your CD, that's what you need, the people's reaction. The secret is to get the people to react and then the major label A&R will react. Those sites were probably started by a dude who used to be a major label intern, and had a few contacts and general info numbers to the front desk of different labels and they're sending you to a run around. If you are really hungry come out here to NY, the labels are right here. If you're serious, bring your ass down here, and get with these labels. Make sure you have that shit, and make sure you grab their attention. All these online beat shopping sites are bullshit, it would be more effective if you're talking to the person constantly, but for the person who's trying to do this they gotta be there face-to-face, and get the people's reaction.
Sha: How important is establishing strong relationships in this game?
Skitzo: I'll give you an example. For a couple years, I fell back from the hip-hop side and focused entirely on R&B after my initial projects with Dipset and other camps. Cam contacted me, and told me "I'm working on this-this and this, and I need you to come through" so I'm like "Alright" and it was on after that. It's like politics. If you're not cool with people who can get you a check, what's the point?