EntertainingThings.com

I learned of producer Stape Mega in the early 2000s when he was in the Philly group Dept. of Rec. with rapper Adam 12. They were on the now dead Arrakis Records, Stape did production for other Arrakis Records artists as well. Dept. of Rec. have since broken up (I think Adam 12 left hiphop to make rock music) but Stape Mega is still grinding. He produced the entire album for Digs Darkligher called Boomboxcutter and has an upcoming instrumental album coming out called Metric Mega among other projects in the pipeline. So i figured it would be a good time to do a little introductory interview for the people out there in internet land.

After Dept. of Rec. stopped and before you did the Digs Darklighter album there was a decent chunk of years in there, what did you do during that time?

Yeah, there was a good 5 years in there between the time the last DOR shit came out and the release of Boomboxcutter. After Arrakis Records fell apart, I was working on new material for the next DOR release but we decided to go our separate ways before we recorded any material. After that I just kind of decided to hang back, and not rush anything. I worked on tracks with Digs during that time and we eventually put his album out in 2007.

When did you first get serious about producing?

It was around 1994 when I got into making beats. Me and Digs went to school together and he started hangin’ out with Adam 12 around his neighborhood, they had mutual friends. They eventually formed a group called “The Dead Pigeons” with another friend of ours named Beatnick, a/k/a Mr. White. I was always interested in making music and I always looked at catalogues and checked out equipment. They were getting beats from random people and eventually started talking about getting some equipment. I had been hangin’ out with them for a while and was going to studios with them when they recorded. We all went in and bought a little set up from this dude that included an Ensoniq EPS keyboard, an Alesis HR 16 drum machine and a tiny little Mac Performa with some sort of little midi box that bridged the equipment and the Mac. With the Mac we had an old school midi sequencing program called Master Tracks Pro. So the dude that sold it to us gave us s couple of crash courses and we took lots of notes. Digs eventually quit the group and I kind of just took his spot.

Did you learn on your own or did someone else take you under their wing?

Me, Adam and Nick basically taught ourselves to make beats. We all had different approaches and different tastes in music so it was cool. I think we all learned more from each other about making beats than from anybody else. No one mentored us. We just figured out how to build beats on this tiny Mac. We picked up an old turntable and bought as much vinyl as we could and sampled everything with the EPS. We had the 8 output expander for the EPS so we could get 8 different samples going in one sequence. We would layer drum machine sounds on top of sampled drums and breaks. It was so raw back then.

Stape Mega “Heron”

you need flash to play the song

Is there something you wish someone would have told you

I think it’s important to learn through hands on experience. People can tell you to do this or that and it might sound great in theory but is it really practical? Does it apply to what you’re trying to accomplish as an artist? That being said, I wouldn’t have minded having some assurance about going with what sounded good as opposed to being caught up in worrying about being technically correct. What I mean by that is, don’t worry about having all of your shit quantized and falling on 8ths and 16ths or whatever… If it knocks and it sounds good then it’s cool to go with it. In the beginning I think we got caught up on being technically correct when it came to midi sequencing. Shit like that takes away from your creativity because it creates boundaries.

What equipment do you use now and has it changed over the years?

I started out with the Ensoniq EPS which was the Godfather of the Ensoniq EPS 16 and the ASR 10. I rocked the EPS for a long time until I sold it around 2005 on ebay to a crazy Canadian hippy who drove down from Canada to meet me in New Jersey to pick it up… I guess he didn’t want to pay shipping…it was bizarre. After I sold my EPS I switched to the MPC 2000 XL and Pro Tools.

How’s your process different in making something for an MC to spit on vs making an instrumental song?

Working with an MC sets a boundary because you need to make something that will inspire another person to be creative. It can be tricky. Doing instrumental work allows me to be as experimental and unconventional as I want to be. That being said, I’ll put something together for an instrumental project and when I play it for someone they’ll say, “I could hear so and so killin’ that jawn”. I’ve also played instrumental stuff for an MC just so they can check it out and they’ll be like, “Yo, can I spit something to that”? And I’m just like, “What the fuck” Sometimes I just don’t get these MC’s… They’re an enigma…

On your site you have a section where you say you will take on ghost producing jobs. Has anything ever come from that and can you make stuff other then your signature style for these prospective clients?

I obviously can’t divulge to much when it comes to ghost tracks because it’s all about confidentiality. But yes, I have signed over tracks to other producers for them to call their own. Stylistically I don’t think there’s really any form of electronically produced music that I can’t do… I have beat libraries with different styles and subsets within those styles. Whenever I’m approached for work, or if a situation arises where I’m asked to do something tailor made, I deliver what that particular client wants. I’ll sign tracks over to heads all day if the money is right. I’m not into fame and glory. I just want to earn a living and support my family.

Stape Mega “Purple”

you need flash to play the song

Have you made an effort to get into making beats for commercials/background music on tv shows

I’m in talks with a few different companies and artist management firms that do placements and I just recently signed on with a company that places tracks in all different media formats but mainly mainstream and cable TV shows. There are tons of opportunities out there for track placements. The great thing about most of these placement firms is that they sign you to a non exclusive agreement which means you’re free to work with whatever companies you want simultaneously.

When did you get the idea you wanted to do an instrumental album (Metrica Mega) and how did you come up with how you wanted it to sound?

I’ve talked about it for a long time and I’ve put together a few different instrumental projects over the years but I always ended up scrapping them for whatever reason. Most of those projects were filled with beats that were intended for MC’s to rhyme to so it’s a totally different thing musically and arrangement wise. Those beats tend to be more evenly structured and repetitive. 16 bars for a verse, 8 bars for a hook and so on… I actually put together 2 instrumental discs prior to composing and recording “Metrica Mega”. “Lunar Phases” is an instrumental EP that I released for free on Soundcloud.com. And I have another album on the shelf right now called “Echoes from the Solar Wind” which at this point I’m thinking will become a prequel because “Metrica Mega” will come out first but was made after the “Lunar Phases” and “Echoes” sessions. I just wanted to make something a little retro futuristic. I got into a whole thing about machines and their basic predominance in our lives. I wanted to make something using old school beat elements and new sounds. So the boom bap is there but there’s other sounds that maybe aren’t traditionally Hip Hop. I tried to just keep everything consistant with the mechanical theme. I kind of approached it as if I were making a soundtrack or a film score for a cool Sci-fi movie about machines and robotics. Above all else, I just tried to make bangers.

One of the songs on your Illatropolis site said it had no samples but was composed/arranged by you is this a direction you are going (away from samples) or just something you wanted to try?

The closing track on “Metrica Mega” is one of those tracks. It’s not really even Hip Hop. It’s orchestral, movie score shit. It’s really something I’ve always done. Going all the way back to the first Dept. of Rec. CD. Boomboxcutter has a couple of sample free tracks too. It’s just a different kind of thing. I like creating my own shit because it’s a different process and it keeps things interesting for me as far composition goes. There’s really no end to what can be done production wise. It’s all about how you use what you have. As far as sample clearance goes, it’s a lot easier and lucrative to use your own shit. I’m not really trying to split loot if I don’t have to. But sometimes you can’t avoid using a hot sample. I love crate digging and vinyl so I’ll always employ different methods but I generally try to stay away from straight looping. There’s a lot of dudes out there that have built careers on being glorified loopers…

A lot of artists see their new album as a reason to tour but being Metrica Mega is an instrumental album is there anything you can do live?

I have it all planned out in my head but executing it is something entirely different. I want to do something visually entertaining. Something dynamic and spontaneous. If I’m going to get out there and entertain people I want it to be the shit! Not some douchebag pushing a button and nodding his head. It would involve a lot of help from friends, live instrumentation and the occasional MC killin’ it..

When’s the release date for Metrica Mega?

Second quarter of 2010.

What other projects/stuff are you working on?

I’m working on a few different projects right now in addition to the placement game. I’m working with Digs on his follow up to Boomboxcutter, called Antique Roadshow. We’re working on a compilation series with different MC’s rhyming over my production called Dart League. We’re working out the details as far as the MC’s but the production is already there. I’m a little more than halfway though another instrumental project that I don’t want to say too much about because I don’t want anyone biting
the concept.

Digs Darklighter “Sick of the City” (produced by Stape Mega)

you need flash to play the song



Related Links
Stape Mega – Myspace / Soundcloud
Digs Darklighter – Myspace

Merchandise
Digs Darklighter – Boomboxcutter album MP3

For this Introducing I spoke to producer Kil (real name Rahaman Kilpatrick). Although he has been grinding for a lot of years chances are you don’t know him by name. That is unless you lived in Baltimore when he was hosting the Strictly Hip Hop show on WEAA 88.9 FM. But if you heard the latest M.O.P. (Mash Out Posse) album Foundation you have heard his work on the track “Rude Bastard”. Turns out in this case the title of the song is kinda appropriate when talking about Lil Fame of M.O.P. They ended up using one of Kil’s beats without giving him credit. The issue ended up getting resolved and everything seems to be good now. Although the first time Kil heard his beat being used by M.O.P. it caught him by surprise.

“I was driving home from work listening to the album…then when I heard the beat drop…I was in disbelief. I was listening to see if they just used the same sample I used which has happened many times, or if it was really MY beat. So after listening for about another 30 seconds I was like “aiight, this is my beat…someone jacked me”. See, my 1st instinct wasn’t even M.O.P. jacked me, I’m thinking someone jacked me and THEY sold the beat to M.O.P. Then I called my man DJ Mills and asked him what the track listing was on the internet and he said it was produced by Fizzy Womack! Then I called my man Esco to tell him and he was like “man, they must have jacked you from the beat CD you gave ‘em at the show” I had totally forgotten I gave them a beat CD at a show they did in B’more because it was over a year ago. So now I’m like “wow, M.O.P. jacked me”.”

M.O.P. “Rude Bastard” (Produced by Kil)

you need flash to play this song


So after finding this out Kil turned to the internet. He posted his beat (which was called “It’s Hurting Me”) and “Rude Bastard” on a few sites online like Okayplayer.com and KevinNottingham.com. The news spread “I had NO idea that SO many sites would pick up on this story“ says Kil. A few days later he and Lil Fame talked on the phone about it and worked it out. Lif Fame (aka Fizzy Womack) put out a statement saying that he didn’t produce “Rude Bastard” and he gave his manager the credit info for the album and something got messed up and Fame was credited instead of Kil. I asked Kil if would be down to work with M.O.P. again “I’ve got at least 50 beats TAILORED made for them. I sample their vocals for my beats probably more then any other artist. In fact I need to get at Laze (their manager) cause I wanna be on 1st tap when they start working on their new album.”

Kil “Hip Hop (Remember)”

you need flash to play this song


After dealing with this whole mess I wondered where he stood on giving out beat tapes without watermarks because the rub is if you don’t then anyone can rap over it without you ever knowing but if you do add them then some people won’t listen to your beats at all. “It’s can’t win for losing situation. Like you said some people won’t even listen to it if it’s tagged up but if you don’t tag it you can get jacked. I got torn to pieces in MAD forums because everybody was like “you should’ve tagged you beats”! But about 5 years ago I gave a beat CD to 9th Wonder at a beat society and he actually hit me back the next day to say he liked my beats but my tag was ALL over it so he really couldn’t get into the beats, so I fell back from doing that and just started making each beat about 20 seconds thinking that if a mc liked it, he’d have to get at me for a longer version to actually write to. But with all these programs floating around the internet cats can still take my 20 second beat and just loop it like MOP did. So all my beat CD’s are tagged now and prayerfully cats can get the vibe and decide if they like it and get at me.“

Kil started producing in 1992. “I started on a Tascam 4 track and an 8 second Gemini mixer. Then graduated to the ASR-10 keyboard for about 10 years. And for the last 5 years I’ve been on the MPC2000XL”. While no one person taught Kil how to produce various people played roles. “My man Osei Moreland is the cat who took me into his studio and let me learn the SP1200 free of charge. My man Shadi Luqman and Beezo gave me the idea to always throw choruses to my beats and come up with concepts for the MC (something I STILL us to this day) and my man A Kid Called Roots was just BRUTALLY HONEST but his honesty made me get better. He could’ve been the dude who didn’t want to hurt my feelings and just said everything I did was dope but his honesty MADE me get better. No one showed me how to use the ASR or the MPC, but all those dudes helped me.“

Kil “I’m In Love with You”

you need flash to play this song


After getting on the M.O.P. record he did set up presence online (see below for links) and has been getting contacted by various people for beats. As far as things in works Kil is busy. He is producing an album for Kyana called I Am Beauty, working on a project with Osei Moreland and some more stuff with Sekani. Sekani was an Unsigned Hype from Source magazine at one point also he wrote all the lyrics to the MTV film Carmen: A Hip-Hopera that starred Mos Def and Beyonce. Kil is also producing the entire album from rapper Lunchboxx called The Discipline. In addition to that Kil mentioned his wife is a singer and they are always working on tracks. “Her R&B is dope cause it’s R&B over hip hop beats. And I don’t mean Mary J. Blige circa ‘91 with her singing over breakbeats I mean her singing over a track that Raekwon and Ghost could be spitting on, so I’m real excited about her project because it’s a breath of fresh air for music.“

It certainly seems like after years of hard work things are paying off for Kil, keep an eye out for him in the future.

Links

• Kil Blog / Myspace / Twitter

Introducing is a new feature I’d like to bring to the site where I shine a spotlight on a up and coming and or not well known yet artist. To kick things off I talked to producer Alex Goose. Although he messed with things over the years he has been producing seriously since 2004. He started with an Ensoniq EPS sampler but has moved on to other things but was secretive on what he is using currently using.

Alex Goose “Hova Needs This”

you need flash to play this song

Alex Goose “Dear Winter”

you need flash to play this song

He just recently put up a free album called The Blueprint 3 Outtakes.The story goes an A&R with the Roc heard the stuff Alex did for Brittany Bosco and got in touch via Myspace to get a tape from him for Blueprint 3. Alex went though hundreds and hundreds of his beats that he thought might work well with Jay-Z and made some new ones and sent the best in. “The A&R liked them but he told me Jay didn’t really hear anything that he was looking for. My tracks didn’t match the sound of the Blueprint 3 obviously. I just made what I envisioned could be a classic record for Hova. Our visions didn’t click together. It happens.“ So Alex made some of the tracks he sent in available to download for free to share what could have been. He and his team did a nice job on the presentation of the site as well. Although when I downloaded the album it took a really long time, I imagine it was due to everyone trying to grab it at the same time.

But even though that Jay-Z opportunity didn’t work I asked what other artists would he like to work with. “Beck, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Nas, Kid Cudi, Raekwon, The Black Lips, Deerhunter, Beirut, Grizzly Bear, Warpaint..those are just some of many I have on an actual list. Mostly rock bands because I feel like I could learn more. I feel like it’s harder to politically push boundaries within hip-hop because people are scared to take chances but chances usually equal success. Let’s be honest…when was the last classic album put in hip-hop? I’m so tired of 808 claps.“

In the past he has worked with Brittany Bosco and Danny! and is currently working with and Jake Troth (Myspace). Def Jux rapper Danny! is the most well known out of the bunch. They met each other in school. Both attended the Savannah College of Art and Design and began working on music together in 2005. Alex did all of the production on the upcoming Danny! record called Where is Danny? some of the guests include Che Grand, Danny Brown, Von Pea, and Drake among others. Talking about the record Alex said “It’ll be interesting to see what people think because it’s a different sound compared to anything him or I have done in the past. It’s not particularly my production style but i wanted to capture what he was going for, which is minimalism. He was particularly inspired by the Madvillain record and wanted to push boundaries of what people perceive as a hip-hop record. I listen to a lot of garage, folk rock and pysch rock from the 60’s which is where a lot of the inspiration came from on the production end. It contains a lot of obscure samples and psychedelic tones. It’s kind of like an art record.“

I also asked if he was a fan of Ant (of Atmosphere) as some of his stuff samples the same songs Ant has and wondered where he stood on the whole this sample has been used before issue. “I find this all a bit funny so I’ll explain my take on it. To me, samples are free ground and it’s all about who can flip it the hottest if it gets into any “they used this sample first” type of thing but I don’t really care. It’s obvious we both look through similar sample sources. The “soul” sampled tracks on the BP3 Outtakes including “Walk Away” are pretty old. Like “Walk Away” was made originally made in 2004, but I resurfaced it last spring and changed the drums on it because I wasn’t as good at drum programming then but I knew it could be good for Hova. I went through like 600+ old tracks to see if there was anything I started awhile ago that I could resurface and that was one of them. I sampled a lot of stuff of that Laura Lee album actually. Same with “Rise” which is a Bo Hanson sample that I’ve had for years because I love his music. The tracks on this album aren’t even everything I sent him, just my favorite ones. Either way, Ant and I obviously sample similar things. I rarely sample soul any more these days but more so, late 60’s psych rock, prog rock and french and italian soundtracks… because that’s what I actually listen to in my own free time. I’ve got people hitting me up saying that I flipped the samples better than him which is tight but I don’t really care about all that. I just wanted to make good music that I thought Hova could rock too. Funny story…I sampled “In The Space” by Janko Nilovic years ago, the same one No I.D. used for Jay’s DOA song. I’ve had that sample for so long. So I know how that feels…“


Danny! “Lip Flappin’” (Produced by Alex Goose)

you need flash to play this song

Brittany Bosco “It Was You” (Produced by Alex Goose)

you need flash to play this song

As for as upcoming projects the previously mentioned Where is Danny? album is coming out soon on Definitive Jux records. Also Alex is doing some work on Brittany Bosco’s album Black along with producer Omer Ferrer & The Big Up!. Also a small update to the article Alex will be working on an album with Chicago rapper GLC (Myspace) best known for being on the Kanye’s songs “Drive Slow” and “Spaceship”. It will be a kind of music + fashion thing with Alex producing, GLC rapping and designer Matt Senna doing clothing through his company Jamie Marx (website) for the project. You can download The Blueprint 3 Outtakes for free at theblueprint3outtakes.com also he did some work on Brittany Bosco’s Spectrum 2.0 and you can download the album or select tracks for free at brittanybosco.bandcamp.com

Links

• Alex Goose Facebook / Myspace / Twitter / Website
• Danny! Facebook / Myspace / Twitter / Website
• Brittany Bosco Bankcamp / Facebook / Myspace / Twitter