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Joyner Lucas

Joyner Lucas performing in Buffalo, N.Y., on Sept. 10, 2019
Photo: Trevor Finney

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Boston's Hip-Hop Evolution bostons-hip-hop-evolution-how-beantown-diversifying-its-sound%E2%80%94and-planning-future

Boston's Hip-Hop Evolution: How Beantown Is Diversifying Its Sound—And Planning For The Future

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Joyner Lucas, Dutch ReBelle, DJ Chubby Chub and more weigh in on the progress their city's made and the work left to be done in cultivating its local hip-hop artist community
Candace McDuffie
GRAMMYs
Dec 10, 2019 - 5:37 pm

Boston's relationship to hip-hop has been tumultuous since the genre permeated the cultural zeitgeist in the 1970s. On one hand, Beantown's issue with rap is indicative of America's cyclical dealings with Black art in general: it is often despised, disregarded and then toothlessly replicated to satiate white audiences. On the other hand, the innate resilience of hip-hop—when left to the devices of authentic storytellers—always finds a way to flourish.

And in a city like Boston where racism is as omnipresent and casual as diehard Red Sox fans, emcees and lovers of hip-hop that are aiming to change the narrative are diligent and unrelenting in their work. Boston's contributions to hip-hop are categorically undeniable. From the groundbreaking brilliance of Gang Starr to the iconic founding of The Source by David Mays as a Harvard undergrad back in 1988, rap's trajectory simply wouldn't be the same without these Boston moments.

As culture journalist Greg Valentino Ball explains, any erasure of this history is detrimental to the genre.

"The genesis of the Native Tongues—one of the most prolific crews ever in hip-hop—happened when De La Soul and the Jungle Brothers met at Northeastern. Artists on the Definitive Jux label recorded here. Ché Pope, who helped to oversee the making of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and go on to head GOOD Music for Kanye West, grew up in Roxbury," he says. "Boston has an incredible rock history—we absolutely do. But the idea that we can't fully embrace our hip-hop connection is one of the reasons why people feel the need to leave the city in order to be successful."

Rapper BIA, a Medford native formerly signed to Pharrell's i am OTHER music label, seconds Ball's statement, saying, "Boston has a strong underground hip-hop presence but the city has never dedicated enough resources to growing black or hip-hop culture."

BIA's recent viral co-sign from Rihanna for her hit single with Russ, "Best on Earth," proves the point that local artists often need to achieve consummate visibility in order to be deemed exceptional.

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"There's a cap every mainstream artist from Boston reaches that forces them to go out and get it and bring it back home." The cap that BIA is referencing isn't a glass ceiling created to specifically challenge hip-hop artists; there are systemic barriers in place used to prevent the proliferation of rap.

Earlier this year, WBUR completed a two-part investigative series "Is Boston Hostile To Hip-Hop?" in which rappers, promoters and booking agents were interviewed about discriminatory practices that keep this particular type of music out of live venues, which include pay-to-play models, increased security and hip-hop bans. It also examined the stereotype that rap crowds are more prone to violent behavior.

Brandon Matthews is the founder of ShowOff Marketing, a company that specializes in urban music promotion based in Boston. He believes that the city is coming around to embracing rap—but that it has taken way too long to get here.

"Venues don't do enough homework to understand the differences between various artists and audiences. It didn't matter if it was Flo Rida or Young Jeezy... They viewed the entire genre as a bunch of troublemakers," Matthews says. "The cost of insurance for hip-hop shows is higher than other genres of music because they feel like it's a higher risk. But why are you singling out rap when you still have so many problems with other genres of music?"

There have been instances of violence at hip-hop shows in Boston, with one of the most infamous being when five people were stabbed at a 2000 Ruff Ryder/Cash Money tour stop at TD Garden (formerly known as the FleetCenter). However, the fact that rap is just starting to overcome this stigma is disconcerting—especially since Boston hip-hop artists are showing more promise than ever before.

Pioneers like Ed O.G., Slaine, Akrobatik and The Almighty RSO have paved the way for rappers to be as brazen and unapologetic as they want to be. Their vision of Boston hip-hop, which emphasized a combination of hard truths with imaginative lyricism, can be heard in the discographies of artists today. For instance, take the staggering passion of a Token freestyle, raucous energy of a Cousin Stizz show, insane charisma of Michael Christmas, fervid phenomena of D Tha Flyest, or the mellifluous bars that $ean Wire executes. A look at these artists' success shows that the world is becoming receptive to the genius of Boston hip-hop, which is seemingly expanding at a rate faster than the city itself.

GRAMMY-nominated rapper Joyner Lucas attests to Boston's phlegmatic treatment of its talent. "It wasn't like I had the hometown support and branched out from there. I had to branch out other places and make a name. I was popping in L.A. before I was popping in Boston."

Lucas, whose video for his single "I'm Not Racist" became an instant smash and garnered him critical acclaim, has collaborated with the likes of Eminem, Timbaland and Logic. His individualism is a potent reminder that New England artists aren't a monolith. "I completely jump out the window and create records from the heart. But I'm not just telling my story—I'm telling other people's stories as well. But we can't just focus on one area. I'm not even from Boston—I'm from Worcester. It really is bigger than just Boston."

Often, the artists making a sizeable impact on Boston's scene hail from all over Massachusetts. Reks, Statik Selektah and Termanology are all Lawrence natives; Millyz is from Cambridge and C Wells proudly calls Lynn his home.

In addition to having a geographical range that works to display the vastness of talent, there is also a conspicuous rise in the number of female emcees changing the narrative in Boston. As BIA continues to make major headway nationally, other women are also making their mark. Acts like Vintage Lee, Brandie Blaze, Oompa, Malia The Model, Red Shaydez, Lord Ju and CakeSwagg offer a refreshing plethora of style both lyrically and visually.

Dutch ReBelle, who has been a staple in local rap for nearly the last decade, is elated at the progression. "It's changed in a positive way because there are more of us getting press and coverage on a regular basis. When you have all of these different types of flavors, it makes it easier for people to accept you trying new things."

As ReBelle points out, experimentation is the crux of hip-hop. It's inherently defiant, with different components working together to push the genre forward. One of the most important components is that of the DJ—and Boston brings a vibrant mix of personalities to the tables.

There are ones who are largely affiliated with Boston artists: DJ Papadon for BIA, DJ E Dubble for Joyner Lucas, DJ DCaso for Token, DJ Alcide for Oompa. But there are also those working to curate the culture of the city through various events, appearances and showcases. From SuperSmashBroz to DJ Real P, DJ WhySham to 7L, Guru Sanaal to Bearly Yvng, the city recognizes the importance of these many types of unfettered expression.

DJ Chubby Chub, a Boston mainstay and 50 Cent's official tour DJ, shares that his role in hip-hop is a critical one. "The DJ is everything in rap music when it comes to the artists, the music being played, the acknowledgment of the right songs. Boston has shown me a tremendous amount of love that I didn't expect because I was different."

He also attributes Boston's emerging cohesion as a result of artists focusing on their craft instead of comparison. "Now that DJs are seeing the better quality records from the local artists, they have to support it and give it that love. That's where we have to have unity. Artists are paying attention to the music they're making and finally seeing the bigger picture."

The city is starting to look at the bigger picture as well. From The Boston Foundation awarding urban artists grants to put on live performances to the creation of Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Festival centralizing black ingenuity, a city that once disregarded such a crucial and necessary art form now understands its tremendous currency and value. The Boston Music Awards, established in 1987, also aims to highlight this immensity. This year's event boasts 39 categories with 10 nominees in each category, which is a historic return to form for the ceremony (the 1988 ceremony had 42 categories but only five nominees in each).

Paul Armstrong, CEO of Redefined (the company behind the Boston Music Awards), attests to the importance of championing inclusion. "If we're not reflecting the diversity of the city, we're not doing our job properly," he says. "As more eyes begin to look at the Boston hip-hop scene, they're going to see a legitimate pool of exceptional talent."

https://twitter.com/BMAs_Boston/status/1204437119940415489

🚨TOMORROW🚨 The biggest celebration of Boston music takes place at House of Blues Boston. Be there...https://t.co/lA42jvMOMb

— Boston Music Awards (@BMAs_Boston) December 10, 2019

Despite insinuations of categorical inaccuracies and controversial nominees (and subsequent winners), he remains adamant that the entity will always put candor first. "We criticize our own processes every year in an attempt to be even more transparent, celebrate more people and have systems in place that ultimately result in an awards show that has integrity. People will always criticize and, honestly, that's OK. It shows that the BMAs are something people care about and want to be included in."

Hip-hop has also infiltrated historical—and primarily white—institutions throughout the city. Performing at The Middle East, a live music venue in Cambridge spearheaded by Leedz Edutainment, has been considered a rite of passage for local rappers for over a decade. But as the genre continues to deepen and cement its reach, artists that have had difficulty booking any other performance spaces now have Boston museums soliciting their art. The Institute of Contemporary Art has featured an array of events by local hip-hop acts while the Museum of Fine Arts has honed in on the same praxis with their Late Nites series.

Boston hip-hop group STL GLD held a listening party their third album, The New Normal, at the MFA earlier this year. Frontman Moe Pope appreciated the gesture but realizes that ultimately there is more work that needs to be done. "I love that these museums and galleries are opening their doors now, but you can't put a Band-aid on something and expect to get all of these pats on the back. There needs to be more hires of people from the Boston hip-hop community in positions of power that deserve to be there."

GRAMMYs

STL GLD unveiling The New Normal at the Museum of Fine Arts, Jan. 10, 2019
Photo: Phearee Sak courtesy of FollowingBoston

Pope's final thoughts are not just reflective of his own personal experiences, but of the city's interactions with black culture overall. "These institutions are capitalizing off the fact that we don't have to run our blackness through a filter anymore. But make sure you're putting the dollars into our pockets and we're not just lining yours with our flyness."

Meet Armageddon Records, The Record Store-Turned-Label For Punks And Metalheads

GRAMMYs

Hero The Band perform at the Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter Annual Membership Celebration
Photo: Marcus Ingram/WireImage

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Report: Music & Culture In "Future Cities" report-music-culture-infrastructure-can-create-better-future-cities

Report: Music & Culture Infrastructure Can Create Better "Future Cities"

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How sound planning for a creative future in our urban areas makes all the difference for artists and musicians
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 23, 2019 - 2:27 pm

The future, as they say, is now. And for music makers around the world, building a future for themselves often starts at home, in their local creative community and in the city where they live. While technology has expanded communication and made the world smaller, cities continue to grow, making planning for the future a critical cultural mission of the present.

To that end, a new report by global organization Sound Diplomacy titled "This Must Be The Place" examines, "The role of music and cultural infrastructure in creating better future cities for all of us." The 37-page deep dive into community planning and development highlights the importance of creative culture in what it calls "Future Cities."

"The government defines ‘Future Cities’ as 'a term used to imagine what cities themselves will be like," the report states, "how they will operate, what systems will orchestrate them and how they will relate to their stakeholders (citizens, governments, businesses, investors, and others),'"

According to the report, only three global cities or states currently have cultural infrastructure plans: London, Amsterdam and New South Wales. This fact may be surprising considering how city planning and sustainability have become part of the discussion on development of urban areas, where the UN estimates 68 percent of people will live by 2050.

"Our future places must look at music and culture ecologically. Much like the way a building is an ecosystem, so is a community of creators, makers, consumers and disseminators," the report says. "The manner in which we understand how to maintain a building is not translated to protecting, preserving and promoting music and culture in communities."

The comparison and interaction between the intangibility of culture and the presence of physical space is an ongoing theme throughout the report. For instance, one section of the report outlines how buildings can and should be designed to fit the cultural needs of the neighborhoods they populate, as too often, use of a commercial space is considered during the leasing process, not the construction process, leading to costly renovations.

"All future cities are creative cities. All future cities are music cities."

On the residential side, as cities grow denser, the need increases for thoughtful acoustic design and sufficient sound isolation. Future cities can and should be places where people congregate

"If we don’t design and build our future cities to facilitate and welcome music and experience, we lose what makes them worth living in."

For musicians and artists of all mediums, the answer to making—and keeping—their cities worth living in boils down to considering their needs, impact and value more carefully and sooner in the planning process.

"The report argues that property is no longer an asset business, but one built on facilitating platforms for congregation, community and cohesion," it says. "By using music and culture at the beginning of the development process and incorporating it across the value chain from bid to design, meanwhile to construction, activation to commercialisation, this thinking and practice will result in better places."

The report offers examples of how planners and leaders are handling this from around the world. For instance, the Mayor Of London Night Czar, who helps ensure safety and nighttime infrastructure for venues toward the Mayor's Vision for London as a 24-hour city. Stateside, Pittsburgh, Penn., also has a Night Mayor in place to support and inform the growth of its creative class.

What is a music ecosystem? We believe the music influences and interacts with various sectors in a city. We have designed this infographic to show how music ecosystems work and impact cities, towns and places: https://t.co/0DIUpN1Dll

— Sound Diplomacy (@SoundDiplomacy) August 14, 2019

Diversity, inclusion, health and well-being also factor into the reports comprehensive look at how music and culture are every bit as important as conventional business, ergonomic and environmental considerations in Future Cites. Using the Queensland Chamber of Arts and Culture as a reference, it declared, "A Chamber of Culture is as important as a Chamber of Commerce."

In the end, the report serves as a beacon of light for governments, organizations, businesses and individuals involved in planning and developing future cities. Its core principals lay out guideposts for building friendly places to music and culture and are backed with case studies and recommendations. But perhaps the key to this progress is in changing how we approach the use of space itself, as the answer to supporting music may be found in how we look at the spaces we inhabit.

"To develop better cities, towns and places, we must alter the way we think about development, and place music and culture alongside design, viability, construction and customer experience," it says. "Buildings must be treated as platforms, not assets. We must explore mixed‑use within mixed‑use, so a floor of a building, or a lesser‑value ground floor unit can have multiple solutions for multiple communities."

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5 Ways To Land Your Music Dream Job put-your-dreams-work-5-ways-land-your-ideal-music-job

Put Your Dreams To Work: 5 Ways To Land Your Ideal Music Job

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From dressing to impress to getting—and staying—connected with the right network, here are some go-to techniques for kick-starting a career in the music industry
Lakeia Brown
GRAMMYs
Mar 19, 2019 - 6:03 pm

As college graduation season quickly approaches, most seniors have begun the search for their “dream job" in musc.  While it's an exciting time, the quest can be daunting, especially when applying to roles in an industry as competitive as the music biz. So how do you stand out?  GRAMMY U provided answers and so much more at last week’s GRAMMY U Industry Insights: How to Get the Job workshop in downtown Manhattan.  A packed room of recent- and soon-to-be- college graduates received pointers from a panelists of pros: Madison Rozynek (The Madison Square Garden  Company), Ian Rifkin (Universal Music Group), Christine Schworn (Sirius XM) and Lisa Hauptman (Downtown Music Publishing).  Here are a few valuable tips for landing the dream job.

GRAMMYs

(L-R): Lisa Hauptman, Christine Schworn, Ian Rifkin, Madison Rozynek, Jessica McDevitt

1. Dress the Part

The entertainment industry is known for pushing boundaries, but that behavior doesn’t apply to interview etiquette. While the dress code is casual to business casual for most of the music industry, always show up to an interview in professional attire. A general rule: It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. Keep it business professional and leave the boundary pushing until your first day on the job.

2. "Thank You..." Next

Thank you is never a bad idea, especially after an interview. Be sure to ask for a business card or an email address, and follow up with a quick note expressing your continued interest in the job and try to include something personal that was discussed during the interview. If you want to go the extra mile, “hand written notes will always make you stand out,” says Christine Schworn, Recruiter & Talent Acquisition, Sirius XM.  And remember, it typically takes about six weeks from interview to hire, so be patient.

3. Play Your Position

Dream big but make sure your experience matches the job. How do you know if you qualify? Read the job description thoroughly, and be honest with yourself.  Recent graduates typically land Department and Executive Assistant roles at entertainment companies to get into the door.  Don’t shy away from these roles, even the temporary jobs, because they often lead to bigger opportunities says, Ian Rifkin, Manager of Internship Programs & Campus Recruiting, Universal Music Group.   Network, work hard and you’ll be ready for the next level soon.

https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad/status/1024282785085906947

GRAMMY U wants to challenge students to think of ways festival organizers can enhance fan experiences. https://t.co/OabCGOwlGw

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) July 31, 2018

4. Circle of Life

Remember opportunities exists everywhere, even among friends.  Getting an informational with a senior level executive at a dream job is great, but you can also create opportunities within your circle of peers. “Network within your circle,” says Lisa Hauptman, Global Head of People, Downtown Music Publishing. Remember to not only look up, but across. Your peers are the next round of executives.

5. Stay Linked and Aware

LinkedIn, LinkedIn, LinkedIn.  Recruiters utilize the career site as a tool to identify candidates so keep your LinkedIn profile up to date, and if you don’t have an account, sign up, says Madison Rozynek, Recruiting Coordinator,  The Madison Square Garden Company. Be sure to use an appropriate picture and follow companies that reflect your interests.  And remember, LinkedIn isn’t the only space recruiters use for online research.  Your social accounts are a reflection of you. Be mindful of what you post.

Want More?: Check Out These 5 Surefire Ways To Make It In The Music Industry

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Watch Music Business & Family: Fatherhood & Music music-business-family-fatherhood-music-dives-deep-balancing-kids-career-pandemic

Music Business & Family: Fatherhood & Music Dives Deep Into Balancing Kids, Career & A Pandemic

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Six working dads dive deep into the joys and challenges of fatherhood, balancing career and childcare responsibilities with a partner
Ana Monroy Yglesias
Membership
Nov 12, 2020 - 12:53 pm

The Music Business & Family: Fatherhood & Music panel recently brought together music professionals navigating fatherhood during the pandemic for an insightful, honest conversation about balancing life as a working father in the music industry. 

The heartfelt virtual discussion, moderated by Fake Shore Drive music blog creator Andrew Barber, featured five fellow awesome dads: clinical psychologist Dr. James Ballard III, Ph.D., producer/multi-instrumentalist and Co-Founder of BASSic Black Entertainment Adam Blackstone, Chicago rapper and mental health advocate G Herbo, songwriter/producer Billy Mann, and DMV rapper/producer Oddisee. The panel was presented by the Recording Academy's Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia Chapters, in partnership with MusiCares,

Watch Music Business & Family: Fatherhood & Music

Related: Watch: Music Business & Family: Motherhood & Music Brings Together Powerhouse Moms Working In Music

The panelists dove deep into the joys and challenges of fatherhood, balancing career and childcare responsibilities with their partner, and how much more work quarantine has left them all with. Watch the full conversation above. 

The conversation is part of a two-part series, preceded by Music Business & Family: Motherhood & Music.

G Herbo Talks 'PTSD' And The Importance Of Mental Health: "People Need To Treat Mental Health More Seriously"

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Sonic Spotlight: Hip-Hop & R&B Hitmakers sonic-spotlight-hip-hop-and-rb-hitmakers-highlight-human-element-hits

Sonic Spotlight: Hip-Hop And R&B Hitmakers Highlight The Human Element To Hits

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The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing's recent live discussion featured some of today's hottest studio pros on the making of top hip-hop and R&B hits
Keith Nelson Jr
GRAMMYs
Oct 8, 2020 - 5:34 pm

A great song is more an arrangement of human relationships than sounds. For the creators on the control room side of the glass, knowing your way around Pro Tools and an SSL mixing board is only part of what goes into making a hit – it comes down to people.

On Sept. 24, the Recording Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing hosted a live webinar with a group top engineers and producers who have helped shape some of the biggest recent hits across hip-hop and R&B. During the discussion, which was moderated by multi-talented producer, engineer and singer-songwriter Ebonie Smith, Hit-Boy (Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE”), MixedByAli (Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE”), Chris Dennis (Roddy Ricch’s “The Box”), DJ K.i.D. (DaBaby’s “INTRO”), and Marcella Araica (Timbaland’s “The Way I Are”) discussed the balance between human and technical requisite in making hits.

Before Araica was a seasoned music industry vet, she was an assistant at Miami’s Hit Factory Studio in 2002 surprisingly tasked one day with engineering a Missy Elliott session only two years removed from graduating from Full Sail University. Araica revealed in the discussion she was not experienced enough with Pro Tools to keep up with Missy’s speed of working and was subsequently kicked out of the session. From that moment on, Araica made sure she became more skilled at Pro Tools and ready for the next opportunity when it came. But the computer aside, there was a more human element she learned to hone from working with Missy and Timbaland.

“On the engineering side, just really learning how to use my ears. It wasn’t just about hitting the computer and hitting buttons, that was one aspect of it. Really understanding, ‘What was I trying to accomplish in sound,’” Araica said.

Araica’s prioritizing of serving the song and the session beyond just operating the equipment is a piece of advice every participant echoed. There are thousands of engineers and producers in the world, but these accomplished panelists agree the ones who can make the artist’s studio experience the easiest on a human level are the ones that end up sticking around. That may include cleaning up the studio before the artist gets there or getting the artist tea if their voice is raspy.  “It’s not only [about] being an engineer. It’s easy to record and hit command + space bar. It’s also about being there for them on a personal level making sure they’re taken care of; making sure the vibe is right; doing whatever you have to do to make sure they’re in their right mindset to make the best music possible,” Dennis said.

Behind The Board: Marcella Araica

Still, a producer’s primary way of standing out is their work. Unless fans read the credits or an artist is willing to keep the producer’s tag in the beat, the architects of the sound can get lost in the final project. Ali spoke on the importance of engineers and producers developing what he calls their “sonic thumbprint.” “You have to sit up and spend countless hours developing and curating the sound with them. At that point, you create the sonic thumbprint. I speak about the ‘sonic thumbprint’ because that’s how you separate yourself from the herd of people,” Ali said.

He advises engineers to stay an extra few hours in the studio after mixing a record for an artist to do an additional mix with all the tricks that show the unique creativity they can bring to the table. The extra time may be unpaid, but the connection with the artist could grow more inextricable. “Invest in an artist early. Invest in time of getting with them early and creating a sound together because when they blow up, they’re going to need that sound throughout their career,” Ali added.

DaBaby’s hit-making producer/engineer DJ K.i.D. is a testament to that advice. K.i.D. helped DaBaby get a Top 15 Billboard Hot 100 hit by transforming NSYNC's 1998 rendition of "O Holy Night" with booming 808 drums for the song “INTRO” from DaBaby’s KIRK album. He credits the extensive time spent working with DaBaby for understanding his sound enough to know how to expand it.  “I was the dude that loved pop music and wanted to put 808s on pop instead of just straight trap music. He helped me step into the trap lane," K.i.D said. "Then, on the road as his engineer, it was like, 'Ok, you need to speed stuff up.' So, working with such a great artist helped me turn into a better engineer.”

Sometimes as a producer or engineer, the most human approach to success in music is to listen to the people over your own ego. Hit-Boy burst onto the scene in 2011 producing the six-times platinum megahit “Ni**as In Paris” from Kanye West and Jay-Z. If he only trusted the depth of his technical talents and not the ears of others, he may not have recognized the hit on his hands.

“Once I caught my first big rap hit, which was ‘Ni**as In Paris,’ that was my most simple beat, I was dumbfounded. I’m doing beats with all these chord changes and y’all pick my simplest beat to be my biggest beat,” Hit-Boy said. “That really killed me for a second. That really taught me that it’s the way it hits the ear. It’s not always about piling everything on. It might be the simple thing that takes off."

Behind The Board: Hit-Boy 

During the panel, Ali spoke of his prolific time 2016-18 run where he worked on Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN, SZA’s CTRL, Mac Miller’s The Divine Feminine, Danny Brown’s Atrocity Exhibition, Vince Staples Primadonna, YG’s Still Brazy to name a few. While he was racking up GRAMMY Awards and platinum plaques with his work being played everywhere, he says he was depressed because he felt like a mixing robot who took no time for himself. The panelists all agreed, including DJ K.i.D. who revealed he can be so preoccupied with work he forgets to eat for more than 13 hours and stressed the importance of engineers and producers’ health in making hits.

“As much as we love the grind to be in the studio and going hard for what we love, taking a break for what yourself is super important because you never know what could come out at the end of that. You might take a seven-day break from the studio and make a hit,” DJ. K.i.D said.

While these sonic masters focused more on the human side of hitmaking, they still gave a peek into the gear behind the work they do. Araica expressed her appreciation of the handheld approach on the [Shure] SM-7 or SM-58. MixedByAli briefly touched on his mixing approach being a fusion of analog, explaining he mixes on the SSL G-Series mixing console gifted to him by Dr. Dre while using a sample peak program meter to gauge the loudness of his mixes before sending them off to mastering.

But, in the end, these professionals who reached what most would consider the apex of engineering and production made their hits by being more than service and nothing less than human.

“The relationship between the artist and the engineer is like [being] with your homeboy taking a road trip. Your homeboy knows where he wants to go, but the engineer is holding the map kinda taking him there,” MixedByAli said, as his peers nodded in a shared understanding.

Watch the full conversation here.

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