Genius

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Watch 808 Melo Explain How He Made Pop Smoke’s ‘Dior’

Producer 808 Melo recently sat down with Genius for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Pop Smoke‘s “Dior.”

The slow-burning “Brooklyn drill”-style single peaked in Billboard’s Top 40 at #22 and was his first solo hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Only 20 years old, the East London-based producer has successfully blended equal parts of UK grime, Chicago drill, and New York’s take on trap, combining it into a unique, exciting musical subgenre. In breaking down the making of “Dior,” take particular note to how he discusses how much space and room he gives the artist to be able to both rap and ad-lib. Impressively, there’s a “less is more” to what 808 Melo does. As much as Pop Smoke was credited for having such a unique voice, the track he’s rapping over is almost specifically engineered to highlight exactly what he did, and how he did it.

Watch the making of “Dior” above.

Related Post: Watch Hit-Boy Explain How He Made Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Backseat Freestyle’

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808 Melo, Genius, Music Production, Pop Smoke,
Friday, February 14, 2020

Watch Hit-Boy Explain How He Made Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Backseat Freestyle’

Producer Hit-Boy recently sat down with Genius for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Kendrick Lamar‘s “Backseat Freestyle.”

Though not a top-ten Billboard hit, Hit-Boy notes in the video that the energy of the track still leads to moments that are “too epic.” He highlights the way that the sing-along hooks ride over the track’s scattershot percussion as particularly impressive.

Hit-Boy’s three-year stint in the G.O.O.D. Music camp yielded top-ten Billboard chart productions like Kanye West and Jay-Z collaborations “N**gas In Paris” and “Clique.” Working with Kendrick Lamar in 2013, the Los Angeles-native producer notes in the clip that he felt a brotherhood with Compton-bred K. Dot, making the collaborative process relatively simple. He takes us through the production layers that comprise the track, showing a deceptively simple brilliance to Lamar’s bell-ringing, sing-along club anthem.

Watch the making of “Backseat Freestyle” above.

Related Post: Watch The Producers of Roddy Ricch’s ‘The Box’ Explain How They Made The Track

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Genius, Hit-Boy, Kendrick Lamar, Music Production,
Monday, February 10, 2020

Watch The Producers of Roddy Ricch’s ‘The Box’ Explain How They Made The Track

The Box

Producers 30 Roc and Dat Boi Squeeze recently sat down with Genius for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Roddy Ricch‘s “The Box.”

The soulful trap rap ballad reached #1 on the Billboard charts six weeks after its December 6 release. As the Genius clip notes, this was accomplished without a video accompanying the track. If looking for the “secret” to the hit, there’s a nod to the Roland SRX Orchestra VST.

30 Roc is currently signed to a production deal with Mike WILL Made It‘s EarDrummers Entertainment. He has produced other notable club favorites, including Yo Gotti‘s 2017-released Nicki Minaj collaboration “Rake It Up,” and “Bartier Cardi,” Cardi B‘s 2018-released collaboration with 21 Savage. He’s also the producer of “King’s Dead,” the Black Panther soundtrack single featuring Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and James Blake.

Watch the making of “The Box” above.

Related Post: Watch the Producer of Bobby Shmurda’s “Hot N#gga” Explain How He Made the Track

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30 Roc, Dat Boi Squeeze, Genius, Music Production,
Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Watch the Producer of Bobby Shmurda’s “Hot N#gga” Explain How He Made the Track

Producer Jahlil Beats recently sat down with Genius for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Bobby Shmurda‘s “Hot N#gga.”

Shmurda’s breakthrough track was released in 2014 and peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Over the past five years, the music video has reached 590 million views on Youtube.

Jahlil Beats made a name for himself producing for Meek Mill before working with Shmurda. In the video, he breaks the hit song down layer-by-layer in FL Studio.

Watch the making of “Hot N#gga” above.

Related Post: Watch the Producers of Lil Tecca’s ‘Ransom’ Explain How They Made the Track

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Bobby Shmurda, Genius, Jahlil Beats, Music Production,
Thursday, July 18, 2019

Watch the Producers of Lil Tecca’s ‘Ransom’ Explain How They Made the Track

Nick Mira and Taz Taylor, founders of Internet Money Records, recently sat down with Genius to break down how they produced Lil Tecca’s breakout single “Ransom.”

“Ransom” is currently No. 26 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and the music video has over 40 million views on YouTube. “Ransom” is also featured on this month’s DJcity Trends chart.

Nick Mira is best known for working with Juice WRLD, and Taz Taylor has production credits for such artists as Drake and Gucci Mane.

Watch the making of “Ransom” above.

Related Post: How Lil Nas X’s ‘Panini’ Was Produced

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Genius, Lil Tecca, Music Production, Nick Mira, Taz Taylor,
Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Watch DJ Premier’s Tiny Desk Performance and Genius Interview

DJ Premier

DJ Premier
DJ Premier performs on NPR’s Tiny Desk series. (Photo source: NPR)

After close to 30 years in the game, the legendary DJ Premier is still going strong. This year alone, he started a new record label, dropped his Miguel-assisted single “2 Lovin U,” and completed a 16-city tour.

Despite his many projects, Premo recently took the time to perform on NPR and speak with Genius. Both his set and interview are available to watch below.

On Monday, the Houston-native became the first DJ ever to perform on NPR’s Tiny Desk series. Accompanied by his touring band, The Badder Band, Premo delivered a nine-song medley of some of his classic productions. He and the five-piece ensemble gave the tracks new energy.

Premo also sat down with Genius for their conversation series, Genius Level. The insightful hour-long interview covered most of his illustrious career. The former Gang Starr member reflected on his early days with the group and working with Nas, JAY-Z, and The Notorious B.I.G. He also discussed his new label, TTT (To The Top), as well as his production process.

Watch his Tiny Desk performance:

Tracklist:

KRS-One — KRS-One Attacks
KRS-One – MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know
Das EFX — Real Hip-Hop
Nas — Nas Is Like
Jeru The Damaja — Da Bichez
Gang Starr — Step in the Arena
Gang Starr ft. M.O.P. — 1/2 & 1/2
Royce Da 5’9″ — Boom
Gang Starr — Moment of Truth

Watch his interview with Genius:

Topics covered:

– His favorite beat (1:20)
– Producing Nas’ “N.Y. State of Mind” (2:30)
– His beginnings (5:30)
– How he started with Gang Starr (8:50)
– Working with Guru (15:30)
– Rumors of a posthumous Gang Starr album (18:50)
– What it’s like being an in-demand producer (21:00)
– Working with Biggie (22:40)
– Working with JAY-Z (26:45)
– Rumors of working with Kendrick Lamar (29:18)
– Working with D’Angelo (31:30)
– Working with Christina Aguilera (35:00)
– His current production process (37:20)
– His current projects and plans for the future (50:00)

Related: Watch DJ Premier and Miguel’s ‘2 Lovin U’ Video

| DJ Culture, Videos
DJ Premier, Genius, Interview, NPR,

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