Music Production

Memphis producer Tay Keith has broken down how he made BlocBoy JB‘s breakout hit “Look Alive” featuring Drake on a new episode of Genius’ Deconstructed.

Released as the first single off BlocBoy’s mixtape Simi, “Look Alive” peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and has been certified double platinum. The track was the fourth most-downloaded song of February on DJcity.

Keith briefly recaps his history with BlocBoy then recalls how the collaboration with Drake came together. He goes on to break down how he produced “Look Alive” in FL Studio.

At only 21 years of age, Keith has worked with artists like Yo Gotti, Blac Youngsta, and Moneybagg Yo. He produced BlocBoy’s follow-up single “Rover 2.0” featuring 21 Savage as well as his viral hit “Shoot,” which sparked the popular “shoot dance” on social media. Keith recently co-produced Drake’s smash “Nonstop” from his record-breaking album, Scorpion.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch the Producer of Lil Baby and Drake’s ‘Yes Indeed’ Explain How He Made the Track

Atlanta producer Wheezy has explained how he made Lil Baby and Drake‘s “Yes Indeed” on a new episode of Genius’ Deconstructed. The track, which was DJcity’s No. 21 most-downloaded song of May, peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and has been certified platinum.

Speaking with Genius, Wheezy recalls how the collaboration happened after meeting Drake while working with Kanye West in Wyoming. He then breaks down each layer of “Yes Indeed” in FL Studio.

Wheezy gained notoriety in 2015 for producing most of Young Thug‘s Barter 6 mixtape. His production credits also include Young Thug’s “Guwop” featuring Offset, Quavo, and Young Scooter, and Migos‘ “White Sand” featuring Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, and Big Sean.

“Yes Indeed” appears on Lil Baby’s debut album, Harder Than Ever. The project peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in late May.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch Michael Brun Explain How He Produced His J Balvin Collab, ‘Positivo’

Grandtheft is one of Canada’s most versatile and influential DJ/producers. From rocking clubs and festivals to performing at DJ battles like the Red Bull Music 3Style, the Mad Decent artist can hold it down anywhere.

As a producer, he’s released some of the biggest club and festival anthems of the past few years, including “Keep It 100” with Keys N Krates, his “Sweet Nothing” remix with Diplo, and “Number One” with Major Lazer. He’s also seen radio success with original singles like “Easy Go” featuring Delaney Jane.

On this episode of A Moment With, Grandtheft discusses how he got into DJing, his creative process for producing, what he wants to convey with his music, plus more.

Watch above.

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Related: Watch: Trackstar the DJ on What It’s Like Being Run the Jewels’ DJ

Haitian DJ/producer Michael Brun has broken down how he made his J Balvin-assisted single “Positivo” on a new episode of Genius’ Deconstructed. The track is the 2018 FIFA World Cup theme song for American Spanish-language TV network Telemundo.

In the video, Brun recalls how he and Balvin connected then breaks down the track in Ableton.

“The instruments, the rhythm, the energy. It’s all very distinctly Haitian,” Brun says. “This track captures, I think, the essence of what the streets in Haiti sound like.”

Released in May, “Positivo” has amassed over seven million streams on Spotify and more than 10 million views on YouTube. Brun originally released the song in February as a single titled “Bayo” featuring fellow Haitians Strong G, Baky, and J. Perry.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch CBMIX Explain How He Produced Lil Pump’s ‘Esskeetit’

Rising Chicago producer CBMIX has explained how he made Lil Pump’s “Esskeetit” on a new episode of Genius’ Deconstructed. The track, which was DJcity’s No. 22 most-downloaded song of April, peaked at No. 24 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It is Pump’s second highest charting single to date following his breakthrough hit, “Gucci Gang.”

CBMIX recalls how he linked up with Pump in Miami then gives a detailed break down of how he constructed the beat in FL Studio. He ends by showing how he mastered Pump’s vocals in Pro Tools.

A multi-platinum producer, CBMIX is best known for his extensive work with Chief Keef. He also produced Chance the Rapper‘s “Mixtape,” a track from Chance’s 2016 Grammy-winning mixtape, Coloring Book.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch the Producer of A$AP Ferg’s ‘Plain Jane’ Explain How He Made the Track

Rising producer Kirk Knight has broken down how he made A$AP Ferg‘s “Plain Jane” on the latest episode of Genius’ Deconstructed.

Knight discusses his inspiration for the track then breaks down its elements in Ableton Live.

“Sometimes you really just got to make people feel great and that’s why I love this record so much,” Knight says in the video. “This record is Ferg talking about his life in a way where everybody could have fun to it.”

A Brooklyn native, Knight is best known as one of Joey Badass‘ most trusted producers. He is also a rapper and a member of the hip-hop collective Pro Era.

Released in June, “Plain Jane” serves as the lead single from Ferg’s second mixtape Still Striving. The track received an official remix in December featuring Nicki Minaj, which boosted its popularity. The remix became DJcity’s 10th most-downloaded song of December and peaked at No. 26 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in January. It is Ferg’s highest-charting single to date.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch Murda Beatz Explain How He Produced Migos, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B’s ‘MotorSport’

Zedd in Tokyo (Credit: Rukes)

Most pop hits these days are the work of multiple songwriters and producers. In the case of Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey‘s smash “The Middle,” there are seven credited songwriters and three credited producers. The process took over a year and almost fell apart at one point.

The hard work and patience have paid off, though. “Middle” has amassed hundreds of millions of streams and is currently No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100, making it Zedd’s highest-charting single as a main artist.

For the debut episode of its Diary of a Song series, The New York Times “tracked the writing and production of ‘The Middle’ through voice memos, demo versions, text messages, emails, interviews and more provided by those behind the track.”

Watch below.

Related: Watch Murda Beatz Explain How He Produced Migos, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B’s ‘MotorSport’

Canadian producer Murda Beatz has explained how he made Migos, Nicki Minaj, and Cardi B‘s hit “MotorSport” on a new episode of Genius’ Deconstructed. The track was DJcity’s third most-downloaded song of November.

In the video, Murda discusses how the collaboration came together then breaks down the beat in FL Studio.

Born in Ontario, Murda co-produced Drake‘s newest single, “Nice For What.” He also worked on Drizzy’s “Portland” featuring Quavo and Travis Scott and “With You” featuring PartyNextDoor and Jeremih. The 24-year-old also produced Travis Scott’s “Butterfly Effect,” 2 Chainz‘s “It’s A Vibe” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz, and Jhene Aiko, and Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Lil Wayne‘s “No Frauds.”

“MotorSport” was released in October as the lead single from Migos’ third studio album, Culture II. It peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and has been certified triple platinum.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch the Producer of Rich The Kid’s ‘Plug Walk’ Explain How He Made the Track

The producer of Rich The Kid‘s hit single “Plug Walk” has broken down the track on a new episode of Genius’ Deconstructed. The song, which was included in DJcity’s February Trends report, is currently No. 18 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It is Rich’s highest charting single to date.

In the video, rising Toronto producer TheLabCook discusses how he and Rich met, and breaks down the elements of the track.

“I had no idea it would be gold in a month or almost platinum … I didn’t see the potential in it,” Cook admits. “A lot of [a track’s success] has to do with how the producer uses [the beat].”

Cook is an in-house producer for the rapper’s label, Rich Forever Music. He has collaborated with rappers like Migos, Lil Yachty, Gucci Mane, A$AP Ferg, and 2 Chainz.

“Plug Walk” is the second single off Rich’s debut album, The World Is Yours. The project contains the Kendrick Lamar-assisted single “New Freezer,” which peaked at No. 42 on the Hot 100.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch Rich The Kid’s ‘New Freezer’ Video Feat. Kendrick Lamar

Rising Colombian producer Thombs has explained how to produce a moombahton track in a new video for Latin America-based YouTube channel, El Arte de Ser DJ. The Spanish-language channel, which translates to “The Art of Being a DJ,” reviewed DJcity’s record pool in March.

Thombs breaks down his production process in FL Studio using his 2014 heater “La Era del Moombahton” featuring Happy Colors and Jack Style. Billboard listed the track as one of its top 50 moombahton songs of all time in 2016.

Watch the video above and read a Spanish translation below.

El productor colombiano Thombs ha explicado cómo producir una canción de moombahton en un nuevo video para el canal de YouTube, El Arte de Ser DJ. El canal revisó el record pool de DJcity en marzo.

Thombs analiza su proceso de producción en FL Studio utilizando su éxito de 2014 “La Era del Moombahton” con Happy Colors y Jack Style. Billboard listó la canción como una de sus mejores 50 canciones de moombahton de todo el tiempo en 2016.

Mira el video arriba.

Related: Thombs Drops Moombahton Remix of Santana’s ‘Corazon Espinado’ Feat. Maná