24: What made you want to produce compared to being an artist or singer, manager, etc.?
I’ve always had a love for music since a young age. When I was about 12, while others were recording "Yo! MTV Raps" videos on their VCR’s, I was actually extracting audio from the TV and recording it on tape so I would have all the exclusive hip-hop music at the time. That’s when I started making mixtapes. I then started MCing at about 16 in high school and eventually production at 22, so yea I have had a love for the music since an early age.
24: What other producers, songwriters and/or artists do you see as your primary inspirations?
I have a heavy influence of 90's hip-hop from the whole Wu-Tang movement to the whole Queensbridge movement, Organized Noise, Rap-A-Lot in the south and Deathrow in the west. As far as production, I gotta say Dr. Dre, RZA, DJ Premier, Alchemist, Just Blaze, Timbaland just to name a few of the producers I respect highly.
24: How would you describe your production style?
I consider my style to be very versatile and unique at the same time. A Hazardis production can range from a sample heavy boom bap east coast sound to a 808 heavy southern style melody or somewhere in between. One thing you can always expect is heavy bass and top quality. That’s one thing I always make sure of is that its quality sound.
24: What is distinctive about a Hazardiz Soundz production?
Well most of the joints I work on, I’m hands on from beginning to end meaning. I produce it, record it and mix it. There for giving heavy input in the whole process and giving ideas as well to the artist while recording. Since I am a certified engineer, it’s always a perk because I know how to always accomplish the sound the artist and I are after.
24: Do you consider yourself a producer or a beat maker and explain why for either answer?
I definitely consider myself a producer basically because of what I just mentioned in the last question (laughs).
24: How do you approach making your beats, do you start with the drums first or a kick?
It really depends sometimes. It could be a melody or a sample, other times could b a bass line. All depends on where the inspiration is coming from.
24: How did you first connect with DJ EFN and CNN?
I first connected with EFN back in 06, I had just released my mixtape/compilation "Hazardis Material Vol. 1", so I was in the streets heavy, I had a joint on there with EFN's artist Garcia which also featured B-Real from Cypress Hill, so I was already on his radar because of that joint. Then I kept working with Garcia going down to Crazy Hood like every Wednesday for a few months, then I landed his next two singles which were both on heavy rotation on the radio so EFN then decided to make me part of the team. A few months later, I was at Crazy Hood and EFN longtime friend, artist Noreaga came through for a studio session and I was the engineer, me and N.O.R.E. had good studio chemistry from the beginning, working fast and knocking out joints with ease. N.O.R.E. was happy with the sound and the way we worked, he then recorded 2 joints over my beats "My Name is N.O." and "Cocaine Cowboys". The rest is history!
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