GWHH is proud to present yet another EXCLUSIVE interview with our main man Mr. Music! Every exclusive single he’s been a part of was a successful one! You may remember him from the numerous authentic singles/beats he’s made, the GWHH ‘Return of the MC’ contest beat, and other collabos with GWHH artists S-Preme and LA!  Mr. Music is a producer, artist, lyricist, and visionary. He can see/hear what works, making sure the end product is always a hot one! I’m sure everyone is wondering who this talented Chicagoan is, so it’s my pleasure to release this interview about the next big name out of the Chi - Mr. Music!

GWHH: So how exactly did you come up with the name, “Mr. Music“?

Mr. Music: That’s a good question, it actually happened on accident, but I wanted a name that represented me both as a producer and an artist, and that name fit perfectly. I was doing some graphic design work, and I noticed the words “mr” and “music” on the screen, they weren’t combined or anything, they were just in random sentences. So I thought, why not put em together, and I got Mr. Music. The reason why I feel that it fits me well is because I do everything on my own, musically. It’s hard to say this without coming off arrogant or cocky, but I feel like I exemplify music from all angles. I make my own beats, produce, sing, rap, come up with my own concepts for songs, write my own lyrics, edit my songs, mix, engineer all my own stuff, and do many of those things for my artists too. The only major musical element, at least in regards to hip-hop music, which I don’t have, is the ability play an array of instruments, other the piano/keyboard, but I’d love to learn how to play others, and intend to do so, as my music career progresses.

GWHH: So Music, what type of equipment do you use to make all your stuff and do you go to a studio to get everything done?

Mr. Music: Actually, I work out of my home, sometimes the garage. Basically, I use FL Studio 8, Acid Pro 6, and then I gotta buncha M-Audio stuff like my KRK RP-5’s, Fast Track Pro sound card, KeyStudio 25 keyboard and the Sterling Audio ST55 condenser mic. I gotta pretty old computer too, but I replace parts every so often to keep it running. Essentially, I bought all that stuff so that I could do everything from home and not have to worry about relying or paying anyone for anything. I’m really a perfectionist when it comes to my stuff. I’m involved in every step of the process.

GWHH: Yeah, well that actually brings me to my next question, you produce a lot of great records, what in your opinion is the definition of a producer?

Mr. Music: To me, a producer is the individual who makes the record from the earliest phase of just the idea, concept, lyric, beat, what have you- to the point of where the song is fully done. A lot of people have it twisted and they think that if they make beats, they produce records. That’s not how it works. If you make beats and you sell them or give em away…cool, you’re a Beatmaker. A real producer and a good producer not only makes the beat but should be involved in every single phase, every step of the way till the record is complete. i.e. a producer makes a beat, has a concept/idea for the song, has an artist in mind, writes the song or helps the artist write the song from start to finish, records the artist, gives direction to the artist on how to rap/sing, how to sound, what sounds good, what doesn’t, mixes down or helps mix the vocals, all the editing that takes place after the vocal recording is done, mixing the beat down, etc. Man, the list continues, it can go on and on, a producer has many responsibilities and that’s why you see greats like Dre, Kanye, and Timbaland constantly stay up in the game, cuz they know and understand the fundamentals of producing and putting out a hit record, plus they got like 10 others people to help them do all that stuff, whereas I either only got myself or Karma if we’re working on a joint record.

GWHH: When you start working on a song, where do you start? Do you make the beat first or come up with the lyrics?

Mr. Music: It could be either or. Everyone works differently. A lot of the times, I start with the beat, cuz that’s where my inspiration comes from…directly, from the actual music. I’ll come up with a melody and a drumbeat, just lay a foundation down for the beat, and if at the instant I come up with some idea for the concept of the track, I quickly record some rough vocals before I forget, cuz when that one little moment comes to you… man, you have to act upon it right away, cuz that could be the “it” factor for whether you make a hot record or not. Sitting down with a pen and a pad may not always work, sometimes you just gottta get on the mic and put out all your ideas on the table, so to speak. And for some, who let’s say, don’t have the privilege of having a mic of their own at home, buy a digital voice recorder, or use your cell phone, record voice notes. I’m constantly putting down voice notes, writing lyrics, concepts and ideas of songs into my Blackberry. (That’s my small plug for blackberry! haha) …but I mean, there’s so many creative ways to get started on a record. Recently, I been working off my artist LA. He’ll come up with a hot line or a hot concept, like just the most basic idea, and then rap it or sing it…and I’ll just make the beat from scratch. That’s how we made songs like “The Journey” actually. Dude is really up there in terms of his music game; he just feels music, the same way I do, that’s why we work so well together. That’s my guy, man.

GWHH: What separates you from other producers?

Mr. Music: Umm, that’s a tough one. I mean aside from the local producers that I personally know and have met or worked with, there aren’t any big-time producers that I’m affiliated with, so it’s tough to compare myself to that caliber of producers, cuz I don’t know how they are, but if I were to compare myself to producers generally, I would say my work ethic, me being a perfectionist, and my genuine love for making music separates me from others overall. I work hard on making everything sound as good as it can. Not settling for just the “okay,” if there’s a wack line in the song, I’ll sit there and re-write it for hours and hours. If there’s something off in the beat, I’ll re-do it till it’s perfect. I can’t put out something that I’m not happy with because if I ain’t happy with it and I don’t like it, then I feel like no one else will, and even if they do, if something doesn’t sit well with me about a record, it’ll still bug me. So I put in a lot of effort and time into my music because it’s truly what I love to do. It was never my intention to do music because I wanna get fame or insane amounts of money to the point where I end up buying 10 maserati’s haha. I just love making music, every record I do gives me happiness that I can’t really get anywhere else and my desire never fades. I want to make more and more and more, never wanna stop, not until I have so many records that you lose track of them and can only name a fourth of the work I’ve done.

GWHH: Where do you get your inspiration when working on your music?

Mr. Music: Man, I get my inspiration from a lot of things. I know that’s cliché to say, but it’s the truth. For my music, as far as the melodies and beats go, a lot of times I get inspired from listening to other records. Like current hip-hop/rn’b joints, or older 80’s stuff, you know I’ll listen to other genre’s of music like jazz, classical, chill out trance, international stuff and something might come one there, that’ll trigger an idea for a new beat/song….or I’ll be watching TV and an infomercial will pop up, with a little jingle in the background, if I like the melody, then I’ll jump on the keys and start building off that, make something happen. In regards to lyrics and song concepts, I get inspired mainly from my own life, my own experiences, and that of others. Sometimes a conversation I might have had with a friend may inspire me to write and make a song, or really anything that happens on a daily basis, I try to be as attentive as I can and pick up on little details that may turn into song concepts or ideas for the future.

GWHH: What advice would you give to new artists & producers?

Mr. Music: Keep on your grind. If you love what you do, and you believe in yourself, stay up. If you’re a singer, keep working on your voice, if you’re a producer; keep working on your beats. Don’t ever quit because of someone else not believing in you or supporting you, and don’t let people tell you that your dream is unrealistic. It’s always smart to have a backup plan, you know? There’s that saying “don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” but I think anyone that works hard, anyone that has talent, and a desire as well as the motivation to make music can get a lot accomplished.

GWHH: Where do you see Mr. Music in the next year?

Mr. Music: Well, obviously I aim to see myself and my team gets signed to a major record label, producing for myself, my artists, and others. That’s the goal of every day. Not just a “next year” type of thing. Truth is, I’d like to get signed as soon as possible, right this minute, I’d wanna be doing it on that level, and I’m ready for it. I been doing it for a while now, and I know I got it. So I definitely see myself putting out more tracks, hotter and better tracks, more innovative tracks, working with newer artists and other producers, and branching out to other avenues that I haven’t gone to yet.

So there ya have it! Make sure you check out all of Mr. Music’s tracks here if you didn’t get them all yet, and be sure to check this coming Monday’s new Mr. Music related release! If you want to contact Mr. Music you can email him at mr.musicfans@gmail.com.

PREVIOUSLY:

LA “The Journey”

Producer: Mr. Music // FULL, CDQ  *GWHH Fav.™

Mr. Music “Make Up Your Mind”

Producer: Mr. Music // FULL, CDQ  *GWHH Fav.™

LA & Mr. Music “One Nite Girl”

Producer: Mr. Music // FULL, CDQ  *GWHH Fav.™

~ Max G