Exclusive Interview with UK Producer and Beat Maker Stealf
22 Jul
1. Introduce yourself to the readers who may not be familiar with Stealf The Producer.
I’m a hip hop producer, based in the UK. I’ve been producing for about 5 years now. I’ve always been a sample orientated producer. I started off DJ’ing, but as a mixtape DJ rather than a live DJ. This got me more interested in how the music was made, and I got myself my first sampler, the Boss SP-505. I quickly learned the basics and moved on to the MPC. I got the 2000XL and that’s when I really got my head down. I moved on from the XL to the 2500, I produced all my album on there and pretty much the majority of my work to date, I’ve since moved on to the 5000 and very recently Maschine. Since I’ve been producing I’ve worked with US artists like 40 Glocc, Bo Roc, Ruste Juxx, Nu JerZey Devil, Joell Ortiz, Jadakiss, Wordsmith, St Laz, The Game, Joe Budden, Jackitdown Brown and UK rappers Late, Konny Kon of Broke N English, Skinnyman, S. Kalibre, Genesis Elijah and loads more. I really like putting together collabs with US and UK artists, one of the best examples of how good this can sound is the track I did for Wordsmith’s Vintage Vault mixtape called Comin’ For The Top Spot which features 14 artists.
Alkota: I’ve recently interviewed several hip hop producers from the UK who are killing the beats! Endemic/NoCure, Beat Butcha, etc. The UK has some real talent.
2. How have you been able to produce/make beats for so many well known artists in the United States/UK?
It’s all about networking really. I don’t have any trouble emailing an artist or artists manager and introducing myself, telling them what I do and seeing if we can work out a deal. The boundaries between major artists and indie artists (producers and rappers) are no where near as intimidating as they might have been 10-15 years ago. These days it’s so easy to get in touch with an artist you admire, or an artist you’ve always wanted to work with, and talk to them and get something happening. Likewise, established artists know that an indie or underground producer are just as able to come with something hot as a big name producer. That’s how my track with 40 Glocc came about. Back in the days of Myspace, Havoc sent me a message saying he was really feeling my beats and would I like to do a track with one of his artists. As a relatively new producer in the game, there’s no way you’re going to turn down an offer like that. I used to use these online agencies that offer track dumps to major artists or industry opportunities, but I found it’s much better to save your money and just approach the artists directly. Just remember to keep your messages short and to the point, include a link to a website containing up to date work and don’t go in there bragging about how great you are. If you keep to those rules then you should be able to not only get the artist to listen to your beats and possibly work with you, but at the very least you can maintain a working relationship that might lead to something in the future.
Alkota: In addition to making beats you also run your own record label, De Facto Entertainment.
3. How did you get into producing music and running your own record label full time?
To me, being a producer is not just about making records, it’s also about introducing and breaking new artists, and the best way I felt I could do this was to start my own label and recruit some of the best artists I knew that needed a shot. It’s as much a credit to a producers skills to break a new artist as it is to go platinum or create a highly regarded industry reputation. I started De Facto Entertainment with that in mind. De Facto was set up with the outlook to make and release hip hop that I love as a fan, that real rap, boom bap, 90′s influenced rap, but at the same time come with a fresh facet to it. I’m not trying to release music that will chart or get spins on the radio and clubs, De Facto was never started out to be a money making exercise or the next Roc-A-Fella, but at the same time, I know the music released from De Facto will get air play and will get select fans, and its the radio DJ’s and fans that support and love real hip hop that will appreciate our material. Although running De Facto and producing records isn’t my full time career as yet, it might as well be. For the 8 hours a day I work my day job, the other 16 are spent working on my music, my label and sleeping (which feels like a few hours wasted). I’m close to making the leap to professional producer and label owner, but I need to get more releases out through De Facto. The only trouble I could see from becoming a full time producer/label owner is that the reason for making music becomes your reason to get paid, and to me it’s not the right reason to be making music. So until I can live comfortably on my income from music, it’ll have to stay the way it is. I don’t want to be making music JUST to keep a roof over my head if you get me. Check out De Facto’s website and take a listen to what we’re doing over there. (see link at end of interview)
4. Lets talk about your production set up. What equipment and/or software are you using to make beats?
It’s cut down a bit from what it was a few months ago. I used to have three MPC’s, an old SP-808 and lots of hardware. These days I have my MPC500, I’ve just got in to Maschine too, my Mackie DXB200 mixing desk, KRK Rockit 8 monitors, a 24″ iMac running Logic Pro 8 and a stack of vinyl. I still swear by the MPC, that’s what I cut my teeth on and that’s the machine I’ve made some of my best beats on too, but I can’t knock Maschine either. That’s a serious piece of kit. It’s got a much better workflow than the MPC and it’s only restricted by the power of the computer it’s connected to. I don’t want to stray too much from this setup either, cos I know the tools a producer uses are one of the factors that help that producer develop their own sound, and I feel I have my own sound and style and I know this pieces of equipment I use inside out and back to front, so if it aint broke, don’t fix it.
Alkota: Consistently making beats can be draining, especially with a full plate.
5. How many beats a day/week do you make?
It varies a lot. Some weeks I’ll make 10 beats and other weeks I’ll make 3. I do try to make a beat every day, but some times the inspiration just isn’t there, and I know from experience that you can’t force it or make it happen when that’s the case. Also a beat can take me from an hour to 5 or 6 hours to make. I’m not one of these producers who can bang out a beat in 20 minutes and move on to the next one. I take my time with every aspect of the beat right from the sample chops to the FX added to the hi hat, every single aspect needs attention to detail and if that means the beat takes the best part of a day to wrap up, then so be it, the result at the end is well worth it in my opinion. A typical beat for me will start with hearing a record that sparks my interest, something I can chop up and really get busy with. So I’ll get the samples chopped up and I’ll sequence the chops and get them sounding smooth, then I’ll get some drums layed out. Usually, most producers I know will do the drums first, but I’ve always done the sample sequencing first then the drums. It might mean I go back and rearrange the sample chops to work better with the drum pattern I’ve programmed, but most of the time it works out. Then I’ll add hi hats, crashes, toms and all the other percussion hits needed to make the drums sound fuller. Then I’ll add a bassline and work in other instrumentation if it’s needed or if it fits, some times you need to know when to stop adding stuff though. I’ll then make all the sequences, so one for the verse, one for the hooks, a bridge if needed, intro, outro etc and a lot of the time I’ll have different sequences for verses just to mix it up a bit. Then the beat gets a mix down and all the FX, compressors, Buses etc get added, some automation written, then it’s bounced down and ready to send to the client. I do insist when I work with an artist, that I get the vocal WAV’s so I can make the automation fit better, reprogram the beat if needed, add or remove any bits. I do the whole producer role, I’m not in to selling the beat and then moving on to the next one really.
Alkota: I see alot of up and coming artists, beatmakers, and producers on the internet worried about the legalities of sampling. I personally still sample heavily and have never run into any problems.
6. Do you make more sample heavy beats or sample free/original beats?
I have only ever made sample heavy beats, and that’s the way I like to make beats,that’s the sound I love and that’s the only way I know how to make beats really. I’ve tried to make sample free beats, but they seem to sound cheap and horrible. I’m a big fan of sampling and always will be. So far, I’ve not had any trouble with sampling either, in regard to legal issues. I’m under the impression that, unless you’re shifting hundreds of thousands of units, it would cost more for a law suit than they would get in return, so the industry turn a blind eye to a lot of the indie stuff released containing samples. Worst case, you might get slapped with a cease and desist order. The music industry is a hypocritical place at the best of times, and even the majors try and get away without clearing samples, it’s a practice that has been and will be around for as long as music. The trouble comes when, you as a producer, sell a beat containing a sample, and it’s planned to have a major artist on, therefore increasing the chances of it getting good sales and getting heard by people who matter, but no one’s cleared the sample cos the label see it as the producers responsibility, the producer sees it as the labels responsibility and it all goes wrong. As a producer, if you clear the sample, you are in the best position to negotiate the terms and percentages, but then it comes out of your pocket, and sometimes that can be a HUGE amount of money, which is the main reason to let the label deal with it, but then you could be shafted on your end of the cut. Just best to get all this cleared up in the paperwork before any money or beats change hands. Cover yourself first, cos no one else will have your back.
7. Do you mix/engineer your own records or do you have someone else mix your music?
I do mix and engineer all my own work. For 2 reasons really, firstly, I know my beats, my set up and my sounds better than an outside person. The biggest USP a producer can have is that they have developed their own sound, and no one knows that sound better than the producer themselves. Some producers have excellent working relationships with mixers and engineers, and they’re part of that sound, but I don’t have that luxury, so part of my sound is down to my mixing, so obviously by getting a third party involved, that sound could be jeopardized. The downside to this is, I know I don’t have the same level of knowledge as a dedicated mix engineer or recording engineer. They specialize in that field and they know it as well as I know my MPC, so there’s a chance they could improve my sound too, and as with anything, you get what you pay for, so a really good engineer is gonna cost, a lot, which leads me to the second point, it can add a lot of expense and time to the whole process of making a track and multiply that over an album and it’s a lot of extra time and money that might not be in the budget or the schedule. That’s not to say they’re not worth it, far from it, you can’t put a price on a good engineer or mixer, but sometimes budget and time frames just don’t allow. With enough time and effort, you can mix your own stuff as well as any outside person in my eyes, and as long as you budget for mastering, then it’s pretty safe to say you can end up with something that still really bangs.
Alkota: Lets talk business for a second. As a producer/beatmaker in an over-saturated market, you have to be on top of your game, constantly keeping yourself visible and relevant.
8. How do you market yourself and shop your beats to artists? Do you have any advice for up and coming beat makers/producers who want to get heard?
I make sure I have as big an online presence as possible. You can never have too many websites, blogs, profiles, accounts etc. The easier you are to find amongst the masses of other producers, the better. That alone won’t bring results though, I mean you obviously need to be bringing something to the table, but having a big presence online is really important to me. As I mentioned earlier, with regards to shopping beats, I hit the artist as directly as possible, which usually ends at the manager, but every now and then you’ll get to artist themselves. It might be worth trying these websites that promote placements and track dumps to majors, but I’ve had more success going the DIY route. There was a time where a beat had to come from a reliable source, such as one of these websites, or an industry insider, A&R, Lawyer etc, but these days artists know you can’t afford to ignore the little guys anymore or filter out producers with an A&R or manager. Just make sure when you approach artists, no matter what level they’re at, that you don’t waste they’re time, be respectful, honest and confident, but not arrogant, you’re not Kanye yet.
Alkota: I see a growing number of artists and labels relying on blogs to push their music. For up and coming artists and producers the blogs appear to be an easy foot in the door.
9. Do you think promoting music via hip hop blogs is the end all/be all of marketing and promotion? Or do you think the blogs will slowly decline and become another tech/industry fad?
I don’t think it’s the be all and end all of marketing and promo, but it is a very big part of it and a very good way to get your name and your work heard by a bigger audience. I’ve had a number of my material placed on blogs all over the internet, and it’s definitely made a difference. It’s got my music heard by a lot more people, it’s a good way to get feedback, it’s a good way to make sure your music not only reaches a bigger audience, but it can also mean your music is heard by your target audience. I use my own blog (www.16rubbers.com) to keep my fans up to date on all things Stealf related and also on De Facto’s moves and releases, so I know from running a blog that they really are a good way to get out there. I don’t think they’re a fad, but I’m sure they will develop in to something a lot more than they are right now. So while blogs may look like they could phase out in the future, the reality is, I think they will just evolve in to something else, maybe something more involved, more of a hybrid of a social network and a specialized media outlet.
Alkota: Word on the street is that music isn’t as lucrative as it used to be and you have to get creative to make a buck.
10. Besides selling beats and albums, what other sources of revenue are you as a producer taking advantage of?
I have Stealf clothing, like T-shirts, hoodies etc, I also have a diploma in computer graphics, so I occasionally do artwork for albums, mixtapes and stuff like that. Although the majority of my income does from beats and album/EP sales, you still need a side hustle. Making a living, let alone just a buck from music is hard enough these days, so you need to have other ways to make some money to keep your studio running. I try to keep all my side hustles music related so I can still keep the possibility of a beat sale of EP deal in the loop. I also offer artists the chance to release stuff through De Facto, which not only gives them the chance to make some money from a release, it also strengthens De Facto’s catalogue as well as bringing some extra revenue in to the label. Of course for that to happen, that artist has to have the quality that De Facto can put out there, but it’s another way for all of us to get some change.
11. What can we look forward to from Stealf for the second half of 2011 and 2012?
I have my album coming out this year. It’s been a good 4 years in the making and the release date keeps getting pushed back, but it will drop this year. That’s got some of my best work on and it features a lot of the big names I’ve worked with and some of the best unsigned and indie talent I know. It’s a mammoth 25 tracks deep, but each and every one is something special. I have a number of EPs dropping too. I have The Artful Dodgers EP with my Chicago brother Solomon D’ Augustine, that’s due out in the beginning of the 4th quarter, I’ve also got Beats & Rhymes Vol. 1 with Jackitdown Brown, that’s a real nice sounding EP, Jackitdown has got an incredible flow and it’s planned to feature Kool G Rap too, then I also have another EP from an artist I’m trying to get out there called Mista Flix. He’s a lyrical monster and his EP will certainly make people sit up and take notice. It’s a busy 2nd hald of the year for me. 2012 will be mainly focussed on developing De Facto and getting more material out there from the roster, Suus already has en EP out that he worked on, Clas-Sick is on the second single from my album on a track called Killer MC, we’re going to be dropping a Stealf Produced album/EP next year too. There’s going to be some big things coming.
12. I know Stealf has beats for sale. For artists and labels looking to buy beats from you, whats the best way to get in touch with Stealf The Producer?
Like I said earlier, there are loads of ways to get in touch with me, Facebook and Soundcloud are the most popular, but stealftheproducer.com is the best and also my blog 16rubbers.com.
All my sites, blogs, profiles and email address are:
www.defactoentertainment.co.uk
13. Any shout outs or final thoughts on the music industry?
The music industry is in a sorry state right now, but each and everyone of us involved in it can make it better, it just depends if we all want too, or wether we just want to use it to satisfy our own ends. I wanna shout out all the people that have supported me, helped me and worked with me. There are far too many to mention individually, but they all know who they are. I wanna thank all the De Facto family too. And I wanna thank you for the interview, it’s been fun
