Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Winner of the January 7th, 2016 Beat This! Competition, crog85 surprised himself by bringing the best remix to an Eminem remix. It was a tough battle because remixes are always hard, but crog85 managed to provide a hard beat and it worked out perfectly. Here are his thoughts on the win...
You recently won the Beat This! Competition - your first ever win. How does it feel?
It feels really good winning my first battle! Hopefully there will be more to come... I've finished as a runner up in a few of the other battles, but really never expected to win. It was definitely a surprise!
What is the best part of being in a beat battle?
I think the best part of being in a battle is going up against other producers/beat makers. Especially in the themed battles. Although we all start with the same theme, each producer ends up with a completely different beat that is unique to them. For me, it's interesting to see how each producer can interpret this one theme in so many different ways.
There are many online battles, what do you think sets IllMuzik's battles apart from the rest?
I haven't really gone out looking for other beat battles, but I think what would set IllMuzik apart is that there always seems to be some kind of battle going on. Whether its Beat This!, Battle That!, Warzone, or Attack of the Beats. Each week there's something new to look forward to, which has me wondering. Where's the new episode of Attack of the Beats?!?! It can't still be that hot in Canada! LOL.
Are your beats made for the battle or are they just whatever beats you have lying around?
I wouldn't say any of my beats are made specifically for a battle. The last few themed battles, that I've competed in, began with a beat that was started months before hand. When I see the theme, it usually reminds me of one of my unfinished beats. Then I'll go back and finish the beat based on the theme.
What do you currently have in your setup?
My setup is pretty basic. I do everything in Garageband. It's an old version too, I think it may be like '09 or something LOL. I have an Akai MPK Mini as my MIDI controller. I use it for playing out different virtual instruments, and for triggering my drums. I try to play as much as I can live, and don't like to program notes unless it's something that's nearly impossible for me to play. I also have a few guitars and a bass that I use on almost all my beats. I record them thru a Tascam US-2x2 audio interface. I have a cheap MXL condenser mic that I use to record acoustic guitar and the occasional vocals, and I have a pair of KRK Rokit 6 studio monitors, and thats about it.
There are many new beatmakers to the game. What was the hardest part for you when you first got started?
Hmm... Good question. I think one of the things that was challenging at first was structuring the beat to form a complete song. Learning how many bars for a verse, a hook, how to transition between different parts, coming up with an intro, ending the beat. I remember listening songs that I liked, counting out the beats, and with pen and paper I would literally draw/write out the song structure so I could see how many bars different parts had - when instruments/sounds would drop in and out, etc.
Why did you get into making beats in the first place anyway?
Well, I've been creative ever since I was a kid. I would always take art classes, but never really got into music until much later. I really got into making beats around the time I started to learn to play guitar. It was just another way for me to be creative - with drawing/painting I always had a problem of coming up with the subject matter, but with music it seems much simpler to start with a blank canvas and just go where the music takes you.
Where are you from, and what's the Hip Hop scene like?
I'm from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I'm not really into the "Hip Hop scene," or any "scene" for that matter. I'm a bit of a loner. I don't really get out too much LOL.
Have you worked with any artists? What was that like?
I have. I've worked with a couple. Mainly a friend/local rapper/MC. It's been a few years since we've worked together though. During the time we worked together we probably recorded about a dozen songs, some better than others LOL. It was during this time that I began to feel like the music I was making wasn't the music I should be making, you know what I mean? In some ways I felt like I was "forcing" the music to sound a certain way. I just really wanted to experiment with things and try find "my own sound," so I stopped working with other artists and just started making the music I wanted to hear.
You seem to be somewhat quiet in the forums, why is that?
Quiet in the forums?!?! If you knew me for real you wouldn't think so LOL... I'm what some may call weird... or awkward... I'm very quiet, I won't really talk to anyone unless I know them. I'm the guy that gets freaked out if I have to go up to the drive thru window by myself!! Haha. But really, I try to post in the forums pretty regularly. I might not post that often, but I do get on the site almost daily to see what's going on.
You taught yourself to play the guitar. Is that harder than teaching yourself to make beats?
For me learning to play guitar was definitely more difficult. It would've probably been easier if I started when I was a lot younger, but I did't start to teach myself to play guitar until I was in college.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received when it comes to music production?
I've never really had anyone give me any "advice" on music production, but I did get this fortune cookie once LOL... Years ago, back when I was starting to incorporate live guitars into my beats. The fortune read: "Don't spend your time stringing and tuning your instrument. Start making music now!" It's still taped to my monitor to this day.
Thanks for doing the interview. Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
Umm... Shout out to my 2 favorite ladies... Carmen and MJ
... to everyone here at IllMuzik... and, of course, to you Mister Fade.More Information
- Check out crog85's IllMuzik profile
