Str8HipHip

Str8 Hip Hop caught up with SoundSquad's Majik & Los and talked production.

By Francesca Djerejian (SHH Staff Writer)

www.myspace.com/60523342

For VA's prolific producers Majik & Los (SoundSquad), it's nothing to churn out Fruity Loops bangers all day. And with one of these being the force behind Jim Jones' hit song 'Weatherman', featuring Lil' Wayne and Stack Bundles, Majik has generated a major buzz. So major, that he has not only the Dipset Capo, but also Jones' nemesis of the moment, Jay Z, checking for his beats. At this pivotal point in his career, Majik shares his insights into the production game and ambitions for the future. Str8hiphop.com got the interview poppin' with Majik and his SoundSquad Productions partner, Los.

SHH:What’s good?

Majik:Chillin', eatin' some chicken nachos…

SHH:I’m talking to someone else from SoundSquad Productions?

Majik:Yeah that's Los

Los:Yea it's Los!

SHH:OK. So what’s the story of how ya’ll linked up?

Los:Aww man… Well if it wasn’t for MySpace, there will be no Los in SoundSquad.

Majik:At first is was just me and the homie Beanz for about a year and a
half or so, then Los hit me up one day and kept sendin’ me tracks. I wasn’t even lookin’ for another producer AT ALL, but he was showin’ me some crazy stuff so I had to put him on. Yea! HAHAAHAA, it went down from there... They showed mad respect from the start for me. So I gave it back.

SHH:OK. So you guys are all from VA though?

Los:Oh I moved here to VA about 2-3 years ago.

Majik:All the producers are in VA: Los, Beanz, Shy T, and myself. Shout to DJ STC over in the Bay Area.

SHH:So would you guys say that you have a VA-influenced sound?

Majik:Nah… I wouldn’t say that.

Los:Nah

SHH:What producers were you feeling coming up that influenced you?

Majik:Timbo, The Neptunes (I know VA sound) [laughs], Kanye, The Heatmakerz. The main producer that really got me where I'm at is the homie Lab Ox; he’s with G-Unit now.

SHH:I know in your bio it says that you were influenced by producers who
disappointed and impressed you, who did you mean by ‘disappointed’?

Majik:yeah, aw man should I say names?

SHH:Yeah

Majik:You tryna get me in trouble (laughs), but I’ma be real… People like Scott Storch... He's the main one, because he's not very hot at all to me. So it influences me like..."damn if they feelin’ THAT, then I hope they feelin’ me, and if not then I need to step up".

SHH:So disappointed doesn’t mean you think they fell off, it just means you don’t think they’re that hot to begin with?

Majik:Yeah, I can’t think of any producers who fell off.

SHH:I know Stack Bundles was an early supporter, did you have a buzz before that in VA?

Majik:I've never had a 'buzz' in VA, there were only one or two artists I really worked with in VA, the rest were all over. I figure if you’re going to be local, then that’s usually where you're stuck. You gotta expand, so I just started outside.

SHH:So how did you first link up with Stack?

Majik:My nigga Sonaro that was over at Desert Storm hooked me up wit Stack. To tell you the truth, I've always just kinda known the right people.

SHH:Now that you’ve got the crazy buzz from “Weatherman,” how have you been
leveraging that to make the next moves?

Majik:That joint isn’t even the beginning...I honestly don’t like the beat. THEY made it a hot beat. I mean, I can use that to get further just sayin’ I did “Weatherman”, but my manager is crazy wit the grind so that's not even really needed. Shouts to Nu & Solid Projects...

SHH:What’s the story of the beat? Stack asked you to give him something for Jim’s album?

Majik:I sent the beat to Stack around this time last year actually. And between him and Sonaro, they were telling me they were giving it to Jim Jones and Lil’ Wayne was gonna be on it. Stack is a good dude; he shows mad love so he made that happen. The joints I'm doing for his album are ridiculous

SHH:How many joints you doing for that?

Majik:I don't know yet, but hopefully he let me shine on that. I got crazy ideas for that. Stack been kinda my favorite rapper on the low, ever since a couple of summers ago when he did the “Tipsy” freestyle with Joe Budden.

SHH:You used Fruity Loops to make Weatherman… That’s kind of the new thing, right? Just using Fruity Loops?

Majik:Yeah Fruity Loops is a strong program. A lot of people try to knock it, but that’s because they don’t know how to use it. You just have to learn the ins and outs of it. Lab Ox taught me a lot by NOT teaching me and letting me figure things out myself, that’s the best way to learn.

SHH:You think you’ll want to stick to Fruity your whole career?

Majik:Most likely, yeah.

SHH:How do you approach beats idea-wise? Do you just make fruity loops bangers all day?

Majik:It depends on my mood really, I usually make the beat first, and if I
actually like it I can come up with an idea. But I don’t have many artists who do tracks as fast as I need them, let alone consider my ideas. I'm not really happy with the artist situation we have.... I had to put that out.

SHH:You talking about the artists you produce for?

Majik:Yeah, its either I WANT them to do tracks but they never do; or, they EXPECT that I’ma give them joints. I just want an artist who will wait and take what I give them, make a hit and then wait for the next one. I only have one or two who are like that.

SHH:Sounds like that would be too good to be true.

Majik:It used to be like that though…

SHH:It’s like Jay-Z when he was making the Black Album and they showed him shopping beats on the DVD, he even gave Timbaland a hard time for a second.

Majik:Yeah, but Tim knew Hov was gonna do the track. I don’t have that, except with one or two. So besides being easy to work with, then the problem with that is, I can’t keep making songs with just those two.

SHH:Are there rappers you feel more chemistry with on a musical level, and feel it’s more natural to make beats for? A better fit?

Majik:YES, but THOSE RAPPERS DONT BE DOIN MY SH***!!!

SHH:Like who?

Majik:They know who they are, I'ma leave it at that.

SHH:Aight, fair enough. I heard a rumor that Hov himself was listening to your beats?

Majik:Yeaaah. He feelin’ us, we're just waitin’ to see what’s gonna happen with that now that we know we didn’t make the album.

SHH:Its ok, he won’t be retiring.

Majik:Yeah I hope not.

SHH:It seems like he stuck to a pretty safe formula in terms of his producers on Kingdom Come.

Majik:Yeah… except... NO Timbo…

SHH:Yes, why you think that is?

Majik:I don’t even know...

SHH:Can you talk about the Hot Rod project- you’re producing two songs for his album right?

Majik:Beanz did one and the joint I did is supposed to be a bonus track. Beanz did the title track, "Fastlane." And for the records THAT IS NOT PRODUCED BY SCOTT STORCH! People keep puttin' Storch's name on it, and Beanz’ tag is on the beat.

SHH:That’s not the first time I’ve heard someone say “That’s not a Scott Storch beat!”, but I would hope it would be more fire that a Storch beat, since he is one of the producers who ‘disappoints’ you?

Majik:Well I can safely say that neither one of us is feelin’ the beat either. Everything that we have placed right NOW...old stuff…Los: THAT SHIT HOT! *Los plays Fastlane*. The joint I did is also hot- “V.I.P.”

SHH:Is that leaked?Los: You MIGHT be able to find it somewhere, cause it leaked for a lil bit.

SHH:So how many beats do you have sitting in Fruity Loops right now, ready for the taking?Majik: Wow... Like 3987598126123

Los:Daaaamn word?! Like 2 for me.

Majik:Los got heat, he frontin'…

SHH:So you are prolific with it… do you consider all of the beats good?

Majik:I make about 5 or 6 beats a day. Other people think so, I don’t. I only got a couple that I really like. Those are the ones I send to my artists... Then they don’t get done.

SHH:So maybe you should make an instrumental tape?

Majik:We might do that. I was thinking we could do quarterly remix mix tapes that’ll be done in a few hours, "better than the original" type joints, just for a buzz. I think that will make people recognize us as 'better than ____________.” You fill in the blank.

SHH:But you would save your favorites to give to artists first?

Majik:Definitely

SHH:So who’s your dream rapper you would want to snag one of your beats?

Majik:Hmm… I want to actually get in the studio wit Lil Wayne and work on some stuff, then Little Brother.

Los:50

Majik:Los is a G-Unit soldier… Die hard, with a vengeance.

Los:.... (Silence)

SHH:Power of the Dollar 50 vs. 50 now… which one does Los prefer?

Majik:Royce da 5’ 9’’ is CRAZY.

Los:Yes ROYCE. Premo almost done, but uhhhh I think we can bring the best of 50 back out…

Majik:We can bring the best out of ANYBODY. N****s don’t be tryna work wit the ideas though.

Los:True but we ain’t the best...we just the realest

Majik:When a producer makes a beat, he/she KNOWS what is hot on it.

SHH:She?

Majik:Yo, the illest female producer EVER is Shy T… EVER

Los:EVER… SoundSquidaaaddd

SHH:She doesn’t have much competition.

Majik:Yea she do... I’m tryna get on HER level. She gonna start… It’s gonna be a lot of females’ tryna live that dream now.

SHH:She makes it rain?

Majik:Haha she makes it... Flood dddamn… Flash flood!

SHH: So did Jimmy write all his rhymes on P.O.M.E.?

Majik:I don’t know… You gotta ask Jimmy

SHH:Or did Max B write for him?

Majik:Max B is crazy whoever did it I give props... Cause that album is crazy with the tight flow. I wanna do a track wit Max B...

SHH:Well it’s a good thing he’ll be out in a year.

Majik:Yeah when we were in the office I’m pretty sure dude said a year... I hope. I heard a year at the most, but I ain’t spreadin’ rumors…

SHH:That’s wassup! We need a “Weatherman pt. 2!”

Majik:Yeah, ft. Max B

Los:Told you…

Majik:Yup, Jim, Lil’ Wayne, Stack, Juelz, Max B

Los:And Cam sayin "ayo"

Majik:As long as he got ad libs… That’s why Jim does the adlib thing.

[Killa Season movie is discussed]

Majik:We bout to do a movie, I'm bout to write a script. And we’re gonna start doing SoundSquad DVDs.

SHH:First script ever?

Majik:Nah actually I've written a couple of scripts.

Los:He be keeping shit on the low

SHH:What kind of scripts?

Majik:Just little ideas like for shows and stuff, I might bring ‘em out one day. Me and Beanz were workin’ on a script for a movie over the summer but we stopped. Real movie shit. The one me and Beanz were working on, we're gonna take it to the big screen. I’M really interested in directing too, music videos and stuff like that.

SHH:Where the clothing line at?

Majik:That too

Los:Soon!

SHH:So you guys into that Bapes heavy? I know that’s big in your hood.

Majik:I used to be... Then I kinda fell back from it. Then we went to the Bape store in New York and homie said a regular black belt wit a buckle that say BAPE is $245.

Los:Not me, I’m from Columbus.

Majik:Yeah them Bapes dudes was crazy!

SHH:You heard the Clipse album?

Majik:Yeahhh… It’s uh interestin’… I can’t knock it. I gotta be in a Clipse mood, nah, its hot though for real. People hyped it up too much so when I first listened I wasn’t feeling it. There were a couple bangers on there… The one with Roscoe is fire!

Majik: “Chinese New Year”. “Keys Open Doors” is a crazy record too.

SHH:So what were you saying about knowing what is hot on a beat?

Majik:Concept, flow, swag… all that. If producers were ill rappers...like Kanye West… Kanye is crazy... I wish he worked with other producers.

Los:Believe me- before Majik makes a beat... he puts on his fitted and shades and dress shoes

SHH:Haha, So Majik, were you happy with how the swag of all three- Jim Jones, Lil Wayne and Stack Bundles- complimented the beat for ‘Weatherman’?

Majik:Yeah, they did it how it was supposed to be done (no homo)

Contact SoundSquad @

myspace.com/producermajik

myspace.com/therealsoundsquad

myspace.com/spmusic