Snowman « Classic Drug References

Snowman

April 15, 2008 · 1 Comment

Snowman, from the crew Jack Sample Pros, that’s Ty, Be, Chordz and myself. I grew up in Metro Detroit and moved out to LA in 2000. Started making beats two years ago and DJing since ’98.

Did you always wanna make that transition from DJing to beat making?

Nah, when I started I just wanted to learn how to DJ so badly. Eventually after learning how to beat match, I wanted to learn how to scratch and do those sorts of things and be a full DJ, be able to rock parties and scratch and all that good stuff. I didn’t really wanna make beats until I moved to LA and started listening ot a lot of different stuff the Beat Junkies had put me onto. What I noticed was that Detroit got a lot of love out here in LA, they were playing nothing but Slum Village and Dilla. It really was like a home away from home and that really inspired me to want to make beats.

What kind of shit were the Beat Junkies putting you onto?

They were playing all sorts of old Slum Village stuff, Fantastic Vol.1, which I wasn’t up on until ’99. That was right before fantastic vol.2 came out and I come out here and J. Rocc is playing all kinds of originals and this that and the other. That really made me want to start making beats and not having my turntables when I moved out here was even more like… you know what I mean?

Yeah. After you started making beats, how soon did you hook up with Ty and them?

Ty actually lent me his MPC and taught me how to sample and sequence and basically run the machine. Dude put me through like a boot camp and I’m very, very thankful because he taught me how to sample then came back 2 weeks later and then taught me how to sequence. So I had 2 weeks worth of samples on the MPC and didn’t know how to sequence. I got real good at choppin and shit like that, once I learned how to sequence, it was kinda like it was over. I’m very thankful for Ty and Chordz and B, the whole Jack Sample crew really taught me how to do what I do.

How does the collective thing work? Do you get together and work on shit?

Yah we’ll get together. A lot of times I’ll bring over a gang of records, Ty will have a bunch of records and Chordz will have a bunch of records. We’ll sample a bunch of shit then someone will start the drums, someone will start the chops then someone will play on the motif or the moog and go from there. We start from the samples then go beyond that and create something that’s our own.

Now some of the Jack Sample crew has had some releases right?

Yeah, Ty and Chords did Prescription and that came out on a Fat City Producer One series. I didn’t have anything to do with that beat, but those dudes killed it on there.

Fast forward to now, can you tell us about the record you got coming out with All City?

Yep, All City Records, out of Dublin Ireland. Shouts to my man Olen out there, he’s putting together a beatstrumental series. 7 producers and 7 45’s, it’s a collectors edition with artwork and basically it’s going to be ridiculous. You should collect all of them, Hudson Mohawke, Mike Slott, it’s gonna be dope.

How did that come about?

I met Olen actually at the Root Down out here. It was random; he was visiting my man Newman from Giant Panda. He was out here just buying a bunch of records and happened to be at the Root Down. Me and Shoes went up there and dude just happened to be there. I know this cat Colin from Ireland and Colin happens to be on his label so it was a really small world. He asked me to do the 45 that night.

Dope, so this is your first actual release?

Yeah, this is gonna be my first record.

Good shit man, congratulations. Still, you’ve also worked with other cats like Guilty Simpson and Ta’raach.

Yeah, I mean Guilt and Ta’raach, that’s family right there. I’ve got a couple of joints with Guilt, I got one with Ta’raach and a bunch more planned down the road. I want to get in the studio with Elzhi, already been in with Sean Jackson for a bunch of joints. I’m working with Magestik Legend and NowOn, that’s all family right there so I’m just thankful to know all these cats.

Do you have any plans for a full LP of your own?

Well I’ve got an instrumental LP coming out on Walkman Flavor.

Oh yeah, Illa Jay has a joint on that.

Yeah, Illa Jay has got an instrumental joint coming out real soon on their label and mine’s coming out summertime. It’s gonna be like one release for one album, then 2 weeks or a month later, the next release. Just hit em back to back.

Now you’re here in LA and you mentioned the connection you saw between Detroit and LA. How do you feel that that’s grown since you’ve been out here?

Just being able to hang out with cats like Rhettmatic. He’s a genuine LA cat and he’s got nothing but love and nothing but humility, and that’s basically what I’m used to. That’s like people I used to hang with at the crib and that just right there makes you feel at home. Cats treat you like family.

Anything else you wanna talk about?

Shit man, I dunno. I’m just thankful for the opportunity, thankful for you brother, for what you doing. Classic Drug References, the dopest blog name out there guaranteed. Your blog is not dope; it does not have a name like Classic Drug References. Yeah man, I’m just thankful to be here, doing music.