Maestro’s latest gem is the opening track to the most anticipated album of the year—“3 Peat” on Lil Wayne’s platinum-certified Tha Carter III—but the Atlanta producer has been putting in work for years. Building much of his catalog by crafting hits for Dem Franchize Boyz, he’s also responsible for co-producing much of David Banner’s 2005 album Certified. This year seems to be Maestro’s key year to shine, with both the aforementioned Weezy track and Ice Cube’s return single “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It” (with its subsequent remix featuring Nas and Scarface) both making waves.

In an interview with HipHopDX’s Producer’s Corner, Maestro talks about Lil Wayne, playing the side role with David Banner, and why helping the competition won’t impede on his hustle.

HipHopDX: Well first off, how and when did you get started doing music?
Maestro: I started doing music professionally full time around 2003, but my experiences with music go back much further. I'm a classically trained pianist and took lessons from the age of seven. I played piano at my church and was the accompanist for all of the music groups at my junior high and high school. I got into the production aspect in high school through a course at my school called Electronic Music; it was there that I learned a majority of the skills that have helped me go pro.

DX: How would you say being classically trained enhances your music? Do you think it gives you an advantage over other producers?
Maestro: I think that being classically trained enhances my music by allowing me access to a larger musical pallet. I feel like it gives me an edge, but being able to play by ear also helps out a great deal. Overall, I think that any producer who can play an instrument or who has access to musicians puts himself at an advantage but that’s not all that this business is about. You can have great music but if you lack a good attitude and good contacts, all the classical training in the world won’t get you on an album. [Laughs]

DX: Well you seem to have done a good job of getting with the right artists. How did you first start working with Wayne?
Maestro: My first song with Weezy was a feature on a cut by Parlae of [Dem] Franchize Boyz; I had done a ton of work on their first album, and my brother Chico was their manager, so I had an open lane. "I Whip Yae" was the product of that initial link. My official placements with Wayne arose from work I had done with a songwriter named Shanell. She was doing a deal and cutting songs with him at the time, and I was able to submit a lot of material. I ended up cutting songs for Wayne [click to read], Curren$y, Baby [click to read], and Bad Ass Grasshoppers off the strength of her relationship.

DX: Have you gotten to record with him in the studio? Or has he just taken your beats and done his thing from there?
Maestro: I've been at the studio while he was recording, but never to any of my songs. Wayne does a lot of recording on the road, so it would be difficult to get in with him every time a track of mine moves him to record. Even when I can't be a part of the recording process, I still make sure I produce all of my records. I get the sessions once the songs are laid and enhance the production and arrangement of the tracks to make the songs a good showcase of our collaboration.

DX: How is working with Wayne different from working with other artists, just as far as working with his vocals, etc.?
Maestro: I think Wayne is a unique artist in a lot of senses. What really differentiates him from most is that he is a prolific recorder. He'll record anywhere and anytime because he is always coming up with concepts, laying down a song, jumping on a remix, or working on new material. Since his home is on the road, all of that creativity might come out when the conditions are less than perfect. The average artist works at the same studio with the same engineer in the same room all the time so there is a sense of uniformity to their vocal tone. Wayne's stuff may sound really expertly recorded on some tracks and be less than perfect on others. It comes with the territory, but I leave that for the engineer to deal with. [Laughs]

DX: I read on your blog that your sample for "Kush" was the first sample you made a beat with?
Maestro: That’s right. I made “Kush” when all I had was an MPC 2000 and Pro Tools LE on a Mac G4. I was always intimidated by sampling records because I didn't know the “mystic arts” of chopping. I ended up importing the song into a Pro Tools session, cutting it up, and sliding the pieces around on the grid. It was crude at the time, and probably hard to understand for newer producers who use intuitive sample editors like Recycle, but it got the job done! Continued on page 2 »