Drumma Boy concocted the beat behind Young Jeezy’s hit single “Put On,” and there isn’t a more appropriate song that describes the producer’s career. After lacing the likes of hometown heroes Tela, Pastor Troy and Gangsta Boo while in Memphis, he moved to Atlanta, where he’d begin providing heat for bonafide superstars: Young Jeezy, T.I., Scarface, and others. But he keeps an ear to Memphis as well—he insists that he’s had a new song on the radio every month for the past five years since he’s moved out, and he’s giving opportunities to even other up-and-comers with his Drum Squad crew.
In an interview with HipHopDX’s Producer’s Corner, Drumma Boy talks about choosing rap over classical, getting beat out in a “Key To The City” race by Master P, and working with Atlanta’s top dogs.
HipHopDX: Your family is classically-trained, musically. Your mother was a professional Opera singer, and your dad was a professional clarinetist and a professor. What was that like for you growing up?
Drumma Boy: It’s crazy, because it wasn’t bumping around the house like that. First of all, my mom and my dad divorced when they had me. So in my pop’s crib, I was listening to him practice, because he practices 18 to 20 hours a day, it seemed like. He was a Blues fan, and he liked the rhythm of Funk. At my mom’s crib, I was waking up to…Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson. She was solid Soul. She was in the Opera, but she was still a sister, she was still from the south, born in North Carolina and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Growing up in Tennessee, it was heavy on the Blues. Rock & Roll and Country right up the street, in Nashville. So it’s so many zones of music where I come from, I just loved music.
DX: What artists from other genres do you look to for inspiration, and what do you take from them?
Drumma Boy: Man, it’s so many, because I listen to all genres of music. Quincy Jones was probably my biggest inspiration as far as being a musician and writing music. I learned how to play clarinet before I make beats. I could’ve been in the orchestra, but I felt writing music, composing music and arranging music was a bigger challenge than just being in the orchestra, where the only music I’m going to play is [Ludwig van] Beethoven, or [Wolfgang Amadeus] Mozart, or [Johann Sebastian] Bach. It was interesting to me learning how to write.
Even Dr. Dre, as far as who’s more relevant right now. He’s a person who believes in a certain type of sound. Then I look at his success that he had with N.W.A., and Snoop [Dogg], with Aftermath, the Chronic albums. Even with brand new artists, like 50 Cent [click to read] and Eminem. But I’ve still got the business mogul side, similar to Puffy. He gets a lot of money branding a lot of companies, and then he’s the first black man to own the biggest fragrance in the world. … I look at myself as a chemistry of the Dre, Quincy and Puffy. I put all of that together, and give the world what they need.
DX: I just find it notable that someone was around other forms of music—especially classical, to a certain extent—and consciously made the choice of Hip Hop. The genre’s musicians and fans are often viewed as being short-sighted.
Drumma Boy: Hip Hop is the only genre of music that we as a people, or us as a culture, is our way to express our music. It was created out of New York, and Hip Hop is like a gift to us that was broadened to one of the most popular genres of music in the world. To me, Hip Hop is our way to express how we feel. Music is a way to express how we feel, too. I’m a producer, so musically, I make music based on how I feel. I don’t make a beat just to sell it and make money; I express my emotions through my music. Whatever genre that falls under, that’s what it falls under; but you have to give back to Hip Hop. Show your respect, passion and love for Hip Hop. That’s the only genre of music that we can claim and say this is what we started, this is what we created, this is what we branded. It’s the roots of where we come from.
But also, I’m going to show you more of where I came from. That’s why I started Drumma Boy Live, why I came with “Here I Am,” why I came with “You Ain’t Missin’ Nothin’” on the T.I. [click to read] [Paper Trail] [click to read] album. I feel like you have to expand, and I have to show the world that I’m capable of creating a sound from scratch. They already knew that I was making beats, they knew I was producing. … But the world thought all I was capable of was rap and Hip Hop beats. Rap was just what I had in my face. I played basketball, and my dad would always tell me, “Take what the defense gives you.” That’s what the defense was giving me; God was giving me rap artists. This was my stepping stone. If the majority of shit coming out of Memphis is on some gutta shit, nine times out of 10, to get respect, you have to get it from the streets. The streets start with rap music. I ain’t want to start off with Country, or start off with Classical, or start off with a genre of music that wasn’t respected as much. It’s all about respect, and that’s one thing I learned first. … With respect, you get power, you money, and you get an opportunity.
DX: You’re also one of many that migrated to Atlanta to get their career really popping.
Drumma Boy: A lot of producers out of Memphis were successful before me, but didn’t take it to the level that I felt it could be taken to. There’s so much musical talent in Memphis, but we don’t get the credit we deserve. So I took it upon my mission to be heard globally, and represent that message the best way I could. Go to a city and say, “You’re the music mecca? I’m going to go to you, and tackle you.” That’s how I approached Atlanta. When I got to Atlanta, Jazze Pha [click to read], DJ Toomp [click to read], Dallas Austin [click to read] —these were some of the biggest producers. A couple of dudes weren’t even producing. Polow [Da Don] wasn’t even making beats; that’s my dude, I came up with dude. That’s why I go so hard.
DX: So I heard you got a key to the city of Memphis?
Drumma Boy: Nah. I was a number one candidate to get the key to the city of Memphis, and the key was given to Master P. Which is crazy to me, but shout out to Master P, shout out to Romeo. They do a lot of hood events, a lot community events, a lot of charity, and a lot of real estate projects in Memphis. They’re working with school systems and educational methods with the kids. They’re doing a lot more than I was community-wise, but musically, Memphis already knows what it is. And as far as I was concerned, I already had a key to the city. You don’t need a physical key to have a key to the city. So not to say too much on that, but it is what it is.
DX: What are some differences between working in Atlanta and working in Memphis?
Drumma Boy: Working in Memphis [is] going to be a little bit slower, but at the same time, I can get more shit done because I’m not doing as much. I get to focus a little better. Atlanta’s becoming a New York type of city, where it’s real fast-paced. When I work here, I’m always working three to six multiple sessions, so I’m always juggling. I’ve got five different artists working on my shit at the same time, so I’m bouncing around from studio to studio checking on each one. At the same time, you don’t get to focus on one particular thing, but there’s a lot of multi-tasking being done. And I’ve got people handling each particular situation. I’ve got engineers that I’m working with that I can trust, so even if I’m not there, I know my engineer’s going to have it right. I’ve got people in line—my machine is still moving, my engine is still running.
Different cities that I work in, I get certain sentiments. Making music in Phoenix or L.A., I’m going to get a different vibe. It’s always good to get that hometown vibe when I’m in Memphis. It’s more grimy, more triumphant, more hood, gangsta mixed with a little bit of symphony. It’s that hometown sound when I’m in Memphis, for real.
DX: You work with a lot of artists from Memphis: Tela, Gangsta Boo, etc. When I look at Kanye West, when he first started to blow up, he was still working with the likes of Dilated Peoples and Slum Village. You’ve gotten placements with the likes of T.I., Jeezy and Monica. Do you feel it’s still necessary to work with artists from Memphis?
Drumma Boy: Hell yeah. Since I stopped living in Memphis, we’ve still had a song with a new artist from Memphis on the radio every month for the past five years. We have not stopped. There’s new artists such as Young Key, Cristal, Young Phenomenon, Miscellaneous. It’s crazy, there’s so many new brands. When I’m in Memphis, it’s more like I’m putting niggas on and putting people in position. Giving back opportunity that I succeeded upon. It’s not like my city is already on. It ain’t like dudes is getting money off of music in Memphis. Only people making money off of music in Memphis is 8Ball & MJG [click to read] and Three 6 Mafia [click to read]. That sums it up, long story short, as far as on the Hip Hop end. Yo Gotti is the other one. Those are [mostly] groups that have been out five to 10 years already. Those are the vets. But you’ve got new cats. It’s a whole ‘nother generation that’s on the verge of poppin’, on the verse of getting to the money. So that’s what I’m trying to make bubble over.
It’s a grind, it ain’t easy. Atlanta had their run, and they’re still running. But Atlanta’s one of the most traveled cities in the south. Look how much traffic comes through Atlanta—through the airports, through the highways. When you’ve got that much money coming through the city out the wop, the city’s going to be successful. You’ve got the most Fortune 500 companies in the south, so it’s going to be a lot more jobs, a lot more clubs, a lot more women, a lot more everything. Memphis is just a little more behind that, but as far as musical talent, it’s so much unsigned hype in Memphis. So I want to put on for my city. And I’m doing it through the music, through the beats, through the talking, through the motivation. You’re going to hear my mixtape coming soon, January or February. I’m just giving knowledge back.
DX: Since you brought it up, let’s talk about “Put On.” Who’s idea was it to make Kanye West use the autotune?
Drumma Boy: That’s all Kanye. When I made that shit, I made it specifically for [Young] Jeezy [click to listen]. Every time he calls me, he’s like, “I need some more yams, what’s up with that macaroni?” I hit him back like, “I got yams, cornbread, muthafuckin’ black-eyed peas, pork chops with the hot sauce and cotdamn gravy with the sautéed onions.” Because I knew what I had; I had just made that beat from scratch and put his name on it. I knew nobody else would be able to rock that muthafucka. I gave it specifically to him on a beat CD, and probably a week later, he called me in and played the record. It was just him on it at the time.
A month later he calls me out the blue, like, “Man, I’ve got a surprise for you.” Probably two or three days later, I’m riding down the highway, going to get my haircut. I’m listening to the radio, and Ms. Shaneka on 107.9 is blasting off “Put On” [click to read] They’re like, “New Jeezy, featuring Kanye West!” I’m like, “Oh shit!” Just listening to it coming through the radio was like “Wow!” … Everything he was saying, I could relate to, because I know how many niggas I done put on. I know how many bitches "owe me sex." All of that shit is real shit.
DX: You think that music historians are going to look at that song and say, “This was a turning point for Kanye”?
Drumma Boy: Man, I know it’s a turning point for Kanye. That song has already been nominated for seven or eight awards, and the biggest nomination of all, I just found out that we're nominated for a Grammy for “Put On.” “Best Rapping Duo.” The whole world knows. That’s probably one of his best verses ever spit, and I brought that out of him. First of all, you haven’t heard Kanye rap on too many other peoples’ beats. I just consider that a blessing, and I consider it a blessing to pull that out of him to make him say what he said.
And shout out to Jeezy, because Jeezy came with a crazy hook. That’s what he felt, that’s what the music was telling him. If that’s what my music tells you to say, that’s damn near who I felt. … Who doesn’t represent for they city? We do that day in and day out. Every football team does that, every basketball team do that, every organization does that. You’ve got a team, and a place that you rep. Yankees fans go hard for the Yankees. Hip Hop fans go hard for New York. Wherever you’re from, you gon’ go hard. And even if you’re not doing anything positive for your city, you’re still repping it. It’s still something that’s a part of you that says, “Man, that’s my hometown right there.” It’s a special record, and we’re going to keep bringing ‘em. Even Jay-Z [click to read] had to get on that song, and speak what was on his mind. People say that’s one of his hardest verses of the year. Ludacris [click to read] got on the remix and did his thing, Rick Ross [click to read] did his thing.
DX: You work with T.I. and Jeezy, and I think a lot of people group them together just because they’re both from Atlanta. As someone who’s worked with both of them extensively, what do you look to make for T.I., and what do you look to make for Jeezy?
Drumma Boy: To me, Jeezy and T.I. are totally different dudes. We’re all going to have similar ways of speaking…but as far as artists, they’re totally different. Tip isn’t going to be afraid to try anything around a 360 degree angle, whether it’s a ballad, R&B feature, up-tempo dance, real commercial feature, or just some plug Techno music, R&B soulful music, street symphonic music—whatever type of music, I think Tip is open to that.
Jeezy is going to have different elements of music on top of the drums, but as far as them drums, you have to get him some hood drums. Even if it’s a New York feel. Even on a Kanye beat, Jeezy will sound dope on. Like with, ["Can't Tell Me Nothin' remix] [click to read] but even that beat was a Toomp beat, if I’m not mistaken. Certain sounds you’re going to hear Jeezy on are going to be more hood. He’s going to give you that gangsta look on pretty much everything he do, because he wants to stay in that one look, which is cool.
DX: What was it like making the beat to the ethering of Shawty Lo on “What Up What’s Haapnin”?
Drumma Boy: Shit, it wasn’t really no feeling for me. It was just another diss. I work with all of these dudes. It’s about clientele. I work with Gucci [Mane] [click to read], I work with Shawty Lo, I work with Luda. When you get on the song and say what you got to say, it’s just you venting. It don’t got nothin’ to do with me. I hear what you’re saying. One nigga might have a hard punchline, another nigga might have a hard punchline. It’s just like comedy in a way, because a lot of people bust jokes, or he might get on you in the crowd. You might be out with your wife, and you have on some crazy-looking shoes, and he gets the getting’ on you, you gon’ laugh! You have to just go with the flow. Punchlines are meant to be laughed at, so we take it for what it is, laugh at it, and keep it moving. Hopefully nobody got hurt. We ain’t tryna get individuals hurt…I just make good music and keep thangs crackin’.
DX: Like you said earlier, you seem to have a clear understanding for the business just as much as the music. How important is the business side?
Drumma Boy: It’s equally, 100%. Everything you do needs your 100%. You can’t treat it halfway, because that’s the one that gets got and come up short. When I do business, I look at business 100%. When I look at the music, that’s 100%. In order to do certain things, some things require teams. Some things require staff—accounting, lawyers, management, just to name a few. Just to make sure your business end is 100%, you may have an A&R department or a recruiting end or someone to stay on the lookout for that next Diddy, next Drumma Boy, next Johnta Austin. That’s where evolving comes from, that’s where branding comes from. And that’s what Drumma Squad is about: deeper roots uniting music. We put on what’s great and let you evolve to be you; everybody has the gift to be their own person, and that’s up to your own work ethic. That’s what we develop. You’re never born a star—stars are developed. You earn your starship.
