Statik Selektah Talks 'Population Control' And More In 2pt. Interview

In demand Bostonian hip hop fixture Statik Selektah talks his upcoming masterpiece Population Control and more with DJ Pizzo.

Statik Selektah Population Control on Duck Down/Showoff Records arrives in-stores and online October 25th.

(video courtesy of Hip Hop Site)

Ski Beatz ’24 Hour Karate School Part 2′ Cover Art And Tracklist Posted Online

Ski Beatz 24 Hour Karate School Part 2 on DD172 arrives August 9th.

01. Metabolic feat. Locksmith
02. Moonwalking feat. STS
03. Looking For Me feat. L.E.P., Bogus Boys & Terri Walker
04. Majesty feat. Cassidy
05. Illegal feat. Freddie Gibbs
06. Amnesia feat. Stat Quo & Nicole Wray
07. Larry Bird feat. Stalley
08. High Score feat. Da$h
09. Frontin’ feat. Tabi Bonney
10. Cotton Candy feat. Mikey Rocks
11. This World feat. Najee
12. You Already Know feat. GLC & Stat Quo

The Legendary Traxter Video Interview

Putting his footprint on the Chicago scene for artists such as Twista, Do or Die and most recently the mega hit for ATL's own Ludacris with 'My Chick Bad', The Legendary Traxter explains his methods and ideals to what it takes to be a world class music producer and engineer. Much wisdom expounded upon courtesy of iStandard Producers.

Pop Ace Producer Benny Blanco In The Studio

Along with Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco has that pop midas touch taking artists like Ke$ha, Taio Cruz, Katy Perry and others straight up the charts.

(video courtesy of Jared Gillam via Pop Justice & Music Radar)

Dr. Luke: See Music Producer In Action On ABC's Nightline

It’s true that the lines between today’s Pop and Urban crossover music are blurring. With rappers like Snoop Dogg jumping on a Katy Perry song or Andre 3000 grabbing a verse on the Ke$ha track Sleazy. No doubt it’s this guy’s fault Dr. Luke.

Also, check out the recent American Songwriter interview Dr. Luke HERE

BMI "How I Wrote That Song" L.A. Industry Panel With Cee-Lo Green, Chad Hugo & More

via BMI

BMI staged the annual Grammy-infused installment of its popular “How I Wrote That Song” panel on Saturday, February 12 at the Key Club (9039 West Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069) in Los Angeles. Panelists included multiple Grammy-winning rapper/singer/songwriter/producer Cee Lo Green; multiple Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Seal; Grammy award-winning songwriter/producer Chad Hugo (of the Neptunes) ; Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Claude Kelly; hit songwriter Bonnie McKee; and hit songwriter BC Jean.

BMI’s “How I Wrote That Song” participants discussed their roles in composing a jaw-dropping collection of contemporary smashes, including Beyoncé’s “If I Were A Boy” (BC Jean); Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream,” Britney Spears’ “Hold It Against Me,” and Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite” (Bonnie McKee); Bruno Mars’ “Grenade,” Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You,” Britney Spears’ “Circus,” Fantasia’s “Bittersweet,” Chrisette Michele’s “Blame It On Me,” and Miley Cyrus’ “Party In the USA” (Claude Kelly); Goodie Mob's“Cell Therapy,” Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” and Cee Lo Green’s “F**k You” aka “Forget You” (Cee Lo Green); Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” Jay Z’s “Excuse Me Miss” and “I Just Wanna Love you (Give It 2 Me),” Ludacris’ “Money Maker,” Robin Thicke’s “Wanna Love You Girl” and Gwen Stefani’s “Holla Back” (Chad Hugo); and “Krazy,” “Love’s Divine,” and “Kiss From a Rose” (Seal).

Catherine Brewton, BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Atlanta, moderated the conversation, while Grammy-winning producer Dallas Austin served as co-host. BMI’s “How I Wrote That Song” was sponsored by TW Steel.

Photo Links:
Film Magic
Corbis Images

KHRYSIS Talks About Working With His Favorite Piece Of Gear

For music production geeks, to get geeked out on and music for music fans alike.

It's hard not to notice how North Carolina based producer KHRYSIS has made a name for himself working with the likes of Sean Price, Talib Kweli, just to name a few. Now see one of his secret music prodcution weapons - Native Instruments' Maschine.

Will.i.am Talks Brands, Tech And The Future In Video Interview

(via Signal L.A.)

Producer Lex Luger Press Release

via the press release

Only 19 years-old and music whiz Lexus “Lex Luger” Lewis has already scored two of the biggest street
records of 2010, Rick Ross’ “B.M.F.” (Teflon Don) and Waka Flocka Flame’s “Hard in the Paint”
(Flockaveli). Hailing from the talent-rich state of Virginia (Timbaland, Missy Elliot, Neptunes, Chris
Brown), Lex Luger has obviously been drinking the kool-aid. On the strength of the instant anthem
Blowin’ Money Fast, Lex Luger helped to catapult Ross’ fourth studio LP to the #2 spot on the Billboard
200, R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts, selling over 175,000 copies its first week out.

Read the rest HERE

2010's Top 50 Music Producers List

In the world of music the artist gets most of the adulation, but in the music industry the guy behind the boards, the music producer, is also recognized as a major part of the creative process. Hooked on That has put an extensive list of the Top 50 hottest producers in the game for 2010. See if your favorites are in below.

1. Kanye West
("My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" album)
2. Alex Da Kid
(B.o.B 'Airplanes' w/DJ Frank E, Eminem 'Love The Way You Lie', Diddy 'Coming Home')
3. Jim Jonson
(Kid Cudi 'Erase Me', Usher 'There Goes My Baby', Nelly 'Just A Dream')
4. S1
(Kayne West 'Power' w/Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean Andrew Dawson)
5. Stargate
(Wiz Khalifa 'Black & Yellow', Rihanna 'What's My Name', Ne-Yo 'Beautiful Monster')
6. Lex Lugger
(Rick Ross 'B.M.F.' & 'MC Hammer', Fabolous 'Lights Out (I Don't See Nobody)')
7. Prime
(Lloyd Banks 'Beamer, Benz or Bentley')
8. T-Minus
(Ludacris 'How Low', Nicki Minaj 'Moment 4 Life')
9. & 10. Ahmir '?uestlove' Thompson & James Poysner
(John Legend & the Roots "Wake Up" album)
11. Kane Beatz
(Trey Songz 'Bottoms' Up', Young Money 'BedRock', Lil Wayne 'Right Above It', Lupe Fiasco 'The Show Goes On')
12. The Smeezingtons
(B.o.B 'Nothing On You', 'Travie McCoy 'Billionaire', Cee-Lo Green 'F*ck You')
13. Bangladesh
(Lil Wayne "6'7")
14. Swizz Beatz
(Nicki Minaj 'Roman's Revenge', Drake 'Fancy')
15. Boi-1da
(Eminem 'Not Affaid', Lloyd Banks 'Where I'm At' w/Eminem)
16. The Cataracs
(Far East Movement 'Like A G6', Snoop Dogg 'Wet', Glasses Malone 'I Get Doe')
17. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
(Rick Ross 'Maybach Music 3', 'Aston Martin Music')
18. Madlib
(all 10 volumes of Madlib's 'Medicine Show' albums)
19. Dr. Dre
('Kush')
20. DJ Frank E
(Chris Brown 'Yeah 3X', Kanye West 'Blame Game' w/Mike Dean & Kanye West')
21. Will.i.am
(Usher 'OMG', The Black Eyed Peas "The Beginning" album)
22. DJ Nasty
(DJ Khaled 'All I Do Is Win')
23. Sean 'The Pen' Garrett
(Usher 'Papers' w/Team S.Dot & Zaytoven)
24. J.R. Rotem
(Jason Derulo 'Whatcha Say', Mann 'Buzzin')
25. Scoop Deville
(Fat Joe 'Ha Ha Slow Down Son')
26. Chuck Harmony
(Chrisette Michele "Let Freedom Reign" album, Ne-Yo 'One In A Million')
27. Claude Kelly
(Fantasia 'Bittersweet')
28. The Runners
(Usher 'Daddy's Home')
29. The Olympicks
(Big Sean 'What U Doin?', Lil Wayne ''Hold Up')
30. DJ Premiere
(Fat Joe 'I'm Gone', "All Year Round Records" releases)
31. Drumma Boy
(Young Jeezy 'Lose My Mind', Waka Flocka Flame 'No Hands')
32. 1500 or Nothin'
(Nipsey Hussle 'Feelin Myself')
33. Polow Da Don
(Usher 'Hot Tottie', Lloyd 'Lay You Down')
34. David Guetta
(Flo Rida 'Club Can't Handle Me', Kelis 'Acapella', Akon 'Angel')
35. Steve Below/Team Double Dose
(Bun B' Trill O.G. produced tracks)
36. & 37. Tricky Stewart & The-Dream
(Ciara 'Ride')
38. Nate 'Danja' Hills
(Diddy-Dirty Money 'Hello, Good Morning', Rick Ross 'No.1')
39. Salaam Remi
(Miguel 'All I Want Is You')
40. Scott Storch
(Big Boi 'Stutterbug')
41. Ski Beatz
(Curren$y 'Pilot Talk I & II' produced tracks)
42. Jahlil Beats
(Chris Brown 'Deuces')
43. Jay Electronica
('Shiney Suit Theory')
44. araabMUZIK
(Jim Jones 'Blow Your Smoke')
45. Elite
(J. Cole 'Who Dat')
46. Mick Shultz
(Jeremih 'Down On Me')
47. The Stereotypes
(Justin Bieber 'Somebody To Love')
48. R. Kelly
(K. Michelle 'Can't Do This', R. Kelly 'Love Letter')
49. Dr. Luke
(B.o.B 'Magic', Katy Perry 'California Gurls', Taio Cruz 'Dynamite' w/Benny Blanco)
50. Noah '40' Shebib
(Drake "Thank Me Later" produced tracks)

Alex Da Kid: Music Producer Talks Rihanna, Emimen and More With The BBC

Alex Da Kid (aka Alexander Grant) wants U2. He wants Cher. He wants Coldplay.

This is not the list of CDs he would like for Christmas.

These are the stars he's calling up to work with in 2011 and - given his track record over the last 12 months - they would be likely to take his calls.

In one of pop's success stories of 2010, the London-born songwriter and producer has gone from relative anonymity to crafting songs for the biggest names in urban music, including Eminem, Rihanna, B.o.B, Dr Dre, Diddy, TI and Nicki Minaj.

"A year ago, I was looking up to those guys, I wanted to be where they were," he says. "To be working with them is pretty cool.

"2010 has definitely been a good year. I just want to make 2011 a bigger year."

On Alex Da Kid's contribution to Eminem's Recovery album with 'Love the Way You Lie' ft. Rihanna:

(Then) it all came down to Rihanna, who had just one chance to record her vocals in a Dublin studio while on tour in May.

"We still didn't know, literally eight or nine hours before the album had to be given in, whether it [the song] would go on the album," Grant recalls.

"If Rihanna didn't do a great vocal performance, there was no time to re-do it. It just wouldn't have made the album. We couldn't have done it another day, it just wouldn't have gone on the album.

"So, it got pretty intense. We were all sitting around in the studio waiting for Rihanna to give us these vocals, and we were all just praying that they were perfect - which they ended up being.

"If it was a bad day for her and she didn't nail it that particular day, normally you'd just go back and re-record it a couple of days later. But we didn't have that time."

The track has been downloaded four million times in the US alone and its success contributed in no small part to the revival of Eminem's reputation and commercial fortunes.

Read the full story:
BBC - Alex Da Kid: The Brit behind 2010's biggest hit

Bei Major: Songwriter, Artist & Producer Interview

via the Seattle Post Intelligencer

SPI: Although you started producing at the age of 16, I found it very motivating that you were able to juggle this career during your time at the University of Michigan. How challenging was it to balance school work with your production work?

Bei Major: Well first, thank you, bro, for that. That means a lot. I'm working a lot on just trying to keep everything going, so it's cool just to have these opportunities. So thank you for that.

As far as the college thing, that was the best time of my life. It was just the craziest experience, because on one end, I was at the University of Michigan, which is a prestigious school with all of these kids coming from around the world to go there. Then I had a whole other life of doing music. So I literally would be coming off a plane from Vegas to L.A. and going to midterms. Like leaving after school, going and working with some pretty big artists. So that was cool. I had to practice in my dorm room. I had all of that. It was like two worlds meeting at once, which was amazing.

Honestly, I'm trying to think if there's anyone who has had that exact experience and I can't think of it, because it was just so weird. Not that I was on the top level of either side, but just doing them at the same time was really strange. College can be like a full-time thing, and then doing music can be also a full-time thing, so I feel like I probably didn't sleep at all for those couple of years. But it was cool. It worked out. I learned a lot about balancing. I learned a lot about discipline. I learned what it takes to really go after something that you want to do. That was the main thing, to learn from that and just being able to meet so many cool people all over, travel and just really be able to do it all. It's awesome.

Read the full interview HERE

Vitamin D Music Producer Video Profile Interview

Seattle's own Vitamin D has had a major hand in the development of Northwest and West Coast hip hop. His out reach helped develop Big Tune which along with Red Bull rallys up and coming music producers in beat battles across the county.

Quincy Jones 'Q: Soul Bossa Nostra' NYC Album Release Party

As reported by Ann Lawlor for Showbiz 411

Oh Friday night (November 12th) at SL Nightclub, a mirrored bunker under Abe & Arthur’s shiny, glamorous restaurant. This used to be Lotus nightclub. It’s very hip on West 14th St.

Where else would you find Quincy Jones on a Friday night, getting a little salute for his new album, “Soul Bossa Nostra”? He’s 77, man, and he’s younger, cooler and more with it than just about anyone.

John Legend was already seated beside Q when we arrived, and there were about twenty young females jockeying for position–to be near Q. I asked him last winter what his age cut off for dating was, and the legendary musician and man about town replied: “I’m 77, and the two numbers cannot add up to more than 100.”

Amen.

Suddenly, Grace Hightower and her husband, Robert DeNiro, come in through a side door. Hightower, who is lovely and has a killer voice, hightails it over to Q. DeNiro changs back, orders a martini with extra vermouth and lemon rind from a waiter. “Lemon rind,” DeNiro reminds him. The guy looks like he’s going to have a brain hemorrhage trying to remember all the particulars of this drink. When he returns with it, he asks DeNiro if it’s right. The actor takes a sip, doesn’t look so happy. “It’s all right,” he says. He winds up leaving half of it behind.

More fun: Clive Davis arrives, also through the side door, with Nikki Haskell and friends. Clive is Q’s age, it’s 10pm, and he’s just come from dinner at Cipriani. The two take pictures together. They are the last of the real music men. Right now Clive has Rod Stewart, Santana, and Jamie Foxx on the charts. Quincy has Mary J Blige, Jennifer Hudson, and Akon on his album. These men are dangerous.

Now come the second wave: Anthony Mackie, who’s in the “24 Hour Plays” tonight, was the award winning co-star of “Half Nelson” and “The Hurt Locker” arrives with indefatigable manager Jason Spire. Mackie’s classically trained, Denzel 2.0. Quincy hugs him. Mackie tells us about the bar he’s opening in Crown Heights, Brooklyn this winter called No Bar. He’s building it himself. No kidding. Even the tables. He shows us pictures. Gorgeous.

Gayle King comes by, looking hot, discussing today’s (Monday’s) “Color Purple” reunion on Oprah with Quincy, who did the music way back in 1985. Says Gayle of her recent camping trip with Oprah: “I will never do that again.” I tell her: tents is a homonym for tense. Don’t forget that.

More from Q later this week. In the meantime, he’s got the album and a beautiful coffee table book out all about his music called “Q on Producing.” You can get it on amazon,’natch.

Photo links from the event:
Zimbio
Getty Images
Wire Image
WENN Photo

Producer DJ Frank E Interview

Riding the current wave of the Electro / Hip Hop / Euro / Crossover music category which is taking the world by storm, DJ Frank E finds himself in the EYE playing a major role with this new music trend. Crafting hits for Flo Rida, Chris Brown, B.O.B and many others, it wasn't always peaches and cream for the producer wunderkind. Prior to his chart wielding success, Frank E cut his teeth as a DJ in the most unlikely places Ft. Collins / Denver, Colorado area, while also sharpening his production skills. In this extensive interview with PMP, DJ Frank E tells his story, his struggles and achievements.

On making music his career choice:

I had no clue how music was made. It didn't even occur to me that there was such a creative process behind every single one of those albums that I knew and loved. No one told me that, "one day, if you try really really hard, you could take all this drumming and music knowledge and turn it into a career." I was a white kid from the burbs - that's just not what we do. So...I continued NOT doing music until one night when I was at a party. I heard some kids playing music really loud and "freestyling" in the back. I walked in and saw the instrument that changed my life - the Korg Triton. That was the moment that I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I asked if I could make a beat, they agreed, then proceeded to call it "some white boy s***, and laughed at me. Little did they know, I had my up my mind.

How being a DJ help with the creative process:

For me, DJing is a great way for me to follow trends, see what people are reacting to, and test new ideas. It's the perfect type of research for a producer, depending on your crowd of course. I used to sneak in my own songs or remixes at the club to see how people would react. I learned so much from DJing that I never actually realized. DJs just have natural instincts that tend to make them good producers. It's like they are walking encyclopedias of what works, what doesn't, and why. Everyone should take a DJ class.

On working with Madonna:

Talk about stress. It felt like I was about to meet the President or something. I got to the session 2 hours beforehand to set up and give the files to the engineer, and I can't remember a longer 2 hours of my life. It was like a countdown. Every 5 minutes I'd get an update on her status. I received updates up to the last 15 seconds, when she finally walked into the room. She said, "So YOU'RE the one?" and I politely answered, "No... YOU'RE the one." We got along great after that, and finished the song (Madonna ft. Lil Wayne - 'Revolver') on my 2nd day with her.
I will never forget the feeling of leaving that session after vocal producing Madonna, and thinking to myself, "It can't it really get any harder than this." I've taken that mentality into every other session I've been in, and it's helped me make the session and song more of a success. Unfortunately, the mix sounded like crap and the song flopped, but hey, you win some and you lose some.

Read The Full Interview Here

Nottz - 'Blast That' Ft. Black Milk

Nottz - You Need This Music on Raw Koncept arrives October 26th.

Hear the track HERE

Music Producer Bangladesh Profiled In The L.A. Times

photo courtesy of Brandon Wiggins / L.A. Times

Bangladesh has his sights set on “changing the game.” And he plans on doing this with a few unexpected muses.

Recently named one of six top urban producers at this year's BMI Urban Music Awards, the Atlanta-based beatmaker, whose birth name is Shondrae Crawford, has been slowly rising to prominence over the last decade by being the sonic mastermind behind songs from such artists as Ludacris, Ciara, Kelis, Missy Elliott, Usher, R. Kelly and Beyoncé -– he was responsible for the latter's most recent singles, “Diva” and “Video Phone.”

Crawford recently produced songs for Ne-Yo, Nelly and the Game -- and even a handful of beats for the new "Def Jam Rapstar" video game -– but it’s the upcoming work for a few divas that has him most excited: He is prepping to tackle projects from Beyoncé, Ke$ha and Brandy.

The producer was brought on board to work on Ke$ha’s follow-up album to “Animal” after meeting songwriter-producer Dr. Luke through a mutual friend. He said Luke, who’s penned hits for Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Britney Spears and his protégé Ke$ha, doesn’t want him to compromise his urban flair for the pop world.

Read The Full Story HERE

Black Milk 'Album Of The Year' L.A. Times Review

** Black Milk Album of the Year on Fat Beats out next Tuesday! **

When you call your fourth full-length "Album of the Year," you're asking to be evaluated on the toughest metric possible. And indeed, the new album from Fat Beats-signed Detroit production wunderkind Black Milk plays out like a legacy bid -- an attempt to place him on the all-time A-List alongside his legendary production predecessors: Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and the acknowledged Motor City messiah J Dilla.

Comparisons to the late James Yancey have accompanied Milk since the first half of the last decade, when he became one of Slum Village's go-to producers in the wake of Dilla's departure. Often branded Dilla's rightful heir, the 27-year-old born Curtis Cross has certainly inherited his knack for knocking off-kilter drums and turning soul samples spectral. And like Dilla, Milk's production prowess outstrips his rhyme skills.

Which is not to say that Milk is lackluster on the microphone, but merely limited. His voice and flow are above average, and he nimbly hurdles through the tricky measures of his zig-zagging beats. But while often witty, his battle-rap boasts rarely transcend the underground tropes that have endured for a decade-plus (i.e. elliptical raps about being good at rapping). The chief exception is "Distortion," a poignant meditation on death that reveals Milk's capabilities when inspired. Yet when the topic shifts to pro forma love jams ("Oh Girl" "Over Again"), his neo-soul tinged sounds intuitively shift away from his strengths (adamantine production that distills the thrashing cold and steel wool-rugged feel of Detroit).

With very few notable exceptions, most of hip-hop's greatest albums produced by rapper/producer hybrids have either come in groups (Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Slum Village, EPMD) or solo albums that featured a guest rapper on nearly every track ("The Chronic"). Rightfully cited as Detroit's best producer, Milk has his pick of any MC adjacent to the Great Lakes. And when he chooses to tap his contacts as on the Elzhi and Royce Da 5'9-featured "Deadly Medley" and the Danny Brown-aided, "Black and Brown," the results live up to his lofty aspirations.

But too often, he seems in love with his own genius, letting instrumental codas ramble on into bloated prog territory, with three of the album's 13 tracks clocking in or beyond the 5-1/2-minute mark. "Album of the Year" is a good record -- Milk is far too talented to turn in anything subpar. Yet it isn't the career-defining masterpiece that the Detroit disciples that litter the underground had hoped for. Then again, settling for album of the month isn't too shabby. (source)

Sean Garrett Talks With American Songwriter Mag

AS: You’re earned the nick name of “The Pen.” Do you actually write with pen and paper?

SG: Generally I don’t. Generally I don’t write with paper, I just go in the booth and start singing and record. It’s very seldom that I’ll write with paper, but Jay-Z named me “the pen,” so sometimes I have to use the paper. [laughs]

AS: What’s your songwriting process is like?

SG: It’s a very emotional type of process, depending on what my mood was like at the time has a whole lot do with where I come from with the music. Most of the time I’m in a loving mood, but if I’m feeling aggressive, if people have been pissing me off, then I’m going to make up tempos and make people dance. I love to make people dance, it’s how I take the energy if somebody gets me a little upset, or if I feel challenged or something like that — then I go in and really take time to find a really incredible up tempo beat and make a really great up tempo club record. I take all the emotions of negativity and turn it into something positive.

AS: When you’re writing, what do you draw inspiration from?

SG: I draw from love, I draw from different people’s relationships, I draw from the things that I see. Sometimes it’s the things that I feel, and sometimes its the things that I think, and my songs are basically a perspective of something that I’ve seen and I give my opinion of it in the song.

AS: For your sophomore release, you’ve got this upcoming album, Courtesy Of.

SG: Courtesy Of is coming later on this year, right now we’re putting out my mixtape album which is called The Ink Well, it comes out and I’m really, really excited about it, it’s got a crazy amount of great features on it– Lil’ Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Yo Gotti, Bun B, Soulja Boy, Fabolous, and it’s hosted by my man DJ Green Lantern, it’s ridiculous, so I’m really excited about that. The Courtesy Of album is on the way as well, coming later this year. I’ve got a lot coming out, I’m doing a lot internationally as well, so I’m really excited.

Read The Full Interview Here

Jim Jonsin On Working With Eminem, T.I. & B.o.B In A Us Weekly Interview

UsMagazine.com: What was your favorite part of working with Eminem?

Jim Jonsin: It was my first time working with him. What was my favorite part? I guess just creating and coming up with ideas and kind of getting to know him. It's kind of rare to be in a room with a guy like that. So being a fan at first was really cool, you know? It's one of those things where you go 'holy s--- I'm in here working with Eminem.' That is a big deal for someone like me. Just meeting him as a person was probably the coolest part. Working with him in the studio is pretty standard, you write songs, you record them, you put down ideas, make beats. It is all about kicking it with the person. He is a lot more serious than most artists I've worked with. He takes his business and craft and music very seriously. He is very detail-oriented, so it could be something like a mix of drums on a record, and he is going to be really crucial about how it sounds, and crucial about instrumentation, his lyrics, his delivery.

Us: Why does this album differ from Eminem's past ones?

JJ: Because he had me producing records on there. No, first off, that is actually a good point, he had other producers working on this album with him, and not only Dre. That was a huge part of it --different sounds, different ideas. Not taking anything [away] from Dre. because he's a genius, but this was a way for Eminem to grow and learn more from different people. I'm always learning, no matter who I work with I learn different things, and I think the same thing goes for Eminem. If you're working with new producers, you're seeing different angles, and different sounds being used, different motivation and things like that. I think that's what makes this album different. Also, maybe what he is going through in his life right now, [is] different than before.

Us: You said his work ethic was very serious, very detail-oriented...

JJ: He has a strong work ethic. I'm a father, he's a father, [and] he came in at a certain time, early in the afternoon and he planned to leave like [at] a job. He went in, he did his thing, and was out at a certain time to be with his kid and his family, which I admire. It's kind of hard [having a family] in this business, but if you can balance it, it's a really good thing.

Us: So right now you're in the process with working with B.O.B?

JJ: We're going to get started in another 30 days. We are working on ideas, I'm going to get in with him and whoever else is involved and start working on the album. I've been working with him for over three years, producing and writing for him. We're working on some new stuff and I think creatively B.O.B and I have had many firsts together. He's very talented. He is a Jack of all trades -- he plays guitar, keys, writes, raps, sings. I’m sure he'd pick up a saxophone if it called for it and try to play that.

Us: How is T.I.'s album coming along?

JJ: I have done two sessions with him. We've done three songs together now and we are working on other stuff.

Us: How would you sum up your goals for his album?

JJ: I think he is just trying to write some classic records. Some really good, solid songs. (source)