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Coca Cola Cowboy
QL: What are the must haves when working in the studio? Wha- what do you need?
MD: Good Speakers.
QL: Good Speakers?
MD: The most important thing to me is speakers cause..you know everybody use different stuff to make there own sound, make there albums, make there...different mics, different pre-amps, but if you don't hear the stuff then you're kinda f#cked you know?
QL: Oh yeah, that's true that's true MD: It's like..
MD: Good Speakers and a Good Rapper... QL: (laughter) that is mandatory? MD: New artist [are] pretty painful. You know... Its not really anymore [but] its mandatory for me..and for GOOD Music and everybody
QL: Umm You;re not a producer, you are an engineer. Many people they read and they hear about engineers in credits. What exactly does an engineer do?
MD: I mean they capture the sounds like, the producers or artists are creating. Like, they say I want to make it sound like this or you know if they make a sound on their keyboard or the drum machine you are supposed to capture it
make it sound as clean or (you know) dirty as you want it ...and you know
level everything out just make it sound like a record. Its not that many good engineers anymore. Most people just get all there meters in red and turn sh!t up loud and make it distorted and put it out QL: (laughter)
MD: I am battling that you know...the loudness wars and stuff
QL: You have (you had a pretty long career. Who did you enjoy working with most in the span of your career?
MD: [inaudible] Scarface, Kanye, and um, Z-RO in Houston. And Pac of course. I didn't work with him that much but he's dope to work with.
QL: Next Question. How was it woking with (ah) *** C and Tupac?
MD: ah *** C was like, my lil homies you know what I mean.. I know him since he was like 15, 16 years old. And when he did 'Tell Me Something Good' I was in there helping him mix that and
I played on the remix and helped him do the remix for 'Pocket Full of Stones' (inaudible) Been down with them since the you know. Didn't work with UGK that much more... did more *** C solo stuff.. And the first UGK album I worked on. And um...
Pac and I just did the 'Smile' stuff and him you know. We hung out in the studio for a few days. Right before 'Makaveli' came out and his rapping for us and stuff. It was pretty dope.(We got) Me and Scarface got to hear the uncensored 'Makaveli' Album
Before they took all references to Suge Knight and stuff. It was great. QL: Alright that's dope
Dead or alive, (is there) is there and artist that you haven't worked with that you'd like to work with?
MD: (Ah) Not really... QL: You've (you've) worked with everyone MD: Yeah (inaudible) Everybody I wanna work with QL: Oh ok MD: Pretty Much (you know) sticking with Kanye and his crew now you know, just work with him, Scarface still work with him,
Z-RO in Houston.
I dont know I mean...nah not nreally QL: Alirght MD: I am working with Seal right now, this kinda cool.. Segway into projects yea...
QL: How do you feel about the uhhh, (the uh) state of hip-hop and rap music? Is it still what it used to be or has it evolved for the better in your eyes?
MD: I don't know its (went) both ways.Some of the art has gotten better...and then some of the stuff...There's a higher higher level than there used to be and a lower lower sh!ttier level than there used to be. There's more range you what I mean? QL: ok
MS: Its like records coming out that you think is just ..not not worth even putting on the radio and they become hits QL: Yeah that's true that's true. Its alotta that
MD: And just great records that don't really do that well. QL: [inaudible] MD: its how its always is I guess...its you know, its evolved into a lot of non-musicians making music. QL: You have a problem with that? MD: Nyeah I don't..{Kanye Shrug}
QL: Whatever right? Everybody... MD: What [inaudible] for you to make it sound good is cool QL: Different strokes... MD: They creating you know QL: Alright
QL: As a producer, have you ever comtemplated rapping yourself? MD: Yeah I 'm doin' a Rap Album right now (laughter).
QL: Kick some bars son? MD: its like I got some bars g QL: Spit a 16 dog.. MD: Juicy J is producing my whole album...Its gonna be fire man.
QL: You were speaking about the other projects you have in the works, were they what.... MD. Not really, I am NOT rapping (laughter) that was a joke in case you didn't get it. QL: Put disclaimer on that lol
QL: What the other projects you have in the works?
MD: You know, Working on writing some stuff with Seal right now. Working with um, like the number 1 country singer like in the world, well known signer, grammy winner, Can't say who it is yet. Gonna change the whole face of Nashville you know..by next year
Working on you know, working on GOOD Music album of course um...Watch The Throne 2. Its not started yet but its coming... Kanye album just you know regular sh!t that we put down QL: Regular amazing stuff..
MD: Regular *** we put down, put down on the machine every 2 years, you know...just doing the cycle you know...
QL: As an accomplished engineer and producer, what advice do you have for beginner who aspire to be where you are today?
MD: You study work hard you know. (You) use as many YouTube tutorials as they can about how to do sh!t. That's what I do man. When I see like these 17 18 year old producers coming in with like programs I never heard of and sh!t.
I'll f#ckin research the sh!t and go look at some YouTube tutorials when I do it. So I can.....yeah...stay up with the youth you know and play what they want to hear. (They've gotten) People have gotten accustomed to like Fruity Loops for instance you know
like its a certain sound of the progam you can't get on anything else. You can't even use it on a Macintosh You gotta run f#ckin PC. Its alright but...its like you know its the new sh!t. I'm mix that with all my old sh!t..
QL: Make mo new ***
MD: Try to rule the world