DJ Premier, Alchemist, Swizz Beatz & More Give Tips To Upcoming Producers In Arizona

G-Unit’s Sha Money XL presented the first annual One Stop Shop Producers Conference, which took place in Phoenix AZ, Feb 10-11.Producers from the United States, England, Germany and even Africa attended the two-day event, which featured a number of panels, workshops and beat battles.Seasoned veterans like DJ Premier, Hi-Tek, Alchemist, Havok, Fredwreck, No ID, and […]

G-Unit’s Sha Money

XL presented the first annual One Stop Shop Producers Conference, which took place

in Phoenix AZ, Feb 10-11.Producers

from the United States, England, Germany and even Africa attended the two-day

event, which featured a number of panels, workshops and beat battles.Seasoned

veterans like DJ Premier, Hi-Tek, Alchemist, Havok, Fredwreck, No ID, and others

gave several hundred aspiring producers tips on navigating through the creative

and business side of the production industry."I

was nominated for a Grammy for my work with Christina Aguilera, but I chose to

be here, that’s how important this is," said DJ Premier, who was also honored

at the conference. "Its important to share what we’ve learned with a new

generation of producers coming into the business."Producers

attended several panels, which included informative workshops on topics like how

to find management, what A&R representatives seek in a new producer, how producers

collect royalties and get compensated and tips for sonic engineering."When

you make music its meant to have an effect on the listener," seasoned Chicago

producer No ID explained. "Mixing and recording are important to the feel

and emotion of your song and as a producer you have to know the importance of

a good mix."Super

producer Swizz Beatz gave aspiring producers tips via a live satellite feed."They

can’t change the game without us [producers]," Swizz Beatz said. "Break

the rules and make the rules. That beat that cats said was wack might be your

biggest hit. I went through it 100 times."Swizz,

who also noted the importance of unity, announced that there was no beef between

he and G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo.An

argument between Swizz Beatz and Tony Yayo on a Busta Rhymes video shoot allegedly

sparked a fatal shooting in 2005, which took the life of Busta Rhymes’s bodyguard,

Israel Ramirez."The

vibe among the producers was one of unity, which is rarely seen in this day and

age," added Shady A&R guru Riggs Morales. "Some future legends will

come from this event, guaranteed. There was camaraderie at the event that hasn’t

been seen at any hip-hop event in recent years."Morales,

along with A&R’s like Lenny S. (Def Jam), Conrad Dimenche (Bad Boy), D-Prosper

(G-Unit), Dave Lighty (Jive Records) and others explained their duties as A&R

representatives and what steps producers can take to succeed from a production

stand point. A

consistent theme throughout the week was a producer’s work ethic. Each

of the established producers explained the struggle to achieve their goals in

the music business."I

used to take trips to New York to see [Talib] Kweli with the MPC60 and I would

just the shop beats. It’s about how much you love the beats and the music, and

how hard you are willing to work."For

Havok, production became a necessity, because of his stature in the rap group

Mobb Deep. "Rapping forced me into production," said Havok, who revealed

"Shook Ones" was his favorite production."People

were charging us $50, $100,000 for a beat," Havok explained. "I knew

I had it in me, so it was a natural progression and a smart business move for

me and the Mobb."Other

notables in attendance like G-Unit’s Young Buck, Tony Yayo, Olivia and Lloyd Banks

mingled with the producers and snapped pictures.Industry

veteran Wendy Day of Rap Coalition attended the conference.Day

herself frequently produces events designed to educate burgeoning artists and

producers about the pitfalls of the music business."It

was beneficial for me to learn from such key producers and managers," Day

continued. "I don’t often get to attend an event as an actual attendee, so

I really enjoyed this event. It was affordable and worth every penny I spent."The

weekend was highlighted by a beat battle judged by Young Buck, Tony Yayo and others,

where numerous producers had their music rated and critiqued by an all-star panel

that included In the end, producer Soul

Nana took first prize. The

producer now has the option of signing with Sha Money XL’s Money Management. Soul

Nana’s music will also be played directly to 50 Cent, who is working on his new

album, Before I Self Destruct.