Mixxproduction: The LA Producer Talks Working with French Montana and Teyana Taylor 

Mixxproduction is exactly what his name embodies. The producer, audio engineer, and songwriter can do it all in the studio. 

Sporting 5 Billboard #1’s, 9 Gold and 6 Platinum plaques, real name Baruch Nembhard is considered one of the music industry’s best kept secrets. His extensive catalog includes rappers from Kanye West to Drake to French Montana, and R&B superstars such as The Weeknd and Teyana Taylor. 

Without music, Mixx would still be in the streets. He explains, “Music really saved me because growing up, my parents really wanted us to do the right thing: college, lawyer, doctor. My generation was so against the grain where a lot of my other homies ended up in the streets, still trying to get out. Music helped me.” 

Since the age of 15, the South Florida-born, Jamaica-raised visionary has been enthralled with the gift of music. With his unique sounds and intricate ear for tones, Mixx continues to work hard daily perfecting his craft and the crafts of those artists who he has the pleasure of collaborating with. 

Most recently Mixx landed 4 standout records on French Montana’s critically-acclaimed Coke Boys 5, including “In the Sun” featuring Curren$y, “Brothers” featuring Lil Durk, “Big Cap,” and “You Deserve a Oscar.” 

AllHipHop: You’re from South Florida, but raised in Jamaica. How does that play into your life and career? 

Mixxproduction: I was born in South Florida then raised in Jamaica, so I got influenced by reggae music at an early age. Came back to Florida and got influenced by hip hop and R&B. My family was heavy on church music. The other side of my family actually started a label. At that time, I started DJing at an early age at 15. Professional DJing in the clubs, getting money, and learning the industry. Me and my homies, we used to record songs and play it at the clubs during my gigs. One of the records blew up locally, so we decided to take it serious.” We slowed down on the DJing and got more focused on music production. 

AllHipHop: Did you always want to be a DJ first? 

Mixxproduction: When I was young my brothers and friends, they used to DJ. I never wanted to be a DJ, it just happened. I saved up a lot of money as a kid to buy DJ equipment. I fell in love with it, started DJing at small parties. It was my first successful hustle. 

How did you learn how to produce? Did you teach yourself?

Mixxproduction: Pretty much. I downloaded FruityLoops when it was free, when the industry looked at it as a toy. I started messing around with it. I had some older cousins real heavy in the game, I used to go down to the studio as a youngin’. I took one of my homies from early high school and started producing, because all my cousins were working with a whole lot of people in the industry. During the free studio time, I’d go in there and start producing with one of my homies. Self-taught really. 

AllHipHop: What was your first big placement?

Mixxproduction: First placement I got in the industry was a song called “In The Air” by Teyana Taylor. It was on her first album when she signed to Def Jam. 

AllHipHop: How did you tap in with her?

Mixxproduction: I really tapped in with a studio in South Beach called South Beach Studio, I used to bring them a lot of work. It was my own work, I used to bring clients there. The owner respected that, so he started giving me clients too. It started out with street rappers. Word went around town and he started giving me major acts, Teyana was one of them. 

AllHipHop: What was the energy in the studio with Teyana?

Mixxproduction: It was great. She’s real dope and real creative. She really knows what she wants. Working on the album was a full process, but overall it was great. 

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AllHipHop: Bring us back to the session for Teyana Taylor’s “Issues.”

Mixxproduction: It’s a crazy story behind that song. It wasn’t hard doing that record because Kanye had got some really dope writers that came in and laced it for us. We did that song in an hour. It’s crazy because that song’s called “Issues,” I remember my hard drive crashed and that was the only song that wasn’t backed up. I was freaking out. I was dreading the day I had to tell Kanye I didn’t have this song. It happened, I had to tell him. We ended up figuring it out, re-recorded some parts. 

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AllHipHop: Saw you were at Teyana’s The Album release party in Beverly Hills, I was there too! 

Mixxproduction: That was fun. I had to drink a lot of champagne that night to celebrate all the hard work we’d been putting in through these years. It was fun and exciting, appreciating the moment. 

AllHipHop: How did it feel when you received your first plaque?

Mixxproduction: Again, it goes back to Teyana. The first plaque was really the #1 Billboard plaque for her first album, VII. I was excited. It made me feel like if I did this one, I could get more. Continue the process. It was fun, definitely popped a lot of champagne bottles. 

AllHipHop: Talk about producing 4 records on French Montana’s Coke Boys 5. How’d you guys link initially? 

Mixxproduction: French, we linked through a couple of my homies. It was in the same studio, South Beach back in the day. One of my homies was producing with them and he brought me in. I did a few tracks on his mixtape, Coke Zoo. I produced a song on there, mixed a couple songs, mastered a whole tape. He moved to LA first. I was still in Florida and when I finally got out here, I linked back up with him through one of my other homies. We ended up working on the MONTANA album, then we just did Coke Boys 5. 

AllHipHop: What was the vibe for the Coke Boys 5 album?

Mixxproduction: It was different from doing the MONTANA album because the CB5 album we were all more focused. We were more efficient working on the Coke Boys 5 project and the upcoming album we’re working on right now. We did some in Vegas, some in Miami, and some in his crib in LA. 

AllHipHop: Talk about producing “In the Sun” featuring Curren$y and “Brothers” featuring Lil Durk. 

Mixxproduction: Made the beat, French hopped on it, then he went and chilled with Durk and recorded that. Curren$y also recorded separately. It was dope having Curren$y because I grew up listening to Curren$y, so it’s exciting having a legend hop on one of my beats. You know Durk, he’s always dope. He’s a dope rapper. He killed “Brothers.” When I listen to it, he really brought that track alive. He’s doing his thing. 

AllHipHop: What’s your favorite song you did with French?

Mixxproduction: “Salam Alaykum” and “Brothers” so far are my personal favorites. It’s the feeling of it. “Salam Alaykum” as soon as you press play, you feel something. It’s so smooth. I made that and it ended up being a fan favorite. 

AllHipHop: Creatively, how did you come up with the beat for “Slide” by French Montana? 

Mixxproduction: Man, I made that beat so fast. We made that beat in 10 minutes. I was running through beats because I didn’t think he’d pick that beat. He heard it and said “yo bruh, nah go back.” I’m like what? Because to me, it was a playful beat. He hopped on it, doing a street song. It wasn’t “Slide” at first. We sat on that for a while, then one day Lil Tjay came over. French said “yo, that beat I did that song to.” Played it, French hopped in the booth, came up with the concept of “Slide.” Tjay hopped in the booth after and slayed it, killed it. French went in and finished his part. Two weeks later, he had Blueface come over. Blueface hopped in the booth, did his verse. That record we all created together in-person. It was really fun creating that, had everybody sliding in the studio. [laughs] 

 

AllHipHop: Talk about working on Polo G’s breakout single, “Finer Things.” 

Mixxproduction: I mixed on most of Polo G’s album, Die A Legend. I got a lot of plaques from that album. While mixing the album, I had no idea it was going to do this well. Because I work on a lot of dope music that really don’t go where it deserves to go, you never know sometimes. Working on the album I knew the music was dope, but to see it reach places where it deserved to go was exciting. It brought in 6 of my plaques, something crazy. 

AllHipHop: What’s your relationship with Polo in the studio?

Mixxproduction: It was a few times, he was real chill. I know these kids get hype, but at the time he was real chill. He was cool, laidback, and he knows what he wants. 

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AllHipHop: What is it that you want fans to get from your story?

Mixxproduction: To be honest, pick something that you’re good at, that you really love and stick with it. Because that’s what I did. Be 100 straight through, whoever you work with or whatever you do. You’re going to go through a lot of challenges but be the best at what you do. 

AllHipHop: Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to the studio?

Mixxproduction: Don’t come in there and talk the whole session because you won’t get any work done. I worked with people that did both sides. I worked with people that came in there and played their career away, didn’t make nothing out of it. I worked with people who took it mad serious, come in the studio and get work done. Really create. 

AllHipHop: What inspires you the most?

Mixxproduction: Back in the day, I didn’t even need to be inspired to work on music. My grind was so heavy at the moment. Even when I was uninspired, I still worked. Nowadays, I need to be inspired. Different things. It could be a new sound and I get inspired. It could be something I’m going through in life. It depends on the moment, I get inspired by different things and then I create. 

AllHipHop: What can we look forward to next? 

Mixxproduction: Follow my Instagram at @mixxproduction. I have a few singles coming out and I’m starting a record label. I’ve got a couple joints with Chris Brown coming out. I have some tracks with The Weeknd, Quavo, and a few up-and-coming artists. It’s about to pop off because I’m working with a lot of up-and-coming artists now. I want to work with the youth. DDG, Qua from Philly. CJ, he popped off in New York. I’m looking to sign new artists to my label. I’ma stamp it and the streets will see it.