For a producer whoās just starting to get the recognition he deserves, Emile has quite an impressive resume. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Emile HaynieĀ got his first break after handing off a beat CD to Proof (RIP), and from there, his career took off in all directions.
Not only did he start producing for various members of Eminemās Detroit camp (eventually landing a song on Emās latest album Recovery), but he was also putting in work back in New York City with legendary rappers like Ghostface Killah, M.O.P., and AZ.
During the late 2000s, his career flourished, getting song placements on albums by Ice Cube and Slaughterhouse, and producing mixtape and album tracks for a rising star by the name of Kid Cudi.
This connection led to his being a co-producer on one of the biggest singles of 2010, Kanye Westās āRunaway,ā a song that was spawned by a beat he played for āYe while he was in Hawaii working with Cudi on Man on the Moon II.
Having started primarily as a sample-driven hip-hop producer, Emile has expanded his repertoire, producing for the hottest new songstress in the blogosphere, Lana Del Rey, as well as the pop hop powerhouse Gym Class Heroes. And heās still doing his thing with the rap elite (check for āNovacaneā on Lil Wayneās Tha Carter IV) and even lacing newcomers like Action Bronson.
So before Emile gets too big to do interviews (we keeed!), Complex reached out to him so he could break down the stories behind all his classic records. He was more than hospitable, inviting us into his brand new, luxurious, art-filled studio in Manhattanās Chelsea District to share tales about co-producing his first major-label release with Eminem, getting clowned for being white by M.O.P., and having DJ Premier do scratches on one of his songs.
Plus much more, including the unbelievable story behind his favorite song he ever did (it was with Proof), and how The RZA co-signed his production on Kid Cudiās āMr. Rager.ā We have a feeling that this is just the beginning of a very prominent career for Emile.
As told to Daniel Isenberg (@stanipcus) & Joe La Puma (@JLaPuma).
Cormega "Introspective" (2002)
Cormega "Introspective" (2002)
Album: The True Meaning
Label: Legal Hustle
Emile: āBefore I met āMega, Big Daddy Kane got a hold of my beat CD. I was cutting a record with Kane, so he brought me to D&D [which was how I first started going up there]. This was still āGolden Ageā era D&D, so it would be like M.O.P., Premier, Guru, Boot Camp, and all these guys in these sessions floating around. I was hustling beats. If I saw a rapper, it was like, āHere, listen to my stuff.ā
āI met āMega at D&D Studios. āMega was one of the first dudes I actually got a beat CD to. He got a hold of my beat CD and recorded it. I wasnāt with him when [he made the song].
āBut it started this relationship with him where we went on to cut a bunch more records. We didnāt really get to know each other until the next album. Thatās when I started going and doing sessions with him. It was cool because he was coming off an underground classic with The Realness, and the fact that he set off his next album with my beat was dope.ā
Obie Trice "Don't Come Down" (2003)
Obie Trice "Don't Come Down" (2003)
Album: Cheers
Label: Shady/Interscope
Emile: āThat was really my first time doing a beat for a big artist on a label. I was still living in my momās basement making beats on the ASR. That one, Iām in the studio in Detroit, working with this big, new artist on a major label.
āIt was actually Proof who I have to give credit for starting my career. Proof came to New York, I bumped into him, and I gave him a beat CD. It was one of these, āHereās some beats, thanks, see ya later,ā type of things.
Proof brought me out to Detroit because he was working on his albumābut he was the kind of dude that if he liked your stuff, he would try and let everyone who he worked with hear it, and put the pieces together. That was just his thing.
He called me the next day and was like, āIām back in Detroit, I took the tour bus home last night because it was the last stop on the tour. I listened to your beats the entire way. Get on a plane right now. Like, today.ā
āProof brought me out there because he was working on his albumābut he was the kind of dude that if he liked your stuff, he would try and let everyone who he worked with hear it, and put the pieces together. That was just his thing.
āHe brought me to this house that they all used to hang out at. All these D12 guys and Obie and Proof were in this crib and they were all listening to my stuff. Obie was there and he was sitting on the floor in front of the stereo with my beat CD on writing to it. I was like, āHoly shit.ā And Proof was like, āYeah, I played him your shit. He likes it. Heās fucking with this one beat.ā
āObie was like, āIām going to the studio tonight to record this, you should come through.ā So Proof brought me to Eminemās studio that night. Em is my favorite rapper ever. Period. Still is. And this was right around when 8 Mile was filming, so he was coming off The Eminem Show, and he was my favorite and like, the worldās favorite.
āSo here I am in the studio. Obie had one room, Em had the other room, and Proof brought me in and introduced me to Marshall and I was just tripping. Like, I was just in my motherās basement the day before.
Em fucking did the drums over, put in strings, and all these amazing guitars and pianos in it. I remember I sent Em the vinyl I used and he sampled some other shit from the vinyl. He just showed me what a producer is. Like, āHoly shit, this is a fucking record now!ā
āI co-produced it with Em, and itās pretty nuts how much Em did. I was just using an SP-1200 and an ASR. It was this dirty sample and some drums from an SP-1200. It wasnāt intricate in any way. Obie cut to that version.
āEm came in and heard it and was like, āYeah, I want to add some shit to this.ā He just took it and made it into this giant record. I learned so much about doing beats from that. If you heard my beat [Laughs.], it was cool but it was just a kick, a snare, a hi-hat, a sample, and a bass line.
āEm fucking did the drums over, put in strings, and all these amazing guitars and pianos in it. I remember I sent Em the vinyl I used and he sampled some other shit from the vinyl. He just showed me what a producer is. Like, āHoly shit, this is a fucking record now!ā
āI had the core of the beat, it was like a 6.5. Em made it a 10. The difference in what he did and the sounds that he put in, and the way he made it so cinematic, that was all Em. I learned a lot from him. Heās an amazing producer.
āItās a really special song to me. It started my relationship with Obie and my first release on a major label was co-produced with Eminemāthe biggest rapper and my personal favorite. It was unbelievable. Talk about a starting point.ā
Obie Trice "Hoodrats" (2003)
Obie Trice "Hoodrats" (2003)
Album: Cheers
Label: Shady/Interscope
Emile:āThatās when I had gotten to know Obie and was starting to send him stuff. I sent him a beat and I was really proud of it because I didnāt use any samples. I was just figuring out how to use keyboards and stuff. It was kind of a fake Neptunes-y kind of beat.
It was kind of a fake Neptunes-y kind of beat.
āObie killed it and Em added some stuff to that too, like all the keys on the chorus and that kind of shit. I look at āDonāt Come Downā as a masterpiece, but āHoodratsā was just like a dope, fun kind of song.
ā[Obieās Cheers was] an incredible album. The beats that Dre was doing on that album were retarded, like āThe Set Up.ā And the Em beats were incredible. Timbaland did incredible beats. It was just a monster of an album to be on.ā
Ghostface Killah āStruggleā (2003)
Ghostface Killah āStruggleā (2003)
Album: N/A
Label: N/A
Emile:āMy relationship with Ghost came through Plain Pat. I knew Pat through C-Rayz Walz, who was this artist that Pat was working with. Then Pat got a job as an A&R at Def Jam, so the Ghostface project and The Roots project were two of his things. I would send Pat beats and he would give them to Ghost.
I remember getting a call from Ghostface from some crazy number. My phone rings and Iām like, āHello?ā And heās like, āItās Starks.ā And Iām like [Laughs.], āOkay.ā The beat CD I gave him had ten beats, he played me nine beats and was like, āI want all of those.ā
āI remember getting a call from Ghostface from some crazy number. My phone rings and Iām like, āHello?ā And heās like, āItās Starks.ā And Iām like [Laughs.], āOkay.ā Heās like, āI got your beats, I wanna use your beats.ā
āGhost is one of my favorite rappers. Iām sitting there on the phone with him and the beat CD I gave him had ten beats, he played me nine beats and was like, āI want all of those.ā Obviously he didnāt use all nine, but he did use two.
āOne of them leaked, which was āStruggle.ā He did this great song to this amazing beat but he didnāt put it on the album. He used the beat and did a Kay Slay freestyle and put it out. Itās not like a swing and a miss, but itās like, āFoul ball!ā It wasnāt a home run. [Laughs.] It was like the sacrifice fly of records.ā
Ghostface Killah "Intro" (2004)
Ghostface Killah "Intro" (2004)
Album: The Pretty Toney Album
Label:Ā Def Jam
Emile: āThat was just a producerās nightmare. [Laughs.] I made this fucking beat and the beat was incredible. I remember thinking, āThis is so perfect for Ghost.ā Like, heās gonna make this amazing album song over it.
Ghost called me and heās like, āYeah, I did it, but itās the intro.ā I was like, āCan I hear it?ā So he sent it back to me, and itās my beat that I thought was a masterpiece, ran through like some fucked-up filter, with Ghost just like talking on it for like forty seconds.
āGhost called meāhe used to call me and shit. And heās like, āYeah, I did it, but itās the intro.ā I was like, āCan I hear it?ā So he sent it back to me, and itās my beat that I thought was a masterpiece, ran through like some fucked-up filter, with Ghost just like talking on it for like forty seconds [Laughs.].
āI was like, āDude, can you just do sixteen bars on it and weāll put it on a mixtape or something? I just want to hear you rap on this beat.ā And he was like, āNah G. This is starting off the album.ā So now Iām like the intro guy. I did the Cormega intro and now I got this Ghostface intro. That beat knocks, I donāt know what he put on it [with that interview intro]. I guess thatās the genius of Toney Starks.ā
The Roots āPity The Childā (2004)
The Roots āPity The Childā (2004)
Album:Ā N/A
Label:Ā N/A
Emile:āPlain Pat was A&Rāing The Roots album and they really didnāt fuck with outside producers, other than Scott Storch who did that one single, but he was sort of affiliated. So it was a big deal that I had this Roots song and I was an unknown producer.
At the 11th hour, Black Thought decided that he didnāt want to put that into the universe. He maybe felt like he was exploiting [his family]. I donāt know. He wasnāt comfortable putting what he was saying on the record.
āThe song was really dope. It was actually a beat that I tried to make for Em, but he wasnāt into it. So I sent it to Pat and he gave it to Black Thought. It actually sounded like a good Roots song. Black Thought wrote about some real family stuff that had to do with both of his parents passing. It was a heavy song.
āIt was cut and done and ?uestlove had Larry Gold do the strings on it, which was amazing because Larry now does all my strings. It was a big, epic record, with a big drum break on it.
āAnd I guess at the 11th hour, Black Thought decided that he didnāt want to put that into the universe. He maybe felt like he was exploiting it. I donāt know. He wasnāt comfortable putting what he was saying on the record.
āIt leaked, but I donāt know [if he was pissed off]. A weird version of it leaked, some Beatles blend thing, But I have the real song [for Complex]. Itās a great song, but another one of those that was almost there.ā
Cormega f/ M.O.P. "Let It Go" (2004)
Cormega f/ M.O.P. "Let It Go" (2004)
Album: Legal Hustle
Label:Ā Koch
Emile: āThat was done at Quad Studios. M.O.P. and Cormega agreed to do a song together. Cormega called me for the beat. I knew M.O.P. because I had done some stuff with them that never come out. But that was my first session with those guys. I remember going to the session and it was āMega, a bunch of his dudes, M.O.P., and like twenty-seven of their dudes in a small studio room.
āMy illest memory of that was just how incredible M.O.P. did their vocals. They sit there, and the beatās blasting, everybodyās drinking really hard, and thereās no communication. They donāt sit and write the raps together. They donāt plan the shit.
M.O.P. had jokes. Fameās big thing was that I had a black dude locked up somewhere making the beats and I was stealing all his shit. Heād be like, āI know youāre not making these. What black dude do you have locked up making all the beats that youāre stealing the credit for, whiteboy?ā
āBut when it came time to record, [Billy] Danze would be like, āOkay, turn on the mic.ā And he would go in the booth and say his rap, but leave all these spaces. And I was like, āWhy is he leaving all these spaces? Is he gonna do an ad-lib track? This is kinda weird.ā
āLilā Fame goes in after and fills in the gaps, flawlessly. Theyāre like one person. They didnāt talk about it, they just did it, without even discussing it. Totally shit-face drunk, partying, and they just go in and nail it without even thinking about it. Itās just like second nature to them.
āM.O.P. is my favorite rap duo of all time. I would sit and listen to their ad-libs. Their verses are insane on that record. I always thought Danze was one of my favorite MCs ever. Everybody loves M.O.P. and what they do and their energy, but if you listen to their lyrics, especially Danzeās lyrics and the way he raps and writes, heās really good and mad funny. Thatās the thing about M.O.P. Itās the most violent music ever, but itās hilarious.
āTheir sessions are no fucking joke. That was a real-deal session. Youāre gonna get clowned on like a motherfucker. They had so many white jokes for me. I was making these hard beats, but I would show up at the studio and I was this white dude. And this was before there was a million white producers. They would make fun of me so hard for being white!
āThey had jokes. Fameās big thing was that I had a black dude locked up somewhere making the beats and I was stealing all his shit. Heād be like, āI know youāre not making these. What black dude do you have locked up making all the beats that youāre stealing the credit for, whiteboy?ā Theyāre just fun as hell to hang out with and work with. You just start drinking and talk shit.ā
Proof "Clap wit Me" (2005)
Proof "Clap wit Me" (2005)
Album: Searching for Jerry Garcia
Label: Iron Fist
Emile: āThat was the first song that me and Proof did. The shit with Proof was deep. It was more than just getting in the studio and cutting a song. If Proof brought you to Detroit, youāre rolling with him.
āI stayed at his crib, we hung out for the entire time, we ate every meal together. We would drive around listening to my beats and come up with ideas. He was just really special and welcoming.
I was somebody he didnāt know at all. Proof just brought you in and treated you like family. I remember the first or second time I went out there to work with him, it was Thanksgiving, and I had Thanksgiving dinner with his whole family. He would just open his door for you.
āI was somebody he didnāt know at all, and he just brought you in and treated you like family. I remember the first or second time I went out there to work with him, it was Thanksgiving, and I had Thanksgiving dinner with his whole family. He would just open his door for you.
āI was pretty psyched because he said my name right in between 50 Cent and Eminemās name. I was like, āWow, I just got my name mentioned between Eminem and 50 on a song.ā That shit blew my mind.
āThe sample was from a 45 by this group Brief Encounter. Itās a really rare record from a soul group from the 70ās. If you try to find the album, youāre gonna spend $1,000 or up to buy it. We tried to clear the sample but we just couldnāt find them. The shit was an extremely independent, rare soul album.
āIn one of the newer issues of Wax Poetics, they were complaining about that song, that we didnāt clear it with them. One of the original members of the band was like, āWeāre down with sampling, just make sure you clear the music with us.ā We wanted to clear it, but we just didnāt have any means to find them.
āThe late Proofās label wouldāve cleared it, but we couldnāt. So we just put it out. They never came after us and Proof passed away. It was like, āSorry we didnāt clear, it Brief Encounter. We tried.āā
Proof "Kurt Kobain" (2005)
Proof "Kurt Kobain" (2005)
Album: Searching for Jerry Garcia
Label: Iron Fist
Emile: āThatās definitely the most special record Iāve ever done and will ever do. Itās Proof saying goodbye to the world. Itās a really heavy song. The day that we did it, we were driving around in his car listening to my beats, and we kept listening to that one over and over and we were going to see his uncle who was on his death bed. I went to the hospital with him to see his uncle. Like I said, when you went to Detroit to see Proof, you were with Proof.
āI think that might have triggered the theme of that song because we were listening to that beat all day, which is like a sad, somber beat. I think his uncle passed away two days later. And my dad just passed away a couple months before that, so it was like, death was in the air and that was the soundtrack for both of us who were dealing with losses.
I went to the hospital with Proof to see his uncle. Like I said, when you went to Detroit to see Proof, you were with Proof.
āWe spent a lot of time talking about death, losing family members, my dad, and his uncle. So that was the theme, and meanwhile this beat was playing the whole time in the car. It was a heavy day and it made that record happen.
āTwo years after Proof passed, I was listening to that song, and for whatever reason, I got inspired to find the sample I used. It was by Lamont Dozier. Proofās dad was a pretty legendary Detroit musician and producer and performer named McKinley Jackson. He had a band called The Politicians. He produced tons of classic Detroit soul records.
āWhen we were cutting the song, we brought in a bass player that used to play with Proofās dad back in the day. And heās playing bass on the record and he used to play bass on all Proofās dadās stuff. Heās like, āMan, I know this music. I canāt figure it out, but I know this music.ā It wasnāt a big deal, but he said it a few times. And in Proofās lyrics heās talking to his dad on the song.
The song that Proof wrote that he speaks to his dad on, thatās kind of a goodbye letter, the music [from the sample] was written and produced by his dad. And we had no fucking idea. This was a total coincidence. Only in hip hop would something like this happen. Like I said, itās the most special record Iāve ever done and will ever do.
āFast forward to years later, and Iām looking at the record that I sampled, and I look at the credits on the back, and it says, āProduced by McKinley Jackson.ā Talk about a moment of getting chills. My jaw hit the fucking floor.
āThe song that Proof wrote that he speaks to his dad on, thatās kind of a goodbye letter, the music [from the sample] was written and produced by his dad.
We had no fucking idea. This was a total coincidence. Only in hip hop would something like this happen. Like I said, itās the most special record Iāve ever done and will ever do.
āIām sure thereās so many stories like this about Proof, these special stories. Thatās the type of dude he was. He was made for these stories. He was one of the nicest people Iāve ever met.Ā He launched my career and did it because he loved hip-hop and loved stuff that he thought was good. He had no other motives.
āHe loved to see his people working on stuff together and liking each other. That was his favorite thing. You donāt meet a lot of people like that. He was just a special dude.ā
AZ f/ Raekwon & Ghostface Killah "New York" (2005)
AZ f/ Raekwon & Ghostface Killah "New York" (2005)
Album: A.W.O.L.
Label: Quiet Money
Emile: āI bit the sample from Wild Style. I was still figuring out how to play keyboards and that was a really easy bass line. AZ called me and said he wanted to do a song about New York and I think I had been listening to the Wild Style Soundtrack, and I was like, āMaybe we should re-do that beat.ā And then Iāll put James Brown saying, āI was born in New York Cityā on it.
āThen it started with Raekwon getting on the album. I knew Raekwon from doing some things with his group Ice Water Inc. and some other shit that didnāt make his album. So Raekwon came to the studio and now Iāve got an AZ and Raekwon song. Next thing you know, Ghostface got on it and I was like, āHoly shit! AZ, Raekwon, and Ghostface on my record!ā
[Premier] has the best cuts in the world I donāt care what anybody says. Heās the freshest. Iāll take his scratches over any of these super-fast technical DJs. His shit, you just canāt duplicate. Premier wouldntāve have done cuts on it if he didnāt like it, so that was kind of like me getting a co-sign on the beat from Primo.
āThe icing on the cake was DJ Premier doing the scratches on the chorus. From being such a big hip-hop fan, having a song with AZ, Rae, and Ghost, and Premierāwhoās like the god of all producers to meāitās pretty amazing.
ā[Premier] has the best cuts in the world I donāt care what anybody says. Heās the freshest. Iāll take his scratches over any of these super-fast technical DJs. His shit, you just canāt duplicate. Theyāre just perfect and they make songs and classic choruses with scratching. To this day, heās capable of carrying a chorus. That was the stamp of like, āThis is a banger.ā
āPremier wouldntāve have done cuts on it if he didnāt like it, so that was kind of like me getting a co-sign on the beat from Primo. That was my hero. I used to sit and copy Premierās beats. All my first beats were like terrible versions of his beats. I would sample his drums that he would leave open and try to make beats like him.
āItās not a special beat but itās a special song. The beat was just kind of good enough to showcase these dudes. Itās just an empty, sparse beat that sets the mood and feels very New York. I listen to it now and Iāll be like, āMan, I wouldāve made that beat better.āā
Rhymefest f/ Citizen Cope "Bullet" (2006)
Rhymefest f/ Citizen Cope "Bullet" (2006)
Album: Blue Collar
Label: J Records/Allido
Emile: āThat was Mark Ronsonās idea. I bumped into Ronson on 34th Street on my way to Rock and Soul Records. And he was like, āYo, Iām working on this new dude Rhymefest from Chicago who I signed. Iām starting this label, Allido.ā Me and Mark always had a good producer buddy relationship.
āHe brought me in and the first record I did was āAll I Do.ā Mark had this idea of using the Citizen Cope song. He was like, āDo you want to try and produce it up?ā And Mark had the relationship with Cope where he went and got the multi-track of the song, so I got to dig into Citizen Copeās record.
I had to go in as the producer and make sense of the genius of Jon Brion, and make it like a hip-hop record without overloading on the synths. You gotta make room for the rapper.
āI re-did it a bunch of times. It was really like a community record between me, Mark Ronson, and Rhymefest. And then, they got the idea to get Jon Brion in the mix. And today, Jon Brionās like my fucking hero. At the time, I was familiar with him just based off of his work with Kanye [on Late Registration], and I knew the Fiona Apple stuff. I didnāt know about the other incredible stuff heād done.
āI remember going in the studio with Jon Brion out in L.A. and observing. He had all these synths and heās just a super gear head. He schooled the fuck out of me on old synths. Now I collect all these vintage, analog, old synths. He was like, āWhy are you using these stupid Triton, Motif, Roland things?ā He had giant Moogs, and crazy synths where you patch everything in. He schooled me to so much shit. He got me into using interesting pre-amps, I mean, he gets it. Heās the man.
āI had to go in as the producer and make sense of the genius of Jon Brion, and make it like a hip-hop record without overloading on the synths. You gotta make room for the rapper. So it was matter of bringing his stuff in to make space for āFest. He played like sixteen tracks of keyboards. I didnāt know how to do that as well then. It was tricky. It was real-deal music, and I was like a sampling dude.
āI wish I could work with him now. I gotta get back in with him [and show him how Iāve progressed] because thatās a big part of my process now. Finding the perfect keyboard to go with the perfect pre-amp to have the perfect setting to catch that perfect sweet spot where itās two percent warmer than it wouldāve been before. Heās the king of that shit. Heās no joke. I was in a little over my head working with him at the time. [Laughs.]ā
Obie Trice āWanna Knowā (2006)
Obie Trice āWanna Knowā (2006)
Album: Second Roundās on Me
Label: Shady/Interscope
Emile:āThat was me and Obie starting on the next album after we formed a creative bond from the first LP. Itās kind of a crazy song because it never took off at radio but has managed to have these long legs to this day. I think people just gravitate towards the rock sound applied to hip hop when itās done tastefully.
Obie was trying to send me an mp3. He set the phone down and was banging the shit out of his computer to send it. [Laughs.] He comes back on minutes later after all the ruckus like, āI put the CD in the computer where the fuck is the send button?!?ā I ended up getting a CD in the mail a few days later.
āItās a sample from this Detroit band called Power of Zeus, so it was fitting for Obie to rap on it. Pretty classic album for beat heads since it has a huge drum break on it thatās been sampled to death by people like Common, Cypress Hill, and Smif-N-Wessun. But I used a different song. It was really about the vocal sample and what dude was saying.
āI remember sending it to Obie and him calling me back a few hours later super excited, like, āI just cut the songāwe got something big!ā Then he was trying to send me an mp3, but this wasnāt as common or easy as it is today back then. So he set the phone down and was banging the shit out of his computer to send it. [Laughs.]
āHe comes back on minutes later after all the ruckus like, āI put the CD in the computer where the fuck is the send button?!?ā I ended up getting a CD in the mail a few days later and knew it was a great record the second he started rapping. The āEmile hit āemā shout-out at the beginning was dope too.
āI remember his team asking me about who should mix the song and i was like, āUh, can Em do it?ā I donāt know if people really pay attention or whatever, but if you listen to the mixes Em does, they are incredible. He's obviously more known for his rapping and producing but he also has one of the best ears for sonics and mixing I've ever witnessed.
āThe song was featured on an episode of Entourage, then it was basically the promo song for the next season. All kinds of licenses [have] come in for film and TV. They even used it like crazy on the Science Channel for some reason. We cleared the sample and it took a lot of the publishing, so there's definitely some relatively unknown psych rock guys hanging out somewhere in Detroit with fat pockets off that one!ā
WC f/ Snoop Dogg and Butch Cassidy "Dodgeball" (2007)
WC f/ Snoop Dogg & Butch Cassidy "Dodgeball" (2007)
Album: Guilty by Affiliation
Label: Lench Mob
Emile:Ā āI love that song! I met Ice Cube and Cube introduced me to WC. I met Cube from a beat I did that was more of a sample-based, New York hip-hop beat. I grew up in Buffalo and we listened to West Coast shit all the time. So I really love the classic, West Coast Fender Rhodes chords and Butch Cassidy choruses. I love that shit.ā
I was in the room with Cube, WC, and DJ Crazy Toones, and all these legendary West Coast guys. And they were quizzing me like, āWhatās the best rap group of all time?ā And I was like, āUh, N.W.A.?ā And they were like, āGet the fuck out of here! Run-DMC, man!ā
āThey flew me out to L.A. I think they brought me out like, āLetās get this New York guy who makes all these sample-based hip-hop beats.ā I wanted to make some riding-around-with-the-top-down type records. So that was my attempt at making one of those.
āButch Cassidy is so dope and they put Snoop on it. I was like, āHoly shit, Iāve got myself an official West Coast record.ā WC is a legend. I used to listen to WC and the Maad Circle like crazy.
āHanging out with WC is one of the funnest experiences because he will school the shit out of you on hip-hop, like Gangstarr. Heās really into classic hip-hop and will talk about it for hours and hours.
āI was in the room with Cube, WC, and DJ Crazy Toones, and all these legendary West Coast guys. And they were quizzing me like, āWhatās the best rap group of all time?ā And I was like, āUh, N.W.A.?ā And they were like, āGet the fuck out of here! Run-DMC, man!ā
āThat shows you where their head is at. Those dudes are just hip-hop dudes, itās not a coastal thing. Theyāre into real shit, no matter where itās from.ā
Kid Cudi āBigger Than Youā (2007)
Kid Cudi āBigger Than Youā (2007)
Album: N/A
Label: N/A
Emile:Ā āI found Cudi browsing MySpace one day. He had āDay ānā Niteā on his MySpace and it had like, a few hundred listens. And Iām like, āWho the fuck is this? This song is a smash. This dude is incredible and he doesnāt sound like anything Iāve ever heard.ā
I found Cudi browsing MySpace one day. He had āDay ānā Niteā on his MySpace and it had like, a few hundred listens. And Iām like, āWho the fuck is this? This song is a smash.
āAnd Iām looking at his Top 8 friends, and I see Plain Pat. So I call Pat, and Iām like, āThereās this fucking guy, he has this amazing song, and youāre in his friends.ā And heās like, āYeah, heās this new guy I got, I think Iām gonna manage him. Thatās my dude, weāre just starting out. You should produce some shit for him.ā
āThe first song we ever did was āBigger Than You,ā which leaked but it never came out. The title on the Internet is āDo It Alone,ā but itās really called āBigger Than You.ā Thatās a cool song. I wish that song got more shine.
āIt was supposed to be the intro for Man on the Moon. But Cudi left a CD in some dudeās car in Cleveland and dude put the whole thing on the Internet. So that ruined that song. But itās a great song and the first thing we ever did.ā
Kid Cudi f/ Wale "Is There Any Love?"
Kid Cudi f/ Wale "Is There Any Love?" (2008)
Album: A Kid Named Cudi (Mixtape)
Label: N/A
Emile: āThat was the second song ever I did with Cudi. I was listening to records with Cudiāthat was our thing. Before I got into sitting at the piano and we would come up with songs, we would just listen to records, listening for samples and ideas.
āI had this Trevor Dandy record, which is like this rare Canadian gospel record. We were listening to it and there was no question that it was amazing. The drums were there, it was all there in the song.
Cudi would be at the studio hanging out a lot and Wale was always around. They were boys. Wale just put out his mixtape. They were peers, so we had the idea like, āWhat about putting him on the record?ā We did that and it turned into this mixtape classic.
āI tend to sometimes overproduce things and ruin the sparseness of what we started with. Thatās where a guy like Plain Pat being in the studio is so critical, because Pat was like, āJust fucking loop it.ā
āI was trying to add all these keys and make it my own thing, but the music was amazing, so he was like, āStop fucking around.ā Patās got the ear to tell you when to stop or when to change. And he was like, āJust loop it and leave it be.ā
āItās a straight loop off a gospel record. Thatās all it needed to be. I added some keys on the chorus and changed the timing on it a little bit. Pat was the one who had the ill idea to put the 808s off a little, like in weirder spots. The 808s come in unexpected.
āCudi would be at the studio hanging out a lot and Wale was always around. They were boys. Wale just put out his mixtape. They were peers, so we had the idea like, āWhat about putting him on the record?ā We did that and it turned into this mixtape classic.
āWe put it out and it leaked, and thatās when things were starting to pick up with Cudi. Everything we did and put out, we got a good response on. That was the first thing we ever did that came out and saw the light of day.ā
Kid Cudi "50 Ways To Make A Record"
Kid Cudi "50 Ways To Make A Record" (2008)
Album: A Kid Named Cudi (Mixtape)
Label: N/A
Emile:Ā āThat was Plain Patās idea to use the Paul Simon thing. When I met them, they had been working a little but hadnāt recorded any of these ideas. So Pat had the Paul Simon ā50 Ways to Leave Your Loverā song looped up and Cudi had it written already.
Thatās the first time I ever heard Cudi sing. I didnāt know he could really sing, so I was like, āWait a minuteāthis is great.ā
āThatās the first time I ever heard Cudi sing. He always had this melody-driven way of rapping, but this was like singing! Heās perfectly in key and itās just right. I didnāt know he could really sing, so I was like, āWait a minuteāthis is great.ā
āThatās the beauty of mixtapes. You can use songs like that and re-create these classic songs that you probably wouldnāt be able to put on an album. I donāt know if you could clear that record.
āEminem used it for āMurder, Murderāāhe used the drums. I guess it didnāt come out because Paul Simon didnāt clear it. But you can still use it, even if Eminem already flipped it, because itās just a fun idea. Over time, thatās become one of my favorite songs on the [mixtape].ā
Ice Cube "It Takes A Nation"
Ice Cube "It Takes A Nation" (2008)
Album: Raw Footage
Label: Lench Mob
Emile:āThat shit came out so fucking good. I made the beat specifically for Cube. It was my version of what I think a West Coast record could sound like. I did it and sent it to him. He cut it and sent it back, and I was like, āHoly fucking shit.ā
It was like, āCube is back, Iām gonna talk a lot of shit, fuck radio. Iām Ice Cube I can do whatever the fuck I wanna do.ā And that recordās a great representation of that mind frame that he was in.
āIām super proud of that record. Itās one of those rare instances where you make something specifically for an artist and they actually like it. [Laughs.] Usually they like the last thing you think theyāre gonna like. I was like, āCubeās cooking up a new album. I gotta make some Ice Cube beats.ā
āIt was definitely a Public Enemyāinspired record. I remember thinking it would be cool to hear Cube on some chaotic-feeling music with screaming electric guitars, but based around classic L.A. hip hop chords, and try to marry the two somehow.
āIt was like, āCube is back, Iām gonna talk a lot of shit, fuck radio. Iām Ice Cube I can do whatever the fuck I wanna do.ā And that recordās a great representation of that mind frame that he was in. On that second verse he starts talking crazy shit about radio and the politics and all the bullshit.ā
Michael Jackson "Maria (You Were the Only One) (Show Me The Way to Go Home Remix)"
Michael Jackson "Maria (You Were the Only One) (Show Me The Way to Go Home Remix)" (2009)
Album: The Remix Suite
Label: Universal Motown
Emile: āSylvia Rhone, who signed Kid Cudi, was the Chair at Motown. She wanted to do a tribute album to Michael when he passed away that used his older material from his Motown catalog from when he was a kid.
āShe called me up and was like, āDo you want to produce an old Michael song?ā Iām such a big fan of those old The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson records, so I was like, āMan, I donāt know if I want to fuck with a Michael Jackson song. I donāt know if Iām worthy of that.ā [But] I really wanted to hear the multi-track recordings of the old records.
Iām such a big fan of those old The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson records, so I was like, āMan, I donāt know if I want to fuck with a Michael Jackson song. I donāt know if Iām worthy of that.ā
āIām obsessed with the fuzz guitar tone on The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson early albums. I donāt know who the fuck was playing that guitar, but the tone is amazing. If you listen to their version of āWalk On By,ā which Just Blaze used for something, itās a good example of that guitar tone.
āāMaria,ā itās the same thing. Itās one of my favorite guitar sounds of all time, which is why I picked it. We were limited to the first two Mike albums from when he was a kid.
āIt was a lot of fun just to hear the genius behind dudeās production back in the day, like the strings and the guitars, and just the tones that they were getting were just so fucking incredible. I kind of have mixed feelings when I listen to it now, like, I donāt know. Is it that dope?
āItās definitely not something I would try to go around and be like, āI did a Michael Jackson song!ā It was a lot of fun to do though. I was definitely in good company with Salaam Remi, Benny Blanco, and Pharrell. It was just a fun project.
āI wasnāt sure about it, but then Ryan Leslie called me about it, because Sylvia played it for him. And he was like, āThis shit is incredible!ā So I was like, āAlright,ā and let it go. I just get weird about doing remixes when the person has passed away. Itās kind of tricky, because itās like, āWhat if they wouldāve hated this?ā
Royce da 5'9'' f/ Crooked I "Gun Harmonizing" (2009)
Royce da 5'9'' f/ Crooked I "Gun Harmonizing" (2009)
Album: Street Hop
Label: M.I.C./One Records
Emile:āRoyce, especially now in 2011, sounds like an on-beat machine gun when he raps. He just sprays raps, but perfectly in the pocket. I donāt know how the fuck he does it. Itās so fast and intricate and well done. Dude has just mastered his delivery. That hook, heās just doing gun sounds, but thatās the way he sounds when he raps.
Royce is super next level with the way he rides beats, his cadence, and his delivery. Him and Em, what they pick up on and rap along to is different than what a lot of rappers would do.
āHe does these crazy patterns, and follows beats in such crazy ways. Dude is just super next level with the way he rides beats and his cadence and his delivery. Him and Em, they pick up on things in the beat, like background, syncopated stuff in the beat. What he picks up on and raps along to is different than what a lot of rappers would do.
āIāve always been a huge fan of his. His albums are all great. I came in working with Proof and those dudes when they [were going through] family shit. He was having his family issues with those dudes. So I never really got the opportunity to work with him at that time. So it was great when I finally had the opportunity to cut records with him.ā
Royce da 5'9'' "On the Run" (2009)
Royce da 5'9'' "On the Run" (2009)
Album: Street Hop
Label: M.I.C./One Records
Emile:Ā āI always envisioned a crazy skit to start off that record. We never talked about it. Royce just kind of knew where I was coming from. Itās a sample from a guy named Ted Taylor.
I pictured the setting of the song being in some fucked-up, shitty hotel, on the run, and cops and sirens outside the window.
āI wanted to use the vocal, and I pictured the setting of the song being in some fucked-up, shitty hotel, on the run, and cops and sirens outside the window. When I made the beat, I made it super dramatic with that sample, and rain and sirens in the background. And I put all these sound effects in the beat that I gave to Royce.
āWe didnāt really talk about it. He was in Detroit and I was in New York and for whatever reason we couldnāt get in the studio, so I wanted to give my idea that it was definitely a story-telling record.
"And he coincidentally thought the same thing, because he came up with this whole crazy story and this wild intro about being on the run.
āItās really good story-telling. Real MCs can write a story and pen something, whether itās fictional or inspired by real shit, and actually paint that picture and tell it to you. And thatās Royce. He can take it there, any time.ā
Slaughterhouse f/ Fatman Scoop "Onslaught 2" (2009)
Slaughterhouse f/ Fatman Scoop "Onslaught 2" (2009)
Album: Slaughterhouse
Label: E1 Music
Emile: āThat was me going in playing beats for Slaughterhouse. It was such a no-brainer to work with them. We actually did that at the new D&D, at Headquarterz. I was there for part of it. I gave them the beat, and they put it together themselves.
āThere wasnāt a lot for me to do production-wise other than a little bit of arrangement. That wasnāt one of their concept, story records. That was just, āWeāre about to go in and just murder this beat.ā
āThe beatās just the right tempo and energy for them to showcase themselves. Itās one of those non-remarkable beats, but itās good because it allowed them to do what they do on it. It gave them the space and the energy they needed to rap their asses off.ā
Kid Cudi "Soundtrack 2 My Life" (2009)
Kid Cudi "Soundtrack 2 My Life" (2009)
Album: Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Label: Dream On/Good Music/Universal Motown
Emile: āThat record started with me just kind of on the keyboard just playing shit. When he heard something he liked, he would be like, āThatās dope.ā It would just be like some chords, then weād kind of build it around that. It wasn't like, Iād have a beat done and be like, āWhat do you think?ā It would always just start with nothing and then build into a beat.
āThat was [another] one of those records we cut all in one night, which is rare, because usually we would spend a few days or a few different sessions per song. That one we did in one night because he was just determined to get it done.
Kid Cudi "Solo Dolo (Nightmare)" (2009)
Kid Cudi "Solo Dolo (Nightmare)" (2009)
Album: Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Label: Dream On/Good Music/Universal Motown
Emile: āIāve always liked Truth & Soul and the music they put out. Theyāre the best camp at capturing older-sounding music but still making it fresh. Iāve always bought their music as a fan, not to sample. Even though itās so sample-able. Itās hard not to sample their shit. [Laughs.]
I didnāt have a chance to over-produce it and fuck it up, because Cudi came up with the shit so fast.
āWe were listening to records, and the [Manahan Street Band album released on Truth & Soul was playing] as just background music, just hanging out with Cudi and a bunch of people in the studio just kicking it. Not like, āLetās sample this.ā And that shit came on and we both stopped and were like, āWhat the fuck is that?ā I was like, āIf I slowed that way down, that would be kind of ill.ā
āI didnāt have a chance to over-produce it and fuck it up, because Cudi came up with the shit so fast. I just slowed it down and looped it and put the 808s in and a little bit of keys. Cudi was like, āTurn the mic on.ā I was like, āAlready?ā And he was like, āYup.ā And he just went in and bodied it. Thatās probably my favorite Cudi song if I had to pick one.ā
Kid Cudi "Cudi Zone" (2009)
Kid Cudi "Cudi Zone" (2009)
Album: Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Label: Dream On/Good Music/Universal Motown
Emile:Ā āHe had the first verse forever and me and [Plain] Pat were like, 'Cudi Zone,' whatās up with it?ā And Cudi would just blow it off. So me and Pat were just like, āFuck man, this record is so dope.ā But it went on so long that I started to wonder if this monster of a record was going to be on the shelf, just like if it was ever going to get finished.
Cudi doesnāt force his stuff when he works. Itās either going to happen or itās not going to happen.
āA long time went by and he just wasnāt going to force it. Cudi doesnāt force his stuff when he works. Itās either going to happen or itās not going to happen. Eventually one day, it was real nonchalant, months and months after we had this record, and he was just like, āOh yeah, I got the 'Cudi Zone' verse.ā
āI almost didnāt believe him. I was like, āWord?ā Not only did he come in forever after we did the first verse, but he did the second verse and it sounded like he did it the exact same day he did the first verse. The tone was cool, everything was cool about it. It was like, āOk, shit. Weāre done. Sweet.ā
We did āCudi Zoneā and āSolo Doloā back-to-back in like two days. It had to have been six months [after he wrote the first verse of āCudi Zoneā].ā
Ghostface Killah "Pimpin Chipp" (2010)
Ghostface Killah "Pimpin Chipp" (2010)
Album: Wu-Massacre
Label:Ā Def Jam
Emile: āI donāt know much about that. It was an old beat of mine, and I donāt even know if there was any business done on that. It was one of these things where I got the call like, āGhostface rapped on an old beat of yours.ā
āNormally I would be like, āThis is old, Iāve never heard it, I donāt want to put it out there.ā But the fact that itās Ghostface, chances are itās going to be pretty good.
āThat was a pretty strangely concocted album. I donāt really know how it [was put] together. But the fact that it was Ghostface, I was like, āAlright cool, letās do it.ā But I really had no involvement in the making of that. It was probably a beat that he had on some CD in some studio.
āIt feels like they kind of just threw that album out. If I would have got in the studio with those three guys, and I wouldāve had the opportunity to actually make a record, it would have been something good.ā
Eminem "Going Through Changes" (2010)
Eminem "Going Through Changes" (2010)
Album: Recovery
Label:Ā Shady/Interscope
Emile: āI went out to Detroit to work with Em. Iāve done shit for Obie; Iāve worked with Proof; Iāve worked with Royce; Iāve done some stuff with D12; Iāve met Eminem a number of times and co-produced songs with him, but I never got the opportunity to have my name on an Eminem album. And he is truly my favorite rapper ever. I listen to The Slim Shady LP all the time.
āEmās always been pretty self-contained. Heās a phenomenal producer and does his own beats, and generally, if heās not doing the beat, Dr. Dre is doing the beat. Itās kind of hard to get in there with producers at that level. They donāt need anybody.
Emās always been pretty self-contained. Heās a phenomenal producer and does his own beats, and generally, if heās not doing the beat, Dr. Dre is doing the beat. Itās kind of hard to get in there with producers at that level. They donāt need anybody.
āI think on this album, he didnāt want to do all the production. He wanted to focus moreso on writing, rather than getting that deep into the production side and making the beats. Em has been in the game now for a long time and managed to stay ahead of the curve in terms of what new artists are doing. Heās past that ten-year mark, and heās still ahead of the times.
āI was lucky enough to get the phone call to go to Detroit and get in the studio for a few days and work with him. They take making music very seriously. Emās not just going to rap on a beat and call it a day. Heās really going to work on the production and arrangement of the song. Heās a producer to the core.
āSo I was there, working on ideas. I didnāt come with a bunch of ideas planned out. It was kind of like, āLet me set up my equipment and talk to Marshall and see what he is going for, and just try to make stuff, and hopefully make something that inspires him that he wants to rap on and turn into a song.ā
āI made a lot of beats, a lot of hard, up-tempo stuff, and he kept saying, āMan, I really want to do like a classic rock kind of vibe. Like a classic rock sample. Something that I might have listened to when I was a kid on the rock radio station.ā So I always had that in my head, but I didnāt have any records or anything like that with me.
āSo one morning I got up a little earlier and went digging in Detroit. I got a car to take me around, and I went to all these record stores, just buying classic ā70s rock records. I was at Peopleās Records in downtown Detroit, which is a great record store, and [Eminemās manager] Paul Rosenberg called me like, āWhere the fuck are you? Emās about to be at the studio and youāre not here.ā
I was at Peopleās Records in downtown Detroit, which is a great record store, and [Eminemās manager] Paul Rosenberg called me like, āWhere the fuck are you? Emās about to be at the studio and youāre not here.ā
āAnd I tried to explain, āIām buying records.ā And I was far from the studio in downtown Detroit. So I grabbed a pile of ā70s rock records, like a crate of 75, and rushed back to the studio.
āSo I was flipping through them and Em would be in the studio doing his own thing writing. And I remember dropping the needle on Black Sabbath āGoing Through Changes,ā and he walked in the room right as I dropped the needle. And it started playing, and we both looked at each other like, āThat could be the one.ā
āāAnd he obviously liked the Black Sabbath song [and was familiar with it], and he gave me the look like he was into it. There wasnāt a lot of communication, but he definitely had the eyebrow raise like, āThat could be something!ā
āI went to work and started chopping it up and arranging the song. I came up with the chorus and the verses and some drums, but not the final drums. Mike Strange, whoās Emās engineer and also a great guitar player, played some guitars on it. So we had the core of the music set, and I left Detroit.
Proof gave me my start in the business. Fast forward to when we did that record last year, itās like Iām in the studio with Em, and heās writing a really heavy record and talking about Proof on the song.
āEm didnāt do the song yet, but he was into it. He seemed to gravitate to that more than the other stuff I had been working on. Like Royce, Em picks up on different stuff in the beat to rap along to. He called me about the drums, and I remember I tried a few different drum ideas. I kept doing them and sending them and sending them [until] he was comfortable with them, and he ended up writing the song.
āItās another special record for me, because of the history I have with those dudes and that camp, and Proof giving me my start in the business. Fast forward to when we did that record last year, itās like Iām in the studio with Em, and heās writing a really heavy record and talking about Proof on the song.
āThereās no one else like that for me in the business. This is a part of me. It wasnāt like me just cutting some song. I have a loyalty and allegiance to Em and Proof and that crew. I got my start with these dudes. A song like that, and how it came to lifeāit was full circle for me.
āIāve known those guys for years, theyāre all my friends. And finally having that record on this Eminem album, this amazing new album, with my favorite rapper in the game, one of the best to ever do it, it was like, āHere it is. I got my Eminem record.ā It was a big, big deal for me. Seriously.ā
Kid Cudi āMr. Ragerā (2010)
Kid Cudi āMr. Ragerā (2010)
Album: Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager
Label: Dream On/GOOD Music/Universal Motown
Emile: āThis was done before we went to Hawaii. He called me on the phone from L.A. I think he was in the studio with Snoop Dogg, doing āThat Tree,ā and I was sitting in the studio by myself making a beat. I was playing it while I was talking to him, which normally drives people crazy, but he was just like, āYo, what the fuck is that? Send it to me.ā I was like, āAight, let me produce it up.ā
āIāll tend to completely over-produce shit so I didn't want to send it to him yet, but he insisted. I did a quick bounce and sent it to him and then he called me back the next day, super-excited, and was like, āYo dude, I just bodied this record. Wait ātil you hear it.ā
RZA heard it and was like, āWho did the beat?!?ā And Cudi pointed at me. RZA looked at me and said, āYour swords are sharp,ā He walked out of the room and that was it! He said it mad cool, and just bounced. I poured a drink and just savored the night after he said that shit. Fuckinā RZA told me my swords are sharp. Incredible.
āIn the meantime, I had added a million things since I first sent him the beat, and we were going to Hawaii soon, so it was just like, āAight, Iāll see you in Hawaii and weāll fuck with it.ā We kept working on it in Hawaii; weād just pull that song up every day and work on it for a little bit.ā
āEvery time I think of being out in Hawaii, it was always this record that was just so fucking fresh. From my end, that was what led to the sound of this album; itās a pretty unique sounding record for hip-hop, and it was a different vibe that would be my blueprint for the production on this album. It was the first one that we really nailed.
āRZA was out there working with Kanye, and RZA happened to come in to the room that me and Cudi were in working on āMr. Rager.ā Cudi was like, āMan, can I play you this record Iām working on?ā
āAnd RZA was like, āYeah, play it.ā And Iām like, āFuck, this is RZA. This is my dude!ā I love RZA, heās a super-big inspiration to my beats. And some of those sounds I put in there are very RZA-y sounds, like the synth thing and some of the other shit.
āSo he heard it, and was like, āWho did the beat?!?ā And Cudi pointed at me. And RZA looked at me and said, āYour swords are sharp,ā And he walked out of the room, and that was it! He said it mad cool, and just bounced. I poured a drink and just savored the night after he said that shit. Fuckinā RZA told me my swords are sharp. Incredible.ā
Kid Cudi āAll Alongā (2010)
Kid Cudi āAll Alongā (2010)
Album: Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Label: Dream On/GOOD Music/Universal Motown
Emile:Ā āI was thinking about it today because today was this rainy fall day in New York where all the leaves were orange and it was rainy and cold. Thatās kinda what āAll Alongā is. It's a very personal record for Cudi obviously and something he was dealing with at the time, and he just expressed it on the record.
It was classic Cudi delivery, the style on it was just classic, and I remember texting Pat because Pat wasnāt there, after one line. I was like, āYo, we got a fucking banger right now.ā I donāt think Cudi likes to talk about that record that much because itās a personal thing for him.
āI had the drums and the piano for the beat, and we were just in the studio and played that and he was just into it. He sat and sort of freestyled it. I remember he did it quick, and as soon as he got in the booth and did the first line I was just like, āOh shit, thatās going to be the shit.ā
āIt was classic Cudi delivery, the style on it was just classic, and I remember texting Pat because Pat wasnāt there, after one line. I was like, āYo, we got a fucking banger right now.ā I donāt think Cudi likes to talk about that record that much because itās a personal thing for him. Itās the real emotion that he had at the time and it's just a really special record.
āSonically it's so good, Larry Gold did a fucking amazing job on the strings. I was talking to Larry when we were putting that one together, and wanted to capture some Beatles kind vibe on the strings, he just nailed that one.ā
Kanye West f/ Pusha T "Runaway" (2010)
Kanye West f/ Pusha T "Runaway" (2010)
Album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Label:Ā Def Jam
Emile: āThat song is just the perfect example of the brilliance of Kanye West as a producer. And I got to witness that dudeās genius. I was lucky enough to go out to Hawaii to work on Cudiās album Man On The Moon II. We decided to go out there because Kanye was working on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and weāre all kind of a team.
Kanye listened to the beat for four minutes, got in the booth, and almost verbatim to whatās on the song today, just did it. I donāt know if he wrote it in his head in those four minutes, but he just got in the booth and was like, āYeah I always find, yeah I always find something wrong.ā
āThe way that works is that I was working on Cudiās album, and itās all very communal. Itās Kanyeās studio, and Cudi would be there, and Kanyeās whole team would be there, and everybody whoās at the studio does music.
āIt was late one night, and we were hanging out, and Kanye asked me if I had any beats, and I started playing him some beats. Pretty low, no big deal, we were just chilling playing some beats. I didnāt know if I had anything that great, because his albumās production was coming out so fucking next level. I had some beats, but I was already in the process of working on songs from scratch, but I was like, āYeah I got some stuff, Iāll play you some ideas.ā
āI had a beat, and I played it, and it was the foundation of āRunaway.ā It was pretty different from the production now, but something about it, the chord progression or the way I put together the chords mustāve rung out to him.
āIt was pretty amazing to watch. He heard the beat once, then asked the guy to play it one more time, and then was just like, āOkay, put it in Pro Tools.ā And when he said that, the room was like, āOh shit.ā
Jeff Bhasker and Kanye West really went in on the production. I was upstairs doing Cudiās thing, and I just kept hearing the song just get better and better and better. Kanye is a super producer in the truest sense of the word. He turned it into the this epic song.
āHe probably had listened to the beat for four minutes, and got in the booth, and almost verbatim to whatās on the song today, just did it. I donāt know if he wrote it in his head in those four minutes, but he just got in the booth and was like, āYeah I always find, yeah I always find somethinā wrong.ā And almost the whole song just came out. Something about the chords and the way the music worked, I donāt know, it just hit him and worked out perfectly.
āThe lyrics and the concept were what they were, and thatās when the Kanye West genius producer mode came in to play. He totally reproduced the record, and kept working on it and working on it, along with Jeff Bhasker, who played the piano line and played a lot of the keys on it. Heās one of my favorite producers too.
āThose two guys really went in on the production. I was upstairs doing Cudiās thing, and I just kept hearing the song just get better and better and better. Kanye is a super producer in the truest sense of the word. He turned it into the this epic song. Itās just a beautiful record. Itās a masterpiece.
āHe always is like, āThank you for āRunaway.ā Thank you for sparking that.ā Heās very cool about that. Heās very appreciative. Iām like, āDude, youāre the one who made it this amazing record! Thank you for making my beat, that was pretty good, into this amazing song! [Laughs.]āā
Tinie Tempah f/ Emeli Sande āLet Goā (2010)
Tinie Tempah f/ Emeli Sande āLet Goā (2010)
Album: Disc-Overy
Label: Parlophone/DL Records Ltd
Emile:Ā āI did a deal with Sony Publishing and I went out [to the U.K.]. I met with the woman that I worked with out there named Janice Brock, and she was like, āLetās set up some sessions.ā And she started naming all these big artists.
Iām like, āWhoās the new, fresh dude? Whoās the new rapper/singer thatās not there yet but about to be there?ā And she was like, āWell, thereās this cat Tinie Tempah whoās starting to get a pretty good buzz.ā She played me some of his stuff and Iām like, āCool, heās dope. Letās go.ā
āIām like, āWhoās the new, fresh dude? Whoās the new rapper/singer thatās not there yet but about to be there?ā And she was like, āWell, thereās this cat Tinie Tempah whoās starting to get a pretty good buzz.ā She played me some of his stuff and Iām like, āCool, heās dope. Letās go.ā
āI did āLet Goā with this dude Naughty Boy, whoās actually like a really big producer in the UK. Tinie had this star personality, and the ill thing about him is that when we first met, he just was rapping, and he spits.
āHeās got āWritten In The Stars,ā which is this huge pop record, [pop radio] type of song, but dude spits. Heās got bars. It was interesting to hear a dude from England that could probably get on stage at an Open Mic night at S.O.B.ās and close the place down. I donāt know if they know him like that in the States yet because heās got this big pop song.
āWe had a good time. He was this new cat, and he was eager to work. He had that bug, he had that energy. He knew he was sitting on something good and that he was going to blow up. We were just cooking up, and it came out really good. And Emeli Sande, she got on the chorus, sheās another one thatās about to blow out there. Sheās got a solo album thatās about to come out, and the whole fucking country is going nuts over her stuff.ā
Lil Wayne f/ Kevin Rudolph "Novacane" (2011)
Lil Wayne f/ Kevin Rudolph "Novacane" (2011)
Album: Tha Carter IV
Label:Ā Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Republic
Emile:Ā āI got the call from Wayneās camp right before the album was going to mastering. I heard word that Wayne was interested in some of my beats, but wasnāt sure which ones. I got the call pretty late in the game that he was interested in that beat.
Iāve never met Wayne. I always wanted to work with him, heās one of my favorite rappers, but I never really had an in. Heās self-contained. Heās one of these dudes who has his camp and doesnāt need any new people. He just needs someone to press record.
āI think my manager sent it to him, I donāt know. Iāve never met Wayne. I always wanted to work with him, heās one of my favorite rappers, but I never really had an in. Heās self-contained. Heās one of these dudes who has his camp and doesnāt need any new people. He just needs someone to press record.
āIām lucky enough to have gotten three verses on one of my beats and have it make the album. Itās pretty cool. He just did it and killed it. Itās a great song. I was scared as fuck that the sample wouldnāt clear because itās this gospel sample and the whole song is about doing tons of cocaine. I donāt know how the fuck that happened [laughs]. Iāve had gospel samples on positive songs get denied.
āBut itās so fresh. Wayneās so good, the way his voice sounds. And that record fit for him because it has so much space. And that was my thing with the beat, to keep the verses very stripped back and make this big hook.
āWayne is the lead instrument on the song. Thereās no big synth or giant drum beat to get in the way of Wayneās voice. Besides writing some of the best raps, he just tonally is amazing. His voice is so cool and scratchy and unique. Thereās no confusion as to who you are listening to. Itās Wayne.
It wasnāt inspired by Frank Oceanās amazing song āNovacane,ā even though itās got the same title. The hook was written prior to that. This dude Freddy Wexler wrote a hook on it, and Wayne got it with the hook on it and had Kevin Rudolf re-sing it. I heard the Frank Ocean thing a little bit afterwards and was like, āAh fuck.ā
āI heard it [for the first time] the day it came out in stores. Itās one of those rare things where I wasnāt there for the creation, but when I heard it I was like, āOh shit, this is amazing!ā And itās on a huge album. It was a good moment.
āIt wasnāt inspired by Frank Oceanās amazing song āNovacane,ā even though itās got the same title. The hook was written prior to that. This dude Freddy Wexler wrote a hook on it, and Wayne got it with the hook on it and had Kevin Rudolf re-sing it. I heard the Frank Ocean thing a little bit afterwards and was like, āAh fuck.ā
āI had a few people ask me about that, I donāt know if thatās corny to talk about. Iām just thinking, āWhat would Wayne do?ā And Wayne would definitely not mention that. [Laughs.] Wayne would be like, āWho? What?ā Like, Wayne is definitely not thinking about any other artist. He wouldnāt even acknowledge that question.ā
Lana Del Rey "Blue Jeans" (2011)
Lana Del Rey "Blue Jeans" (2011)
Album: āVideo Games/Blue Jeansā (Single)
Label: Interscope
Emile: āSheās my favorite new artist. An A&R guy who worked for Interscope named Jon Ehmann, who was early on peeping the kind of shit Iām doing now with songwriters and singers and writing songs, called me and was like, āI got this girl, sheās super interesting, beautiful voice, she writesāvery talented. I think you should meet her.ā And heās always been a dude whose ear Iāve trusted.
āSometimes new artists donāt necessarily know their vision yet, and it takes them a while to figure out what they want to do. Whereas Lana, she came to the studio, and she had her whole shit in her head. She knew exactly what she was, what she wanted her songs to sound like, what she wants to talk about, what she wants her style to be, and what the videos she does herself look like. Sheās the total package. She knows her vision. She knows exactly what the fuck she wants to do.
Lana, she came to the studio, and she had her whole shit in her head. She knew exactly what she was, what she wanted her songs to sound like, what she wants to talk about, what she wants her style to be, and what the videos she does herself look like. Sheās the total package.
āWe didnāt work the first time we met, we just sat and talked. And she showed me some of the stuff sheād been working on, including that track āVideo Games.ā
Musically, it wasnāt trying to sound like anything else. It was some different shit. She has a new sound. She figured it out.
āThen we set up a session, and she came here. It was one of the first sessions I had at the new studio. She had these chords and a lyric for what became āBlue Jeans.ā
She had the idea in her head, and she started singing it to me, and I was like, āThis is amazing. Letās do it.ā So we sat together and built it up.
āCapturing her sound, and putting the guitars in there, it had a very L.A., Hollywood, 1950s kind of vibe and feel. Like glamour, and that kind of shit. And sheās very creative and hands-on, so it was easy to work with her and write the song with her. And we finished the song, and I kept producing it up, and she liked where it was going. It was sounding new and interesting but still having that classic, vintage music feel.
āSheās a special new artist. Iām producing a lot of her new album. I think itās gonna be the shit. If I had to bet, Iād put all my money on her.ā