Hip Hop Is Eternal: Could you tell us how you got into Hip Hop and producing?
Justin Jay Beats: I first got into Hip Hop when I was in the fourth grade. My cousin from New York was sent to live with us and it was during the early 90’s. That’s around the time of Busta Rhymes, The Firm, Fugees, Mase, Wu-Tang, and all them cats. Every morning before he drove me to school, we would listen to a CD. The thing that really caught my ear was the beats. I just thought they were really catchy and easy to digest.
I started getting into production much later in life. I remember one of our friends in high school showed us an early version of FL studio and the whole interface just looked real confusing to me. At the time, I was heavy into turntablism and mixing records. It wasn’t until my college years in 2006-2007 when I started playing around with the software because of a friend we met. He was using reason at the time and he brought over a CD with his beats. We started buying weed from him so one day while picking up I brought over a CD with 2 beats I made and played it for him. He was impressed and said I should do more. The rest is history and we even became business partners.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: How would you describe your production style?
Justin Jay Beats: Good question. A lot of people had described to me that I have a hard yet smooth style. I’m guessing it’s because I’m really influenced by early and mid 90’s Hip Hop, especially Nas. I like super hard beats but I’m really into 70’s soul and R&B. Another thing I’ve heard from a lot of people is that it’s something like East Coast Hip Hop with a West Coast twist.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: What software/equipment do you use for your production?
Justin Jay Beats: I don’t use much; just a midi keyboard, FL Studio, and Pro Tools.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Do you mostly use samples, make your beats from scratch or a combination of both?
Justin Jay Beats: I started off as a sampler but these days I’ve been composing my material from scratch. I really want to get good at playing piano and keys which is why I haven’t been sampling much lately. I actually prefer sampling because I love the art of flipping samples but for the past few years, I’ve been mostly composing from scratch.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Who are your top 5 Hip Hop producers? And which producers in particular influenced your production style?
Justin Jay Beats: DJ Premier, Kanye West, Noah 40, !llmind, Dr. Dre.
I would have to say DJ Premier influenced my style but !llmind has updated it.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Which 3 Hip Hop artists do you feel have the best production overall?
Justin Jay Beats: Damn that’s a good question. I honestly don’t know but I can give you my opinion. First I would have to say Drake. His main producer, Noah 40 Shebib, understands music so much which is why they are always making hits. Second would have to be Logic and 6ix just because I find their style of hip hop so creative and different. Lastly, I would have to say Eminem because I’ve always liked his beat selection whether it be from Dre or Dre’s camp.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Could you give us your top 3 favourite songs you’ve produced?
Justin Jay Beats: Troy Bellow – Ingenius (unreleased currently)
Prophicy – Vent https://soundcloud.com/prophicy/vent-prod-by-juse-beatz
D.P Da Prophet – Where I’m From https://soundcloud.com/dpdaprophet/where-im-from-ft-skyzoo-nitty-scott-mc
Hip Hop Is Eternal: How about your top 3 beats from other producers?
Justin Jay Beats: Hmmm… I’ll have to get back to you on that but off the top: Stay Ready by Jhene Aiko, Kehlani’s Did I, and U Don’t Know by Alison Wonderland. I don’t know who produced Jhene Aiko’s and Kehlani’s beats for those songs but them shits are dope. Alison Wonderland is a beast of a producer, imagine if she did hip hop.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: I read an interview you did where it mentioned you did scratching too, could you tell us how you got into that? And if you still incorporate it into your production?
Justin Jay Beats: I got into scratching in my sophomore year of high school. It was my first passion as a musician and what really made me feel like a part of the Hip Hop culture and movement. I got into it because we used to hang out at a friend’s house after school where we would sit around and smoke weed in the back yard. They had a pair of turntables set up and we would watch some of the guys do their thing. One day I tried it out and the feel of the record instantly hit me and I fell in love with it ever since.
Surprisingly, I’ve never scratched in any of my productions for some reason. Weird right?
Hip Hop Is Eternal: You’ve produced for artists such as Bizzy Bone, Saigon, Terminoligy, Skyzoo, DP Da Prophet, could you tell us how some of these collaborations came about?
Justin Jay Beats: The Bizzy Bone placement came from just pure networking. I was emailing back and forth with a female battle rapper who was connected with him and his camp. After we got cool with each other, she suggested I send some beats over to Bizzy. I sent him a professional email with a few beats attached and he responded telling me that they were dope and he was going to record over them! I was so hyped for that and it really motivated me to keep producing.
The other placements came from artists on my mailing list. They had those bigger artists as features on their projects and they purchased the beat from me. That’s when I learned that you never know who you are working with. I also heard other producers online saying that’s how they got many of their placements as well.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Who are some of your favourite artists to work with so far?
Justin Jay Beats: I really liked working with Troy Bellow because he’s got a crazy Hip Hop style and also with D.P because he’s got that smooth style that I do. The artists I meet online are a lot more dope than some of the artists I’ve worked with personally.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: If you could work with 3 artists you haven’t worked with previously who would they be? And why?
Justin Jay Beats: I’d definitely want to work with J-Cole because I love his style of music. Nas crowned him and Nas is my favorite artist of all time next to Eminem. Another artist I’d like to work with would be Jhene Aiko because I’ve always waited for a female R&B artist with her style of music. I really like that ambient/ Hip Hop ish/ R&B sound. The third would be any indy style pop artist because I’m starting to get into that whole sound too.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Do you produce any other genres aside from Hip Hop?
Justin Jay Beats: I’m starting to get into trap and indy pop stuff. I love producing R&B, it’s really fun.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: I read an interview that said you rapped too and planned to release a project, is that still on the cards? If so could you tell us a little more about that?
Justin Jay Beats: Oh man, I had to put that on the back burner. I would’ve put one out a long time ago with my own productions but I really hate my voice. That is the only thing stopping me from really going through with releasing a project. A lot of my friends say that I’m a great bar smith but I really hate my own voice (laughs).
Hip Hop Is Eternal: What advice would you give to up and coming producers that want to sell their production?
Justin Jay Beats: The number one thing I would preach is having your own sound and ensures the quality. All the marketing tactics in the world will only get you so far because what the consumers are faced with in the end is your product. If your production is already great, then consistency would be key. Many producers fall of because they lose reason to stay consistent.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: 1 thing I’ve learnt about you since we’ve become cool and started building is how well connected you are, you have reach to a lot of artists, how did that come about?
Justin Jay Beats: I appreciate you homie for sure! Networking fam, understanding the importance of networking and really getting to know the people who are connected with you is how to reach more people.
A lot of artists online don’t know how to really communicate to their subscribers which is why they don’t resonate with them. I try my best to provide as much value as I can to people who are connected to me so that they don’t forget about me. Lots of giving and less taking.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: What are some of your plans for the future?
Justin Jay Beats: To be honest with you, I’m planning on going back to school to take up something in the medical field. When I first started making a living off my production, I thought it was something I would want to do for the rest of my life. It was only this year when I started thinking of other things that I may want to do in case I lose my creativity one day. I know it’s something that no one wants to ever hear and it doesn’t motivate as much but that’s just me. I used to live and breathe music, now I live and breathe my wife and son.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Thank you, could you give us the link/s to where your beats can be purchased? And do you have anything further you’d like to add?
Justin Jay Beats: Fasho fam, for hip hop beats and rap beats for sale My website is http://justinjaybeats.com I appreciate this interview a lot and I know we gon build something real dope this year!
Justin Jay Beats: I first got into Hip Hop when I was in the fourth grade. My cousin from New York was sent to live with us and it was during the early 90’s. That’s around the time of Busta Rhymes, The Firm, Fugees, Mase, Wu-Tang, and all them cats. Every morning before he drove me to school, we would listen to a CD. The thing that really caught my ear was the beats. I just thought they were really catchy and easy to digest.
I started getting into production much later in life. I remember one of our friends in high school showed us an early version of FL studio and the whole interface just looked real confusing to me. At the time, I was heavy into turntablism and mixing records. It wasn’t until my college years in 2006-2007 when I started playing around with the software because of a friend we met. He was using reason at the time and he brought over a CD with his beats. We started buying weed from him so one day while picking up I brought over a CD with 2 beats I made and played it for him. He was impressed and said I should do more. The rest is history and we even became business partners.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: How would you describe your production style?
Justin Jay Beats: Good question. A lot of people had described to me that I have a hard yet smooth style. I’m guessing it’s because I’m really influenced by early and mid 90’s Hip Hop, especially Nas. I like super hard beats but I’m really into 70’s soul and R&B. Another thing I’ve heard from a lot of people is that it’s something like East Coast Hip Hop with a West Coast twist.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: What software/equipment do you use for your production?
Justin Jay Beats: I don’t use much; just a midi keyboard, FL Studio, and Pro Tools.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Do you mostly use samples, make your beats from scratch or a combination of both?
Justin Jay Beats: I started off as a sampler but these days I’ve been composing my material from scratch. I really want to get good at playing piano and keys which is why I haven’t been sampling much lately. I actually prefer sampling because I love the art of flipping samples but for the past few years, I’ve been mostly composing from scratch.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Who are your top 5 Hip Hop producers? And which producers in particular influenced your production style?
Justin Jay Beats: DJ Premier, Kanye West, Noah 40, !llmind, Dr. Dre.
I would have to say DJ Premier influenced my style but !llmind has updated it.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Which 3 Hip Hop artists do you feel have the best production overall?
Justin Jay Beats: Damn that’s a good question. I honestly don’t know but I can give you my opinion. First I would have to say Drake. His main producer, Noah 40 Shebib, understands music so much which is why they are always making hits. Second would have to be Logic and 6ix just because I find their style of hip hop so creative and different. Lastly, I would have to say Eminem because I’ve always liked his beat selection whether it be from Dre or Dre’s camp.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Could you give us your top 3 favourite songs you’ve produced?
Justin Jay Beats: Troy Bellow – Ingenius (unreleased currently)
Prophicy – Vent https://soundcloud.com/prophicy/vent-prod-by-juse-beatz
D.P Da Prophet – Where I’m From https://soundcloud.com/dpdaprophet/where-im-from-ft-skyzoo-nitty-scott-mc
Hip Hop Is Eternal: How about your top 3 beats from other producers?
Justin Jay Beats: Hmmm… I’ll have to get back to you on that but off the top: Stay Ready by Jhene Aiko, Kehlani’s Did I, and U Don’t Know by Alison Wonderland. I don’t know who produced Jhene Aiko’s and Kehlani’s beats for those songs but them shits are dope. Alison Wonderland is a beast of a producer, imagine if she did hip hop.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: I read an interview you did where it mentioned you did scratching too, could you tell us how you got into that? And if you still incorporate it into your production?
Justin Jay Beats: I got into scratching in my sophomore year of high school. It was my first passion as a musician and what really made me feel like a part of the Hip Hop culture and movement. I got into it because we used to hang out at a friend’s house after school where we would sit around and smoke weed in the back yard. They had a pair of turntables set up and we would watch some of the guys do their thing. One day I tried it out and the feel of the record instantly hit me and I fell in love with it ever since.
Surprisingly, I’ve never scratched in any of my productions for some reason. Weird right?
Hip Hop Is Eternal: You’ve produced for artists such as Bizzy Bone, Saigon, Terminoligy, Skyzoo, DP Da Prophet, could you tell us how some of these collaborations came about?
Justin Jay Beats: The Bizzy Bone placement came from just pure networking. I was emailing back and forth with a female battle rapper who was connected with him and his camp. After we got cool with each other, she suggested I send some beats over to Bizzy. I sent him a professional email with a few beats attached and he responded telling me that they were dope and he was going to record over them! I was so hyped for that and it really motivated me to keep producing.
The other placements came from artists on my mailing list. They had those bigger artists as features on their projects and they purchased the beat from me. That’s when I learned that you never know who you are working with. I also heard other producers online saying that’s how they got many of their placements as well.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Who are some of your favourite artists to work with so far?
Justin Jay Beats: I really liked working with Troy Bellow because he’s got a crazy Hip Hop style and also with D.P because he’s got that smooth style that I do. The artists I meet online are a lot more dope than some of the artists I’ve worked with personally.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: If you could work with 3 artists you haven’t worked with previously who would they be? And why?
Justin Jay Beats: I’d definitely want to work with J-Cole because I love his style of music. Nas crowned him and Nas is my favorite artist of all time next to Eminem. Another artist I’d like to work with would be Jhene Aiko because I’ve always waited for a female R&B artist with her style of music. I really like that ambient/ Hip Hop ish/ R&B sound. The third would be any indy style pop artist because I’m starting to get into that whole sound too.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Do you produce any other genres aside from Hip Hop?
Justin Jay Beats: I’m starting to get into trap and indy pop stuff. I love producing R&B, it’s really fun.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: I read an interview that said you rapped too and planned to release a project, is that still on the cards? If so could you tell us a little more about that?
Justin Jay Beats: Oh man, I had to put that on the back burner. I would’ve put one out a long time ago with my own productions but I really hate my voice. That is the only thing stopping me from really going through with releasing a project. A lot of my friends say that I’m a great bar smith but I really hate my own voice (laughs).
Hip Hop Is Eternal: What advice would you give to up and coming producers that want to sell their production?
Justin Jay Beats: The number one thing I would preach is having your own sound and ensures the quality. All the marketing tactics in the world will only get you so far because what the consumers are faced with in the end is your product. If your production is already great, then consistency would be key. Many producers fall of because they lose reason to stay consistent.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: 1 thing I’ve learnt about you since we’ve become cool and started building is how well connected you are, you have reach to a lot of artists, how did that come about?
Justin Jay Beats: I appreciate you homie for sure! Networking fam, understanding the importance of networking and really getting to know the people who are connected with you is how to reach more people.
A lot of artists online don’t know how to really communicate to their subscribers which is why they don’t resonate with them. I try my best to provide as much value as I can to people who are connected to me so that they don’t forget about me. Lots of giving and less taking.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: What are some of your plans for the future?
Justin Jay Beats: To be honest with you, I’m planning on going back to school to take up something in the medical field. When I first started making a living off my production, I thought it was something I would want to do for the rest of my life. It was only this year when I started thinking of other things that I may want to do in case I lose my creativity one day. I know it’s something that no one wants to ever hear and it doesn’t motivate as much but that’s just me. I used to live and breathe music, now I live and breathe my wife and son.
Hip Hop Is Eternal: Thank you, could you give us the link/s to where your beats can be purchased? And do you have anything further you’d like to add?
Justin Jay Beats: Fasho fam, for hip hop beats and rap beats for sale My website is http://justinjaybeats.com I appreciate this interview a lot and I know we gon build something real dope this year!
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