V Exclusive! Swizz Beatz Invites NYC Students to Private Studio Session
Swizz Beatz loves the kids. On Dec. 12, fresh off of jet-setting between Switzerland, Germany, Paris and Abu Dhabi (and right before heading to the 12.12.12. charity concert to support Alicia Keys), he stopped by New York's Jungle Studios to spend time with a room full of young music industry hopefuls.
“I was humbled when he agreed to bring all of these kids into his home, his studio,” said Michelle Edgar, the founder of the volunteer-ba
Fifteen lucky students from CARES/Restar
There were even more treats in store. On a whim, Swizz played two exclusive snippets of songs in the works for Kendrick Lamar and his wife, Alicia Keys (both were FIRE). He was impressed by two Music Unites Ambassadors who performed an original piece for the group and recorded it live in the studio. "It’ll definitely be something I remember forever," said Candace Lee Camacho, one of the singers. "There's no program like this that's dedicated to literally getting the student to meet the best mentors."
The discussion and interactive studio experience is a part of the Power of One series and serves as the precursor to their Music-Versit
“I support any group that is putting music first," he said. "I love to be relatable to the students and not use my celebrity as something that makes them feel small, but make them feel even more empowered. Pulling out those inner feelings with those kids was a blessing because I know that they're leaving here with more information that they came in with."
With that being said, check out some pictures and the 15 best takeaways from being in the studio with Swizz Beatz.
Photos courtesy of Gene Bradley
“I was humbled when he agreed to bring all of these kids into his home, his studio,” said Michelle Edgar, the founder of the volunteer-ba
Fifteen lucky students from CARES/Restar
There were even more treats in store. On a whim, Swizz played two exclusive snippets of songs in the works for Kendrick Lamar and his wife, Alicia Keys (both were FIRE). He was impressed by two Music Unites Ambassadors who performed an original piece for the group and recorded it live in the studio. "It’ll definitely be something I remember forever," said Candace Lee Camacho, one of the singers. "There's no program like this that's dedicated to literally getting the student to meet the best mentors."
The discussion and interactive studio experience is a part of the Power of One series and serves as the precursor to their Music-Versit
“I support any group that is putting music first," he said. "I love to be relatable to the students and not use my celebrity as something that makes them feel small, but make them feel even more empowered. Pulling out those inner feelings with those kids was a blessing because I know that they're leaving here with more information that they came in with."
With that being said, check out some pictures and the 15 best takeaways from being in the studio with Swizz Beatz.
Photos courtesy of Gene Bradley
What his job entails:
“My job is to take the creativity from an artist’s vision and make it come to life. To be able to take that vision and help that artist deliver that vision to the world starting from writing lyrics, doing the beats and instrumentat
“My job is to take the creativity from an artist’s vision and make it come to life. To be able to take that vision and help that artist deliver that vision to the world starting from writing lyrics, doing the beats and instrumentat
Confidence as an artist:
“There’s no wrong way to do art. Just go with your vision and explore all those different lanes that people don’t think are cool. It doesn’t matter what they think. As long as you’re finding enjoyment in what you’re doing, it’s cool. I was a DJ at first when people thought producing wasn’t cool. And if I would’ve listened to them, there’d be no Swizz Beatz. You guys wouldn’t have had over 500 songs since ’98.”
“There’s no wrong way to do art. Just go with your vision and explore all those different lanes that people don’t think are cool. It doesn’t matter what they think. As long as you’re finding enjoyment in what you’re doing, it’s cool. I was a DJ at first when people thought producing wasn’t cool. And if I would’ve listened to them, there’d be no Swizz Beatz. You guys wouldn’t have had over 500 songs since ’98.”
On establishing his style:
“It was so important for me to establish my style because when I used to sample back in the days when I first got started, I used to feel that everybody was stealing my music, but we just had the same records that we were sampling from. When I came out, it was a lot of P. Diddy using James Brown samples. I came out with more of a synthesized sound which changed the sampling era. From that you have producers like Pharrell being able to express himself, Just Blaze, just a lot of artists able to express themselves. I’m not going to take all the credit but I took a major risk going straight to synthesized sound which showed everybody how to retain more of your publishing, retain more of your copyrights and two, how to be original and create something that the world never heard before.”
“It was so important for me to establish my style because when I used to sample back in the days when I first got started, I used to feel that everybody was stealing my music, but we just had the same records that we were sampling from. When I came out, it was a lot of P. Diddy using James Brown samples. I came out with more of a synthesized sound which changed the sampling era. From that you have producers like Pharrell being able to express himself, Just Blaze, just a lot of artists able to express themselves. I’m not going to take all the credit but I took a major risk going straight to synthesized sound which showed everybody how to retain more of your publishing, retain more of your copyrights and two, how to be original and create something that the world never heard before.”
On the power of music:
“Music is my outlet, so that’s why I’m so open to music being you guys’ outlet and I’m so supportive, because I know that this gift that we have, or even this thought that you have, can change everybody’s world. Music is the universal voice. Music saves lives. Music is a very valuable tool that helps people [face] their darkest moments. It also helps people celebrate their brightest moments. When tragedy’s going on in the world, music comes to the rescue. Look at the big concert at Madison Square Garden. Music is bringing that together to raise money for Sandy. This is the best business in the world to be in. It’s the best craft to be in.”
“Music is my outlet, so that’s why I’m so open to music being you guys’ outlet and I’m so supportive, because I know that this gift that we have, or even this thought that you have, can change everybody’s world. Music is the universal voice. Music saves lives. Music is a very valuable tool that helps people [face] their darkest moments. It also helps people celebrate their brightest moments. When tragedy’s going on in the world, music comes to the rescue. Look at the big concert at Madison Square Garden. Music is bringing that together to raise money for Sandy. This is the best business in the world to be in. It’s the best craft to be in.”
On his personal game plan:
“The music industry might not be the most up front business as we think it is. I got over the phase of just happy to be here. A lot of execs want you to be happy just to be in the business so they can take advantage of you. That goes back to having your business plan. If I had a business plan [back then], they would be in trouble.”
“The music industry might not be the most up front business as we think it is. I got over the phase of just happy to be here. A lot of execs want you to be happy just to be in the business so they can take advantage of you. That goes back to having your business plan. If I had a business plan [back then], they would be in trouble.”
On hard work and dedication:
“You think that when artists make it to a certain level that it’s just the fancy life. Actually the work gets harder. The more successful you get, the more work you have to put in to now retain your success. Before, you were somebody that they didn’t care whether they were doing good or bad. Now, you’re on this type of pedestal being looked at with a magnifying glass. You have to really critique and fine tune your movements. That’s why you have to stay dedicated. I see these artists that I see you guys love work until they put themselves in the hospital. All that passion to give the fans something to dance to, making themselves sick giving the world music to make them happy. That’s why the art that we do is a real delicate thing.”
“You think that when artists make it to a certain level that it’s just the fancy life. Actually the work gets harder. The more successful you get, the more work you have to put in to now retain your success. Before, you were somebody that they didn’t care whether they were doing good or bad. Now, you’re on this type of pedestal being looked at with a magnifying glass. You have to really critique and fine tune your movements. That’s why you have to stay dedicated. I see these artists that I see you guys love work until they put themselves in the hospital. All that passion to give the fans something to dance to, making themselves sick giving the world music to make them happy. That’s why the art that we do is a real delicate thing.”
On protecting your music:
“To protect your music, don’t let anyone hear it until you have a situation where you definitely have legal advice. The easiest way is through ASCAP, registering your rights and having split sheets. Just like how [the two of them] were on that song, it’s all cool when the song is not out yet. When the song blows up, it’s like I wrote this part, you wrote that part. The whole situation reversed and now everybody’s fighting over a big portion of the song and nobody gets anything. If it’s in dispute, then nobody gets paid. Split sheets, right then and there everybody signs off. I need to take that advice too.”
“To protect your music, don’t let anyone hear it until you have a situation where you definitely have legal advice. The easiest way is through ASCAP, registering your rights and having split sheets. Just like how [the two of them] were on that song, it’s all cool when the song is not out yet. When the song blows up, it’s like I wrote this part, you wrote that part. The whole situation reversed and now everybody’s fighting over a big portion of the song and nobody gets anything. If it’s in dispute, then nobody gets paid. Split sheets, right then and there everybody signs off. I need to take that advice too.”
Qualities in artists he looks for and avoids:
“You have artists that are dedicated, and those are the artists that might not be the best. I’d rather work with an artist that’s dedicated and not the best than with an artist that has it and doesn’t really respect the craft and the business and hard work that it takes to really take it to the top. To me, that’s a liability, not an asset. Working with an artist that has the drive, the respect, and the dedication, I’d rather invest in that artist rather than one that has the buzz and not the respect.”
“You have artists that are dedicated, and those are the artists that might not be the best. I’d rather work with an artist that’s dedicated and not the best than with an artist that has it and doesn’t really respect the craft and the business and hard work that it takes to really take it to the top. To me, that’s a liability, not an asset. Working with an artist that has the drive, the respect, and the dedication, I’d rather invest in that artist rather than one that has the buzz and not the respect.”
The inspiration behind his beats:
“One thing I do is listen to all genres of music. I’m not just a person that listens to hip hop. I listen to R&B. I listen to world music and look at things with cool album covers. Just being open minded and listening to all different types of music from Latin, African, jazz, you name it. Just listen to as much different music as possible so that when it comes time for you to create, you’ll have no boundaries on experimenting. If you listen to one sound of music, that’s the only type of music you’re going to want to make or have the blueprint to. But if you listen to everything, you can incorporate certain sounds into your craft, you get a better vision. Go home, listen to something that you can’t even understand the words but feel the music. Music is something that you feel. Even though you might not know the lyrics, you know when something feels good.”
“One thing I do is listen to all genres of music. I’m not just a person that listens to hip hop. I listen to R&B. I listen to world music and look at things with cool album covers. Just being open minded and listening to all different types of music from Latin, African, jazz, you name it. Just listen to as much different music as possible so that when it comes time for you to create, you’ll have no boundaries on experimenting. If you listen to one sound of music, that’s the only type of music you’re going to want to make or have the blueprint to. But if you listen to everything, you can incorporate certain sounds into your craft, you get a better vision. Go home, listen to something that you can’t even understand the words but feel the music. Music is something that you feel. Even though you might not know the lyrics, you know when something feels good.”
What inspires him to make music:
“People like yourself, because by me making music, I’m able to translate creativity to another generation and help them grow to the next level.”
“People like yourself, because by me making music, I’m able to translate creativity to another generation and help them grow to the next level.”
Three pieces of advice:
“Always be different, always be passionate and always be dedicated. With those three things, you’re like an unstoppable tree. Being dedicated means that when somebody says that beat is not right, still keep going. That goes for anything because nothing comes easy. Success doesn’t come easy. If it came easy, there’d be no such thing as superstars. That means that person has graduated their brand through the ups and downs, times when they could’ve given up they didn’t. So the biggest thing is to never give up on something that you feel is your passion.”
“Always be different, always be passionate and always be dedicated. With those three things, you’re like an unstoppable tree. Being dedicated means that when somebody says that beat is not right, still keep going. That goes for anything because nothing comes easy. Success doesn’t come easy. If it came easy, there’d be no such thing as superstars. That means that person has graduated their brand through the ups and downs, times when they could’ve given up they didn’t. So the biggest thing is to never give up on something that you feel is your passion.”
On showing gratitude for peers and mentors:
“We don’t celebrate each other enough in this whole industry. Everybody comes to these gatherings and act like they’ve known each other for a hundred years. They never sent a birthday card, never sent flowers, never do something just because. I just think that’s something that needs change.”
“We don’t celebrate each other enough in this whole industry. Everybody comes to these gatherings and act like they’ve known each other for a hundred years. They never sent a birthday card, never sent flowers, never do something just because. I just think that’s something that needs change.”
On the merging of music:
“As far as the merge of different music infiltrating into the United States, I was one of the first people in music to go to Korea and come back to the US and make that announcement. I was coming back telling them about Big Bang and 21 and Teddy, an amazing producer who’s my friend. I came back and I even did a press release telling everybody that there’s a global merge that’s getting ready to happen with the rest of the world because of technology. Music is going to become more common from other countries. Then Gangham style hit. Like wow, Swizz just said that. They’re going to have to change the formats of radio and everything because the world is going to merge musically.”
“As far as the merge of different music infiltrating into the United States, I was one of the first people in music to go to Korea and come back to the US and make that announcement. I was coming back telling them about Big Bang and 21 and Teddy, an amazing producer who’s my friend. I came back and I even did a press release telling everybody that there’s a global merge that’s getting ready to happen with the rest of the world because of technology. Music is going to become more common from other countries. Then Gangham style hit. Like wow, Swizz just said that. They’re going to have to change the formats of radio and everything because the world is going to merge musically.”
The most important thing of the music biz:
“The most important part [of music] is coming up with your game plan. People don’t understand that it’s the music business. Even with my students at NYU, everybody had the great master plan of what they thought would win sonically, but nobody had a business plan. You have this great idea, you have this great song but how are you going to get this out to the people? What is your business plan? Ninety percent of my students didn’t have a business plan and were willing to give away their music for free just to get heard. That’s moving backwards. You’re working to create a legacy that’s going to financially have your family stable and that’s going to help you take things to the next level, not just to give it away and put yourself in debt. I gave them the task of coming to me with the business plans, which we worked out through and I can honestly say those 220 students now have a forward thinking business plan on how to move forward in this industry.”
“The most important part [of music] is coming up with your game plan. People don’t understand that it’s the music business. Even with my students at NYU, everybody had the great master plan of what they thought would win sonically, but nobody had a business plan. You have this great idea, you have this great song but how are you going to get this out to the people? What is your business plan? Ninety percent of my students didn’t have a business plan and were willing to give away their music for free just to get heard. That’s moving backwards. You’re working to create a legacy that’s going to financially have your family stable and that’s going to help you take things to the next level, not just to give it away and put yourself in debt. I gave them the task of coming to me with the business plans, which we worked out through and I can honestly say those 220 students now have a forward thinking business plan on how to move forward in this industry.”
On staying relevant:
“My key thing is staying a student. A lot of people get to this level and feel that they’ve mastered everything. I don’t feel like that. I’m in here learning from you guys right now. When you’re open-minded, that means that you’re accepting growth. When you’re not open-minded, you get stuck in your own ways. A lot of people that came in the business the same time I did, came in before me, they got stuck in their old ways and they can’t catch up to be current. I embrace different cultures, you name it. This world is full of creative colors and creative things. You should just embrace it.”
“My key thing is staying a student. A lot of people get to this level and feel that they’ve mastered everything. I don’t feel like that. I’m in here learning from you guys right now. When you’re open-minded, that means that you’re accepting growth. When you’re not open-minded, you get stuck in your own ways. A lot of people that came in the business the same time I did, came in before me, they got stuck in their old ways and they can’t catch up to be current. I embrace different cultures, you name it. This world is full of creative colors and creative things. You should just embrace it.”
