Berenice Mulubah | 05/15/2015 9:00am
Q: How long have you been a producer?
A: I’ve been making beats since 2007. I've had access to a studio at a young, but at age 19, I realized making beats is my passion. In 2012, sold my first beat for $300, it was crazy. When it happened, I thought it was cool, I was in college at the time and didn’t have a job. Within a week, I had 30 more clients.
Q: What was your first major gig?
A: My first major gig would have to be working with DJ Toomp. He is my role model. He has couple of grammys under his belt. He produced the "Good Life" with Kenya west and T pain. He produced a lot of records. He worked with TI and got TI as big as he is now. He produced a lot of TI's hits. DJ Toomp played a big part in Atlanta taking off in 2000. Working with him was a dream come true and it became real to me when he told me that he was a fan of my music and it was even more motivating. Through him, I've worked with TI and Wiz Kalifa. DJ Toomp also put me on a Rick Ross track called Elvis Presely. Toomp has been in the game for over twenty years. His vibe is welcoming and if you manage to be in his environment, you will learn a lot within one conversation.
Q: What is your worst experience as a producer?
A: Every producer is going to experience this, that moment when you get a lead on a track and you spend 24 hours on that one record and when it comes out it is not what it suppose be. Until the song comes out, there is no guarantee. You are expecting the song to come out, but it is not one of the artist favorite and it doesn’t come out.
It may be the worse feeling, but I have a positive attitude towards that. When stuff doesn’t come through, it was not meant be. If you relax and don't stress over it, you start to see signs of things moving to something bigger.
Q: How the Music Industry really works?
A: The industry political. I like that it is set up that way, it helps eliminate the competition. There are people in the field who think it comes over night, but most of these artists that pop up over night have been doing it for years, and those who doesn’t see that, the politics helps get rid of them or the perception. As an artist, you have to surround yourself with those who know how to move business wise. If you are a creator, you have to team up with someone who is business smart. It’s a give situation. It may seem like a person came up by themselves, but there are five or more people behind them and that’s eliminates the competition of those who think it comes over night.
The come up is over night, but the process leading to that is not over night.
IF you decide to take music as a career, be willing to make a lot of sacrifices. If you are not willing to move for something small, don’t even try. It's those small gigs that will help you get your foot in the door and once you get in the door, you have to work harder. You have to have the love for the arts. Don’t mimic the work of other artists because his art is true to him. You have to have love for the arts and money is not good enough motivations.
Q: How do you balance work and family?
A: This is something that makes me know that I'm on the right track, my wife supports my career. I will go to work, go to the studio and go back to work. That comes with my wife understanding. I used time with my family to regroup and when I get back in the studio, I'm refresh. It just about me being lucky to find someone who is willing to understand my vision. It gets dangerous, but it's about curving up time. I set up a schedule and staying true to that schedule at times is hard. I might get a call that says I need to be in LA, there is an artist willing to work for few days but I already have plans with my wife, I just have to let her know she is appreciated. It's like writing a book of your life and you want to find sentences that flow. If you can stick to it, it's worth it. Family is important.
Q: There is a lot of media buzz concerning the music industry and the illuminate, what's your take on that?
A: I’m big on facts and Egyptian science. You can’t help but notice the symbols. If you look at the definition of the word illuminate, it is not a bad word. The music industry it is like a box. I know the are people who controls the industry but I won’t say it is the illuminate.
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| Middle: Clepto Beats, "From the outside looking in, music is spiritual. You may write the music, but you are not the creator of it. We are just the channel of it. If it is really something that is genuine to you, you are going to make something that people can’t deny. The purest form of arts has been tainted because of the money." |
We had the chance and honor to interview a talented young producer who is experience in taking the talent of artists and shaping them in a memorable way. Clepto went from making a $300 beat to making a $5000 beat, within three years. Today, we give you an exclusive look into Clepto’s world as a Producer and his passion for the music.
Q: How long have you been a producer?
A: I’ve been making beats since 2007. I've had access to a studio at a young, but at age 19, I realized making beats is my passion. In 2012, sold my first beat for $300, it was crazy. When it happened, I thought it was cool, I was in college at the time and didn’t have a job. Within a week, I had 30 more clients.
Q: What was your first major gig?
A: My first major gig would have to be working with DJ Toomp. He is my role model. He has couple of grammys under his belt. He produced the "Good Life" with Kenya west and T pain. He produced a lot of records. He worked with TI and got TI as big as he is now. He produced a lot of TI's hits. DJ Toomp played a big part in Atlanta taking off in 2000. Working with him was a dream come true and it became real to me when he told me that he was a fan of my music and it was even more motivating. Through him, I've worked with TI and Wiz Kalifa. DJ Toomp also put me on a Rick Ross track called Elvis Presely. Toomp has been in the game for over twenty years. His vibe is welcoming and if you manage to be in his environment, you will learn a lot within one conversation.
Q: What is your worst experience as a producer?
A: Every producer is going to experience this, that moment when you get a lead on a track and you spend 24 hours on that one record and when it comes out it is not what it suppose be. Until the song comes out, there is no guarantee. You are expecting the song to come out, but it is not one of the artist favorite and it doesn’t come out.
It may be the worse feeling, but I have a positive attitude towards that. When stuff doesn’t come through, it was not meant be. If you relax and don't stress over it, you start to see signs of things moving to something bigger.
Q: How the Music Industry really works?
A: The industry political. I like that it is set up that way, it helps eliminate the competition. There are people in the field who think it comes over night, but most of these artists that pop up over night have been doing it for years, and those who doesn’t see that, the politics helps get rid of them or the perception. As an artist, you have to surround yourself with those who know how to move business wise. If you are a creator, you have to team up with someone who is business smart. It’s a give situation. It may seem like a person came up by themselves, but there are five or more people behind them and that’s eliminates the competition of those who think it comes over night.
The come up is over night, but the process leading to that is not over night.
IF you decide to take music as a career, be willing to make a lot of sacrifices. If you are not willing to move for something small, don’t even try. It's those small gigs that will help you get your foot in the door and once you get in the door, you have to work harder. You have to have the love for the arts. Don’t mimic the work of other artists because his art is true to him. You have to have love for the arts and money is not good enough motivations.
From the outside looking in, music in general is
spiritual. You may write the music, but you are
not the creator of it. We are just the channel of it. If it is really something
that is genuine to you, you are going to make something that people can’t deny.
The purest form of arts has been tainted because of the money. You have to take a lot of loses,
but you have to realize your over all vision.
Life comes in your way, you might have to work 12 to 14 hours a day, doing something else to make a living. You have to give 14 hours back into your music
if you think you are going to make it.
Look yourself in the mirror and ask if it is what you really want to
do. Build a network. Networking
gets you so much. You just have to keep pushing and still true
to yourself. Study the craft. It is like school. If you want to get a degree in history, you will have to learn the background of it. If you want to do hip hop, how can you not know the history of hip hop?
Q: How do you balance work and family?
A: This is something that makes me know that I'm on the right track, my wife supports my career. I will go to work, go to the studio and go back to work. That comes with my wife understanding. I used time with my family to regroup and when I get back in the studio, I'm refresh. It just about me being lucky to find someone who is willing to understand my vision. It gets dangerous, but it's about curving up time. I set up a schedule and staying true to that schedule at times is hard. I might get a call that says I need to be in LA, there is an artist willing to work for few days but I already have plans with my wife, I just have to let her know she is appreciated. It's like writing a book of your life and you want to find sentences that flow. If you can stick to it, it's worth it. Family is important.
Q: There is a lot of media buzz concerning the music industry and the illuminate, what's your take on that?
A: I’m big on facts and Egyptian science. You can’t help but notice the symbols. If you look at the definition of the word illuminate, it is not a bad word. The music industry it is like a box. I know the are people who controls the industry but I won’t say it is the illuminate.
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