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In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Party Supplies. "Rhythm Roulette" is Mass Appeal's latest web series featuring today's most prominent hip-hop producers creating sample based material out of randomly selected records. The idea is simple; take a producer to their local record shop, have them pick out the specific genre they'd like to choose from, blindfold them, and have them pick out three records. The producer then takes us to their lab, chops up some loops, samples, drum breaks, etc, and creates a beat using all three of the randomly selected records. In our inaugural episode Fools Gold signee, Party Supplies, takes on the challenge and shows us how it's done.
In the second installment of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with Grammy award-winning producer 88-Keys. From a Steve Martin standup record with no music to a hardcore noise metal record, 88 wasn't given much to work with but stuck with the challenge. Watch out for more episodes to come.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with Lee Bannon at Co-Op 87. After we had him throw the ceremonial blindfold on and pick three records- we headed back to his crib to watch him craft a beat. Check it out as Lee makes a slapper from three random soundtrack records.
This time around on Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with Boston bred and Brooklyn based producer/turntablist Statik Selektah. After putting the ceremonial blindfold on, getting those fingers dusty, and heading back to the studio- Statik created one hell of a dope beat for us, and then put the finishing touches on with a quick scratching demonstration.
This time around on Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with NYC based beatsmith Illmind. From working underground circuits and eventually taking off via his involvement with the Beat Society scene, Illmind has accumulated a resume that's in a league of its own.After putting the ceremonial blindfold on and running his fingers through stacks of vinyl- Illmind created a straight slapper for us using a gem of sample by Patti LaBelle.
This time around on "Rhythm Roulette," Mass Appeal linked up with the one and only, El-P. The Def Jux general blessed us with the opportunity to gain some insight on the process, which has helped him make classic material since 1993. After heading to a hole-in-the-wall record shop and picking out some dusty old warped records, El showed us how to make something out of nothing/s, starting with his rusty, self-fixed, ASR-10.
On this installment of Rhythm Roulette, Mas Appeal decided to check in with 6th Sense and Tanya Morgan. The trio, recently in the spotlight for their Rubber Souls project, opted to take the challenge to the next level and craft an entire song using the tried and tested blindfold formula.
This episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass appeal takes you to Brooklyn's "The Thing" where we linked up with illustrious producer to the underground Marco Polo.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with the "king of the dollar bins," J-Zone. Since releasing Music for Tu Madre in 1998, J has been keeping it one-doubly for more then 15 years now by continuously releasing quality material like his '03 release $ick of Bein' Rich and his recent album Peter Pan Syndrome.
Mass Appeal is kicking off 2014 with a special installment with DC's own Damu The Fudgemunk. Repping his Redefinition Records, Damu stops by Fat Beats and hits up their drumkit to school us on his history and process when it comes to putting together beats and searching for "drum breaks." Enjoy!
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal brought Mr. Green out to Green Village Junk shop in Bushwick. Then, we headed back with the New Jersey native to his home studio in Brooklyn. He put the Barbara Streisand, Dr. Shivago, and Henry Mancini wax to the needle, ran some samples through his Mashine, and created a slapper.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents the co-founder of Fools Gold Records, Nick Catchdubs. The man who wears many hats has also added solo-artist/producer to his resume, with an upcoming project titled Smoke Machine featuring IAMSU, Troy Ave, Heems, World's Fair, MNDR, B.I.C. and more. Check out above to see what Nick makes out of a few Latin records and "Vans" by The Pack.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal decided to stray away from sample based hip hop beats and explored the possibilities of sampling for other genres of music. Chicago born, Brooklyn resident Brenmar helped lead the way as he created a what we feel could easily be a huge hit in the club.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with one of our favorite producers here at Mass Appeal, Black Milk. Fresh off the release of his LP No Poison No Paradise and Glitches in the Break EP, Black Milk invited us down to his studio in Dallas, TX to participate in the blindfolded challenge.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette Mass Appeal presents the one and only legendary Erick Sermon - 1/2 EPMD and 1/4 of Def Squad.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents the legendary Ski Beatz. From legendary tracks like Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" to modern day classics like Curren$y's Pilot Talk, Ski has been laying legendary production down for more than 20 plus years.
Digga met Mass Appeal at 125th and Madison in the heart of Harlem for Rhythm Roulette, where he blindly copped some records from a local street vendor. After pulling some Peabo Bryson, Chaka Khan Live, and Johnny Mathis, Digga brought us back to his classroom at a middle school in Harlem, where he quickly crafted a banger using his midi keyboard and Reason.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal travels up to “The D” to meet up with the King of ’97 Cool Edit chopping— Apollo Brown.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents 1/3 of Dilated Peoples and member of the World Famous Beat Junkies, DJ Babu. Many don’t know that along with being a highly skilled battle DJ (known for his legendary “Blind Alley” beat juggle), the ITF champion also gets it in on the production tip. From Super Duck Breaks to The Beat Tape series, Babu crafts hip hop shit that knocks, while managing to be progressive at the same time.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal took Cardiak to Amoeba Records in Los Angeles to make his blindfolded picks for the records he would be attempting to flip. Little did Cardiak know, he would pick out some self-described "bullshit." But that didn't stop him from making the best out of his picks, primarily using Allure's "Kool Wit Me" to craft his patented hard-hitting wave of layered funk. Cardiak did this shit pretty effortlessly, despite almost striking out three times on his record picks.
For this installment of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Jonwayne, the man who tears down shows in Teva sandals. We took Jonwayne to Poobah Records in Pasadena, CA to pick out three records while blindfolded. The fun begins once we start to witness what he came up with. Out of the three records, he ended up going drawing joints from The Ritchie Family's Give Me A Break, as well as The Stylistics' Sun & Soul record he considered using to be "cheating," because it's a given that there is good shit on there. Nonetheless, your boy crafted two joints back-to-back for your listening pleasure.
On this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Mac Miller aka Larry Fisherman. Traveling out to LA, we headed over to Record Surplus where Mac went into the Jazz selection and got his fingers dusty. Heading back to his studio, Mac quickly sifted through the three records and began crafting the skeleton of the beat before finishing the production by playing keys and guitar over the track.
We’re back with another episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Stones Throw producer and emcee Pyramid Vritra. We took PV over to Mount Analog in Los Angeles, where he immediately got down to business. After making his picks, we headed to the studio so he could get to flippin’ his selections. The final result is a hazy, hard-hitting jawn that you can easily vibe out to.
In celebration of Oh No and Alchemist producing the score for Rockstar Video Game's GTAV, we present to you a flip on Rhythm Roulette. GTAV soundtrack in stores now on CD and vinyl. While each producer has a unique spin on how they sample, Oh No’s Rhythm Roulette is truly one of a kind, as he took to a video game store and selected three Nintendo 64 games to sample from. Using sounds from NWO/WCW Revenge, Karate Champ, and Nascar ’99, Oh No had his work cut out for him. However, he didn’t stress one bit, and proceeded to play all the games, then make a beat out of the sounds he recorded during gameplay.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents DJ Nu-Mark, aka Uncle Nu. He picked up three records—The Rockettes, George Benson, and Charlie Mingus—and created something magical. In fact, the final result was quite puzzling, in a “How the fuck did you do that?” kind of way.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Wara at Wuxtry Records in Decatur, Georgia for Rhythm Roulette, where he randomly selected three records: Jackson Browne’s Lawyers In Love, Ace Cannon’s The Happy and Mellow Sax Of Ace Cannon, and Sternwheeler Steamboat’s Natchez Calliope.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal's Danny Brown’s DJ, Skywlkr. We went to Peoples Records in downtown Detroit, where Skywlkr made his three record selections blindfolded. He ended up with Earl Bostic’s The Best of Bostic, Miki Howard’s self-titled album from 1989, and an electro record from an artist named Nicolas. From there, we went to Skywlkr’s crib, where he attempted to put together a beat out of all three records.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presentsFilthy Rockwell. After putting on the ceremonial blindfold, Filthy randomly selected Lani Hall's Albany Park, Michael Quatro's In Collaboration With The Gods, and Barry White’s Greatest Hits: Volume Two. Once we arrived at his studio, he got right to work and began crafting a joint from the Michael Quatro record. Boldy James actually stopped by right after Filthy laid down the beat, and fucked with what he heard so much, that he recorded a verse on the spot
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Mannie Fresh. Rhythm Roulette is back with four brand new episodes live from The Sprite Corner in New York City. Mannie Fresh, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Exile, and Just Blaze treated fans to an exclusive experience, inviting them to watch as they took our Rhythm Roulette challenge live, followed by an in-depth Q&A session hosted by Young Guru. Kicking things off is the Louisiana legend Mannie Fresh, who, as Young Guru pointed out, might just be the most prolific producer in hip hop history. Coincidentally, Mannie humbly confirmed that fact by stating that he recently received a call from someone at BMI who was perplexed after discovering he had over 600 published works. After skimming through his three randomly selected records, Mannie had no problem banging out three quick flips that spoke to his roots in New Orleans bounce, as well as the Dirty South turn-up he helped pioneer. Mr. Fresh reminded the crowd he opts for live instrumentation instead of sampling, but he also isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. Afterwards, Mannie treated us to an impromptu listening session featuring music he’s working on with Mos Def and Lil Wayne. We’d love for you to hear those tracks, but we promised to keep them under wraps until he’s ready to drop ’em. Stay tuned for more episode of Rhythm Roulette from The Sprite Corner, featuring George Anne Muldrow, Exile, and Just Blaze. In the meantime, hit the video player up top to watch the legendary Mannie Fresh do his thing.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Exile. Rhythm Roulette is back with four brand new episodes live from The Sprite Corner in New York City. Mannie Fresh, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Exile, and Just Blaze treated fans to an exclusive experience, inviting them to watch as they took our Rhythm Roulette challenge live, followed by an in-depth Q&A session hosted by Young Guru. This time around, Exile joins us to play a game of Rhythm Roulette. Exile's ability to manipulate and finely chop sounds into soulful and melodic beats are what sets him apart from most. From doing work with Mass Appeal Records' Fashawn, to crafting airy choir-like joints for Mobb Deep, Exile's music speaks for itself. After making his way through three randomly selected records, Exile flipped one of the records in three different ways, showing how versatile his beats can get. He even managed to sample Fashawn and include his vocals on one of the tracks. Stay tuned for more episodes of Rhythm Roulette from The Sprite Corner, featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow and Just Blaze.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Georgia Anne Muldrow. Georgia Anne Muldrow is a multi-faceted musician whose skills lie in her ability to channel spine-tingling soul through her vocals and hard-hitting-yet-groovy production. After listening through three randomly selected records, she concocted three different tracks from the classical and operatic samples she pulled, creating some eerie funk to rattle the system in your car trunk. While she wasn't sure if she survived the challenge, her beats say otherwise.
In this episode of a Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presentsJust Blaze. Fans of music production know Just Blaze for his numerous accolades and contributions to various genres. However, we bet they didn't know Just can create album-worthy joints on the fly. After listening through three randomly selected records and deciding only one of them was good enough to use, Just began to create a soulful and hard-hitting beat with sped-up choir vocals weaving in and out of the track. In the end, he thought the beat sounded so good he wanted to dip from The Sprite Corner to finish it up at his studio.
After a short break, we’re back with another episode of Rhythm Roulette, this time Mass Appeal presenting Sporting Life. Sport switched up the flow of things, sampling from three cassette tapes instead of going for vinyl records. Needless to say, the results are ill. After finding a tiny part of a sample on an unidentifiable tape, Sport created a drum loop that channels the vibes of the late Koopsta Knicca’s music. From there, he layered drums into the beat and his own vocals drops, shouting out Wiki of Ratking, who makes an appearance in the episode as well.
On the latest episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Organized Noize at the iconic Stankonia Studios. While the trio came up making sample-based hip hop, they quickly learned the real secret was creating everything from scratch (not to mention those royalty checks get a little fatter). However, they welcomed our challenge with such conviction that we knew nothing less than a banger was coming out of the studio by the end of the night. What can be said about Organized Noize that isn't already evident in the legacy of their production discography? Paving the way for breakout acts like TLC, OutKast, and Goodie Mob, there's no denying Ray Murray, Rico Wade, and Sleepy Brown are the foundation of Atlanta hip hop. Pulling from the Four Tops, Thin Lizzy, and Millie Jackson, ONP had to eventually set the records aside because there was too much to sample. While the final result is an 808-heavy, atmospheric production stamped with the crew's signature soulful grooves, we got the sense they'll be saving this one for something special, as they quickly told their engineer to stop recording once Sleepy laid down the bassline. The records were quickly tucked away; Ray, Rico, and Sleepy smirked as if they'd stumbled upon buried treasure. Trust, a fire was sparked in the studio than night. Here's to hoping it isn't extinguished anytime soon.
For the latest installment of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Scoop DeVille to chop up some random records and conjure fire. DeVille’s credits mostly reside on the West Coast with old and new school artists, including Kendrick Lamar’s “Poetic Justice” and “The Recipe,” and Snoop Dogg’s “I Wanna Rock” ft. Jay-Z. But, dude gets down on the East as well, working with Fat Joe, 50 Cent, and Tony Yayo. We caught up with him in New Jersey as he thumbed through the crates at Scotty’s Record Shop, picked three random joints, sparked some herb, and flipped the records in the stu. DeVille was no doubt influenced by Dre and how he repurposed P-Funk growing up in Los Angeles, but dude can seemingly reimagine whatever. He flips the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” precisely chopping the hook. Pat Swayze was probably dirty dancing in his grave to that joint. Then he laces Aztec Two Step’s twangy folk guitars with quick hi-hats and bass drums, which will loosen your license plate holder from the trunk rattle, before layering with vocal samples from his library. If that Aztec beat ends up on somebody’s project in the near future, it would not be a surprise. It’s a shame he didn’t get a chance to work with James Taylor’s brand of blues-y folk rock. It seems like just a few clicks from DeVille and fire come through the speakers.
For this installment of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Extra P, aka Large Professor. We took the legendary Queens producer to Human Head Records in Brooklyn, where he picked three random records to begin a game of Rhythm Roulette. He ended up grabbing an Instant Funk record, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ Black and Blue album, and Shirley Scott’s On A Clear Day. From there, Extra P began to go through the records and create some new heat from what he picked.
For the latest installment of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Khrysis (on the boards with the heat!). We took the Soul Council producer to Nice Price Books in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he picked three random records consisting of First Choice’s “Doctor Love” single, a record from Booker T and The MG’s, and Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings’ Give The People What They Want. Khrysis tried his hand with the Booker T and Sharon Jones records, and ended up making heat with those two. However, it was the “Doctor Love” record that he ended up flipping that made 9th Wonder say “Pon de Replay.”
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Rhythm Roulette fans. While most of y’all don’t deserve shit the way you’ve been wilding in the comments sections this past year, we decided to let it slide and gift you with a new episode featuring the North Carolina legend 9th Wonder. After linking up at The Record Krate in Raleigh, we joined 9th back at his studio to watch the master at work. With Charly McClain, Jermaine Jackson, and The Temprees at his disposal, the GRAMMY award-winning producer warmed up with a few quick flips before ultimately chopping up Lovemen. The final result was so crazy, Rapsody immediately hopped in the booth to bless it with a proper verse.
For the latest installment of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Psycho Les of The Beatnuts, whose random records consisted of albums from The Crusaders, Jim Caraldi, and Jan Garber. Les gave all the records a spin, but ended up pulling from the Jim Caraldi jawn, as well as Jan Garber record. Two beats in record time.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents K-Def.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Apathy.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Erick the Architect of the Flatbush Zombies.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Big K.R.I.T.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Nottz.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents BINK!
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Hi-Tek.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked with Havoc of Mobb Deep to show us why he's considered a living legend.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Da Beatminerz make some heat in the studio.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents Dot Da Genius crafting a mean beat.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents DJ Dahi who makes three beats.
In this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal presents MeLo-X.
When we took Brasstracks to Norman’s Sound & Vision in Williamsburg for Mass Appeal Rhythm Roulette, they ended up with Gene McDaniels’ 100 Lbs. of Clay!, The 5th Dimension Live!!, and Jack Ü’s self-titled album. After they find their initial loop with 5th Dimension’s “I Just Want To Be Your Friend,” they quickly get to work and bring their idea to life. Then a slow piano progression on Gene’s record catches their ears for another beat. No love for Jack Ü in this episode of Rhythm Roulette.
The 45 King has been the mastermind behind several hip hop classics, old and new. His claim to fame started with "The 900 Number" which will forever stay funky fresh. Then with his Flavor Unit, he went on to produce several cuts on Queen Latifah's debut album "All Hail The Queen." After a few remixes here and there, the 45 King's name was inescapable as he went on to produce Jay Z's "Hard Knock Life" and Eminem's "Stan." Especially with a name like The 45 King, you know we had to take him to the shop to see his sampling chops firsthand in Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette.
In this episode Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal caught up with Childish Major. A few years ago, “U.O.E.N.O.” was everywhere. The phrase almost reached YOLO levels. The producer behind that Rocko track, Childish Major, has kept his head down over the year and lived in the studio by working with Two-9, SZA and Isaiah Rashad, Spillage Village, Jeezy, and Miloh Smith and OG Maco. His extensive work with southern rappers had us looking forward to some slow cooked beats for perfection.
For this new episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal headed to the studio with Iman Omari. Originally from California, Iman Omari has experienced the best of both coasts after moving to New York. His development of “vibe music” put him on wax with Kendrick Lamar as well as being featured low-key at Kendrick’s Grammy performance (he used “Omari’s Mood” for the opening). Iman’s ends up with Vintage on Vinyl "The Essential Grooves Part 3," Hanni El Khatib's "Moonlight," and Earth, Wind & Fire's "Electric Universe." His fear of finding unusable records quickly fades away.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal headed to the studio with Thes One. As part of the beloved west coast duo, People Under The Stairs, Thes One was responsible for some some of the underground hip hop's smoothest Cali vibes. Thes One walks out of the record shop with Orquesta Conexion Latina, Joanna Gardner’s self-titled album, and the Modern Jazz Quartet’s The Sheriff. He gets right to work with his notepad and equipment, ripping various parts of Joanna’s songs for the ultimate lounge music creation. He didn’t expect to find anything on the “shitty” record but found the drums and melody strictly from Ms. Gardner. Thes One set out to only use parts of the records for his beat (no added outside drums) and he prevailed.
For this installment of the Mass Appeal series Rhythm Roulette, we hit up ESTA. from Soulection, to see what he could do with three random records. The long description for ESTA. on his Facebook page reads: “Music Producer from Southern California.” That’s all you really need to know. It’s best to dive into his music without any other preconceptions other than it feels good. It’s just like Bob Marley said: “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” That’s how he’s found his home in Soulection and a cult following around the world. His remixes and original music can be heavy at times but it’s only heavy in the sense that your favorite winter blanket sits on your shoulders in January–it still warms the soul. After hitting up Record Surplus, ESTA. walks out with Irish Rovers’ Tales to Warm Your Mind, The Ritchie Family’s Arabian Nights, and Robert Yanes’ Disco de Oro. He turns down using The Irish Rovers and The Ritchie Family, sampling Robert Yanes for his beat. ESTA. finds his string sample to loop and a vocal bit to lay over. Then he opts to use his laptop keyboard over the MIDI keyboard for the majority of the beat to add percussion, bass, and other effects. It’s mind boggling to try and understand how ESTA's mind works while using the laptop keyboard instead of the MIDI.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked with Ayatollah. Ayatollah has been a staple of east coast hip hop for years. The Queens native is most well known for turning heads on Mos Def’s beautifully stark “Ms. Fat Booty.” But he’s also locked in time with Talib Kweli, various Wu-Tang members, Cormega, Tragedy Khadafi, Styles P, Pharoahe Monch, Boot Camp Clik, Buckshot, Smif-n-Wessun, Sean Price, and more. Outside of his work with other artists, he’s released a solid work of instrumental projects as well. After a quick blindfolded browse at the Future Shock Records, Ayatollah ends up with Roy Ayers’ Vibrations, a BBE Disco record, and the compilation album Urban Classics 2. Set up at the DJ booth in the shop, Ayatollah chops up the Roy Ayers record with his MPC then adds some of his own scratches. He also throws on a sample from the “Where Did You Go” track from The J’s and “Yes It’s You” by Sweet Charles.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with Jake One. Very few artists can traverse the constantly shifting borders between the underground and the mainstream like Jake One. The Seattle producer is respected, and rightfully so, in both worlds for his work with 50 Cent and G-Unit, De La Soul, E-40, DOOM, and more. He's also worked on complete projects with Freeway and Brother Ali. Then with Mayer Hawthorne, he put out a feel good album under the Tuxedo moniker. Basically, his production credits weigh a ton. From Spin Cycle to his studio in Washington, Jake lucks out with The Best of Herbie Hancock, The Manhattans' Forever By Your Side, and a Reverend E. Stanley Branch record. Jake One's sampling methods kick in immediately as he skips around the records, finding a "Yeah!" from Rev. Branch and some drums from The Manhattans. He hears something worth taking from the choir on Rev. Branch's record then drums from Herbie. The Manhattans also helped provide a snare. As the beat comes together all on his keyboard, he goes back to the choir to find some shouting to fill out the beat. Jake tinkers around with a bass line and before you know it, he's sequenced a beat fit for the church and the club.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, we linked up with Stro Elliot. Stro is best known for his work as one half of the duo The Procussions, as well as his prolific career as a solo beatmaker. His beats blend classic hip hop and soul samples with hard hitting percussions. He’s worked with Soulection and will be releasing an instrumental album via House Shoes’ Street Corner Music imprint later this year.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked with beat-making maestro Nick Hook. We’re convinced that there’s no type of music Nick Hook isn’t capable of masterminding. The St. Louis producer went from Cubic Zirconia founder to live MPC sets to now creating music for other artists as well as himself. He also co-produced the first single from our compilation tape. He’s not afraid to try new things from scratch and that’s what made him such a prime candidate for our next episode of Rhythm Roulette.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal heads up to Toronto to link with Wondagurl. If you crossed paths with WondaGurl, consider yourself blessed. Although she’s a shy and kind girl on the surface, she’s one of the meanest producers in the game. Since learning some tricks of the trade from Boi-1da, she’s been getting placements with Travis Scott (“Antidote” & “Uptown”), Jay Z (“Crown”), Drake (“Used To” & “Company”), SZA (“Teen Spirit”), and Rihanna (“Bitch Better Have My Money”). That’s not all of her credits either. After hitting up Rotate This, WondaGurl ends up with Solid Sound’s “A Wooden Box,” Images In Vogue’s “In The House,” and The Magnolias’ Concrete Pillbox. Laying The Magnolias to the side, Wonda uses samples from the other two records for a bass heavy beat.
Mass Appeal headed up to Seattle to link with Tendai "Baba" Maraire for the latest episode of Rhythm Roulette. We like to think that Shabazz Palaces are iconoclasts. They started from scratch and built up their own sound to represent their diverse influences and messages that they felt were important to convey. And when you break down their lyrics and music, it's not a surprise that each member needs more than one creative outlet to get out all their thoughts. Tendai "Baba" Maraire, is a part of the Black Constellation, Chimurenga Renaissance, as well as putting out solo material. Oh, and he's also contributed some garment work to the Seattle Art Museum's African Renaissances exhibit. Tendai enters a record shop in a "gentrified" part of Seattle and walks out with a Misa Panamericana record, a Missa Luba record, and a Pacha Siku record. Watch the magic unfold above as he and some additional musicians take some samples and build a crazy record around them.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with araabMUZIK. If you start making music for the Diplomats before you're supposed to graduate from high school, you better pray that you're consistently at the top of your game. That's what araabMUZIK has been doing and then some. The Rhode Island producer has made a name for himself, in more than one way. His live MPC sets are dizzying and his imagination behind the boards is still expanding. He also miraculously survived a gunshot to the head in an attempted robbery in Harlem earlier in February. But he pushed through and released his album Dream World in July and produced Joe Budden's last album Rage & The Machine. As you can assume, it was only a matter of time before we got araab for Rhythm Roulette. We hit up Moodies Records in the Bronx and ended up with CDs from Blue Magic, Diana Ross & The Supremes, and The Dramatics (he's not messing with vinyl). Then back at the studio with his AKAI MPC, araabMUZIK chops up samples and does what he does best. Layer after layer, he builds in his signature sound and producer drops for what could be the intro to the next Dipset album.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with DJ Burn One and The 5 Points Bakery. It shouldn't be a surprise when you look at the diverse catalog of someone like DJ Burn One once you read over his unofficial musical history: he grew up listening to '80s music with his mom, country music with his dad, and joined the church choir as a young child. He flipped his own mixtapes at school and learned some basics of marketing while working at a local record shop. Eventually he found his way to connect with T.I. and Grand Hustle. From there, he flexed his production skills to end up working with Gucci Mane, Freddie Gibbs, A$AP Rocky, and more. He currently runs Five Points Music Group in Atlanta. DJ Burn One is joined by The Five Points Bakery (Go! Ricky Go! and Walt Live) for the latest episode today. They take home The Green Birds' Diapason, a Be'lakor album, and Shonen Knife's Burning Farm. Each member takes a stab at his record to hunt for a sample. They end up adding some homemade samples by entering the No Rules Percussion booth.
For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal went to Atlanta to link up with acclaimed producer Drumma Boy. With a rich classical musical history in his family, Drumma Boy entered the realm of hip hop production at a young age. But earning enough money on his own with placements with Jeezy, Gangsta Boo, T.I., Gucci Mane, and more proved that a college degree isn't the only way to a stable career. Now he has his own company called Drum Squad which includes a production company, film company, and record label. He continues to also give back to his community with charities for colleges and the homeless. We stepped into Wax N Facts with Drumma Boy to walk out with Bar-Kays' Animal, Gideon's I Gotta Be Me, and The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Cumbia. Drumma Boy takes a liking to the cumbia record and goes to work. The end result is something you and your parents could get down with at a Latino block party.
For this edition of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal linked up with Salaam Remi. Getting his first taste of studio work with Kurtis Blowe, Salaam Remi was destined to work with some of the greats like Nas, Amy Winehouse, Fugees (The Score), Ini Kamoze (“Here Comes The Hotstepper”), Jurassic 5, and more. He’s also worked on soundtracks for films like Office Space, Zoolander, The Departed, and Blood Diamond. He’s most recently been working with Bodega Bamz, Joell Ortiz, and Nitty Scott as No Panty. After hitting up A-1 Records, Salaam ends up with George Faith’s Soulful, Danny La Rue in London, and The Who’s Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy. Putting his faith in George Faith, he finds the backbone of his beat and then pulls some samples from the others. Joell Ortiz also makes a short cameo to comment on the work-in-progress beat
For the last Rhythm Roulette of 2016, we linked with the man responsible for some of this year's biggest tracks: Charlie Heat. The Grammy-nominated Charlie Heat is a name you'll be seeing a lot more of in 2017. Since working with Lil Uzi Vert early on, the Jersey artist Charlie Heat caught the ear of Kanye and has been on a tear ever since. We headed to Philly to see how Charlie comes up with this stuff. After hitting up a record shop, he walks out with The Best Of Fabienne Delsol & The Bristols, Mutabaruka's The Mystery Unfolds, and a Lou Reed record. After he finds his first golden sample, he slowly adds layer after layer for a certified banger. He continues hunting within the records and ends up making a whopping four beats in total. But for the final beat, he decides to work from the ground up, building it from scratch.
Mr. DJ is a producer’s producer. An Atlanta legend, he’s a member of the Dungeon Family and the unsung hero responsible for creating some of Outkast’s greatest tracks. Credited individually for classics like “Elevators,” and “Da Art of Storytellin,'” he eventually linked with Big Boi and Andre 3000, forming like Voltron to make up the production team Earthtone III. Besides Outkast, he’s also produced music for Lenny Kravitz, Bubba Sparxxx, Goodie Mob, Killer Mike and 8Ball & MJG, amongst many others. For this episode of Rhythm Roulette, we stopped by the Atlanta record shop where Mr. DJ selected Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall,” J Dilla’s “Donuts,” and a Stones Throw compilation “The Buzz.” Two modern day hip hop records is definitely not something he was expecting to cop, out of the norm compared to previous pickings. From there, we headed to the legendary Stankonia Studios to see what he chopped up. The result is something that would make any ATLien proud.
