Stealth Interview

I was so impressed with the free download Stealth gave us (check last post on this blog) that i thought it would be a nice touch to hear more from the man. As a producer from the UK working with some big names in the US i thought he would have a lot to say. He didnt dissapoint. For those of you who dont know this is 'Stealth' for those of you who do then this should give ya more info.





Franko Interviews Stealth


Yes Stealth. Do you just wanna give a quick introduction for the people that are in the dark?

My name is Stealf, I'm from Reading originally, but I've recently moved out to Basingstoke in Hampshire

I notice you have done a lot in your rap career already. is there anything you are most proud of so far?

I'm pretty proud of managing to get people like Game and Jadakiss on my my debut album, but my proudest moment would be seeing my name on a physical CD for the first time. Dap C gave me a great opportunity to remix a track on his Ma Money EP with Lil Wayne, and it made it on the release, so to see my name on a CD cover was pretty cool.

I see you have worked with a lot of big names. Who is the most impressive person you have worked with either MC wise or production?

I havent worked with any other producers, but MC wise, I would say Game. I've been a Game fan for a long time, and to hear him on one of my beats was a big deal to me. And he works fast too, and knows exactly how he wants everything to sound. Very professional.

What would you be if it wasn’t for music?

I'm not sure, I know whatever I'd be doing, I'd be giving it 100%, but I can't say really. I always wanted to do something with computer graphics, I got a National Diploma in CG and originally I wanted to go in to film special FX or games, but I wasn't really at the level those kind of industries need. It's more competitive than this game.


Where do you want to be in five years?

Running my own label and trying to get more UK and US MC's collaborating. Getting a UK artist to break in America isn't easy but I know we have some amazing rappers here that could really make the Americans pay attention. In an ideal world I would be based in New York too.

What do you have coming out?

My album is my main focus right now. I want to try and get that out late this year. That's got some BIG tracks on it, and it's really gonna give UK hip hop a boost I think. I also have my new mixtape with DJ Ames out. That is entirly produced by me and features artists like 40 Glocc, Jim Jones, Lil Wayne, The Game, Joe Budden, Dap C, Marvelous, Kid Rad, Skinnyman and loads more. Get it free from http://www.multiupload.com/U8L8H74RC1



What is your opinion on the UK music scene?

It's impressive how many people are so dedicated to it. I only really know the urban/hip hop scene, and we have some of the most dedicated and talented musicians from any country. The trouble is, where hip hop,grime and other urban genres aren't the most "popular" forms of music, it's a real struggle to your stuff heard. Whereas is America, Hip hop is EVERYWHERE, and getting your music to bigger audience is easier. Not necessarily easy, but definitely easier.

Would you ever consider compromising your sound in order to make money for example maybe even working for a big record label helping to produce ‘pop’ tunes? Please discuss….

NEVER. The amount of times I've been told that I shouldn't sample, or I need to make a commercial, radio friendly beat in order to get more money or to get heard more. I make what I consider real rap beats. I sample, I make it gritty and raw and that's my sound. I'm not interested one bit in making hip pop music that Westwood would love or that would get plays in a club. People come to me for that real hip hop, and that's what I'll always be making.

If you could pick anyone to get on a beat of yours who would it be?

Michael Jackson. I would've loved to have worked with him. But I would also like to get Game to do a collabo with Lily Allen, I think that would sound crazy

Good answer on the Michael Jackson front. What type of music do you mostly listen to?

I love soul music, I got a lot of soul stuff on vinyl. I'll listen to anything really though. As I sample a lot, I'm always listening to new music, everything from strange Albanian music right through to 80 classics from Depeche Mode.

What are your thoughts on other rappers jumping on your beats without permission for things such as mixtapes or You Tube videos?

It's bound to happen, and there's very little you can do to stop it really. The only good thing is that it's going to be after I've released that beat as my original track. I guess as long as I get credited with the production, you could look at it as a form of promotion. But it's not good. That's one of the downsides to the whole internet revolution and one of the negative effects it has on our industry though.

Have you ever rapped or considered rapping particularly over your own beats?

I have done a track, and I've recorded a verse recently on a track about my mum. She died in 2008 from MotorNuerone Disease, and that effected me pretty badly, she was so supportive of my music too. The track I recorded was me speaking on all the things I hate about this country, from the way it's run to the way it's perceived by other countries. I'm not hating on the UK, just pointing out some of the problems we have. It's got to be something pretty close to my heart for me to get on the mic.

You spoke before about samples. I take it your a big fan of sampled hip hop?

I love sampling. I will always sample too. Sampling goes right back to the very foundations of hip hop and its creation, so for me, it's the sound that makes the most sense. You can do so much with sampling, and it gives you a chance to cross over genres too. Fans of the track being sampled may well like to see how you've used that track to make you're own version. Plus, I can't play a single instrument lol

What was the last track or album you bought?

The last album I bought I was Jake One and Freeways Stimulus Package. That is an incredible album, and if you can get the limited edition version with the cash and wallet packaging, then you've struck gold. If all musicians were this creative with something as simple as packaging, then more people might be willing to pay for music.

How do you go about starting a tune?

It's all about the sample, and how I chop it up, once I've chopped it up, I then sequence it and get a nice pattern going, layer some drums and percussion on there too. I'll make one sequence for the verses, one for the hooks, an intro, outro and sometimes a bridge, and then put the whole thing together. Record in Logic and add any extra instrumentation and send it off for mixing.

Thanks for your time mate. Before you go you want to promote any links and how people can get in touch with you.

OK, you can get in touch with me at any of these links:

http://www.stealftheproducer.com/
www.reverbnation.com/stealf
www.twitter.com/stealf
www.facebook.com/stealftheproducer
www.myspace.com/avoidingradardetection
www.goldmic.com/ard
http://www.blogspot.stealftheproducer.com/
info@ard-beats.com
stealf@ard-beats.com
stealf@stealftheproducer.com

And my music is also available at those links too