What’s good everyone! We are back with out second interview of 2022! Tonight, we speak with producer Ras Beats. Ras Beats is from Denmark, but moved to New York City! Ras has a strong passion for Hip Hop, which you can hear the love in the music!
Check out the interview below & stay tuned for more from Bas Beats!
1. Where are you from and what was it like growing up there?
I grew up in Denmark until I turned 19, from then on I was in NYC. Both places were great, they’re both home to me. We were into hip hop deep in Denmark, but the crew was small. Once I got here I saw how big the art form was, got to meet some of my idols,It was a pretty big culture shock moving here, but I always loved living in NYC. Plus people rhyme better here…
2. How did you get into producing? Was there a beat you heard or producer that caught your eye?
I have been into DJing, making beats and producing since I was old enough to get into those things. Music caught my attention when I was young and it stuck. First pop music and whatever was around as far as popular music but once I heard hip hop I was hooked. It wasn’t one particular beat but it was the music of Marley Marl, Pete Rock & Premier largely.A bunch of other producers caught my ear, but I would say those three and their music hooked me. So many great producers out there but those stand out for me.
3. How long have you been producing?
Put out my first record in 2003, was making beats for a while before that, working on my skills and my craft until I thought I had something to contribute.
4. What is your favorite thing about producing?
A lot of things, love diggin for unused sounds and grooves, then turning those into beats, then turning those into songs. Each part is amazing on it’s own but it’s a really greatl part of the creative process to see your beat turn into a finishing song and then hearing DJs play it, hear people talk about it and that stuff. It feels really good to contribute creatively to the world in my way.
5. In your eyes, who is the greatest producer?
My 3 major inspirations are Marley Marl, Pete Rock & DJ Premier, but as far as the greatest I can’t really narrow it down. So many, Dr. Dre, 45 King, DITC, Large Professor, Bomb Squad, RZA so many people have contributed so much, I have my favorites but man, so many incredible beats and records in the time hip hop has been around.
6. Tell us about the new release with Freddie Black.
Yes absolutely, I’m very proud of this album. It’s called “Black Beats, Peyote Cookies And Late Nights”. It’s all written by Freddie Black and all produced by me. We have D.R.E.Colombian Raw, King Hansom, J Scienide & M-Dot featured. We took our time with this album, worked on it a little over a year. We did it completely independently, me and Freddie made all the decisions together, planned everything together, released it ourselves. We been getting really good response to it, a lot of airplay, a lot of write ups, critical acclaim. That definitely feels good cause we put in the work on this. It’s availlable everywhere so definitely go check that out. The title fits perfect, it’s us and that it took to make the project. One piece of feedback I got was that the album sounds like different scenes from the same movie, I definitely put work into making sure the projects I make are cohesive albums. I want that shit to be an experience, a full meal.
7. What else have you been working on?
A couple of things for 2022 and on. I have a Ras Beats ep in the works and also working on an instrumental project, to show a different part of what I can do. Apart from that, me and Colombian Raw, who’s on the Freddie Black album have been working, we been putting in work on a collaboration project. Contributing to different projects whenever it makes sense, I keep at it.
8. Any plans for 2022?
Stay healthy, put out the before mentioned projects and more diggin, more beats, more DJing. More music, less distractions.
9. Anything else you want the world to know…
Appreciate everyone listening to my music, if you haven’t, please check out my solo projects, my albums with Freddie Black and Eloh Kush. It’s alll on www.rasbeats.com and all my social medias.
