Heavily influenced by producers like DJ Battlecat, DJ Premier, and J. Dilla, J. Bizness takes a fresh approach to creating music using unconventional sounds while marrying them to the classic West Coast flavor. Using Propellorhead Reason and Recycle, .J Bizness produced his solo debut LP, Reason: Beats & Pieces in 2009. This independent release caught the attention of Propellorhead representatives and earned J. Bizness an endorsement from the software company. J. Bizness has produced for the likes of Little Brother, The BlackOpEra, Trek Life, Bishop Lamont, and Ras Kass. Currently, J. Bizness does regular demo work for the international software company Native Instruments.
OK-Tho:
What was it like growing up in Southern California?
JBizz:
The area of So Cal where I grew up is considered the Inland Empire; located 50 miles East of Los Angeles. The specific city that I rep is Ontario and it's always been a very diverse town. In this particular suburb, I had neighbors of all ethnicities; Afro-American, Caucasian, Asian, Middle-Eastern... You name it. Even though there's lots of diversity out here, Black folks are still in abundance. Different cities/towns within the Inland Empire have a different ratio of Black folks like Rialto, San Bernardino, and Moreno Valley.
OK-Tho:
No-doubt -so how did you come up with the name J. Bizness?
JBizz
I didn't actually come up with the name J. Bizness; friends of mine started calling me 'J. Biz' in Jr. High school because they said that I was always pretty serious and I would handle my business when it came to stuff like school work and such. (laughing) I've always been a nerd to a mild degree, but I was even more of one when I was younger. The 1st Rap group I became a fan of in my younger days was Souls of Mischief. When I realized that their DJ was named Jay Biz, I knew I had to switch it up. You can guess the rest.
OK-Tho:
True -so when did you actually start taking music production serious?
JBizz
Honestly, I feel in love with Hip-Hop when I was 13 and I used to rap. I always thought I was pretty decent with the rhymes. At 14, I started making beats on Yamaha multitrack keyboards and CakeWalk software. Making the music was a lot more exciting to me. A Jr. High friend of mine had an older brother that made beats and after witnessing the creative process, I was hooked. I've been making music for years, but I didn't get serious about pursuing it as a career until 2005.
OK-Tho:
IIght-then -what was the first instrumental that caught your attention growing up?
JBizz:
The first beat that caught my attention growing up was "A Name I Call Myself" by Souls Of Mischief on the '93 Til Infinity album. The drums, the samples, and the sequencing tripped me out. I don't remember who produced that track, but they merged 3 different samples from different records in an ingenious manner.
OK-Tho:
Who are your top 3 official-dope producers?
JBizz
My Top 3 producers...? Easy: DJ Premier, Jay Dee/J. Dilla, and DJ BattleCat. In high school, Daz used to be my favorite producer. I grew up in the Death Row Record era.
OK-Tho:
Jay Dee/J. Dilla is definetly one of my top 3 -Now in your opinion what makes your style unique from other producers?
JBizz:
What makes my style unique...? That's a good question... I've been told that my intricate bass lines stand out. I can't really say myself... I feel like I alternate between sample chops and sample-free material pretty often, so I make improvements based on feedback from peers and supporters.
OK-Tho:
If you had the choice to choose one artist in the game to produce a whole album for, who would it be and why?
JBizz
One artist...? That's impossible to me. Too many to name. For the sake of keeping on topic, I'd say Anderson Paak (aka Breezy LoveJoy) because he can sing AND rap. Very well.
OK-Tho:
Respect - that -so what other interests and hobbies do you have besides producing?
JBizz:
Aside from producing music, I've been doing graphic design and video editing as of lately. When I'm idle, I hang out with my family or friends.
OK-Tho:
What's your favorite hip hop related movie?
JBizz:
Interesting question... My favorite Hip-Hop related movie is Belly. I can admit that the acting isn't the best throughout, but I LOVE the cinematography. It was basically a feature length music video.
OK-Tho:
I'd have to agree as well -so how’s the support from the hip hop community in Southern California?
JBizz:
The support from the Hip-Hop community is So Cal is kinda strange if you ask me. There are many that follow radio or club trends in my opinion; but there's so much diversity out here... There's something for everybody, from Ratchety party goers to hardcore "back-packers".
OK-Tho:
That's what's up - Through this journey what has been your biggest accomplishment so far as a producer?
JBizz:
I would say that my biggest accomplishment has been maintaining my own company (Illregular Instrumentals) for as long as I have. When I started my imprint in 2007, I wanted to make a name for myself by releasing my own music and the music from friends of mine as opposed to shopping beats to other artists. Being my own boss has given me a lot more insight how how to manage my own career in music. I'm still not where I wanna be as far as my brand is concerned and running a company definitely hasn't been easy, but progress is constant.
OK-Tho:
If you had the chance to posses 1 super power, what would it be and why?
JBizz:
DAMN... Again, I can only choose one...? (laughing) In that case, I'd chose teleportation. Gas is too gotdamn expensive outchea.
OK-Tho:
I agree -so which do you prefer high tops or low tops?
JBizz:
years ago, I would have said low tops. Now, it's different.
Ok-Tho:
Venice beach or huntington beach?
JBizz:
I'm a home-body; I don't really hit the beach too often. Plus: I live over an our away from any body of water.
OK-Tho:
How do you feel about the current state of hip hop?
JBizz:
I feel that current day state of Hip-Hop is shifty... Commercial/radio music can be kinda destructive as far as the negative or simple-minded content is concerned, but there's so much emerging talent and underground gems all over the US that you just have to dig for. Sometimes, you don't even have to dig as much as you may think
OK-Tho:
REAL-TALK.... -so what can we expect from J. Bizness in 2014?
JBizz:
In 2014, I'm doing a 6-part beat series in conjunction with the Rappers I Know website titled Chops. This series is based strictly on sample-based beats. The first volume was released in Jan and I've been going from there. ALSO: the plan is for me to release at least two self-produced albums from two of the four different MCs that I've been work with (@KornBread800, @MrSobersKKG, @SkeemPrice, @BlueCollarWerk). Aside from music, I'm going hard on this video editing.
OK-Tho:
*Off the record* - OK-Tho.com would like to know what it is you like about our website and also what you think we can add to improve it in a whole?
JBizz:
As far as improvements, everything looks good to me. I really dig the Top Of The... because I know that I'm not always up on the new... So that's the perfect place to keep up with new music. ALSO: I dig that your contact section actually has an email address as opposed to a Submission box. Submissions boxes are hella impersonal to me, so kudos to y'all.
OK-Tho: Respect. JBizz keep making those dope beats - from the OK-Tho family - stay up.
Comments
Post a Comment