DJ Toomp Interview

What you know about that DJ Toomp?He has crafted some of Hip-Hops biggest anthems this decade. His work with TI made him a household name and having had three tracks on Kanye West’s recent Graduation project, Atlanta’s very own DJ Toomp has most certainly made his presence felt in Hip-Hop. Here he talks to FemaleFirst about his beginnings, working with Chicago’s most flamboyant lyricist and how he likes to help those trying to get to where he is.

It was your work with TI that pushed you into the mainstream, made you a household name. Finding someone to believe in you and your direction, was that difficult?

Yes it took a minute. I had produced for a lot of different people, but you are right. It took for me to find that artist that I could really produce, where I could say ‘ok you know what, I am going to introduce this music.’ It was the same tracks that I was shopping around to a lot of artists but it took for me to get my own artist to display my type of music. It was almost like fashion designer, you know you can have some nice pieces but you need to find someone to model those clothes, on the runways to display it. That is basically what TI did; he displayed a different type of production.I come from the Miami bass era with Luke and all those people. Around that time, the game slowed down and the tempo, so what I did I just put all my energy into him and the next thing you know we changed the whole face of the rap game in the south. Of course you have people like Outkast who have been had their respect since day one, but it got to the point where people didn’t think guys could get it to pop down here for real.

They started to hear so much bass music and booty shake music; people didn’t think we could rap down here.

TI proved that there was a movement down here and there were a lot more other young cats down here who were just as serious as him in this game. That opened a lot of doors, as far as us having some great rappers, New Orleans, Louisiana, the whole South.

Do you think to get the best work out of a producer and work on developing your style comes easier working with one artist?

Sometimes. It is funny in the way that it comes together. Sometimes it takes time for a producer to focus on a project, Timbaland proved that with Justin Timberlake.

You wouldn’t say yourself with what you did with TI?

Yeah and RZA did it with Wu Tang, Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam did it with Janet Jackson, the list goes on. The record labels like to move you around with all these new artists but one day they are going to find that the most organic way to do it is to let the producer set the tone with that particular artist and let him oversee the album.

He might produce every track on there but at least it should have that whole feel. I would say that weakens the strength and the impact that an artist may have if he works with a lot of producers.

What you know about that seemed to prove to the industry and Hip-Hop fans just how you and Tip had mastered that chemistry. Do you agree with that?

That was a great record and yeah I think it did show how far we had come.

And it also earned you a Grammy.

Oh yeah. We had been nominated with You don’t know me but we got it with What you Know About That. Now this year Kanye is nominated in five or six categories so we will be walking away with one again.

You are being honored at the One Stop Shop producer conference this year. Now that award is coming from your peers, do those awards mean more?

From another producer? That means a whole lot. Yes. You know it’s like we really don’t have to do this. I take that to the heart and that means a lot to me personally.

Do you think giving back to those coming up, knowledge and advice is important to encourage some sort of positivity?

That is why I stay online on my myspace page, you know certain producers will ask certain questions and I will really entertain them if I can see that they kind of know what they are talking about.

At the same time, I go to five or six different conferences a year, with no charge. As long as my transportation and hotel is taken care of, I will go and speak to producers all day. This is my love for it and I love to see people as passionate about it as I am.

You had co-production credits on a couple of joints on Graduation. How easy is it to work along side someone who you are not necessarily familiar with, in a working capacity anyway?

Well you have some producers who are not good at working with another producer and then you have some who are. In this particular case, Kanye and I had a beautiful vibe. We didn’t force anything. Everything you hear on that album just fell into place. That is one of my laws; I don’t force anything. I put energy into something but I let the forces take over and do their thing.

It ended up being a great project. I co-produced on two and did Big Brother by myself. It was really easy as Kanye is a very well rounded producer. He knows music very well and he can even play; people probably think he can just sample, but he can play music too. He has a great ear, he comes from a singing background and so do I, my Dad taught me when I was a kid.

So when you have a real great gift for melodies and harmonizing and you get two great producers with that same background and who love those old school records that is the result you get. It was very easy working with Kanye.

Last time we spoke you didn’t mention working with Kanye, so how did that come about?

No (laughs.) Had I forced that it wouldn’t have worked. What happened was I just happened to be in New York that particular week and Kanye was up there working.

A friend of mine Gee Roberson and Big John from EMI my publishing company said I should stop by and see what Kanye was doing. See what will happen when we put both y;all heads together’ and I was thinking it would be kinda interesting and boom I was in New York and I happened to miss my flight.

So since I was in town for another day, I went down there and kicked it with him. The vibe was great and I only worked with him for about an hour but once he saw we had a chemistry, he made it his business to come to Atlanta.

So he headed out to you?

Yeah he said he wanted to get the whole vibe down here. In his words he said ‘I had wanted to come to the south to get some music and I figured you were the hottest guy down here.’ I really appreciated that.

For months we worked, he would go out of town for a minute and do some shows, then come back and go back to the studio. We would take a break and go to the club then just come right on back to the studio.

Will we see you working together again?

Yes a great chance of that happening, we talk all the time and we have the excitement of the Grammies coming up.

Melanie CornishWhat you know about that DJ Toomp?He has crafted some of Hip-Hops biggest anthems this decade. His work with TI made him a household name and having had three tracks on Kanye West’s recent Graduation project, Atlanta’s very own DJ Toomp has most certainly made his presence felt in Hip-Hop. Here he talks to FemaleFirst about his beginnings, working with Chicago’s most flamboyant lyricist and how he likes to help those trying to get to where he is.

It was your work with TI that pushed you into the mainstream, made you a household name. Finding someone to believe in you and your direction, was that difficult?

Yes it took a minute. I had produced for a lot of different people, but you are right. It took for me to find that artist that I could really produce, where I could say ‘ok you know what, I am going to introduce this music.’ It was the same tracks that I was shopping around to a lot of artists but it took for me to get my own artist to display my type of music. It was almost like fashion designer, you know you can have some nice pieces but you need to find someone to model those clothes, on the runways to display it. That is basically what TI did; he displayed a different type of production.I come from the Miami bass era with Luke and all those people. Around that time, the game slowed down and the tempo, so what I did I just put all my energy into him and the next thing you know we changed the whole face of the rap game in the south. Of course you have people like Outkast who have been had their respect since day one, but it got to the point where people didn’t think guys could get it to pop down here for real.

They started to hear so much bass music and booty shake music; people didn’t think we could rap down here.

TI proved that there was a movement down here and there were a lot more other young cats down here who were just as serious as him in this game. That opened a lot of doors, as far as us having some great rappers, New Orleans, Louisiana, the whole South.

Do you think to get the best work out of a producer and work on developing your style comes easier working with one artist?

Sometimes. It is funny in the way that it comes together. Sometimes it takes time for a producer to focus on a project, Timbaland proved that with Justin Timberlake.

You wouldn’t say yourself with what you did with TI?

Yeah and RZA did it with Wu Tang, Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam did it with Janet Jackson, the list goes on. The record labels like to move you around with all these new artists but one day they are going to find that the most organic way to do it is to let the producer set the tone with that particular artist and let him oversee the album.

He might produce every track on there but at least it should have that whole feel. I would say that weakens the strength and the impact that an artist may have if he works with a lot of producers.

What you know about that seemed to prove to the industry and Hip-Hop fans just how you and Tip had mastered that chemistry. Do you agree with that?

That was a great record and yeah I think it did show how far we had come.

And it also earned you a Grammy.

Oh yeah. We had been nominated with You don’t know me but we got it with What you Know About That. Now this year Kanye is nominated in five or six categories so we will be walking away with one again.

You are being honored at the One Stop Shop producer conference this year. Now that award is coming from your peers, do those awards mean more?

From another producer? That means a whole lot. Yes. You know it’s like we really don’t have to do this. I take that to the heart and that means a lot to me personally.

Do you think giving back to those coming up, knowledge and advice is important to encourage some sort of positivity?

That is why I stay online on my myspace page, you know certain producers will ask certain questions and I will really entertain them if I can see that they kind of know what they are talking about.

At the same time, I go to five or six different conferences a year, with no charge. As long as my transportation and hotel is taken care of, I will go and speak to producers all day. This is my love for it and I love to see people as passionate about it as I am.

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