88-Keys: Music Over Money

Jane sent over an interview to the seriously talented 88-Keys a few months and another blog’s lifetime ago, but his answers were certainly worth the wait.

Music Over Money or Money Over Music?

Definitely music way the Hell over money. The money will come & go but music will always stick around no matter what. Had I done everything with only money as my main concern then my music wouldn’t sound as good as it does.

I don’t know how to play any instruments (unless you’d like to refer to ‘Raw Dawg’ [my MPC 3000] as an “instrument”). I sample… Everything! Now if I was concerned about the publishing owners & master owners of the sample taking 66% (if not more) of the potential money I would make off of a song then I’d probably try to make keyboard beats & (trust me when I tell you this) they would most likely sound awful. So music first… Money a close second. But don’t get it twisted. I still won’t make a move without the moula. *ch’CHING*

You have so many years in the game, quietly producing for the likes of Black Star, Talib Kweli and others, but do you feel like you are being reintroduced in a lot of ways?

I definitely feel like I’m being reintroduced in more ways than one: First there’s the fact that most young people nowadays, who’ve had the pleasure of hearing my recent work, think that I’m a complete ‘new jack’ on the scene. It bugs me out yet it feels oddly refreshing that these young people feel that I relate to them. I feel like I’m old in the sense that I usually don’t enjoy doing what most young people do (i.e. partying) but, with this new ‘awareness’ of who 88-Keys is, I now feel like I’m maintaining my youth.

How do you stay grounded?

By realizing that I bleed the same blood as everyone else. I may be better at making beats & rhyming than some people but, at the end of the day, strip all of the talent, fame & wealth away, and we’re pretty much all alike. With the exception of our core values.

Follow 88-Keys on Twitter.