Arguably most of a song’s quality is dependent on the instrumentation. Lyrics can make a painting, but the ambiance leans on the non-vocal contributions to a record. A love ballad would be incomplete should the background noise not have enough romantic sentiment laced within it. With the spotlight in the industry being shifted over to producers, it’s not surprising that the artist behind ScHoolboy Q‘s “Studio,” Swiff D, would be garnering the attention that he’s getting.

In his conversation with RESPECT., he talks of the authenticity of post-release additions to albums, as well as the extinction of certain individual’s popularity lowering to a point of no return.

RESPECT.: What are you afraid of?

Swiff D: To fall off, honestly. There’s a lot of people who I grew up liking and idolizing and I always wonder what it is that they did that got them to fall off. And I just don’t want that for myself. I’d rather just walk away from the scene than to fall off.

RESPECT.: What’s the most obscure place you’ve gotten a sample from?

Probably this phone conversation. Years ago, from my boy; he used to record himself talking to girls randomly. I think he had a Nextel phone back in the day and you used to be able to tape the phone convos or whatever, and he played it back for me and I put it into the beat. It was something sexual.

RESPECT.: As a producer you’re music taste has to range across all genres to maintain an original sound. So who are artists you listen to outside the Hip-Hop/R&B genre?

I listen to Banks a lot. One of my favorite artists. I listen to a lot of Gospel music as well- I grew up all around it. They just play from the love of God and stuff but sometimes you hear something so crazy you’re like damn.

RESPECT.: What would you be doing if you weren’t producing?

College graduate for sure. Something with computers. I feel like, well, most guys like myself- producers- are nerds. I grew up playing ball and all, but I was still a nerd.

RESPECT.: Were you a Computer Science Major?

Nah, surprisingly it was Business Administration. Took me my second year in college to decide what it was that I wanted to do though.

RESPECT.: What’s your biggest regret in life?

Not sitting down and figuring out a career plan earlier in life. There were so many things I wanted to do, so many things, but I knew that I had a calling in music because I grew up in it. If I started earlier I always wonder what it would’ve been like.

RESPECT.: Random music question that I want your insight on: In reference to The Life of Pablo, Do you think an album can & should be altered after it’s been completed?

Yeah I mean that’s the Kanye effect for you. Definitely a perfectionist, that man. Definitely something he would do. Me personally though, I feel like you shouldn’t put anything out unless you feel like it’s great.

RESPECT.: What has been your best asset in your career?

I think I challenge myself more than the average. I’m very competitive. Even though I don’t even think it’s that much of a competition. I always challenge myself, and set these plateaus for myself.

RESPECT.: So on that last part, are setting plateaus more important than having exposure? Say you have a SoundCloud hit with 30K plays, and it’s brilliantly produced but stays there. Then you produce a more accessible beat, with less experimentation, and it’s a hit. Which is better?

The first one, just because it’s a lot more organic. And 30,000 SoundCloud plays is still a lot but it’s still not the average, you know? I get it, but for somebody to be discouraged after giving their all isn’t cool. I kinda always say you gotta wait your turn, but you always gotta make sure you’re ready for success. I can’t say for me that that would stop me. That’s 30,000 people that came around. Next time it might be another 30,000. And so on. Any grind is good so long as you keep at it.

A lot of people knew me for my hip-hop stuff and I challenged myself to try seeing if I could make it better. And I feel like sonically, it’s always tight. The producer is always ahead of the game in sounds too, so I think it’d be a little easier for them to appeal to a larger crowd.

RESPECT.: Calvin Harris once said that he likes dishing out singles more than albums, because the sound of a single would be more relevant to the time, but if he took his time to make that cohesive record, the sounds he utilized might not be relevant or poppin’ around the time of the release.

I feel like, you know, time isn’t necessarily money, but time does evolve and music changes daily. It’s kinda like, if you wait too long to come out with something, people can tell the timeframe that you were in. Making singles is actually the easiest thing other than having the whole thing. It’s definitely easier to drop song for song for song, because if it doesn’t catch on then it’s just gone in the same amount of time that it dropped. Then you can get chopping at another.

RESPECT.: What’s your worst feature as a person?

Sometimes I think I wish people have the same ears as me. With me, in general, I feel like I’m real passionate about some of my music, and I’ll show it to some people and they don’t receive it the same way and what not. Certain times, people just kinda like, have something in mind and they wanna hear that, and they may think it’s dope, or not dope, but you just kinda gotta let it be. Everyone has different ears.

RESPECT.: Well on that logic then, is there such thing as bad music?

No such thing as bad music.

Well, ok. It’s rare (laughs). There are a few acts that I insist are just god awful, but there’s something for everyone out there. It took me knowing that about music to advance my own career. Obviously people are in those situations for a reason. Out here in LA, to draw a comparison, people like Mexican food- tacos and s**t. And in NY, there’s like Chinese food and s**t. It’s all about taste.

RESPECT.: What are you currently working on?

Music wise, I’m working on a lot of things. I’m real excited about the Bryson Tiller project; I’ve been working hard on that one for sure. Uh, also I’m trying to give people an idea of where I am and where I can be in the future. Other than that there’s so many more things. Pro Tools wise, I wanna better myself at mixing. I’m just a student of the game. I just don’t wanna limit myself.

Update yourself on Swiff D via Twitter & SoundCloud.

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The post RESPECT. Interview: Swiff D’s Musical Ideology appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

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“Truth” is the brand new single off Pac Div‘s upcoming album GMB. The Cali trio is set to drop GMB on November 27, and this track is just a small glimpse into what we can expect. The track has a soulful vibe that you just can’t help but to nod your head to.  The music is nice and the artwork is just as dope. This is Cali cruising music at it’s finest. Enjoy the track below.

The post New Music: Pac Div – “Truth” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

“Any time you come out with some fresh shit, artists have a chance to reinvent themselves. We just try to reinvent ourselves every time out and keep rocking.” — Mibbs

It’s been a long road to this point for BeYoung, Like and Mibbs (left to right), but for them the grind is just starting to heat up. With the first anniversary of their debut album, The Div, quickly approaching, it’s on to bigger things for the Cali-based collective. Drawing influences from both the east and west coasts, (Pete Rock, NWA, J Dilla and Wu Tang to name a few) Pac Div has created a sound that is simultaneously reminiscent of hip-hop’s past and indicative of hip-hop’s future. Pac Div’s trio pens heartfelt bars over soulful beats, and the end product is sure to get people out of their seats. Truth be told, the hip-hop world can’t be mad when people keep it real, but more to the point why do it any other way?

I see you guys are scheduled to play Oct. 14^th in Davis, Calif., at Mfalme Fest 2012 with Curren$y, Ryan Leslie, Wale and many others. What’s the vibe like when there are so many artists performing at one venue, on one stage?

Mibbs: It’s dope to have that many notable artists together to rock a crowd. I’m surprised there aren’t more tours like that because it brings out different crowds and different vibes. Also, people who are fans of Stalley or Curren$y get an opportunity to see Pac Div. The energy of everybody on the stage is definitely something you have to match though.

Keeping with the concert scene, the Club Nokia gig with Black Star, Del the Funky Homosapien and Freestyle Fellowship is also coming up soon. What are you looking forward to from that gig?

Like: We’ve never shared a stage with a Freestyle Fellowship, but they’re at the center of west coast hip-hop. They rock and we’re just going to add to it. With the older artists and similar styles, it should just be awesome performing in front of their fans. The west coast is a very unique thing. LA and NY have their own sound, but LA and Oakland have their distinct sounds too. All said and done, it’s still west coast. We love to pay homage to those guys though.

BeYoung: You see a lot of cats collaborating out here, similar to how some people perceive the South. A lot more people just realize you have to deal in other people’s fan bases.

Tell me a bit about your relationship with Pharrell Williams. You guys opened for N.E.R.D. on a tour last year, so what did you notice about his creative tendencies when it comes to making a record?

M: We worked with Pharell and he’s a real cool dude. It was a great experience to see how he works and how he rocks the house. We dug that. We noticed the way he works really fast, he’s just doing everything at once. Chad definitely does his job too though, coming in behind and making things nice and clean. With Pharell, though, you get a complete record with complete sound.

How important is creative control of the music for you guys? I understand sometimes things can get hung up in “politics,” but what’s the situation with RBC like?

M: They let us do with whatever we want, but obviously we can’t sell a song unless we clear a sample. We always bring the ruckus, so it’s good though.

Let’s talk about the upcoming GMB (Gabe, Michael, Bryan) project. “Gimme What You Got” has an old school vibe for sure, but are there any features and/or guest production to look out for?

M:  First off, “Gimme What You Got” isn’t our beat. I wish it was, but it comes from a Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth joint called “Take You There.” As for production on GMB: Like is on there, DJ Dotty, Chuck Inglish, Theolonius Martin and Swiff D of course. Feature-wise Mac Miller is on a track, Blu, Kendrick Lamar and some other people but that’s all I’m going to say.

How have Pacdivdaily.com and social media helped the brand?

L: Social media helps keep everything afloat as far as creating a community and keeping people up to date with what we’ve got. It’s ever changing though. You see a lot more artists taking the independent route and combining everything in one, that’s becoming a new thing too. Word travels around fast, so if you drop something it’s like a wildfire. People can do all these things now and our phones are practically computers too. Get with it or get lost. Itunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, Wikipedia, the food, the groceries, just everything. People don’t need to be slaves to it, but it’s just a new generation. Instagram and Twitter too, both of those are dope.

Who are y’all listening to nowadays?

M: Ab Soul, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Frank Ocean to name a few. You can even play Frank’s music for your parents, and his visuals are pretty dope. I know he’s not a rapper, but he has a rapper’s skill set. There are a lot of people nowadays. We like what Odd Future has done in the past, A$AP doing his thing too. The internet has so much influence on what people are listening to nowadays, but there’s plenty of good stuff out there that nobody has to force you to listen to you.

How was it teaming up with the guys from the NBA for the Phiten “Still Flexin’” video?

L: Those guys were cool as hell. We come from a basketball background as well, but it made us realize how fun and silly atheletes are. We were cracking jokes with them, just having a good time. Melo actually knew about us because he was a fan of ours. He told Mibbs that and it was definitely ill to hear.

M: Carmelo was the one who called us to come up there. He was like, ‘I got your Church League tape,’ so I guess hoopers keep up with their music as well. LeBron also said he had heard a couple joints of ours too, so that was definitely dope.

The post “Get With It Or Get Lost” — Exclusive Interview With Pac Div appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

“I’m talking bout Tasha, Keisha, Sasha, Lisa, and any other ‘ishas I’m tryna meet ya”

Yesterday an unreleased Pac Div joint, “Moment,” hit the web. It seems like anything these dudes hop on lately has been hot, but I guess that’s more a result of who you’re working with. The Cali-based trio got together with their longtime producer Swiff D on this beat, and it doesn’t disappoint. Kudos to Pac Div, these dudes are always on their grind. An unreleased track to start the week certainly doesn’t hurt though. Be sure to check it out below.

The post New Music: Pac Div – Moment ft. J-Doe, Lonny Bureal (Prod. by Swiff D) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Pac Div uploaded a video over the weekend of the pit stop they made in The Grand Canyon State. BeYoung, Mibbs and Like (left to right) rocked the stage in Phoenix, Ariz., over the weekend, and are still riding high off the first week sales of their debut album The Div. This track, “Life is Good“, comes courtesy of a banging beat from Pac Div producer Swiff D. Unfortunately Like’s verse didn’t make the cut for this video, but I’ll pardon the error seeing as it’s Monday. Sans Like’s verse the track still bangs, and that beat is tough. Be sure to check out the video below, and check out The Div too out now.

The post New Video: Pac Div Live In Phoenix appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.