In honor of Black Music Month, iOne Digital has launched AMERICAN SOUNDS, which "goes underneath the hood to explore American music through the lens of Black creators." The docuseries celebrates Black music pioneers while delving into their creative process, and kicked off with acclaimed producer/songwriter Just Blaze.
One of the most revered producers in Hip-Hop history, Just Blaze played a pivotal role in shaping Jay-Z's sound, producing a slew of hits for the legend including “Public Service Announcement,” “Girls, Girls, Girls," "Song Cry“and “Dear Summer." He's also produced hits for for Cam'ron ("Oh Boy"), Kendrick Lamar ("Compton"), Kanye West ("Touch The Sky"), and Jay Electronica ("Exhibit C"), among many others.
In AMERICAN SOUNDS, Just Blaze talks about his work with Roc-A-Fella Records. “We knew that what we had was special, but we couldn’t have predicted the longevity of so many crews,” he said. “There was so much music in that short amount of time. And that was really because we had so many great creative minds under one roof. It was a lot of sleepless nights. Like I always tell people, these bags under my eyes are permanent.”
He also talked about his beginnings, including the very first track he ever produced, a mashup of the Jungle Brothers’ “I’ll House You” and Maurice Joshua’s “This is Acid.”
“On the Jungle Brothers record, there was an acapella, just the rhyme, no drums and Maurice’s record was right around the same tempo. Maybe the exact same," he explained, adding that he put the Jungle Brothers’ vocals over Joshua’s iconic house track.
He explained how "energy" and "detail" inform much of his creative process.
“I just have an energy, whatever energy I’m trying to put across within the record, whether it’s supposed to make you angry or aggressive, celebratory or very somber… whatever I’m trying to channel, I do my best to provide it to the degree where people are gonna have to be adjusted because there’s so much detail. I would say energy and detail was really my signature thing,” the producer added.
Watch AMERICAN SOUNDS with Just Blaze here.
