Natelege Whaley interviews, Grammy award-winning hip-hop production super group, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League.

WORDS BY NATELEGE WHALEY

Every superhero has a signature. Batman had the glowing bat-signal, Flash a red suit with yellow lightning bolts, and Superman the distinguished “S” on his chest. But for the Tampa Bay producing trio, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, their signature lies in the pounding bass, strings, and old school R&B and pop samples. After producing ten tracks together in a single night, Rook, Colione and Kenny B. decided to form a group in 2003. The three knew the name was hardly original—a spinoff of the comic strip by the same name— so they switched it up, and added an acronym to, fully represent who they are: “Just Undeniably Some of The Illest Composers Ever.”

Rook, one-third of the team assures that the comic has nothing to do with the powerhouse producing trio. Yet, the similarities are clear: that three of the self-proclaimed best producers from the Tampa Bay-area have come together to “bring real music back to hip-hop.” A mission fit for superheroes.

The group didn’t wait long to use their super producing powers to gain recognition. They received their first break five years ago on Young Jeezy’s “Don’t Get Caught,” a track on his debut Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101. The same year, they won a Grammy award for production on Mary J. Blige’s album The Breakthrough. Last year, they won an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award for rapper 2 Pistols’s “She Got It.” Even Rick Ross has heavily used J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League’s production on many projects including the track “Magnificent,” off his LP Deeper than Rap, “Luxury Tax” and “Maybach Music” off Trilla, and “Aston Marton Music” on Teflon Don.

The three producers sample cleverly from a selection of old school R&B, pop and Motown artists (Think The O’Jays, Angela Bolfill, and Friends of Distinction). Moreover, their beats often have samples with a busy string and brass section; then they add a heavy bass that complements, and never overpowers the instrumentation. Time will tell what other songs the producers will uncover from the past and rebirth. What is certain is that the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League have not been distracted by their positive reception into the music industry. As they turn on their tunnel vision, they look to leave their imprint as ingenious contenders not only in hip hop, but across all genres.

25 Magazine: How did you guys form J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League?

Kenny: We were all producing in the Tampa Bay area in Florida and working independently with different artists. We ran into each other at the studio and heard each other’s work and we were impressed. We decided to get together. We made 10 beats that day. The chemistry was so natural that we decided to become a team.

25: The name J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League comes from a team of superheroes like Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman and others. How does this name and the acronym best fit you all?

Rook: Honestly the acronym has nothing to do with the comic superheroes. The acronyms stand for ‘Just Undeniably Some of The Illest Composers Ever.’

25: How did you develop into widely known producers?

Colione: It all happened because we had strong management who were there since the very beginning. We’re like a family. After we formed J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and began building our catalogue, our management was pushing and making sure we got our name out there. We didn’t just do this by ourselves.

25: And what is your creative process when you’re producing?

Rook: Sometimes we each have our own ideas, or we come up with ideas at the same time. We might be in the studio and we collab with an artist like Young Jeezy, and he likes to say what he wants. It’s our job to give the artist what they want.

25: How do you give an artist exactly what they want?

Kenny: I think it’s important to first sit down and vibe with artists and see what kind of person they are and what sound they like. That’s important because you can’t just go into the studio and blindly play tracks.

25: Of all the artists you’ve worked with who did you have the greatest connection with musically?

Colione: Of course musically we have a great connection with Rick Ross. Our sounds link well together. He is some of the best beats that we make. He actually uses our sound that we originated.

Rook: We have a great working relationship with Young Jeezy. We go into the studio every time and we come out with beautiful, great, epic  music. You know our first song was “Don’t Get Caught” for him and it got us a good reputation in Atlanta.

25: In hip-hop a lot of producers sample, and you all sample in some of your work as well. How do you go about choosing which songs you are going to sample?

Colione: We usually buy a stack of records and listen to each one until we find a gem. The music has to be up to par. We usually go back to the Barry White’s and the old school. We like artists who have done whole orchestras and also music with a lot of instrumentation.

Check out “Pledge Allegiance to the Swag” – T.I. (prod. by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League):

25: Some people think that a lot of sampling shows that a producer doesn’t have the creative ability to create their own beat. What do you think about that?

Rook: I think producers’ choice to sample songs depends on their own judgment and what feels good for them creatively. Earlier in our career we sampled heavy. But nowadays, we’ll sample, and we’ll take  the sample out and we’ll revamp the whole song, so it won’t be a sample.

25: As producers what do you feel the music industry needs and what will you all bring to the table?

Rook: We plan to bring music back to music and we also want the ability to change lanes. We want to produce for Ghostface and Rick Ross but at the same time do Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige. We were in New York working with Mary J. Blige, and then the next day we were working with a pop artist. We had to make the switch quickly from soul to pop, and from organic to electric.

25: Speaking more on the industry, what do you all think of the internet’s role as far as marketing and promoting?

Kenny: On the internet there are many ways to promote artists and to sell music. It can go both ways. A lot of people blamed the internet for declining record sales and it probably did have a part in it, but there’s so much opportunity on the internet.

Rook: A lot of it deals with bad music. If you make good albums you will actually sell.

25: Speaking of musical quality, Jay-Z made a statement with his song “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune).” Do you agree with his idea that rappers singing over autotune brings down the quality of hip-hop?

Kenny: You can make a song using the autotune effect and use it wisely and tastefully, but when you just start to abuse it, I agree with him [Jay-Z]. Think about it first. Does it sound good with autotune on it, or not?

25: What are some examples of songs that you think sound good or bad with autotune?

Kenny: I thought autotune was used well on 808s and Heartbreak by Kanye West. Kanye used a lot of autotune on there, but not to the effect that his rapping sounded like notes. He was actually singing and the songs were well written and well produced.

Colione: A bad example of autotune is a song in which you can’t tell who the artist is because the whole thing sounds like garbage.

25: Who do you think are some talented producers currently putting in work?

Kenny: I think Swizz Beats has always been consistent and he continues to evolve musically. Also I like Dr. Luke and his style as far as pop goes.

Colione: I have to say one of my favorite producers is Diddy, and he’s not exactly behind the keys, or working behind the drum machine, but he is a producer. I also like Rick Rubin. He’s really inspiring.

25: What are some artists you listened to growing up?

Kenny: My dad used to play a lot fusion and jazz like Al Viola, which is funny because when I met Rook, I found out his father was a percussionist for Al Viola and that was fascinating for me. Growing up I was listening to Radiohead, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and anything in between.

Rook: My father played with Al Viola and when I was younger he would play the records for me and I didn’t like them. They didn’t make no sense to me. I was always into Dr. Dre, Wu Tang, and Gang Starr, you know hip-hop. Later on when I started doing music professionally I gained respect for what he’d done.

Colione: My mom was a rocker and I listened to a lot of her stuff. My cousin introduced me to hip-hop. He bought a drum machine and he was making beats and I started making beats with him. Then I kind of drifted off and got better than him and did beats on my own.

25: When did each of you decide that music was going to be your life?

Kenny: I always loved the creation side of music. I remember getting whoopings by my parents because I wasn’t doing well in school, and I was so fascinated with establishing myself as a musician. Not saying that’s the right route for everyone.

Rook: I think when I was younger, I didn’t want to do music. When I got a little older and into high school, it just kind of fell into my lap.

Colione: I wasn’t really good at anything else but music. I got in where I fit in and I was challenged by it. But a lot people need to focus on school and try to get in that way. You gotta be able to work well under pressure, otherwise you go crazy.

Rook: It’s hard to be in the all-star league. You can be drafted to the NBA, but to be an all-star you gotta be the shit.

Check out “Trillionaire” – Bun Ft. T-Pain (prod. by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League):

25: With the passing of Michael Jackson, and reflecting on his legacy in music, has he had any impact on you guys? If so how?

Colione: It was a tragedy. He was a legend. When I was a kid, I remembered Thriller coming out. I was real young and all the older kids used to dance to it. I only used to listen to rock ‘n’ roll music but his music had a rock vibe to it.

Rook: I’m gonna tell you how real Michael was. Thriller came out in 1983 and by 1985 it was still the album to get. It was a phenomenon. He shut down primetime TV. They would have an hour special of the making of the video and have another 20 minutes of the actual video. “Thriller,” “Bad,” “Remember the Time”-Nobody does it like Michael.

25: Any last words or advice for upcoming producers?

Colione: My best advice for producers is to be consistent with every single piece you put together. Learn how to make music and learn what to do with the music that you make. If you’re really not getting your music out there, it’s because you need to make sure you have a great team behind you that can push your music forward. It takes a team, not just one player to get you to the next level. You need people that can talk for you, and have the best interest for you.

Photo courtesy of eightyocho.com | Eric Vogel

WORDS BY LAUREN MCEWEN

Cosigned by long-time friend, Kanye West and equipped with a nice flow, a gift for production and a hyphen in his name that he takes very seriously, 88-Keys is gunning for a spot among hip-hop’s elite. His first album, The Death of Adam, was a feature-heavy tribute to a fictional friend named “Adam,” who allowed his love and lust for women to lead him to his demise. Executively produced by West, 88-Keys’ debut was a virtual roll call of musical talent. Artists including Kid Cudi, Phonte of Little Brother, J*DaVeY, Bilal, Redman, Shitake Monkey and of course, Kanye West all paid their respects to Adam, the fallen “everyman.”

After the video for his first single, “Stay Up! (Viagra),” featuring Kanye West, began popping up on video playlists, 88-Keys gained a considerable amount of buzz in the music world. The Death of Adam made it’s way onto a variety of top albums lists, including MySpace’s “Top 50 Albums” and AllMusic’s “Top Hip Hop Albums.”

88-Keys’ latest song “Baggage Claim,” produced by multi-platinum talent Needlz, is themed after ABC’s hit show Lost, shows that Keys has more hits to offer hip-hop. He is currently working on a follow-up album to Adam and it should not disappoint.

Check out his new single, “Baggage Claim”:

Baggage Claim by 88-keys

25 Magazine: When did you decide to pursue a career in music?

88-keys: I guess it was ’97 or ’98 when I first got paid for my music, after doing it for a couple of years. I got about 700 or 900 bucks for selling my very first music that I ever made on a machine that I still use to this day. So I was like, “Ok, so, this is how this is going down. I see.” So I decided to make music my life.

25: Who are your major inspirations?

88-keys: Overall, my inspirations are my brother, Dr. Anthony K. Njapa, Q-Tip, Ralph Lauren and Pete Rock.

25: What’s behind your Polo obsession? Just loving the brand?

88-keys: It’s like you can’t go wrong with Ralph. I started buying the Polo brand back in ’91, but back then I was still buying other brands, but I always noticed that I was spending a long time rummaging through other people’s brands, and always coming up short because I didn’t really like the stuff, but by the time I went to the Ralph Lauren Polo section, of the department stores I used to shop in I couldn’t even decide which ones to pick because they were all fresh.

Finally I just said, “Why am I wasting my time trying to shop with other brands when I don’t love their clothing,” but I always love Polo stuff, so that was it, since ’92 until now. And then since ’06 is when I decided to wear Polo from head to toe. I don’t own any Nikes or whatever cats are wearing now days, Supras. I don’t own any New Era, or New York fitted hats, or anything like that. It’s just all Ralph Lauren Polo.

25: What made you choose dedicate entire debut album to your friend?

88-keys: It’s a story that everybody knows, and everybody is familiar with, but I felt like that story hadn’t been told through music in such detail. Sure, there are love songs, of course. There are songs about meeting that special someone. There are even songs about catching STDs out there, I’m sure, but I don’t think anyone has pulled it off quite the way I have: making the story very concise and fluid, almost.

25: Your bio on your website said that some of his other friends were upset that you dedicated your entire album to him. Why do you think that they feel that way?

88-keys: My bio is actually just a play on my album. Anything regarding myself on my bio is all true, but Adam is actually a fictional person, but he’s everybody. I do have friends who went through the same stuff that Adam went through, and I feel that every man has gone through some, if not all, of what Adam went through on my album—like what he actually went through physically and thought processes and his emotions.

And I feel that every woman of age knows an “Adam” in their lives. Whether they dealt with that person or their homegirls went out with that person and they were trying to steer them clear of that person. Adam could be mine and your father. So, Adam is every man in one way or the other.

Photo courtesy of eightyocho.com | Eric Vogel

25: How does it feel to be a family man breaking out into the music industry? Hip-hop isn’t always the most family-friendly of genres?

88-keys: I’m a father of two and a husband of one. That’s one of the reasons that I made the album because I’m trying to restore the traditional family unit. It definitely has its downsides. I don’t work on my music as much as I used to because I have other obligations to my wife and my daughters, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I love them, and we plan on making more to add to the clan.

We’re actually working on a schedule. The schedule has allowed me to have three free days to work, and then my wife helps out as often as she can, like holding the kids down while I try to bring home the bacon. But she brings in bacon, too. She actually might wind up bringing home more bacon than I am, because she’s awesome and she has her creative business going on that she started.

25: Doing what?

88-keys: I’ll just say that it deals with photography. My wife is a self-taught photographer. She’s pretty dope. She has a website up. She met another woman who shares her interest and is a self-taught photographer. They clicked and formed a business plan, and it’s crazy. I think she might wind up making an “M” before I do, to be honest. But we’re married so, what’s mine is hers and what’s hers is mine.

25: What’s your favorite song on your entire album?

88-keys: My favorite song would be numbers 1 through 14. Had you asked me the same question before Kanye came in as executive producer, I would have said a song that no longer appears on the album, and everything else was secondary. But now, that the song was taken off I just love every song as much as the previous one. Yeah…my album’s pretty dope.

25: Who are three people that you would love to collaborate with in the future?

88-keys: Michael McDonald, Lupe Fiasco and, had he not passed so suddenly, I’d like to say the late, great, J-Dilla.

25: Do you have any plans for a tour in the future?

88-keys: Yeah, my management is working to get a meeting with a very well-known, reputable agency, but it’s been pretty hectic. The agency actually put me on tour with Kid Cudi, Asher Roth and B.O.B., and through them I also did a show with Lupe Fiasco a little while ago at Governors Island. As far as getting more touring gigs, that’s kind of up in the air right now. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna happen, but we just have to get the meeting. I’m actually happy that I’m not on the road right now because now I’m working on my next album, my next mixtape, and a bunch of projects, like some feature verses that I owe people, and my next beat CD—so I am a busy man!

25: Do any of your other projects have themes to them?

88-keys: They will. My next album most likely will, but I haven’t really decided yet. But I will say this—it’ll be dope! You heard it here first, folks.

25: Do you have any advice for other people who want to break into the music industry?

88-keys: Yes, don’t do it! Stay your ass in school! No, seriously. Be honest with yourself. That’s first and foremost. If you’re a rapper, and you know you’re not rapping as well as a Consequence, or a Lupe, or Kanye, or whoever. If you’re nowhere near their level of freshness, work on it behind closed doors, but don’t start putting songs up on MySpace, like “Yo! I’m the next Kid Cudi!” Be honest with yourself.

I have a feeling that people actually know that they’re not that fresh, but they’re just, like, throwing pasta at the wall. If you’re not that fresh then you’re just wasting people’s time. For producers, it’s the same thing. If your beats aren’t that crazy, keep working on it and actually surface when you have something buzzworthy. I mean, music is all a matter of opinion, but there are some people who should just know that they’re wack. I’m not saying hang it up completely—well, there does come a time when one should hang it up completely—but don’t like puff your chest out when there’s no air in your lungs.

For more on 88-Keys, check out www.eightyocho.com.

Peep 88-Keys’ video for “Stay Up (Viagra)” feat. Kanye West:

Billboard recently released its list of “Top Producers of the Decade,” The Neptunes topping the list at number one. Others on the list include Timbaland, Kanye West, and Bryan-Michael Cox (shouts to BMC, he participated in one of our first @25mag events!).

Interestingly enough, the majority of the producers owe their claim to fame to hip-hop. Thoughts?

‘Ye is currently on the April/May 2009 issue of Complex. Through working with director Chris Milk, the “Louis Vuitton Don” helped create something that will definitely ”make you look.” 

The computer-generated imagery for the photoshoot was based on “form and texture”, says the director. The photography started with a high resolution facial scan, and then a laser scan of Kanye’s entire body using the same technology used to create Brad Pitt’s character in “Benjamin Button”.

Chris Milk has previously worked with Kanye, directing both “Jesus Walks” and “Touch The Sky” videos. Other artists that he’s worked with includes Gnarls Barkley, U2, Audioslave, and John Mellencamp.

Photos: Complex Magazine

Check out A-Trak’s  8 minute teaser to his upcoming mixtape Infinity +1. Read more for downloads.

Infinity +1 8 Minute Teaser – Download Here

DJ Medhi (also featured on the mixtape) will be touring with A-Trak in late March. Check out Mercury’s remix to the B-side of “Pocket Piano,” “Tunisia Bambaataa.”

“Tunisia Bambaataa” – Download Here