KB had a change to ask Ottawa-based Platinum Producer, Blasian Beats, about his successes, biggest collabs and more.
Kevin Bourne: Even though you’ve worked with some big names in music, you’ve been pretty low-key in the past so people may not have heard of you. Who are some of the artists you’ve produced for who people might know?
Blasian Beats: I’ve had the honour of working with many extremely talented artists over the years, many of whom specialize in different genres of music. Some of the more well-known artists I’ve produced for include Rick Ross, Nafe Smallz, NLE Choppa, Kodak Black, Soulja Boy, Rich The Kid, Gunna, Kash Doll and Tory Lanez.
KB: You’ve finally emerged from “the shadows” and are doing more interviews and press. Why did you decide to stay low-key for so long and what changed?
BB: I’ve always been an introverted person. Ever since I started my career in high school, I’ve been most at peace making music in my home studio. There’s less distractions and I’m able to really focus.
I’ve been very private over the years, but have recently decided to start a new chapter in my music career. I’ve been prioritizing networking and have recently been looking to work with more upcoming artists in my hometown, Ottawa. There’s a lot of talented producers and artists in the city but we tend to get less exposure than more known cities like Toronto. This past year, I’ve been networking more at different events in the city and attending studio sessions with artists, producers and engineers, which I wasn’t doing as much before.
The past two years, I’ve been trying to find a better balance in my health and personal life, as well as my career. I started working at a really young age and haven’t taken a break since. Everyday has consisted of working in one way or another. Now, I reached a point of burnout from working so hard in the last decade. I’ve been prioritizing my health by working out everyday and doing yoga/meditation. You can’t work when your mental and physical health are being negatively impacted. I’ve learned this the hard way.
KB: You refer to yourself as a “Platinum Producer” which we assume means you have a few plaques to your name. Tell us about some of the hit records you were involved with and which ones you have plaques for?
BB: My first RIAA certified Platinum plaque was from Kodak‘s album Dying to Live. I produced “In The Flesh” that’s featured on the album. This album went #1 on the Billboard 200 chart in the week of December 29th, 2018. I co-produced this record with my friend Snapz who recently produced one of Yeats biggest records “Out The Way”. I’ve also produced Kash Doll‘s hit single “For Everybody”. This single has over 80 million views on YouTube and over 60 million streams across streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
Another successful record I’ve produced for is Nafe Smallz, M Huncho, and Gunna called “Broken Homes”. This song is BRIT certified silver and on its way to gold if it isn’t already. “Broken Homes” is one of my favourite beats I’ve made. When I created the “Broken Homes” beat, I was listening to a lot of Gunna’s music that had guitar instrumentation such as his “Oh Okay” record. I remember making this beat within 20 minutes after being inspired from guitar instrumentation and envisioning how good Gunna would sound on it. I use a lot of heavy 808’s and sub basses in my beats so I made sure the bass hit hard for this record.
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KB: You’re based in Ottawa, Canada which has dope artists and producers, but isn’t necessarily known for its music scene. Yet. How did you go about putting yourself out there and building your name in the industry being from a smaller city?
BB: A lot of people believe you need to move to Los Angeles and other big cities to make a name for yourself in the music industry, however, this is not the case! One of the greatest things to come out of social media has been the ability for people to collaborate online together from different parts of the world. This is how I met Snapz, whom I mentioned earlier. At the beginning of my career I used an online beat selling platform named Soundclick. I would post my beats online daily and sell licenses to artists around the world. Recently I’ve converted more to using another platform called BeatStars. BeatStars is a digital production marketplace that allows music producers to license, sell, and give away free beats. I love BeatStars because of how innovative they are and what they do for the producer community. Shout out to BeatStars!
I’ve also uploaded beats on YouTube titling them as “type beats” for artists to find beats that are inspired by their favourite rappers or singers. For example, the Nafe Smallz, M Huncho, and Gunna “Broken Homes” beat was uploaded as a Gunna type beat on YouTube because that is who I had envisioned on the beat when I made it.
Ottawa is close in distance to Toronto, which is, of course, more recognized for its popular artists. I’ve been lucky to have met people through social media such as Blacka Da Don who invited me to Toronto for Drake’s Summer 16 tour in 2016. Blacka introduced me to Drake’s engineer/producer, OVO 40, and I also had the opportunity to work at the OVO SOTA Studio where a lot of Drake’s songs are recorded. All of this was able to happen simply by Blacka reaching out to me through social media.
I’ve heard of a lot of people who use being from a smaller city or their age as an excuse to give up on their music dreams. It sounds cliché, but don’t give up and always believe in yourself. A lot of people will tell you you won’t make it or you’re dreaming too big. You are your own biggest advocate and supporter. When I was younger, I was unhappy with how my music sounded and I remember almost quitting out of frustration. Instead, I took the time to innovate my sound and rebrand myself. I spent two years working on my craft and when I came back I stopped using my old nickname “Mrizzy” and the name Blasian came into fruition. If I would have quit I would have never been able to achieve the accomplishments I have today.
KB: You don’t have many posts on Instagram, but a lot of the pics you do have are of you and cars. What’s that about? Are you into cars?
BB: Haha yes, I love cars! I’ve had a passion for cars before I could even walk! As a kid, I grew up playing video games during the most nostalgic era of racing games―the late 90’s/early 2000’s. If you know, you know! Some of the games I grew up playing were Midnight Club Dub Edition Remix, Need For Speed Most Wanted, Gran Turismo, Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Burnout Paradise, and many more. During the summer months, I go to car shows and l also race at the quarter mile drag strip with my friends.
Recently, I’ve gotten into F1 sim racing. I currently race with a SF1000 wheel that is a licensed replica by Ferrari from their F1 car that both their current drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz use.
I find cars and music go hand in hand. In the past, I had a partnership with Vossen Wheels who specializes in making forged wheels for vehicles. They featured my beats in their YouTube videos, many of which have gone viral. For example, their video called “BMW i8PIZZA.” These car videos get a lot of views online and having your music featured can give you good exposure.
A friend of mine, Night Lovell who is also from Ottawa, has had a lot of success gaining traction to his music from car videos on social media platforms. One of the most viewed car edit videos on Youtube features his song, “Still Cold”. The video sits at 109 million views and counting. Music compliments these car videos. For example, a black Lamborghini cruising in the night time would pair with an audio that’s sinister and eerie.
I’ll always have a passion for cars and in the future I see myself owning a business in the car industry!
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KB: Now this is a cliché question, but having produced for some of the biggest names in hip-hop, are there any artists you haven’t worked with yet who you’d like to work with?
BB: I have many. Some artists I want to work with include Jay-Z, Travis Scott and VannDa. Jay-Z paved the way of hip-hop for my generation. He was instrumental in creating a lot of sounds you hear nowadays. Not only this, but Jay-Z is an entrepreneur who owns multiple companies. I feel as though I could relate to him as I’ve come from a family of entrepreneurs and am constantly exploring different business ventures.
I’ve been following Travis Scott’s journey since very early on in his career. His music had a much darker sound compared to now. I really love the textures of the sounds used in his music. His producer/engineer, Mike Dean, uses a lot of analog synthesizers that are known for their unique vintage sounds. I own a Prophet-6 synthesizer that I’ve been experimenting with. I have a lot of music that I believe Travis would like.
VannDa is a Cambodian artist who’s started to gain a lot of recognition in Asia. He combines sounds from hip-hop with traditional Cambodian music. I’m half-Cambodian and I also sometimes use traditional Asian instruments in my music, such as flutes. It would be really interesting to work with him as he’s looking to expand his music more into Northern America.
KB: Do you have anything coming up you want to tell us about? New projects or collabs?
BB: For sure! I recently produced on a project for Young n Fly that dropped on June 24th, 2023. This project is called Fck 12 and features 12 tracks. I produced “Check Up” which is track number six. When I first made this beat, I knew I was making it exclusively for him. Young N Fly is from New Jersey and I’ve been working with him since 2017. He has a very ambient, wavy type sound with a lot of hard hitting drums in his music.
I’m also working on a project with Ja¥en x District coming out this summer. They’re releasing an EP called EVIL. I produced two songs for the project and one of the songs will be released as a single called “Fast Lane”. We’ve known each other for a long time. I went to the same high school as them. A few years ago they modeled for my clothing brand I co-owned with Teosins, Complex Feelings. Ja¥en x District is a duo from Ottawa who mainly create hip-hop and R&B music. Although they’re very versatile and can make any genre of music, which, this EP will show. They have a unique style in their music as well as fashion. I feel like being unique is important in the music industry to help you stand out from what everyone else is doing.
I’ve been working with their engineer, Carde Blanche, who will be mixing and mastering this entire project. He’s also from Ottawa and I’ve been able to learn a lot of mixing tips after attending some studio sessions with him over the past few months. For fun, I’ve been experimenting with how to mix vocals and he’s taught me the importance of simplicity and not overdoing the mix. I really appreciate Carde’s mixing style. He mixes with the producer’s vision in mind. For example, if I used a distorted bassline, an engineer would usually turn down the distortion, which would get rid of the raw grittiness of the 808. With Carde, he respects that the bass was purposely intended to be distorted and tries not to make a significant change to the mix.
I’m always looking to work with new upcoming talent. Whether that be an artist or producer!
To learn more about Blasian Beats follow him on Instagram at @blasianbeats.
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