For those that may not know you , please explain who you are and what you represent?
my real name is Brian, other words known as Broadway; MC/Producer, Hip-Hop enthusiast, visionary and lover of art.
A lot of people may not know, but musically you are one of the very first to work with me in the studio, back when we were in Highschool still using Cool Edit! How would you say recording music has changed in the last 20 years? What are your preferred pieces of equipment from production to recording?
Wow lol, blast from the past for real. Cool edit was very much a starting point, and a stepping stone for us, but we go back as far as 2 boomboxes facing each other, 1 playing an instrumental tape, the other recording what was known as our first demos…G-Next!. I remember being in cyphers wit Perth Amboy heads on Hall Ave. and Cool edit happened to pop up in conversation when they was talking about recording sessions! It reaffirmed that I was going in the right direction with things. I think producer Apollo Brown still gets busy with the arrangement of his chops in Cool Edit. That being said, even the oldest of technology can still get the job done. The greatest nation is Imagination! I think music has evolved, the same way many things have evolved through technology. When I first started making beats, it was through the likes of an old gemini DJ mixer my brother owned, that had a 10 second sampler with 4 banks and sound effects on board. It was pretty much that, a casio keyboard, and a Roland DR-660 aka DR. Rhythm drum machine, which today you can find on ebay used for $100. Making music has very much transitioned from the hardware era (which I’m proud to be a part of), to what we now know as the digital age. What was once a challenging task, or harder to accomplish the end result, is now almost as easy as clicking a button. Alot of things are now automated, or simply put, just easier to do. For example, back in the day using Midi to control the sounds of a keyboard through an MPC, or struggling to time stretch a sample and make it match the tempo/bpm that your trying to work with. These things now a days are a thing of the past. There are now Midi controllers that control the sound libraries from your computer; 2 which are my go to- Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol and Ableton Push 2. As for recording, there are so many different options ranging from Pro Tools, Studio 1, Logic, Ableton Live, but the one I’m most comfortable with is Steinberg Cubase. In addition with recording, I use a neumann u87 to an Avalon VT 737 SP and lately Slate Digitals VMS ML-1 through Universal Audio Apollo Quad (shout out to them, they shit official!) The way things have advanced, alot of today’s tools offer almost the same thing, but the user interface might look more appealing than the other. A good example, not to step too far out, but if you compare Apple to Android, that will forever be an ongoing conversation, but at the end of the day it’s still a phone. It still takes pictures and handles incoming/outbound calls. It’s the look,feel and the user experience that makes someone team Android or Team Iphone. The same applies with today’s tools used in music, with respect to knowing what your doing with it. It’s never the machine, but the man behind it.
I can recall being backstage with you at the music venue SOBs in NYC , we were still in highschool but before I knew it , you were in a full conversation with Redman. I have also in my time asked you to slip Jay-Z a cd and you did lol where does your self-confidence come from? Would you recommend young Hip Hoppers be as bold as you in their pursuit to get recognition? If not , what do you suggest?
lol, the best way I can put it is that we are all human. we all bleed the same. If you treat people in the same fashion, act like you belong and be yourself, you will most likely get the same in return. While we probably both looked at them like super heroes or whatever, they are just as human as us. there’s a time and place for everything, I just think that I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time and tried my best to not come off like a “fan-boy” lol. Even hanging out with Neyo and his crew was an opportunity cause we both got to meet some of the people that are behind the scenes like DJ’s, managers, club promoters and such.
My advice for the youth is to seize the moment when it’s presented. Know when to be bold, but never play yaself for the recognition. Everyone’s time will come. Just be patient and ready. You might not get a chance to meet Hov or said favorite producer or rapper that you truly rock’n wit, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t get a chance to get the attention of someone that might be able to get your music to them. Don’t skip steps and work your relationships. Don’t force feed people, but be natural and try to find a way where you create opportunities to then showcase your music or move a step forward with what your trying to accomplish. You never know who’s who and what they can do for you. Try to get an e-mail or contact. Let people know what you do. Be seen. Attend events and network. In this digital age, there’s definitely opportunities similar to the ones I explained, through the likes of social media, but that all goes back to striking at the right time. There’s always a time and place for everything, so be cool, keep working, and seize the moment.
Who is your favorite producer and why?
That’s a tough one, cause there’s definitely more than just 1 favorite. I would say I’m a fan of Dj Premiere, Alchemist, Pete Rock, Just Blaze, Salaam Remi, Kanye West, and Q-Tip for there ability to flip samples and they have always kind of had this grungy East coast, NY type of sound, even though some of these producers aren’t originally from NY! Timbaland is definitely honorable mention because of his knack for being able to make hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. Pharell is definitely up there because of his drum work. shit, I mean his vibe is dope lol. Dr. Dre (his mixing ear is superb), Cool & Dre, Justice League (dope live instrumentation sound). NO I.D., Keywane, illmind, Flying Lotus, Thundercat. – There’s so many different producers that have something different that I admire. Everyone has something great about them, like I just stumbled upon this dude from outta Cali named Mndsgn, he got some dope shit. It’s about a vibe. I keep my ear open to different things cause music is always evolving.
You have always been a pretty fashionable guy ( See Broadway in my latest video BURN , rocking the Mets Broadway jersey and FRXIENDS hat ) How do you feel fashion has changed within Hip Hop in the last 20 years and do believe there has been specific reason for each change?
Thanks my bro. I feel we all come from that, with our own twist. You got the soccer jersey game on smash especially in a time when cats wasn’t really rock’n em. If you go back to 90’s hip-hop to how things are now, we went from baggy jeans, the Karl Kani’s, Carr hearts, Cross Colours, Parasuco’s, to now slimmed down euro type of fashion. The skater look is still trending (ripped jeans, fitted shirt, vans) and I feel theres always been a parallel with that and hip-hop in the sense of being free and rockin whatever you want. There was even a time, I wanna say Roc-a-fella era, where cats was wearing the velours like Enyce and shit with some fresh white air force ones and like 5x white tee lol. I think fashion in hiphop will continue to change with the sign of the times, because people want change.People also want to make a statement through what they wear and be seen. People eventually get tired of things and want to step out of there element and try something different. The funny thing is, the more things change, the more they stay the same. In the early 80’s you had cats like Kool Herc wearing leather pants and studded vests. A crazy jacket with fur patches and spikes coming out the shoulders lol. That is still relevant today with the Rock, Punk image. history repeats, so what is gone, is not technically forgotten, it will eventually make it’s way back, but with a new spin on it.
If you could pick one clothing brand to represent your style of making music, who would they be and why?
I’d go with Champion, cause thats how I view my sound…Champion Sound!
What is the greatest lesson you have learned coming up in the music industry?
Be humble.Not everyone is going to f*ck with you, but there’s something for everyone. Once you find what that is, corner that market and kill it. Work on your relationships with people who you see as potential for growth or who you might be able work with in the future. Keep working on ya craft and know your worth. Not everyone should be accessible to you. the best preparation tomorrow is doing you today, so be ready.
Favorite Book?
48 Laws of Power, which I have read from front to back and still open to whatever page and absorb the knowledge for the day.
Favorite Movie?
Leonardo Di’Caprio in “Catch me if you Can” the ambitions and his con-artistry, plus the fact it’s based on a true story had me root’n for Frank Abignail Jr. the whole time lol
Where do you see the music industry in the next 20 years?
History repeats, I see Live instrumentation taking the helm again. There will definitely be a fusion between current genre’s to make a mashup of something new. Take country and trap music for example. It’s already happening!
Last Words, what would you like people to know? What projects? do you have coming up?
I have a solo project i’m working on putting out soon “Give Thanks” aka Without Further a Due as i’m sorting out what gels well with one another, and a I have numerous gems in the stash for a project I’ll be releasing with my guy Tony Piff. The objective is definitely to reinvent and put out something that jives with the current vibe, but never selling out to whats real to me. Peace!
~ Interview by Cymarshall Law