Zukhan Bey, the man responsible for “We Fly High” and numerous other hit singles! Zukhan Bey came out of the Philly International School that spawned the likes of The Fugees and The Roots. Originally starting as a drum programmer for Scott Storch, Zukhan has found his way to a variety of artists, including Vivian Green, The Roots, and Jim Jones, for whom he wrote the current single “We Fly High” as well as the previous #1 New York single “Baby Girl” off Jim Jones’ last record. We Interviewed Zu to find out what he’s up to as he currently works with Loud.com and Battlerap.com

INTERVIEW:

Zu waddup?

How you..how you living right now?

I’m livin good man? And you?

Yeah im livin real gooood homie,

That’s good man.. so..You’ve worked with some pretty big name artists like The Roots, LL, Bleek, Jigga, Beyonce, Storch, Luda tell me how has working with them influenced your career?

They been workin with me, you know what’im saying…like its been a great experience for me just been getting it on and keep it on…

How’d you get put on to these cats?

I started with Oschino and Sparks and my homies from high school was on RocAfella and I was workin with them and my man Scott Storch who was with the roots in. Back in Philly I knew those cats and then you know like connections just started like shik-shik-shik-shik-shik and then that led to crossing paths with Violator Management and so I did the track with LL and that was a big record for me.

Yeah Word?

Then I gotta a connect with my girl *muffled* down in the south we got the Pussy Poppin beat on for Luda

What artists are on heavy rotation for you at the moment?

I just been in the studio with DipSet [aka The Diplomats]. We workin on the new bridging release that’s comin up…all my peoples in DipSet: Jim, Juelz, Cam…you know all my peoples in Harlem.

How did you start out in the game and how did you get to where you are now?

You know I been like working with Oschino and Sparks that’s my mans and the roots as well, like allota the cats I came through high school with, and I started with and its all progressed from there…

So what project are you working on at the moment? And most like to work with in the future?

Im working with Dipset on the new Birdgang release, you know Jim and all my DipSet fam in Harlem, they doin it big - we got the Birdgang shit [Bird Gang Mixtape] coming out and I just been in the studio workin hard with’em.

Tell me the story of the fly high beat – how did you hook up with Jim Jones – was it when you did “Baby Girl”?

That’s my dude right there, Jim is a loyal dude and I’m a loyal dude so we work well

You gotta mad connection…

yeah we basically connected and been working together through Baby Girl when I was workin on that with him and Max B and he got at me (about ‘we fly high’) like, “yo we got the lane open right now get me some of those bangers….” When I made this beat I basically pulled apart my MPC and took apart my revolver and hooked that shit up and it was like ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch- Boooom ! yanah’whut’um sayin? *laughs*

So you very Tight with Dipset..

Yeah they my peoples..

After having an anthem to your name how has your business game changed with the demand from other artists?

Well ike the busness game its like another thing all togther either you gotta be strong`and able to get to the right people coz if you ain’t got that there’s no chance…like you never gonna be able to get at anyone. So if you don’t have that [ability] some people get people to do the business end. Its like you gotta have the combination to make it happen. You can’t have water without the cup and you can’t drink if there’s just a cup…so you gotta have both; The Cup AND The Water!

Its all about who you know, not what you got…

Well its about what you got too…there are hundred of hot producers out there but they aren’t getting out there…

Gotta have that Perfect combination…

Exactly homie its all about getting your beats bangin like booom!! You know ..

You let the beats talk..

That’s word you know that’s it you gotta let the beats do the talking coz people talk and other people hate. Its like cars on a freeway you know? Like its time to get on the freeway and if you on the freeway you doin it.. [your moving not just stading still]
Get in the own car and quit hatin’ on other cars goin that fast..*laughs*
Haha yeah!! Like cats need to get they shit happenin and stop hatin on those that’s getting happenin..

Whats it like writing with artists? Which artists have you found the most interesting to work with?

Well I worked with Beyonce on her 1st album. That was an experience in itself…

So is it good to work within a wide scope of artists?

Yo The Sun is shining on all types of sides of what you do…the sun is round it shines on everything you know..like you got some carnations and then you got like some sticky bushes…like you could be doin Pop like a beyonce song or you could be workin’ on Pussy Poppin with Luda. Its crazy, it gives you a balanced perspective.

Whats it been like to work with Kara Dio Guadi – she’s worked with just about all the major pop stars in the game?

…That’s my sister right there, working with her has been great! She my girl!

What’s your view about current state of hip-hop? Alotta cats are sayin you know that there are a lot of cats that’s out there that are weak lyrically..

Well man everywhere you look…East Coast, West Coast, South Mid-West its like there’s so much shit poppin off you know? Like you got like T.I., Jeezy, Eminem, my man Luda and then you gota like Chi-Town and Kanye and like people are talking that shit?…they just hatin!

…Yeah like I know there are a lotta artists like when you look a bit deeper that have got mad shit to say, you got cats like Lupe [Fiasco] all they way through to the Hyphy movement…

Yeah and then you got like 50cent…50cent you know he’s putting out records and people are hatin on it like its pop..there has always been Dance music [in HipHop] like 10 years ago you got [MC] Hammer…its always been apart of the culture.. I been workin with some pop, some r&b and hiphop and its importanat to have the variety.

Whats your main inspiration beatswise?

Well you can never be set in your ways like if you go to work and stare in front of the same cubicle and computer screen then you gon’ be bored…like I try to push myself to keep it moving…

I think its like whatever you feelinat the time you really wantr to use the range of equiptment and really get out your emotions..

Yeah word word…you sound like you make beats too?!

Yeah man, In Australia we definitely have to draw upon unique flavours and try to develop our own style and producers are startin’ to get it poppin over here!

Well you gotta the global hip-hop now..like hiphop is definitely happenin in the South, East, West, Mid-West but like now you got like cats in Germany and the UK like that girl…um…(lady sovereign?) and Paris are doin’ it, like this cat Booba is really doin’ it right now…

Yeah fo sure..we just had an Australian producer do Kelis and Chamillionaires latest single and now he’s workin on mixtapes and shit..so its definitely global…

Oh yeah like the internet…in like 5 years this whole shit is gonna be global and like muthfuckas is got they styles and sounds but they gotta represent for they own spot…like there could be like an artist comin outta Kazakhstan and doin’ it and there will be a world type of sound for hip hop. Yeah you in Australia? Australia I’d like to come down there!!…I like your Olympic swim team man like they got that pool and shit coz y’all mu’fuckas have got crocodiles..

Yeah man, we gotta learn to swim fast and shit…*laughs*…

So you draw upon a melting pot of different shit.. [When making a beat]

You said it man! you gotta have the meltin pot!! *laughs* coz you want to come comin fresh every time you makin a beat, I constantly need to find new inspiration. I like working with everything like I love tapping down the fingers on the pads (MPC) and really getting into the flow of the beat..

How has growing up in Philly influenced your music?

Yeah well you know its like when you start out its like an apple, I got the roots like flowing way back deep – even the work you do in high school like is the start of the story for me…its like the apple seeds and they go way deep and as you grow the story develops and your style evolves…I was workin with alotta my peoples that I went to high school with…some of them dead some of them I still work with…and that has developed into the full apple now!! Ya’nah’whamean?
Ayo…I got banned from one street in philly when I gave one of my homie a beat cd and he was playin the shit in his car and the cd went through the car down into the subway and blew up causing a massive explotion…

*laughs*

So where abouts in Philly did you grow up?

Actually I was born in Virginia. Then when I was growing up we moved to Philadelphia… I was rappin’ and makin’ beats and everybody like through my school was doin’ it as well so it was like part of my life from early on..

How old are you now?

Im 27 now

What do you draw upon when you’re making beat? and What equiptment do you use?

I try to use a whole bunch of shit…at the moment I got my MPC and I’m just trying to get as creative as possible…like there are no rules with this game - you gotta keep it moving and try to be innovating and new sounds…Keepin’ it fresh

What’s your advice to the up and coming producers out there?

Don’t come near me man ill throw your beats in the trash can, nah fo real I would say stay working, like some cats look at it like a hobby, like if you gon’ take out a loan and pay for college…if your serious…about makin beats then go put it on the line and invest in YOUR future.

So You ever been to Australia - any Interest ?

I would love to come out there man for real…check it all out coz it sounds like its happenin here…

You got any Shout-outs?

Special shout to Dj …. In germany, all dipset, birdgang, jim jones, all my hip-hop cats in Australia…I got my myspace comin so we’ll stay in touch we got your details…All my peoples, barka brothers…B..A..R..K..A…

Thanks for you time Zu

No problem homie..

Peace

Peace