K-Salaam & Beatnick are two of more talented production teams out that are taking a different approach toward making an album. Their strategy to actually make good music and music that they feel and then put that into a cohesive catalogue of work is such a breathe of fresh air [Thank You Music Gods]. Besides that they are putting together a mecca of an album with features from reggae legends Buju Banton and Sizzla as well as hip-hop superstars such as Trey Songz, Saigon, Talib Kweli, and Dead Prez. So for all my reggae heads you will thoroughly enjoy their album coming in July......Enter K-Salaam & Beatnick....
Listen to the Single
Trey Songz feat. Buju Banton - Streetlife
I sat down with both separately to discuss their upcoming project to be released in July.
illRoots.com: Yoooooooooo.
K: What up.
illRoots.com: What up.
K: Whats up my dude.
illRoots.com: So thanks for the interview.
K: No problem many anytime.
illRoots.com: Who is K-Salaam?
K: Oh man I don’t like to talk about myself in third person. Basically I’m a producer, DJ, activist. I consider myself a visionary. Me and my partner Beatnick have a production team, its really more than just a production team we have some big things in store.
illRoots.com: What can we expect from the new album?
TREY SONGZ W/ K-SALAAM ON "STREETLIFE" & FREESTYLE
K: For the new album you can expect something refreshing, music is pretty stale right now so this is a new take on everything a new look. It’s a new sound that we have. We have a variety of different styles of music yet its all sounding very cohesive. Most of all music isn’t really taking any chances, second of all, most albums today aren’t very cohesive at all. This is a compilation album and its people have been telling me that it is one of the most cohesive albums that they’ve heard. So we put a lot of time into structuring the songs and the interludes. As well as making sure that we are talking to every artist and letting them know what the album is about and working with them on every song because it is our project. So your going to see real good thought provoking music with substance that your not going to just listen to it in the media but your going to take something out of it.
illRoots.com: The first track I heard was the Mos Def track. That was a real good look. I know you’re a real big activist so what exactly to you what to portray or represent per se?
K: I mean I don’t even want to say I’m an activist because you can’t really measure being an activist but it was just the way I was raised. As well as the way I live my life. I always stand up for people, and be a voice for the people that don’t have one. There is a lot of good things going on in this world and then there is a lot of bad things and if you don’t stand up for people now then it will eventually end up in your backyard. People don’t normally think about it that way but that’s how it normally ends up. I feel like when you put it into art it’s like you get a meal with this, we’re giving it to you in a way that you want to have it and you want to hear it.
illRoots.com: Yea hip-hop is pretty stagnant. Personally we still need to see some of our locals get their just dos. I think these big budgets are being given to all the wrong people. But give us some of your background musically.
K: My background personally I grew up listening to Hip-Hop so I have been a “Hip-Hop Head” my whole life. My mom was a piano player/ music teacher. My partner Beatnick is a multi-talented beat maker, producers, composer. I started DJing in 1994 been doing it hard before I met Beatnick into production. He’s really like the bread and butter of actual beat making and I’m more of like a producer in a sense as I still get into that but I’m more into structuring the music, songwriting, and putting it together and making it official. Yet we do everything together as a team so its like we really have a vision of what we want to accomplish. Things are going well, we have a lot to look up to right now.
illRoots.com: So you guys signed a 3 Album deal?
K: Yep, VP Records with distribution through Universal.
illRoots.com: Who’s on the album?
K: Okay we got Trey Songz, Buju Banton, a song pending with Young Buck, Sizzla, Talib Kweli, Papoose, Saigon, Stat Quo. We are doing a song with this new group Rock City from Akon’s camp.
illRoots.com: Yea they did a song with Bean’s.
K: Who else, a lot of reggae legends on the album.
illRoots.com: One song that could sum up your entire life.
K: Ooooooooooh that’s a hard one, maybe Bob Marley “Get Up Stand Up”.
illRoots.com: Word that’s a great song. You’re the President of any nation which one and why (yes my favorite question…lmao)?
K: I would be the President of this one so I could use the power that we have to good, plain and simple.
illRoots.com: Since you’re a DJ/producer what collab would you like to do in the future? Dream Collabo?
K: Damn that’s a tough one because some of the collabs that we are doing, we’ve been doing dope collabs you know…Mos Def/ Sizzla, Trey Songz/Buju Banton, Young Buck/ Sizzla. I’m a big reggae head and so is Beatnick so I feel like these artists have something to say and I want to bring them to the forefront. I think once the mainstream people hear them they are really going to get into them.
Beatnick
illRoots.com: Thanks for sitting down with me man. BN: Oh no problem.
illRoots.com: How did you get the name Beatnick?
BN: Actually my friend gave me that name. Basically it just made sense to me, that’s just the two things that characterize me the most, my name and what I do. Pretty simple and catchy as well as recognizable.
illRoots.com: How would you best be able to put your sound?
BN: I would say soulful, original, musical, and with integrity.
illRoots.com: Reasoning?
BN: I came from a performing background, playing Jazz in a group. So my whole life has been performing music and I just kind of picked this up during high school. I mean I have a lot of that real playing feel. I’m not trying diss anyone or put anyone down there is just a lot of like chopping and looping of samples and not really doing anything innovative.
illRoots.com: Loss of Musicality.
BN: Yea, that’s how I would characterize it.
illRoots.com: What instruments do you play?
BN: I play guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, all kinds of percussion, I’m about to get a trumpet and a sax, anything I can get my hands on.
illRoots.com: Okay that makes logical sense. What would you say is the hardest instrument to learn?
BN: I would have to say, in order to really master it, the piano. The piano is challenging, I’ve been playing for a long time, but I don’t know I consider myself more of a guitarist.
illRoots.com: The album, your favorite cut?
BN: I would have to say “Sail On” with Sizzla.
illRoots.com: How come?
BN: I’ve heard the album probably front to back thousands of times if you count the times I’ve mixed it. I would say that, not that the others are any different, but that song just sounds brand new and every time I get the same feeling I did when I made it.
illRoots.com: If you could work with one artist who would it be?
BN: Stevie Wonder is ridiculous.
illRoots.com: One Good Book?
BN: “This is Your Brain on Music” by Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, it’s the psychology of why people listen to certain types of music.
illRoots.com: One Song to summarize your life?
BN: As for song , for me it would be an entire album; "Headhunters" by Herbie Hancock. I've listened this album hundreds of times and it never fails to give me a shiver down my spine whenever I hear it. The melodies, rhythms and textures on this album are ridiculous. Definitely a huge influence on the way I make music.
illRoots.com: For More on this extraordinary production duo check out www.myspace.com/ksalaammusic and go get their album as it shall be released in July off of VP/ Universal. Thank You, God Bless, Goodnight.
