i recently got the chance to talk to 88-keys. his debut album, the death of adam, dropped in november 2008, and is still being played on every wwm bear’s playlist. it’s an energetic, fun and refreshing album in a genre that’s pretty easy to fuck up.

he’s a really genuine dude who was excited to talk about his new album, upcoming projects and the main differences between producing and rapping.

hit the review for the jump.

-88-grizzlies

Roshan Bhatt, weworemasks.com: Hey man, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time out to talk to us.

88-Keys: Nah no problem, man. I appreciate it.

WWM: You’ve been producing for over 11 years now. What made you finally decide that you want to rap and put out your own album? It’s safe to say it’s been a while.

88-Keys: What made me decide to put out my album about two years ago was the fact that it was getting tough for me to get tracks placed because the industry just wasn’t too kind to me. I kinda fell outta sight and just fell off the radar. So when I got back into it, the beats weren’t really moving like they used to. So I decided that instead of chasing other peoples coattails and getting involved with other artist’s projects, I would just get involved with my own project and give beats to myself, so voila. Here we are, The Death of Adam — two and a half years later.

WWM: As for the production on The Death of Adam, how’d you get hooked up with Kanye West to help executive produce your album?

88-Keys: I met ‘Ye back in 2000 at a Roc-A-Fella studio and I don’t wanna say he was in awe of me, but he knew who I was, because I was fresh at the time. I produced three songs off of one of his favorite albums, Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides. This was all before Kanye West was Kanye West. He was giving me all these props, and I just remember seeing his name in album credits as a producer. I didn’t know any of his music until he mentioned Beanie Siegel’s “The Truth,” which was one of my favorite songs at the time. And you know, we just clicked. It turned out we were from the same town and the next day he came over to my place and we just hung out all day. We’ve pretty much been best friends since then.

WWM: Nice. The Death of Adam displays a very playful and fun aspect to the music. How important is it for you to have that aspect to your overall approach to hip-hop and music in general?

88-Keys: Aw man, it’s very important. That’s pretty much who I am as a person on a day to day basis. My whole persona is about having fun. Sadly enough, I put having fun before anything else. [Laughs] Everything else is secondary. If I didn’t or wasn’t having fun making this album, then it wouldn’t have been made. You can just tell from listening to the music that I had fun making it. Except for things like the title, I just flipped it and made it fun for everyone to enjoy. I didn’t calculate it or do something clever to flip it, I just put myself and my personality into the album.

WWM: Releasing a concept album for your first studio-album, especially considering a hip-hop audience is pretty risky. How do you feel this has played into your career?

88-Keys: It’s the best thing I ever did, to be honest. All the decisions that I made that people advised me against, everything was foretold to me by the man upstairs. What most people consider their gut feelings, I’d consider as God’s words. You’re either gonna take his advice or not, so I just tried to do that as much as possible. It all seems to have worked out for the best though, for things like the critical acclaim. Now the sales just have to match the acclaim. The people I know who have come across it have all said the same thing to me. Things like “The albums an instant classic,” or “Your album is the best album in 5 years,” or even “Your album is the first album they’ve been able to play from start to finish.”

WWM: Having a concept album definitely helps back that statement, because you WANT to hear the whole album to see how the story line pans out.

88-Keys: Exactly. And that’s for people who realize that it exists. A lot of people look at “Stay Up! (Viagra)” as a Kanye West song featuring some other guy who raps the end. But it’s my song. I made the beat, concept and sing the hook, and I rap the last 8 bars to Kanye’s 24 bars. It’s just about trying to connect the dots with people. That’s what mission I’m on now.

WWM: Speaking of “Stay Up!,” do you feel it was the perfect choice for a single, something that would emphasize or maybe even not emphasize the concept?

88-Keys: Well that wasn’t even my first choice for a single. That was all Decon, They’re the label that put out my album.

WWM: Right.

88-Keys: The label head pulled an executive decision above mine and decided to run with that instead. My first choice was “The Friend Zone,” and I fought with him tooth and nail about it, but at the end of the day, I’m not mad about it. I’m glad it turned out the way it did, because I’ve received a lot of burn and press about it.

WWM: Yeah, and the video turned out pretty incredible, too.

88-Keys: Yeah it did. And thanks a lot man, appreciate it.

WWM: Well, how would you personally describe your production style? And in your opinion, what puts you above the game where producers are so heavily emphasized?

88-Keys: The best way I can describe it is that it’s “the Tribe vibe.” My whole thing is because I wanted to be a part of hip-hop after I heard People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm [A Tribe Called Quest’s debut album, 1990] I was so young and I didn’t know how I was going to be involved, and I didn’t know what a producer was at the time. I’ve never considered myself a rapper and never had the dreams of being one, but I had to be involved somehow besides buying the tapes and playing them. Everything I’ve done since then was to emulate the native tongue era, from De La Soul to Jungle Brothers to Black Sheep but with an emphasis on A Tribe Called Quest. Even down to Slum Village and all that stuff.

To answer the second part of the question, I really don’t know. I just try to make the best music I could possibly make with the usage of samples. Even though my name is 88-Keys, but I don’t know a lick of keyboards. All I know is the MPG-3000, which is what I consider my instrument. I sample and chop it up all day. I just manipulate it as much as I could and put in the rhythmic feel to every song.

WWM: Who are some of your favorite producers, both all-time and current?

88-Keys: Q-Tip, the late great J Dilla, Hi-Tek, Needles, Paul McCartney, James Brown, Christopher Chu from The Morning Benders, DJ Premier, Havoc, The Large Professor. And I’ve been really digging Black Milk’s production, too.

WWM: What are some of your favorites out of the beats you’ve worked on personally?

88-Keys: Easy. I produced a song for Musiq Soulchild called “Her,” and that’s my favorite beat that I’ve produced. There’s a story about that, and I don’t wanna give away too much, but i’ll let you know if you reference it on my blog, www.polo67life.com. And right now, every song that’s on The Death of Adam.

WWM: Speaking of Polo, we most definitely have to touch base on Ralph Lauren. I read that you just met him, how was that experience?

88-Keys: Awww yeah. The experience was great, I plan on going more in detail…you know, on my blog, http://www.polo67life.com. It was surreal, but I had my wits, so I didn’t turn into a blithering idiot, you know? We chopped it up for a good 6 minutes. He was en route to his car — his Maybach — so he was about to hop in. He was engaging in conversation, so it wasn’t just me showering him with accolades. He didn’t seem like he was in a rush, but I knew he was headed out and I wanted to respect his time. This is all me knowing I’ll meet him again and I’ll be able to chop it up again. So yes, I most definitely met the God of fabric and design.

WWM: Well what’s in store for 88 keys as far as upcoming projects go, both as a producer and a solo artist?

88-Keys: I’m considering starting work on a second album, but things have been really crazy. Everything from scheduling to interviews to shows, and even personally, with my family life. I’m married with two daughters, who are very young. A 2-year-old and an about-to-be-1-year-old. Just ready to do a full blown 88-Keys tour. I have a few outside projects, like one with a group that’s featured on the album, Shitake Monkey. Then, another with Colin Munroe. I have overdue work, too. Features on other people’s albums and mixtapes as an artist and producer. So I’m trying to knock these out and clear my plate. My main focus though is to bring awareness to The Death of Adam. This is the album that you need to purchase and listen to, because it’s one of the best album in years. For people not to have it, they’re cheating themselves!

WWM: Definitely. You mentioned Colin Munroe. I got the chance to interview him a while back, and I think it was like two days after The Death of Adam came out, and he dropped your name, and you just did the same. It’s always cool to see two artists admiring each other.

88-Keys: Ah of course. That’s dope.

WWM: Do you have any advice for any upcoming producers, or anything you’d like to say to existing producers?

88-Keys: Number One: Master your equipment. Number Two: Gotta know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. If your beats are coming out wack, and people are telling you they’re wack. Then hang it up. Not everyone can produce or has the natural talent. On top of that, not everyone has the perseverance for the industry. You just gotta know when your music isn’t hitting the way you want it to hit.

WWM: Perfect. That’s about it man. Is there anything you’d like to add?

88-Keys: I just want everyone to make sure and show your support. Go cop the album. Go visit my official website, www.eightyocho.com. They can also find me on my Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. All my links are there and I try to hit everyone back. Also, my blog — www.polo67life.com. It’s a lot more than a picture, and a caption that says, “This is hot.” If you wanna know what’s going on in the mind of 88-Keys, then that’s a good place to start.

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88-Keys on the web:

88-Keys’ blog.
follow 88-Keys on twitter.
add 88-Keys to your friends on myspace.
88-Keys official homepage

the death of adam in stores now. go buy it here.

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-88-grizzlies