Today HHHeadz leads an interview with the Bronx, NY native producer HINEZ.
HINEZ has been actively behind the boards for 13 years & his most recent work titled "Urban Calligraphy" along side rapper Shake Wonder is completely synonymous to the cherished sounds of Hip-Hop emanating from the streets on New York .
It's our pleasure to bring you this exclusive content behind the producer HINEZ & what makes the man get behind the boards each day.
Keep an eye out for his new project titled "The Smoker Section" due in November.
(HHEADZ) So where are you from, what city you rep?
(HINEZ) I'm from the Bronx, New York.
(HHEADZ) How long have you been making music for?
(HINEZ) I've been involved in some form music from 2003.
(HHHEADZ) How many releases do you have out so far?
(HINEZ) Yeah, I have three releases out so far. Two collaborative EP's, one with an artist from New York who goes by the name of Shakez Wonder titled "Urban Calligraphy", another with a west coast artist Payso Jackson titled "Money.Machine.Paper" & a Dancehall single titled "Pon Mi Name" with an artist out of Jamaica. Yeah I can produce different genre... LOL.
(HHHEADZ) What do you use to make beats?
(HINEZ) That's an interesting question, my set up is modest. Apple Laptop, USB Turntable, Yamaha midi Keyboard, Protools, FL Studio, 2 RPM3 Monitors. But these are just technical navigation tools, the beats are all in your head. In my opinion production equipment is overrated, point in case you see what the Golden Era producers accomplished with limited equipment & software? In that era, they dug deep in they creative realm.
(HHHEADZ) Yeah, we hear you on that regarding an abundance of choices vs
producers of a time, you often hear pioneers talking about the
confine's of memory/sample time. If it wasn't for that struggle of only
having 2 seconds of memory & forcing people like Marley Marl to
record a sample at higher speeds so they could then slow it down again
to get more memory for a sample then i guess we wouldn't have such stock
features as time-stretching on drum machines these days.
You
see other elements of Hip-Hop learn the early disciplines like real
Hip-Hop DJ's on scratch techniques & Breakers with fundamental
moves, why do you think with production as a whole today there isn't as
much push inside this element to understand the techniques used before
it became apart of everyday sample/drum machine technology?
Do you think the art would be better off with a more wide spread appreciation of where everything stems from?
(HINEZ) Today technology is not manufactured with the creator in mind, it's rather manufactured to simplify & mimic. Marley Marl, Ced Gee, Flash & Jazzy Jay should be rich beyond belied, they're the one's that made the technology to do stuff that it wasn't made to do. Like extend sample time, sample chop & rearrangement, formats etc.
The big music software & hardware companies just capitalized off they earlier genius, when technology is limited it pushed the creative realm, tools are limited by the mind is unlimited, your mind it the greatest asset to the producer, not the equipment.
Production is an intimate & personal thing, someone can only hear your thoughts if they're spoken, so when you put out your thoughts through a musical energy it's the technology that expresses it, not necessarily created it. But that's your vision & thoughts, but I am all for technology getting better, it assist the upcoming producer that's yet not that savvy.
Yes upcoming producer's should study their history, you cant know all but they should be form of pride, usually when I am in the room with my peer, I am the one doing the most talking, but when i happen to run into big brother Kool Herc I am quiet as hell, I want to soak in every bit of knowledge, history & info. LOL.
(HHHEADZ) Do you sample from records or dig online?
(HINEZ) Both, online is cool & resources are unlimited & YouTube never closes, but i research on YouTube then go to the record store & try to find the record, I always want the best quality of the record, sometimes that's difficult on YouTube & being in the store gives me opportunities to network & share information with fellow upcoming producers, there are lots of talented people in my city.
(HHHEADZ) Must be tough getting amongst it this year with the virus. I always enjoy the record fairs you get in Town Hall's & the stall vendors know their ish no doubt. With the weight of Covid do you find yourself networking in online forums or other such platforms for sharing content?
(HINEZ) Yeah it's dope, you meet a lot of like minds & dope artists, but I had to adjust to that over the years I've become a reclusive LOL.
(HHHEADZ) Whats your creative process, how do you set yourself up to make a beat?
(HINEZ) Once I find the sample I am going to use I try to find a region(s) where I think can tell a story, once I chopped it up, filter, i leave it in it's original form or I reformat it. Then I add the drums, instruments later, then i shape the sonic in the mix. Artists always say it's easy to write to my beats.
(HHHEADZ) Did you originally come from any groups or collectives from back in the day?
(HINEZ) I was the founder of a rap group from the Bronx known as Genisun in the early 2000's.
(HHHEADZ) We love hearing stories along those lines, how far did you take it with Genisun? Interesting name, whats the chances of finding anything online?
(HINEZ) Man, Genisun was just like any other group talented as hell, fought all the time, we were young... as far as anything online not sure about that.
(HHHEADZ) What made you get into music? Is there a strong musical backbone in your family?
(HINEZ) My two brothers introduced me to music early, my Mom & brothers sing like birds.
(HHHEADZ) So what would you say was your first taste of Hip-Hop, be it an event or the first album that sucked you in and exposed you to the elements?
(HINEZ) I migrated to New York during High School, landing in the Bronx, Castle Hill, Sound View, Bronx River & Bronxdale, that's the hood i grew up in, ask any Hip-Hop historian what would Hip-Hop be like without those projects, I had no choice the Bronx baptized me LMAO.
(HHHEADZ) What are your classic albums you hold close? give us your Top 5.... We know its a tough question to answer, your from the BX so i guess you cant pass on Pun right?
(HINEZ) Man, that's tough, not in any order OBFCL (Raekwon), Supreme Clientele (Ghostface Killah), Da Shinin' (Smiff n Wesson), One For All (Brand Nubian), It Takes A Nation (Public Enemy).
(HHHEADZ) If your not listening to rap/beats what else is in your ears?
(HINEZ) L. Wayne, Dennis Brown, Sizzla, Ghostface Killah, Styles P, ETO, Hus Kingpin, Willie the Kid, Rigz & Freddie Gibbs.
(HHHEADZ) What culture inspires you the most in your music outside of Hip-Hop?
(HINEZ) Dub Culture.
(HHHEADZ) Do you have any projects that your working on at the moment that you can let us know about?
(HINEZ) I am currently working on a few projects, The Plue's Street Tape with Marcus George an MC out of Brooklyn, New York. MONEY.MACHINE.PAPER 2 with Payso Jackson, Uptown Sat Night & The Smoker Section plus a few more which I cant remember right now.
(HHHEADZ) Your working on an album titled "The Smoker Section" what can you tell us about this project? Is it a instrumental project or more a producer album loaded with features?
(HINEZ) LOL, that's a really interesting, I have so many people that respect what I am doing, I had a few people say to me (and I'm talking about mature individuals) said "Hinez I love your musical vibe but I cant play it in the house with the babies", lol so I decided to give them something they can wash they car, smoke, meditate or decompress to.
(HHHEADZ) It's been a blast chatting with you & getting to know HINEZ, anyone you wanna shout out? Go ahead!
(HINEZ) First & foremost thanks to the MOST HIGH for providing the strength to sustain and endure me without him they is no me. Secondly the Hinds & Corbin family, my three kids Shaheel, Daniela & Sean.
Man lemme see, shout to Dimelo Jones, Bryan Ellis, Manny Vasquez (Murda Cap), Shakez Wonder, Payso Jackson, Damon Mapp, C.O & Steppa.
