A$AP P On The Boards
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A$AP P On The Boards American producer A$AP P On The Boards has been at the heights of hip hop production for quite some time. Best known as a member of the hit-making hip hop collective A$AP Mob, he has worked on hits with many of the biggest names in the genre today. From a young age, he’s been using FL Studio to make beats in his distinct style, and we were excited to hear more about the man behind the music. A.CHAL – Matrix (prod. by A$AP P) Tell us about yourself and how you got into music. I was born in New York City and my mother always played music at home. One day, I saw the Heatmakerz Smack DVD segment, then my life changed haha. How did you start using FL Studio & what does it mean to your productions? Asking my mother for $3000 at the age of 15 for an MPC2500XL was definitely out of the question, so I had to figure out the next best thing! Shouts to Brian, the IT guy at my mother’s old job, who introduced me to FL Studio 4, and now I’m here! Tell us about your work and some of the artists you have worked with. The best way to describe my sound is somewhere in the middle between nostalgic and progressive, if that makes any sense. Of course, I’ve done a lot of work in-house for A$AP Mob, my favorite humans in this galaxy (no weak drums allowed, haha). Then there’s a crazy 19-year-old named Riovaz. Man, the work I do with him is polar opposite to my MOB stuff — sonically, it’s more on the Pop/Alternative side of things. Me and Jay Worthy get funky every now and then, and I also have great chemistry with Bipolar Sunshine. |
Rhythm Roulette: A$AP P On The Boards Tell us about your production environment and the gear you use. POSITIVE VIBES ARE MOST IMPORTANT — NO EGOS ALLOWED. The only thing that matters is the end result. I typically work with my AKAI MPK (with sustain pedal, of course!) and a gaming HP laptop. A$AP Rocky showed me the importance of voice notes (check his track “Grim Freestyle” — that intro was a voice note, haha). I’ll play with any hardware in the studio and record that via voice note, then sample it back in FL Studio.
A$AP P in the Studio What is your top FL Studio tip for up-and-coming producers? Leave that master channel empty! Proper leveling will have your drums knocking, I promise! Everything is possible with FL Studio in any genre and style! I know the ease of using loops, etc., but trust me, if you take an extra couple of minutes, you can indeed create your own loops and melodies and all that stuff! The rewarding feeling is beautiful. Is there anything else you would like to tell us? |
