Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Located in Queens, NY, Changalang is an IllMuzik veteran, having been a member for about 2 years, which is around the same time he started making beats. But don't let that fool you; he's not afraid to throw down and battle with other members in our competitions. He's also been known to have a drink or two (LOL), but I won't expand on that, I'll let him explain it.
What's up Chang, how's it going, what's new?
Everything's good right now, I'm about to graduate high school in about 3 weeks and I'm gonna be going to University of Hartford to study audio engineering. Beat wise I'm sending my CD out to some people with connections so hopefully you'll see me on some mixtapes soon.
What made you decide to get into audio engineering?
I decided to do audio engineering because that way I can work in a studio. The other option for me was audio production but I needed to try out with an instrument and I don't really play the violin too well, I just pretend to know how to play in class LOL.
Are you still drinking hard? You're kind of known for that on IllMuzik!
Nah! Actually I've been smoking a lot of weed everyday. I drink on occasion like at parties or if someone has a free crib but I don't drink as much as I used to.
Where are you from? Tell us a bit about where you currently live.
I live in Queens, New York in Fresh Meadows. I've lived in the same house for about 7 years I think. I don't usually chill in Fresh Meadows but close enough to home.
Living in Fresh Meadows, have you bumped into any well known rappers?
Nah I've never bumped into any well known rappers, the only person I could have seen one day was LL Cool J when he filmed one of his videos at a record store not too far from where I live.
Is the NY rap scene as good as everyone says it is?
I guess it is, I mean I've heard of a lot of rappers being seen around my way and you can always hear the music being blasted almost everywhere you go. And you can always get the newest mixtapes out in the streets and whatever.
So how did you get into making beats? I know you started a few years ago with only Fruity Loops and Reason, what's changed since then?
I got into making beats 2 and half years ago when I got really interested in the music. My friend was also making beats and I asked him how did he do it. That's when I started with fruity loops and after about a year I got tired of it and started using Reason. I haven't changed anything since that except the quality of my music that sounds better than it did when I first started.
Who are some of your influences?
I don't really have any major influences but I would say Kanye West would be my biggest influence. I'm not big on his rapping but his beats always sound good to me. Some people say that my style sometimes sounds like Kanye but I try not to sound like him or anything.
Why do you think Kanye's beats are so good? What do you think is his "magic"?
I don't know really, there's just something about the way he flips a sample that no one else can do. When I first heard "Through the Wire" I really thought it was a crazy beat, I even tried to redo it but that didn't come out too good. I have no idea what his "magic" is to his beats, maybe just practice or maybe he has someone help him? I don't know LOL.
What's your ultimate goal when it comes to making beats?
Honestly my ultimate goal to making beats is getting recognition for a hot track. After that it would be nice to have a pile of money from selling beats but I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon.
Have you ever stepped foot inside a studio and worked on your own tracks?
Nope, I've never been inside a studio to work on my tracks. Hopefully if these people like my beats I got someone who can take me to the studio to meet some famous people. I don't know how likely that would be but you never know!
I remember during the first Battle That! Competition, in one of the rounds you thought you were out but you ended up just getting by, how did that feel? And how did it feel competing in that overall?
I remember that day I was really shocked that I actually got into the next round. In a way it didn't seem fair that I got in with less votes but whatever I'm not gonna complain LOL. Getting as far as I did in that competition was a surprise to me really because my beats were wack back then.
Why do you compete in the Beat This! Competitions? Is it for fun? Or do you want to snatch the title and kick ass?
I always compete in the Beat This! just to see where I rank with the other members. To me it's like if I win then I win, if I lose whatever. I've always wanted that title though but I always end up 3rd, 4th, or 5th place. To me that's still good because that means I'm at least top 5 in a competition with 20 people.
How has IllMuzik influenced your producing?
Every time I listen to a really hot beat made from an IllMuzik member I always think that it could be me doing something like that. When I hear that hot beat I go on Reason and try to make something to top it and just try to get better and better. The people at the Showcase also help me out a lot with telling me what's wrong with my beats. I know I never review beats so let me take this time to say thanks and sorry.
Have you networked with other members? Or just met some cool people?
I've sold records to Cleverwon and I've talked to Philsiarri a few times. As far as collabo beats I tried doing it once but it just didn't work out.
With lots of members stepping their game up lately, do you ever think to yourself that some "big name" rappers should be spittin' over your beats?
Yeah of course, I think every producer imagines a big name rapper rapping over your beat. You always gotta think big and think positive when it comes to music. It might be hard to get in the industry but if you keep pushing it something big could happen, you never know.
What do you think of all the beef in rap today? Should they just shut up, or should they all battle it out (on record)?
I think beef is really interesting but sometimes it just gets boring. Like the 50 Cent and D-Block beef is a little boring. When two weak teams compete against each other, of course its not going to be that fun to watch or hear. But I don't mind hearing a good battle record every once in a while.
When did you first start listening to rap?
When I was like in 4th grade I really liked "Gangsta's Paradise" from Coolio, but I really started to listen to rap a lot when I was a freshman in high school. My friend would always burn me CD's of new stuff that was coming out. After that I just couldn't get enough and that's when making beats started.
What kind of setup do you have? And what's your beat making process?
The setup I have consists of a computer, 2 turntables and a mixer, and a MIDI keyboard. If I sample I usually chop it up in Cool Edit Pro 2, then I put it in Reason. I usually like doing the melody first then drums. After all's done I either use Cool Edit or T-Racks to master my beats.
What's the hardest part of creating a beat?
I think the hardest part for me is doing the drums because I got a limited amount and I'm just not too good at it. I think the main problem in my beats is getting the drums to sound right.
When doing your drums, do you like to play them out or use the step sequencer?
I use the step sequencer because whenever I play them out its always like a second or two slow. Besides that, using piano keys to make drum patterns isn't the funnest thing to do anyway.
Do you sample or use synths? Or both?
I prefer to sample because it's easier but sometimes I mix them together. Most of the time I sample though, I just think it sounds better and I don't have a lot of synths anyway.
What are you looking for when you sample? What kind of sounds do your prefer?
I usually prefer something soulful but just about anything that sounds crazy is good to me. Usually when I sample a soulful beat I'll admit it that it's really easy to loop it and make it sound hot. For these beats I just remix them with an acapella so it doesn't sound so repetitive.
Do you dig for vinyl? Are you a vinyl collector? How much vinyl do you have?
I haven't digged vinyl in a while because whenever I record that into anything it always sounds distorted and off beat. I got like 200 records for parties and scratching but I'm not really big into being a DJ. I don't know why I bought the equipment in the first place LOL.
Do you plan of one day having an actual studio built at your place?
Yeah hopefully I'll open up a studio since I'm going to be an audio engineer. If I ever get the money then I'll make a studio at my house but I don't think it's really necessary to have all that equipment.
If you could build a piece of recording software or hardware, what would it be?
I would make something that can transfer any beat you're thinking of in your head into a machine that records it. That way everyone can be a producer LOL.
Do you have any projects you're currently working on?
I'm not working on anything yet but I'm just making beats to try and get better every day. Maybe soon I'll be able to be on mixtapes if I give my beats for free but I don't know about that.
What would you like to see added to IllMuzik?
Maybe a chat room would be cool.
Any shoutouts you'd like to give?
I don't know too many, just to the people around my way I guess what up.
Thanks for doing this interview and good luck with your course!
Thanks a lot, this interview really came out of nowhere and it was cool answering those questions about me.