Will Power decided to start his own record label in 1998 and release a compilation album featuring his artists. However, as a resident of South Carolina, he didn’t have access to major producers and there were only a handful of decent producers in his area at that time. Power eventually bought a beat machine, keyboard and taught himself how to produce. Now known as Supa Hot Beatz, Power has become one of the most sought after producers in hip-hop. –Fatimah Shah
After teaching yourself the basics of producing, was there any producer you followed closely?
Once we got rolling, I went to New York and hooked up with K-Def. He used to work with Lords of the Underground, Ghostface Killah and P. Diddy. He came up with Marley Marl and he told me [about] Logic and using the Mac system. I was influenced by one of the best in hop-hop.
Who are some of your favorite artists to work with?
Yelawolf owns what he does to my music. Wiz Khalifa did a dope record with one of my tracks. Bizarre killed a track for me and I also did a record with Diamond from Crime Mob. I worked with Carl Thomas around 2000. The song never came out, but it was good a experience. I’m now working with an artist named Nikkiya now. She’s redefining music.
What advice do you have for aspiring producers?
Stay where you have the most comfort and your talent will shine the most. Create unique sounds. Look to find things that people aren’t using. Stay away from stock music. In certain eras in music, you can listen and tell what machines the producers were using. From a business standpoint, don’t be afraid to say no. Write down your goals and visit them every day.
