SS: I got into production my senior year in high school. I was in band and I got out of band. I always wanted to produce music but I was a rapper at first. So, I could never get producers to produce beats for me. So I just started doing my own beats, it started from there. I got a MPC and a Crate of records. That's how it all started for me.
SC: When you're putting a track together what is your approach?
SS: My approach usually if I start with a sample or melody part is to lay that first. Then after that I lay drums, bass line and then lyrics.
SC: Do you tailor or fit beats to each artist you produce or do you just try to come up with the hottest track you have available?
SS: Really what I like to do is. If an artist comes to me they're coming to me for my flava. So if their coming to me I'm gonna do what I do. I'll do something hot that's my style that fits that artist.
SC: Equipment wise what are you working with these days?
SS: I have the old MPC 2000, A Korg M1, the EMU Proteus 2000, Motif keyboard, the entire soundcrafting.com sound library, and crates of records. That's all I need.
SC: How involved are you with postproduction mix down with the engineer?
SS: I sit in all the sessions and make sure everything is sounding good. I'm pretty involved.
SC: Who are your musical influences? And whom are you listening to these days?
SS: Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Teddy Riley, and my Step -Father. Right now the artist I'm listening to is 50 Cent, Ashanti, Ja Rule, I'm feeling Nelly.
SC: How important are sounds to you when doing production and what type of sounds are you usually looking for?
SS: Sounds are important to me, I like creative stuff; I look for something different, something weird, and something eerie.
SC: Do you use a lot of sample? Do you have an extensive record collection?
SS: Yes, I use a lot of sample. I think sample are good cause the record is already mastered, so it sounds real warm and friendly to the ear. I sample everything form records only time I'll sample from a CD is if I can't find the vinyl version of it. I have an extensive record collection. I have everything from Latin music, Jazz, Rock, Pop, blues and R&B records.
SC: Where do you see hip-hop Rap music going in the future?
SS: I see it going back to the way it use to be in the beginning, more street, ya know what I'm saying? I think its kind of fading out right now.
SC: Are you incorporating more live instruments in your music?
SS: Yeah, a lot guitars, Bass guitars, I haven't experimented with live drums yet.
SC: How long have you been working with the MPC?
SS: About six years now.
SC: Where do you see yourself musically in the next few years? And where do you see your career going.
SS: I'm working on learning how to play guitar, so that's something I'm working on for the future. Learning how to actually play an instrument, I play by ear now but I think every musician should at least learn one instrument. In the next few years I think I'm going to be one of the big dogs in the game, I think I'm going to be making some big moves. So everybody just look out for me. Everything is looking all right now.
SC: What are you going to be adding to you studio the next few months?
SS: I'm going to get the Mo Phatt by EMU, that something I really want. That's really it, that's all I want right now. I don't like a lot of equipment, cause there is so much stuff out there, I like to master that one piece of equipment and get the full potential out of it that's the best way, instead of having ten racks or ten keyboards that you can't get the full potential out of, because you don't have the time to master them.
SC: How did you get into production? 
