Kwame - From Polka Dots to Top Producer

If you’re my age or older you probably remember Kwame as an emcee who rocked polka dots on the regular. Here’s some interesting news for ya – he never retired from music and is now one of the most sought after producers in the game. His resume is all-star laden and includes working with the likes of Method Man, Mary J. Blige, Will Smith, LL Cool J, Christina Aguilera, Talib Kweli, Yung Joc and The Pussycat Dolls. This week I caught up with Kwame to get some stories and he opened up who the easiest artists to work with are, the digression of emceeing, and the unique ways in which Will Smith has helped him out over the years. Here are some of the highlights from the interview:

On working with veteran artists like Christina Aguilera:
“She’s willing to relinquish any ego that she has and just say you’re the producer, you have your vision for the song, tell me what you want me to do. You get that with the seasoned artists because they’ve been around the block a couple of times so they know how to maneuver it and they know how to make a good song.”

On the help Will Smith gave him behind the scenes:
“There was a period between me having a record deal and me being a producer and being able to make money as a producer where my money was virtually non-existent, but Will would put certain records that I did in his TV show and he didn’t know, but that literally helped me to survive through some tough times.”

On the issues he has with the younger emcees of today:
“Their thought pattern is to one up what’s already been done. 'I’m gonna make a better party record. I’m gonna make a better fuck record.' That’s where an experienced producer comes into play.”

Check out the full interview at RapReviews.com.