Coming straight out of LA, Dawg is breaking free of his chains and looking to take over the game. After dropping a slew of massive bootlegs that saw him taking on everyone from Valee to Biggie, Drake to Rihanna, he made a powerful original debut with the slapper ‘Get Back’. After getting an early listen of his upcoming Lockjaw EP (which drops this Friday), I was sold. With incredible music and a mysterious and gritty brand behind him, we felt it was necessary to link up with the rising star for an interview and exclusive guest mix. In his first interview, Dawg gives us some deep insight into his background: from falling in love with hip-hop producers, to working with legends like Scott Storch and Lil Jon, to launching his own solo project. He also touches upon his upcoming EP and his plans for the rest of the year.
As for the mix? Straight flames. It serves as the perfect introduction into his signature sound. A well put together mix of banging trap, heavy bass and just the right amount of rap, all stitched together with his West Coast DNA throughout. Stream the mix below and grab the free download. The tracklist is at the end.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into making music?
From the moment I found out that people who made the beats were known as producers, I wanted to be one. Guys like Dr Dre, Scott Storch, Swizz Beats, RZA, Just Blaze – I wanted to be just like them. The more I learnt about these guys, I realized they almost all had one thing in common – they were DJ’s as well. So that led me to DJ’ing, and that led me to playing in open-format clubs, and basically just being there as all the genres collided. It took some time and experimentation to find a sound that would represent me as an artist, combining all my ideas in a way that made sense, and felt unique.
I’ve been at sessions where there’s twenty people, everyone’s drinking, smoking, there’s a piece on the mixing desk, it’s fucking nuts. But you gotta roll with it. And you gotta come with a folder. You might have to play 20 beats…
Can you talk about your time working in hip-hop production? What was it like?
Working in hip-hop is like trying to tame a wild dragon. The hustle is all about who you know, who can play the beats for the artists. Sometimes you just send a beat to an A&R – cool, but that almost never plays out the way you hope – or, you’re sending beats to the some guy who knows the barber of the engineer who’s with the artist everyday. A lot of rappers, don’t wanna be in the room with producers, they just want to take the beats and write to em, fair enough.
IF you get in the room, you gotta be prepared. For starters, you might get that call at 2 am on a Tuesday night, and you gotta head straight to the studio. And when you’re there, you have to be able to hang. I’ve been at sessions where there’s twenty people, everyone’s drinking, smoking, there’s a piece on the mixing desk, it’s fucking nuts. But you gotta roll with it. And you gotta come with a folder. You might have to play 20 beats for someone before they find something that speaks to them.
AND then, even if you’re in the room, the artist cuts the record, you might never get paid. It might just show up on a mixtape without warning, no paperwork, no credit, and nothing you can do about it. This might sound like a horror show, but if you truly love hip-hop, it’s worth it. Never doubt that for a second.
Have you worked with any artists that we would know?
I’ve done a few things with Tyga, some are out, some aren’t. Me and Lil’ Jon got a few too. I was recently in with a new artist who’s blowing up – Thutmose, he’s dope. I actually did this record a while back with Chris Brown rapping on it – no idea when/if that will come out, but Chris has BARS. Scott Storch and I were together a few months back, just working on beats, we’re sending them out to now, so who knows what will happen.
When did you decide that you wanted to start a solo project? What prompted this decision?
It started like this – I had a few beat ideas for some rappers, but they were a bit left of center. A lot of cross-genre stuff, lot’s of energy, that I don’t think anyone understood. I loved them, but ultimately it’s about what the artist wants. So instead of waiting for these guys to “get it,” I decided to just do it myself. You know that interview with Diplo, where’s he talking about how Rihanna dissed ‘Lean On’ so he put it out as a Major Lazer record, and then it became this record-breaking monster hit? Literally, that interview really inspired me to pursue an artist career.
You’ve been heating up SoundCloud with a ton of killer bootlegs. What made you decide to branch out into originals?
I was always planning to do originals – I don’t want to be the guy who’s just known for bootlegs. It just started that way so I could show people where I’m coming from. A lot of those bootlegs aren’t huge departures from the original, it’s more of me showing people how I would have produced that record if I was in the session. Like that Lil’ Pump bootleg still has a lot of the original DNA in it, but now it’s on steroids and we can really rage to it.
I’d written the original idea for Drake’s Scorpion, but when that didn’t happen, I decided to freshen up the production and include it on the EP.
Tell us a little bit about your upcoming Lockjaw EP.
It’s a pretty diverse offering, but I wanted to let people know from the jump that I don’t just stick to one style. The next single, the title track actually, is a bit bigger in terms of sound, more of a step into festival bass world, but still very much dawg. I’ve given a few of my followers a preview, and they’ve been going crazy about this one.
There’s another record on the EP, ‘Smoked Out,’ that’s completely different. It’s very chill and moody. I’d written the original idea for Drake’s Scorpion, but when that didn’t happen, I decided to freshen up the production and include it on the EP. I hope some rappers out there just pick it up and run with it.
I always hear Electronic artists talk about being inspired by Hip Hop artists, but rarely do I see any of them actually make music that reflects that.
The first single ‘Get Back’ packs a very West Coast feel. What level of influence does that coast have on your sound?
A HUGE impact. I love West Coast hip hop. From the classics – Snoop, Dre, NWA, Game, to the new wave like YG and Tyga. With ‘Get Back,’ I wanted to make something that felt like Kendrick’s ‘Humble,’ but had enough energy and dynamic to work as an instrumental. I always hear Electronic artists talk about being inspired by Hip Hop artists, but rarely do I see any of them actually make music that reflects that.
Fuck goals, I make plans.
What are your main goals for the rest of the year?
Fuck goals, I make plans. So here’s my plan for the rest of 2018 – I’m going to drop this EP. Then I’m gonna follow up with some free downloads, another remix or two. And then I’m gonna release a bunch of hip-hop beats for free, so that aspiring rappers can take em, use em, and we can all grow. It’s gonna be a series, called Beats By Dawg. I’ll have another original single out before the year’s end. My hounds are eating this year!!!
What breed of Dawg are you?
I’m the angry pitbull that guards the junkyard, that’s bite is bigger than my bark.
What should we expect from the mix?
It’s a mix of where I’m coming from, and where I’m going. There’s some of my bootlegs that are already, plus some previews of what I’ve got coming up, along with some fresh-edits, and a few rap tracks that I’m fucking with right now.
Any final words?
SHOUT OUT TO THE HOUNDS! lostculturesounds, djbeer, swrvo, dthesupreme, ethan gonzee, dj karlo ren, imcasualt, fry_d_wolf, therealbangrah, frazz490, nimbusdeloud, chris coffin, spencer, theseabank.
Tracklist
Dawg – Get Back
Travis Scott – Sicko Mode – Dawg Gimme The Loot Remake
Huncho Jack – Saint – Dawg Remix
Lil Jon – What You Got Do Acapella
Lil Gnar & Lil Skies – Drop Top Benz
Dawg – Lockjaw vs T-Pain – Pop, Lock & Drop
Flosstradamus – Guava
Cardi B + Dillon Francis – I Like It VIP
Valee – Womp Womp – Dawg Remix
Raka & bbno$ – Tokyo Glo Remix
Drake – Nonstop – Dawg Remix
Party Favor – MDR
Riri – Run This Town – Dawg Remix
Post Malone – Rockstar – Dawg Remix
YBN Cordae – Kung
DaniLeigh – Lil Bebe
Lil Pump – Back – Dawg Remix
Amine – Blackjack
Drake – Look Alive/Gyalchester – Dawg Remix
Biggie – Party & Bullshit – Dawg Remix
