Those disinterested in the undervalued art of production need not apply. For the rest of ya'll, get the textbooks and take notice. It's not often that a producer like Tay Keith goes in depth on how to craft one of his signature bangers. We recently caught up with the Memphis producer, who held it down for our latest installment of "Behind The Beat." Opting to showcase his Lil Yachty, Cardi B, & Offset collaboration "Who Want The Smoke," Keith kicks things off by explaining how the collaboration came to be. Like so many turn-of-the-century linkups, the initial exchange transpired on Twitter.
He reveals that the beat was originally crafted with BlocBoy JB in mind, as Yachty was cooking up some material with the "Look Alive" rapper; ultimately, however, Boat decided to put Offset and Cardi instead. After a little bit of history, Keith dives into the instrumental breakdown. For this one, he actually started with the hi-hats, then threw in the kicks. Melody came next, as we get a blurred-glimpse of Keith's FL studio set up. He also stresses the importance of layering, and reveals the bulk of his melodic arrangements are laid down with the laptop keyboard.
For the gear-heads out there, Tay Keith provides a welcome tidbit of information, giving a shoutout to the VST Nexus. He also breaks down some mixing techniques, revealing the importance of keeping your 808s over everything. "You don't want the sound of the instrumentals overflowing the sound of the beat."
Be sure to peep the whole video, and stay tuned for more exclusive content on HNHH TV.