Home-grown producer Zee Imports is generating heat in the UK and US underground scenes so we thought it was about time we caught up with him and found out what he's got cooking.
JD: Can you start off by telling us a bit about yourself and your background?
Zee Imports: I'm 23 & from Birmingham. I've been producing for about 5 years, & playing instruments since I was 8. I work with a lot of the best underground artists from around the world & feel like I’m the best UK producer currently working with American artists.
JD: How did you get into Hip-Hop?
Zee Imports: I started listening to Hip-Hop when I was around 11, but then drifted away from it for a few years before I got back into it when I was about 17. I think Dre's Chronic 2001 was what brought me back, I think it’s probably the best Hip Hop Album ever made. I like that it’s an underground style, it’s only the major record labels that have made it commercial and more poppy to appeal to the general public.
JD: What's the story behind your name?
Zee Imports: My second name begins with the letter Z, so that’s the zee part of my name, & I’ve been importing heat into people’s speakers for the last 4 years.
JD: What made you want to become a producer?
Zee Imports: I like to make music for myself & would probably still do it even if I was a weak producer, but if people are feelin’ it then that’s cool with me. I think I was more motivated to make beats when I realised how important a producers role is, and because it’s kind of a mysterious art. People love to listen to music but don’t know about what goes into and how much time can be dedicated to a single track.
JD: Who would your say you look up to or is a role model for you?
Zee Imports: I think the first producer that inspired me to become a producer was Dre. In my eyes he’s the best hip hop producer ever, he has produced classic albums, worked with the biggest artists, and he has songs that are as close to perfect as it gets. I look up to the obvious industry producers who are original & consistent - Premo, Timbaland, Daz Dillinger, Kanye, Just Blaze, Marley Marl - they 're the people settin the standard for all other producers to match.
JD: What is your studio set up?
Zee Imports: I've got set-up in my studio which is constantly being changed & updated, but currently it’s like this:
Intel Dual Processor PC
Dual Monitors
Akai MPC500
KRK Rokit 5 Monitors
Numark Turntable
Tascam Controller
Pro Tools Mbox2
Cubase System 4
Casio W100 Keyboard
Load of plug-ins including Waves Diamond Bundle, T-Racks, Sampletank
Acoustic Instruments including Latin Percussion & a Classical Guitar.
JD: How would you sum up your sound and style?
Zee Imports: I've been compared to Rick Ross & Hi-Tek, I think imp on the same vibe as them but feel my sound is different. My favourite style of song has always been the laid back & sentimental joints & that’s the kind of vibe I wanna get more rappers on, but the style rappers want now are bangin joints, so I’m making a lot of hard music as well. I have one of the most original styles you will hear, it would be impossible to imitate because of the amount of instruments I layer on top of each other, plus my drum game is ridiculous.
JD: How has your career gone so far?
Zee Imports: I started producin about 5 years ago & spent the first two years getting my beats hot. I started shopping beats around in America then to underground artists, and after working with a few I got interest from a production company that had worked with a lot of big name underground artists. I joined the group back in 2004 & made beats for them for just over a year, but we had different ideas on what direction to take, so I decided to leave & go back to been a solo producer. Since then I've worked with numerous artists from the American undergroup scene, as well as a few for some UK acts. I’m excited about the artist I’m currently working with, Dogg Pound's Lix. We have done a number of tracks together & have received praise from major artists over what we are doing, including Dogg Pound producer 4five & artist Kurupt.
JD: Have you done much work with any artists in the UK scene?
Zee Imports: I've worked with a few UK artists, most recently Downsidez from Birmingham & Frontlinerz from London on a track people need to look out for in the coming months. It's called "See Me" & the video is going to be shot this month, so stay looking out for that.
JD: What have you planned for the future?
Zee Imports: I am in talks with various artists over beats, including Murda Mook & Street Politiks. I think I’d like to stay working in the underground scene for a few years because that is where the most original artists are, and the major artists have to pass through the underground before they get into the industry. I am a qualified sound engineer as well so I’m planning on starting up a mixing & mastering business in the near future, offering commercial quality sound at underground prices. I've been considering starting an independent record label but they take a lot of time, & that’s something I don’t have a lot of right now.
JD: I hear you have a mix tape planned with New York based artist Enot. How is that progressing and how did you hook up?
Zee Imports: I have been cool with Enot for a few years, he was the first big underground artist that took notice of my music. We planned the mixtape over a year ago now, but we have both been busy with other things & still have a few more tracks to put together for it. He’s been real busy promoting his debut album on AMG Records titled "The Pastport", and we gonna be using the buzz he’s created from that to move the mixtape. We hope we can get it finished by the end of the summer, but everyone will know when it drops because the buzz that E creates around his music is phenomenal.
JD: You are also working with King Crayon on his solo album. How is that coming along?
Zee Imports: Crayon's album is in the mixing & mastering stage and is expected to drop towards the end of the summer. Its called "Runnin Out Of Time" and reflects how a lot of unsigned rappers feel right now. Crayon is real creative so it’s dealin with a lot of original subjects, and the hooks are CRAZY, I don't think I’ve ever worked with somebody as nice on the hooks as Cray.
JD: Do you do the majority of your work with US and international acts?
Zee Imports: The bulk of my work is with US artists, I never really got into the UK hip hop scene, but I've started working with a few from the UK now, & they are making really hot tracks. I've been working with a group from Birmingham called "Downside", you will have probably heard their hit single "Moneyman". They have a really polished sound & really make the beat their own. I have a track with them & Frontlinerz called "See Me" that you will be hearing on your radios in the coming months, so look out for that, its straight heat.
JD: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?
Zee Imports: Thanks to boombox.co.uk for the support, and to come and check me out at www.myspace.com/zeeimports to stay updated with the latest tracks I’m puttin out. Support real music, commercial music is cool but it’s lost its originality & creativity over the last 5 - 10 years.
