100Graham bro welcome to Nefarious Supply, it’s been a while since we had a producer on so we’re really excited to get you on! So just to get the interview started give us some background on yourself?
Thanks for having me. I go by 100graham, I am an 18 year old producer out of Dallas. I primarily make hip hop and RnB beats. I have been producing for about 3 years. I grew up playing the guitar and then started messing around on an iPhone app in middle school and fell in love with production. I got a computer during my sophomore year of high school and started making beats. After about 2 years of producing, I started reaching out to artists trying to get someone to rap on my beats. I had some success so last August I started branding myself as 100graham and since then I have gotten to work with a lot of artists and producers from all over the country. Hopefully I keep growing and can keep making more and more music in the future.
I see from your Instagram bio that you’re from Dallas. So tell us how this area has influenced you, and your production style?
I love living here but i wouldn't say it has really influenced my music much. I don't think my sound is really specific to one place. I am more influenced by different artists and producers that I listen to. I haven’t really noticed yet that Dallas has a signature sound like Toronto or Atlanta does.
How’s the underground scene like out there and what are some local artists that you have worked with?
Honestly, I really don’t know many artists around me. I do all my networking through social media and I haven't come across many artists who are local. Mvkeyyj is probably the only artist I listen to that is in Dallas. I would say that most of the artists I work with are from Florida. Everytime I make a song with someone in Florida I meet someone new through it. After working with Apollo1027 I got connected with Freddy Leone, Juslo, Identification, whoisgldn, and Bachi. There are a lot of great artists out there and they all seem to be connected. As for all the other artists I have worked with, they are pretty scattered. I'm always looking for new artists so hopefully I will find some in Dallas that I like.
Who are some of your favorite artists and producers right now and how have they influenced your production style?
Some of my favorite artists right now are Apollo1027, Joey Vantes, and TheHxliday. All three of them are very melodic and are great at making catchy hooks. Most the beats I make are similar to the kinds of production they would hop on. I make a lot of upbeat, melodic, tropical beats. Joey Vantes has always been one of my favorite artists so I have always made beats similar to his style. My favorite producer is Nick Mira because he is so versatile. He has inspired my production a ton because he is one of the best hip hop producers in the world but he can do more than just make hip hop beats. After seeing him produce pop records Alec Whigdahl and TyFontaine, I started experimenting with different genres and it has made me a more versatile producer. He is also one of my main inspirations when making melodies and his workflow is super fast which is something I want to get better at.
What is your go to DAW, and what are some of the of the tools you use during production
I use Logic X Pro. I had a friend tell me about it before I even knew about other daws so I went ahead and downloaded it. I really like Logic because the interface is really simple in my opinion. I run all my sounds through a vst sampler called Iris 2. It makes it really easy for me to modify my drum sounds quickly. My go to plugin is Omnisphere because I love the arpeggios and the bases but I also use halftime and dumpster fire a lot. As for my drums, I have been collecting a library of drums from over the years through other drum kits. I usually go through a drum kit and pick out the drums I like and keep those. I feel like it is really important to narrow down on your drums because it can help distinguish you from other producers. Some of my favorite drums are from an Iphone app called beatmaker 2 that I used to use a long time ago. When I make melodies, I usually use one shot kits such as the Based1 and Pilgrim kits. I recently got an audio interface from Native Instruments which has allowed me to make some live guitar loops. I also use Native Instrament’s Guitar Rig for effects when recording guitar. I use mostly stock plug ins because when I was getting started i didn't want to spend much money but now I have gotten pretty good at manipulating the stock plug-ins so I don't feel the need to buy many new ones.
So looking over your credits you’ve worked with Coop, Apollo1027, and seni. So how do you meet the clients you work?
So me and Coop know each other because our parents are friends. He is a young artist out of Oklahoma. We linked last summer not really knowing much about each other but since then we have been putting out a ton of music together. I sent him some beats after we met and he loved them so I just kept sending him stuff. He is constantly working on new music and He is one of the best writers I have ever heard. The progress he has had in just this last year is crazy and he is only going to continue to get better. We have a lot of great music coming out soon.
Apollo1027 is definitely one of my favorite artists I have ever worked with. I came across his music because someone I was following reposted a slowed down version of one of his songs on soundcloud. I loved the song so I went and checked out the original and fell in love with his music. At that time I think he only had about 3 songs out. I sent him some beats and he replied and told me he loved them. I kept sending him more and one day he sent me 4 tracks out of nowhere all on my beats. The first one I listened to was D.N.A which made it onto his project, Summer Solstice. It is still my favorite song I have ever produced because it has so much energy and was the first time I had heard an artist that I frequently listened to use my beats. I had 3 other beats make the project, Birthday, Grave, and Under My Skin. Every single one of them turned out amazing. I continued to send him more and more stuff and got to produce Da Vinci and Prada Plexi on his most recent album, 1027. Just the other day he sent me a couple new songs and it is definitely some of the best work he has done to date. Definitely be on the lookout for some great music from him.
Seni was one of the first artists to release a song with my beat. He was already one of my favorite artists before I even started reaching out to him. I heard his song Summer 365 on Soundcloud and have been listening to everything he has put out since. He had posted some snippets of our song called Back 2 Back but I never knew when he would drop it. One morning I woke up and checked my phone and my twitter was going crazy because he had just dropped it. I feel like that was the start to me trying to get my beats out there.
What are some things you look for before you continue anything?
When I am looking for an artist to work with, the first thing I look for is beat selection. I like to work with artists who have high standards for music because those are the ones that make the best songs. If the artist is good but all the beats they use are trash, I just move on. There are a lot of good artists but I only reach out to people that really wow me. Even if they only have one song that is really good, that shows that they have the capability to make great music. I prefer to work with people who are really melodic and can sing. Every week I spend some time diving into playlists and scrolling through soundcloud trying to find an artist that I really like. Every once in a while I will find an amazing artist that I’d like to work with.
So what’s next for you in 2020?
Once the summer hits, I am going to have a ton of music coming out for the rest of the year. I have a super chill beat tape coming out with my bro Blaine Stephens. I also have a producer single with 3 super talented artists coming out soon. I did a lot of networking at the beginning of the year so hopefully all those songs will get released toward the end of the year. I am also going to be giving away some free stuff for producers. I’m hoping to keep finding new artists to build with and just put out as much music as possible.
Any last words?
Thank you Nefarious Supply for letting me be a part of this. Check me out on instagram @100grahambeats. I am always looking for producers and rappers to work with so hit me up and be on the lookout for a ton of new music soon!
Big shout out to 100Graham for interviewing with Nefarious Supply and showing off some of his production work as well as to talk about his self. If you enjoyed this interview with him and want to work within you can find him on Instagram as well as Twitter. Be on the lookout for more heat from him soon!
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