“Hip-hop Needs a Hero” | Rockwilder on Origins, Style & the Evolution of Beat Making

In the heart of NYC’s Union Square neighborhood, you’ll find Kensaltown East Studios, which is only a stone’s throw away from the childhood home of our esteemed guest, production pioneer and hip-hop heavy-hitter Rockwilder. Sweetwater had the honor of spending some time with Rockwilder for an interview, talking all things hip-hop, roots, and style, covering everything from his Queens upbringing and the influence of WABC radio’s multi-genre broadcasting to his early work with Redman and the path that led to his electrifying career. Rockwilder’s production discography runs the gamut of boom bap-, hip-hop-, R&B-, and soul icons, including Beyoncé, Busta Rhymes, Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Musiq Soulchild, and more. Having been in the game since the early 1990s, Rockwilder has been instrumental in the evolution of hip-hop and its adjoining spaces, both in terms of style and in how our ideas of what hip-hop is shape the way we create it. What does the future hold for the producer and for hip-hop as a whole? Tune in to find out!

00:00 — Intro 00:05 — How It Started 02:21 — Beyoncé and Busta Rhymes 03:09 — Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis 04:17 — A Wonderful Career with Busta Rhymes 05:27 — Redman 06:34 — Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliot & Keyboards Galore 11:30 — You Gotta Have the Groove!  12:30 — I Wasn’t Sampling; I Was Playing It 15:18 — Reason: Analog to Digital 16:42 — Music Production Today 19:10 — Outro 

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