RD: You’re by far our most local guest repping Camden County, New Jersey just like us. Did you grow up in the area?

K: I did, right in Voorhees.

RD: How did growing up in the area shape your musical tastes/creative output? 

K: Can’t honestly say the area influenced my taste or creative output. You go digging around there and you get Barbara Streisand and Christmas cover records. Of course I had friends who introduced me to different styles of music, but really I just buried my head in the sand and looked for stuff I liked. 

RD: Do you record at home, or in a studio? 

K: At home, for a time I interned at Gradwell House Recording and would have homies come through there.

RD: You have a blend of vocal projects as well as beat tapes available on your Bandcamp. Take us into recording Open Casket and Lost In Translation.

K: The best thing about the internet is being able to make music with people you wouldn’t usually be able to. For both those joints I sent everyone on them a pack of beats that was in the general direction I was going for with for the tape. Except for the joints with Barry Marrow, we go back so he’ll come through and we’ll get a nice session going.

RD: Voodoo Kit is a joint venture with Sleep Sinatra, tell us about your relationship with Sleep and how that project came about. 

K:  Sleep is a real good, genuine dude. Voodoo Kit came together because of the homie Sekwence actually. He introduced us and everything just flowed naturally between me Sleep. Glad we got to make that, one of my favorites to date.

RD: You also fully produced Budget Cuts with Sekwence, do you take a different approach when doing these joint projects? What is the workflow difference between this and your own projects?

K: I’ll send the artists joints based off what I think they’ll like but also still has my style on it. Sometimes artists send me songs to cut up that resonate with them. I feel like that can bring out more emotion cause the writer feels a connection to the song in the first place. With my personal tapes, I look at them as more of a show case of the styles I can bring to the table while also making the projects sound cohesive. A good way to put it looking at it like a movie, is the “artist x producer” formula I play more the composer role and the rapper plays the writers role. Where tapes like Open Casket, I’m the co-writer, director, acting coach.

RD: If you could add any piece of gear to your setup, what would it be? 

K: That’s a good question, I just got the MPC Live 2, but if I needed something else I’d go with the Apollo Twin.

RD: What aspect of beatmaking do you feel is your strong suit?

K: Chopping samples, anything and everything can be sampled and I’ll die on that hill.

RD: What can listeners look for in 2021?

K: Kill Barry 3 with Barry Marrow, produced, mixed & mastered by me, just dropped. Sekwence and I have Budget Cuts 3 almost finished with some crazy features. I might also drop a mini EP of some old joints me and Lord Jah-Monte have, and of course another Souless project in the works.

RD: You’ve been given an unlimited budget for your next project, what are the first 5 calls you make? 

K: First off , half the budget is going to sample clearance, then John Williams to replay some samples. Kareem Riggins for some drums. Jay Electronica for some verses. Resurrect Stanley Kubrick from the dead to direct a short film, and I’m calling the weed man.

Editors Note: This is the one standard question we ask everyone, strong contender for best reply.

Bandcamp

https://killerkane.bandcamp.com

Follow him on Twitter @killerkanebeats and Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/therealkiller-kane

RD: Let’s talk about Level 13 the person first. Tell us a bit about yourself.

L: I’m a South Philly based producer, a new(ish) dad, my daughter Charlie is almost two.

RD: Do you set aside time to create, or get to work when inspiration hits?

L: For sure, I used to be more of a night owl and fell into the trap of only making beats when inspiration strikes. But the last four or five years or so I really begun to regiment my creative time. Especially after reading Steve Pressfield’s The War of Art. I began to treat it more of a job. A job I enjoy, but still a job. So, lately I’ve been keeping my clock-in and clock-out times in the morning and early/mid afternoon.

RD: Your list of placements is nothing short of incredible, in an era where placements are few and far between you seem to excel at shopping your work. Is it raw persistence? Building connections? What advice could you give to other producers like yourself?

L: Thank you, shit’s work. A lot of it’s persistence. Of course building relationships. Advice I would even chase placements. Some of my biggest advice is to learn to sell/lease beats online.

RD: Do you have a personal favorite piece of work?

L:From myself? Probably the joints I did with Bodega Bamz, or the joint I did for Billy Danze “What It Was”

RD: Once you get the green light for, lets say Method Man’s Meth Lab 2, what occurs after that? Are you in constant contact with reps until the project drops?

L: Not at all, even with Meth Lab I, I didn’t hear the finished track until it was done.

RD: When constructing a beat, what comes first?

L: It depends, always starts with the melody for me. Half the time I sample records, other half someone is sending me loops.

RD: Growing up in Philly, who were some of your biggest local influences?

L: Rap wise? Beans of course, Black Thought, Paz & Stoupe, Reef.

RD: Best place to see a hip hop show in the city?

L: Voltage used to be one of my favorites. The Rona messed things up. Has me feeling bad for not getting out to enough events pre- pandemic.

RD: Aside from your placements, you have developed a few projects with up and coming rappers as well. Is that something you plan to do more of? If so, who are you building with?

L: Definitely, I have something cooking up with my homie Vas from Philly. Also dropped Smoke Crudo with Bub Styles back in 2019. I definitely want to do more 50/50s though.

RD: If you could get any 5 vocal talents on a Level 13 album, who are you contacting?

L: Man, probably Thought, Beans, Dark Lo, Paz and RJ Payne.

Follow the man on IG level_13_beats