We sat down with acclaimed producer, Elaquent, to discuss his new album, Rediscovery, out this Friday via Mello Music Group, his process, label deals, and more.
Rediscovery comes out Friday. Tell us what we can expect?
You can expect my best work to date! I feel like my sound has grown and matured, and I’ve learned restraint. Some of those older Elaquent albums, in retrospect, felt a little over-produced at times and trying to do too much, and I’ve got a better handle now on letting tracks breathe and letting the artists have the space to slide on the track. Really happy with how it turned out, while also speaking to the idea of rediscovering the things that make me happy and why I fell in love with music in the first place. Putting the record together was the most fun I’ve had in years.
You have some excellent features supplying the vocals. How do you select who you want to work with on a project like this, and did you have certain emcees in mind when producing the tracks?
Picking features is almost a science in and of itself. The toughest part is finalizing them, because there are so many people I want to work with. I generally make a list of 25-30 people I think I could realistically make some heat with, and then have to narrow them down to the 10 or so. Sometimes guys are too busy, sometimes they’re not feeling the album concept, sometimes the business aspect doesn’t work out, all kinds of reasons to narrow down. Sometimes I have someone in mind for a future project, but sonically it doesn’t make sense for this record. I will say, this Rediscovery record was especially tough and it hurt my soul to cross certain names off, but that’s part of game when you’re executive producing your own stuff.
Everybody on the project was someone I had in mind from the jump, and I’m fortunate that everybody agreed to lend their voice to my vision. I wanted to keep the roster balanced and not overindulge in any single style. It is also very important to me on all these records that I resist the temptation to have nothing but household names, I always want to bring in some new names to keep things fresh, and in a perfect world, give them some extra exposure on a record alongside some established names.
Is it any different when you have vocals from someone you know also produces themselves, like Brainorchestra on “Lobster Spaghetti”? Is it hard for them to resist giving notes?
Brainorchestra is the homie! Love working with him whenever I can. To be honest, that’s never really been a concern of mine, at least not with him, I’ve been familiar with him and having listened to enough of his rap songs, I understand his pocket and the type of beats he can slide on. But in a more general, I’m not an egotistical guy, and am always welcoming to any feedback….and if I know someone makes beats, it almost makes it a little easier, because I know they know the process, and any feedback or constructive criticism comes from a place of understanding. Communication is often easier since we both speak that producer language.
The guys I work with, for the most part are good friends of mine and people that I trust, and encourage to keep it 100 with me. Disagreements will come, but rarely, and I’ve never had a big divide on anything.
Sometimes you release albums on a label, like Mello Music Group for this and previous records, or sometimes Urbnet, but also sometimes on your own. What drives these decisions, and do you prefer going via a label or doing it alone?
Every album situation varies. I’m open to working with anybody, if it makes sense. Every label I work with have their own unique reaches and resources. Working with Urbnet is always great, have been working with them for over 10 years, and I dig the prospect with working with a Canadian label and it’s nice being able to work side by side, in real life with them. Working with Mello Music Group is a great working relationship too, and their foothold in hip hop is solidified and a contrast to many of the primarily instrumental beat labels I’ve worked with in the past, and that was really attractive to me. But it’s also important to have a few records for myself. Sometimes I don’t want to wait the nine month process it normally takes to release things, lol. It’s kinda cool to finish working on a song on a Friday, and be able to put it out the following week. I love self-releasing stuff, but I enjoy working with Mello and Urbnet and some of the other labels because I like the collaborative partnership aspect of it. Depending on the theme of the record, usually determines how I choose to release it.
What do you hope people take away from Rediscovery when they listen?
I’m hoping people listen to it and get a better understanding of who I am. Some of the references, titles, themes and such may go over a few heads…and it’s ok if they do. The beautiful thing with music is that it’s up for interpretation. At the same time, it doesn’t need to be that deep. If nothing else, you got dope beats and, with the exception of four songs, dope rhymes and sometimes that’s all you need. But I think there is something for a number of different tastes. I’ve been making music for a long time, and feel like every record offers more growth and polish, and hopefully everybody digs it.
Finally, what will we get to hear from you next after Rediscovery?
Nothing I can speak on in detail, but let’s just say that I’ve got a full length instrumental album sitting in limbo due to sample clearance issues. Crossing my fingers it sees the light of day. Otherwise, got a bunch of other things on deck, including my next Mello Music Group project that I’m already halfway through. Needless to say, I’m keeping busy, and everyone can expect a busy 2024 for me.
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Rediscovery is out Friday, November 3, via Mello Music Group. Order here, including vinyl. Follow Elaquent on X, Instagram, and Spotify.