HARLEM, NEW YORK MUSIC PRODUCER

WE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH MUSIC PRODUCER RICO SUAVE BEATS. WITH PRODUCTION CREDIT FOR HIP-HOP ARTIST SUCH AS DAVE EAST AND JIM JONES, THE HARLEM NATIVE IS QUIETLY MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF ON TRACK AT A TIME.

VALIDATED: GROWING UP, WHAT KIND OF MUSIC WAS PLAYED IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: GROWING UP MY FATHER AND MOTHER PLAYED A LOT OF SPANISH MUSIC. SINCE I'M PUERTO RICAN, ALL HE PLAYED WAS OLD SALSA MUSIC. BUT I ALSO HAVE AN OLDER SISTER WHO WOULD BE AROUND THE HOUSE LISTENING TO LIKE B2K AND ALL THIS R&B AND RAP.

VALIDATED: NAME THE PRODUCERS THAT HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR SOUND?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: THE PRODUCERS WHO HAVE INFLUENCED MY SOUND, I WOULD SAY ARE GUYS LIKE ARAABMUZIK, JAHLIL BEATS, KANYE, SWIZZ BEATZ AND JUST BLAZE TO NAME JUST A FEW.

VALIDATED: WHAT MAKES A GREAT PRODUCER?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: A GREAT PRODUCER, IN MY OPINION, IS A PERSON THAT CAN TAKE A COOL IDEA AND MAKE IT A GREAT IDEA. ANYBODY THAT CAN TAKE CHARGE BUT ALSO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS AND TAKE CRITICISM. NOT EVERY "BEAT MAKER" IS A PRODUCER AND NOT EVERY PRODUCER MAKES BEATS.

VALIDATED: WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE PRODUCING FROM A HOBBY TO A CAREER?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: I STARTED MAKING BEATS AT LIKE 12 YEARS OLD. I LEARNED IT ALL ON YOUTUBE AND JUST TRIAL AND ERROR. I DECIDED TO TAKE IT FROM A HOBBY TO A CAREER WHEN I REALIZED THAT PEOPLE REALLY LIKED AND MESSED WITH MY WORK. I DIDN'T THINK MY BEATS WHERE ANY GOOD TO BE HONEST, BUT I FOUND SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE WILLING TO PAY FOR SOME BEATS AND I REALIZED I MAY HAVE SOMETHING HERE.

VALIDATED: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: HOW I GOT MY START, ME AND DAVE HAD LINKED UP BEFORE HE BECAME THIS BIG SUPERSTAR. ME AND HIM ARE FROM THE SAME HOOD, SO I SAW HIS NAME ON TWITTER AND YOUTUBED HIM AND GOOGLED. I SAW HE HAD A FOLLOWING AND SAW HE WAS FROM WHERE I'M FROM. I JUST HIT HIM AND SAID WE SHOULD WORK. THAT TURNED INTO US WORKING AND ME GETTING MY FIRST PLACEMENT, "BROKE" ON HIS "BLACK ROSE" MIXTAPE.

VALIDATED: WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE TO EXCEL AT YOUR CRAFT?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: I NEVER WAS THE "PARTY" TYPE OF PERSON. I ALWAYS WENT HARD WITH WHATEVER I PUT MY MIND TO. SO I GUESS YOU CAN SAY I "SACRIFICED" LIKE PARTIES IN HIGH SCHOOL AND EVENTS LIKE THAT. BUT I ALSO LIKED AND RELATED TO THE DRAKE'S LYRIC, "...WHILE ALL MY FRIENDS PARTYING, I'M JUST HERE MAKING ALL THE MUSIC THAT THEY PARTY TO...".

VALIDATED: WHAT GOALS DID YOU HAVE SET BEFORE YOU STARTED YOUR CAREER?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: ONE OF MY MAIN GOALS WHEN I REALLY DECIDED TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY, WAS JUST TO TAKE OVER MY NEIGHBORHOOD. MEANING, WORK WITH MOST OF THE ARTISTS FROM AROUND ME. THEN I FIGURED ONCE I HAD THAT DOWN PAT, I WOULD TAKE OVER MY CITY. THEN AFTER THAT, TAKE OVER THE WORLD. LOL I'M STILL ON THAT PATH NOW.

VALIDATED: WHO IS ONE OF YOUR MENTORS? HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET THEM AND HOW HAS WORKING WITH THEM INFLUENCED YOUR OWN PRODUCTION?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: I GUESS ONE OF MY MENTORS WOULD BE WAYNO. ME BEING APART OF THE WHOLE TRIANGLE OFFENSE, I HAVE LEARNED A LOT. JUST BY BEING AROUND AND JUST LISTENING, SOAKING UP GAME AND KNOWLEDGE AND BEING ABLE TO TRANSLATE THAT INTO MY PRODUCTION AND MAKING IT BETTER.

VALIDATED: WHO WOULD YOU SAY INSPIRES YOU?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: SOME OF THE BIG DOGS WHO HAVE WORKED WITH MAJOR ARTISTS AND SOME UP AND COMING PRODUCERS WHO HAVE WORKED WITH NO MAJOR ARTISTS. INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION INSPIRES ME. DOESN'T MATTER FROM WHO OR WHERE.

VALIDATED: WHO ARE YOUR TOP 3 PRODUCERS OF ALL TIME?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: THAT'S A HARD ONE, MY TOP ALWAYS CHANGES. BUT I GUESS MY TOP 3 OF ALL TIME AT THE MOMENT, WOULD BE TIMBALAND, PHARRELL AND SWIZZ BEATZ.

VALIDATED: WHICH MAJOR ARTIST HAVE YOU WORKED WITH?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: I'VE WORKED WITH JIM JONES, BODEGA BAMZ, RICH HOMIE QUAN AND DAVE EAST. BUT OF COURSE I'VE WORKED WITH A LOT OF THE UP AND COMING GUYS A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW. LIKE 600BREEZY, AL-DOE, TRAV AND MANY MORE.

VALIDATED: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO UPCOMING PRODUCERS?

RICO SUAVE BEATS: MY ADVICE IS ALWAYS KEEP WORKING. COOK UP DAILY EVEN IF YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING WITH THOSE BEATS, ALWAYS BE PREPARED. YOU NEVER KNOW, YOU MIGHT GET A PHONE CALL OR AN OPPORTUNITY MIGHT COME OUT THE BLUE AND IF YOU'RE READY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET READY. ANOTHER PIECE OF ADVICE IS IF YOU ARE EVER IN A ROOM AROUND PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE INDUSTRY FOR A WHILE, JUST SIT BACK AND LISTEN. SOAK UP THE GAME AND KNOWLEDGE. BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE GEMS IN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE BEING HELD.

RICO SUAVE BEATS