PRODUCER PLUG: DISTROLORD & MERK

INTERVIEW JULZ MANCINI PHOTOGRAPH NIGEL SHABAZZ

ATTENDING EVENTS HAS BEEN ARTISTS’ PRIMARY SOURCE OF NETWORKING AND OBTAINING POTENTIAL PROSPECTS FOR MANY YEARS. HOWEVER, MANY OF THESE EVENTS ARE OVERSATURATED WITH PERFORMANCES, ADDING AN ABUNDANCE OF MONOTONY AND DEPLETING THE BEAUTY OF CREATIVITY AND UNIQUENESS. THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, MANY ARTISTS COULD BE HEARD EXPRESSING THEIR DESIRE TO ATTEND EVENTS THAT LEGITIMATELY OFFER OPPORTUNITIES, EDUCATION, AND A PERFECT ATMOSPHERE FOR BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. IN NOVEMBER OF 2019, GUSTAVO GUERRA, ALSO KNOWN AS DISTROLORD, LAUNCHED A COMMUNITY-BASED PLATFORM IN HOPES OF ASSISTING PRODUCERS AND EVENTUALLY BRANCHING OUT TO ALL ARTISTS.

PRODUCER PLUG INITIALLY BEGAN AS AN EVENT IN WHICH FEATURED EPIC BEAT BATTLES. THE EVENT LURED IN LARGE AUDIENCES CATCHING THE ATTENTION OF HIP HOP ARCHITECTS SUCH AS MIKE DEAN, GHOST FACE KILLAH, SHA MONEY, HAVOC FROM MOB DEEP, TO NAME A FEW. THESE HEAVY HITTERS WERE INVITED TO JUDGE THE EVENTS, DEVELOPING AN EVEN BIGGER BUZZ THROUGHOUT THE MUSIC SCENE. AS THE WINNER WAS ANNOUNCED, THEY WERE GIFTED PRIZES WHICH CONSISTED OF PREMIUM SOUND PACKS, STATE OF THE ART STUDIO EQUIPMENT, AND MENTORSHIP FROM THE JUDGES. IT WAS OBVIOUS, FROM EARLY ON, THAT PRODUCER PLUG WAS GEARED TOWARDS PROVIDING ARTISTS WITH AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE. EXPERIENCES SUCH AS THESE GIVE PEOPLE THE ABILITY TO SEE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES PERTAINING TO THEIR PASSION FOR MUSIC.

AS THE EVENT GREW IN POPULARITY, DISTROLORD MADE THE DECISION TO BRANCH OUT AND OFFER SERVICES, NOT ONLY TO PRODUCERS, BUT TO ALL ARTISTS. IT HAD BECOME APPARENT, THROUGHOUT HIS PROFESSION, THAT CREATIVES WERE LACKING PROPER GUIDANCE, RESOURCES, AND EDUCATION REGARDING THE MUSIC BUSINESS. THE SERVICES OFFERED INCLUDED PUBLISHING, PAPERWORK, PROCURING MONEY FROM LABELS, AND PLACEMENT TO MAINSTREAM ARTISTS. DISTROLORD STATED,

“THERE WAS A VOID. A LOT OF PEOPLE REACHED OUT TO ME SAYING THEY’RE GETTING RIPPED OFF BY LABELS AND WANT A DIRECT SOURCE TO PRODUCERS. SO THE BEST THING I CAN DO IS TO GET THESE PRODUCERS TOGETHER AND HAVE SOMEONE LIKE LARGE PROFESSOR OR MIKE DEAN HELP AND TEACH THE YOUTH.”

WHILE SPEAKING WITH DISTROLORD, I LEARNED THAT AT THE AGE OF 17 YEARS OLD, HE WAS A COMPONENT OF THE STREET TEAM FOR DEF JAM. IT WAS DURING THIS TIME THAT DISTROLORD REALIZED THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE AND MOVING PARTS BEHIND A MAINSTREAM ARTIST. DURING MY INTERVIEW WITH HIM, DISTROLORD STATED,

“YOU CAN’T JUST HAVE ONE JOB. YOU HAVE TO APPLY ALL OF THE FACTORS; A&R, MARKETING, AND MUSIC. TILL THIS DAY IT STILL APPLIES. IT’S A LOT OF TRIAL AND ERROR BUT YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT YOUR FORMULA. SHOW AND PROVE INSTEAD OF TELL.”

AFTER WORKING WITH DEF JAM, DISTROLORD BEGAN TO NETWORK AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY; METHOD MAN, STREETLIFE, AND GHOSTFACE KILLAH, BEING SOME OF THE HEAVY HITTERS WHO CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS WITH HIM CURRENTLY.

WITH THE WORLD AT OUR FINGERTIPS WITHIN THIS DIGITAL AGE WE LIVE IN, I WAS INTRIGUED TO LEARN HOW DISTROLORD FELT ABOUT THE MUSIC SCENE BACK THEN VERSUS CURRENTLY. DISTROLORD EXPLAINED,

“DIGITAL SHOULDN’T BE A HANDICAP. IT INCREASES AWARENESS. IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE DIGITAL WORLD, I WOULD HAVE JUST BEEN DOING SHOWS. JUST DOING SHOWS HERE WOULDN’T HAVE BROUGHT ME TO INDIA, JAPAN, AND ITALY. THAT’S WHERE THE INTERNET HAS HELPED. IT ALSO CUT COSTS WITH SECURITY, BARTENDERS, AND VENUES.”

DURING THE CONVERSATION WITH DISTROLORD, HE MENTIONED HIS ASSOCIATE NAMED MERK, HIS GO-TO SOUND GUY. AS I BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH MERK, I SENSED A DEEP LEVEL OF RESPECT BETWEEN THE TWO GENTLEMEN. MERK STATED THAT THE TWO HAD A “CHANCE ENCOUNTER” AFTER HE WAS INVITED TO A LISTENING PARTY AND THE REST WAS HISTORY. CURRENTLY, MERK PROVIDES ASSISTANCE AT THE PRODUCER PLUG EVENT WHETHER HE IS THE DJ OR THE TIEBREAKER JUDGE. HE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT HE IS WILLING TO ASSIST DISTROLORD IN CARRYING OUT HIS VISION. NOT ONLY HAS MERK HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ABSORB KNOWLEDGE FROM DISTROLORD, BUT HE HAS ALSO HAD GREAT EXPERIENCES REGARDING COLLABORATIONS WITH ARTISTS AND BUILDING A RAPPORT WITH WELL-RESPECTED PRODUCERS. WHEN ASKED WHAT HIS MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT THUS FAR IS, MERK STATED, 

“WORKING ALONGSIDE LARGE PROFESSOR WAS MY MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT.”

MERK HAS A GREAT ENERGY, SIMILAR TO DISTROLORD. IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT THE TWO WORK SO WELL TOGETHER. BOTH HAVE BEEN UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR AUDIENCES AS THE PANDEMIC HAS CAUSED IN-PERSON ENTERTAINMENT TO COME TO A HALT. WITH PRODUCER PLUG GROWING AT A RAPID RATE AND DISTROLORD BUILDING A TEAM OF LOYAL CONTRIBUTORS, I AM EAGER TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS IN STORE. FROM WORKING WITH MAINSTREAM ARTISTS TO ASSISTING, GUIDING, AND DEVELOPING YOUTHFUL CREATIVES, DISTROLORD HAS CERTAINLY FOUND HIS PURPOSE, NICHE, AND CALLING. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE DISTROLORD.COM AND ALSO REACH OUT TO @PRODUCERPLUGUNI ON SOCIAL MEDIA.