What's so crazy is I always looked at Jay Z and guys on the caliber of Jay Z like they just the big dogs. I didn't think they listen to my music or even know who I am.
When me and Gucci sit down, I make tracks real fast, and he can write songs real fast.
If you know Gucci Mane, controversy is always surrounding Gucci.
I use a lot of piano riffs in my production, and someone who I was working with said that I played so good that it sound like Beethoven.
Most artists value my opinion a lot, and I think that's due to 'Beast Mode.'
When I was cutting hair, I felt like that was my trap. I started selling haircuts. I started selling beats; that's me trapping. So trap music is like hustling music to me.
I'm the type of guy, I make a lot of different beats, but sometimes I might stick to a sound for a little while.
In Atlanta, I went to barber school. That's how I met everyone I know in Atlanta, by cutting hair.
We did 'Bricks' and 'Ridiculous' all in one day. Gucci came here, like, 8 in the morning - we were done 4 the morning the next day.
Future's the guy, like, where, if I send him some beats while he on the road, and there's a pack of beats that he really like, if there's a new vibe or new wave, he's like, 'Man, keep feeding me more. Feed me more of this every day.'
There's no record that you done heard me produce that I spent more than ten minutes on.
I can show these folks I can do more than just the 'trap.' But what I realized is the trap is what they really recognize me for - that's what they want to hear.
Trap is being added to everything. It seems like every genre wants that bit of trap to what they're doing.
I feel like I'm an okay piano player. To the music world, to people that's in the hip-hop culture, they probably look at me like, 'Zaytoven the greatest piano player in the world.' I'm okay.
When I think of trap, I think of something that is unrehearsed. It's something that's edgy, not too well put together.
I'm a church musician. I play gospel music; that's what I do. I never had a chance to produce gospel music, and I did a full album with Lecrae that's the number one Christian album. It's super-big for me.
I know it sounds funny coming from me, 'cause I produced it, but that's one of my favorite bodies of work. That's what 'Beast Mode' was when it came out and still is.
I have a church background. I've been playing piano and keyboard and organ all my life in church.
I've been doing this since 'So Icy' back in 2005.
I'm the type of guy where, if I see, like, 20 songs, I don't even wanna listen to one of 'em 'cause it's too much.
