Eddie G met up with Rikanatti from Shady Records to give the fans a look into the world of one of the most talented producers on the West Coast. In this feature, we’ll explore everything from Rik’s experimental sound, soaking up game from Eminem, Ca$his’s new albums and mixtapes, to the possibility of a “Homeland Security” Part 2 with Young De & Ca$his. You’re not gonna want to skip this one.
Eddie G: We’re gonna sit down and blaze one up with Rikanatti right now. What’s goin on mang?
Rikanatti: Everything is going on. I got so much shit crackin off I can hardly find time to finish everything, but that’s the way I like it! I’d rather have too much work than too little. Ca$his and I are taking Bogish Brand to the next level. We got a couple offers on the table right now, but we will be releasing the “Euthanasia” album on Bogish Brand/(Major Label) this year.
The album is done, it’s just being mixed and mastered. I’m pretty sure I did 8 joints on there, maybe more - I gotta look at the tracklisting. I think I’m more proud of this project than Ca$his is! The album is incredible. From the production to the word play, every song is dope. This album is what the fans have been waiting for. We got Jake One, Komplex, myself, and a host of incredible producers on there. The album is West Coast, but everyone is gonna enjoy it.
[Eddie’s note: Peep our exclusive early review of “Euthanasia” BY CLICKING HERE]
Eddie G: A lot of people are still playing the hell out of the “Homeland Security” with Ca$his and Young De that you executive produced with Damizza. Are people coming up to you in the club talking about their favorite tracks?
Rikanatti: Yeah, it’s crazy. I got fans all over the world askin me about “Homeland Security.” It’s crazy because none of us expected the response we got. Even the haters gave it up for this project. We’re workin on “Homeland Part 2.” As soon as Young De gets off tour, we’re goin into the lab. The people loved “In God’s Hands,” “Clear The Area,” and “Never Enough.” Everywhere I go, they askin about those records. I knew it was poppin when they played it in the strip club. That’s crazy! They on the pole to gangsta shit!
Eddie G: Then you guys have “The Art Of Dying” album that’s dropping on Shady Records later this year. Tell us about what the people can expect from that…
Rikanatti: “The Art of Dying” is ridiculous. Ca$his is going back into the lab with Em to finish it up. The album has been pushed back a couple times but that’s just because there’s a chain of command on Shady. When Em wants to drop an album, he’s gonna drop. He’s earned that, and he’s one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Same with 50.
Ca$his is playing his position. It has nothing to do with his music. They love his music because it’s quality. That’s why we’re dropping indie albums and mixtapes to keep the fans happy, plus you always gotta keep it pushing. The Shady album is gonna do big numbers. Be excited about it.
Eddie G: I’m sure you’ve had the chance to sit down and soak up some game from Eminem in the studio. What have you picked up from him?
Rikanatti: I’ve learned to be original, to be bold, and to take time with your music. I have made easily over 500 records with vocals on them and at least 1,000 instrumentals. But I have only fully produced 100 songs or so. Production is more than just makin a beat – it’s makin the song right. I try to be a perfectionist, but at the same time I don’t overproduce records. That’s just as bad as under-producing them. It’s a thin line. At the end of the day, I learned there is only one rule in music, and that’s that there are no rules. Creativity is endless.
Eddie G: We posted up “The Suicide Note” album that you produced entirely for Tarek and Luss [Download It Here For Free.] Tell the fans about how that project came together and what that album meant to you…
Rikanatti: Tarek and Luss are a group I’ve been grooming for a while now. It started off as a relationship [where] they were just buying tons of beats and I didn’t have much involvement. But it grew into a friendship, and then I started to invest my time into them. “The Suicide Note” was the test to see if they were serious about music. I did not give them one track for free, and they still completed the whole project.
Now, it’s a different story. Now, I send them tracks for free! The new material they have is crazy. No track on “The Suicide Note” can compare to the new music we’ve done. I’m tellin you…they are a controversial group. They are going to get signed and do well. We have a new song called “Back 2 School” about school shootings.
Eddie G: Wow! I heard one of your tracks the other day that Los jumped on, and when he told me you did the beat I could hear that right away.
Rikanatti: How did the joint sound? I still ain’t heard it. Damizza told me about it but I ain’t heard it. Tell them to send it over! *Laughs*
Eddie G: Yeah, the track is crazy! I’ll send it to you. But how would you describe your sound to the people?
Rikanatti: I have really come into my own sound. I don’t label my sound anymore. I’m more into technique and pushing the line right now. I try to stay ahead of the trends, then I let people catch up. For instance, I just made a beat last night that has no snare drum in it. I used the kick as the snare, and I used a low piano sound in place of the kick. If you’re not a producer, you might not understand that, but I’m doing everything they say you shouldn’t.
I make beats that aren’t just 16-bar verses and 8-bar choruses. I do 7-bar loops and I don’t quantitize. The reason why is because you can’t duplicate that sound. I’ll chop a sample into 30 parts for an 8-bar loop. I just never limit myself and I make music that I enjoy. I stopped concerning myself with trying to sell tracks, and I just focused on making quality material that I like. If niggaz feel it and wanna buy it, cool. If not, I still like it. I do music for the love, and if God blesses me with bread to go with it, I’m happy. I make beats that force the artist to use different patterns. It’s for their own good, even if they don’t realize it yet. That’s the only way the music advances.
Eddie G: I’m curious to know who you’ve been in the studio working with lately. What can we expect to see dropping with a “Produced by Rikanatti” tag on it soon?
Rikanatti: I’ve been workin with a lot artists. Of course, Ca$his and Tarek & Luss, but I’m also workin on Young De’s new solo album. I just did joints with Balance, Focus, K-Boy, Taje, Roccett, Eddie Kane, Carlito Rossi, Chamillionaire, Wiz Khalifa, Willie The Kid, and J McCoy. I also did a gang of records with Mitchy Slick and some of his artists. I know I left some artists off - shout out if I forgot to mention you!
Me and Ca$his also just started a new company called BBG International. We have a music publishing royalty collections company that can collect worldwide. That’s huge! A lot of artists got money overseas and in the USA, with no way to collect it. So that’s where we come in. We did a deal with Jack Russell Music Group and it’s going well. So all you artists out there, get at me if you wanna get money. We’re giving pub deals with advances. How you like that? We can find money where the big companies can’t. You can believe me or not, but we’re getting money over here.
Eddie G: Thanks for stopping by the site Rik! Is there anything else you want to say to the fans?
Rikanatti: I almost forgot. Be on the lookout for the “Crown Me” mixtape. Ca$his and I linked up with DJ Ill Will and DJ Rockstar for the tape. Shit is gonna be classic. 17 original songs! Also be on the lookout for J McCoy’s new single “818.” I produced that track with Basix and we just did the video for it. It’s insane! It’s an action video, and it’s gonna make a major impact.
I wanna tell all my fans thanks for the support. Get at me on the Twitter! [Twitter.com/Rikanatti] I’m always looking to work with more artists. I would love to do joints with my West Coast partners like Nipsey Hussle, Jay Rock, G Malone, and Bishop. I’m not from LA, but let’s work! I’m extending myself on a public forum. So if we never work together, it’s not because of me.
West Coast, let’s work together! Thanks Eddie, you da man!
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