DTB Talks Studio Sessions With 03 Greedo, How To Get Placements And More!
We got the chance to connect with producer, DTB. He’s had the opportunity to work with artists like G-Eazy, 03 Greedo, Warhol.SS, and Nef The Pharaoh, and OMB Peezy just to name a few. He shines some light on how to get placements, sessions with 03 Greedo, and more. Check out my favorite production of his: “When I Was Down” by OMB Peezy. Keep him on your radar he has some fire beats and a lot of hits coming at you this year. All of his social media are linked at the bottom of the page, go check him out and give him a follow!
Where are you from and what age did you first make a connection to producing music? And how long have you been producing music?
I am from Hercules, CA and am 27 years old. Been producing music since I was 9 so 18 years.
What's your producer tag? How did you create it? What's the importance of having a producer tag?
I have 3 tags most known is “DTB on the beats that’s bro” said by Nef The Pharaoh, first artist to ever shout me out on a track, we were recording for one of his albums a few years back and he said it and it stuck for me. The other tag is Warhol saying “that DTB fasho!” This tag came about from him saying I needed a more down south producer sounding tag to match my trap beats as the nef tag was more for faster beats. The other tag is coming soon no music has been released with it but it’s my boy Yung Lb saying “DTB you play too much”
What was going on in your life when you made your first beat? Was producing always the goal?
I grew up playing sports and heard my neighbor across the street making beats (didn’t know they were beats at the time) but I learned quickly. I was in band in school playing trumpet and was naturally intrigued by how music was made no matter the genre. I just remember wanting to know how to do everything I was hearing
.
What made you start taking producing from a hobby to a career?
When I left college to pursue music. I was close to graduating from Sonoma state and decided to leave to focus on music as I wasn’t very happy in school studying something I didn’t want to be.
How/when did you first connect with G-Eazy? Can you run us through making the "Charles Brown" beat? How did G-Eazy end up hopping on it? Were you with him in the studio when he recorded it? If so can you run us through that session?
I first met G through Jay Anthony, he picked me up at the studio one day saying he was gonna take me somewhere, on the way he said, “yeah your gonna meet Gerald today he needs to hear your shit” The Charles brown beat was produced by Kuya Beats another mentor of mine, I had already produced a few records that night and he had that idea pretty much done, he just finished it in the lab while G was writing and after the vocals were cut, they asked me to get my trumpet from the car and play on it. So that’s how that got made.
How/when did you first connect with Warhol.SS? Can you run us through making the "Lifestyle (Intro)" beat? How did Warhol.SS end up hopping on it? Were you with him in the studio when he recorded it? If so can you run us through that session?
Warhol was introduced to me through my boy LB, he brought him into work on some music with us and then Warhol ended up taking a liking to my production so we set up another session for him to come back and cook some fresh stuff with me. It was one of those later sessions that the lifestyle beat was made. Warhol really liked some soulful keys I was playing around with and told me to lay it down, so I recorded it then he went through different 808s with me to find the right bounce then we kinda came up with the flow of the beat then loaded it up into pro tools and recorded it.
How/when did you first connect with 03 Greedo? Can you run us through making the "Mr. OT" beat? How did Greedo end up hopping on it? Were you with him in the studio when he recorded it? If so can you run us through that session?
03 Greedo was introduced to me through Guapdad 4000, I was working down the hall and they actually called me over to just engineer for Guap that night but I ended up producing some music for 03, Guap and another artist from the bay named ALLBLACK, but as with Warhol, 03 took a liking to my production and later got back in the lab with me to record his God Level album. If I remember correctly I knew 03 was coming that day so I made some beats to play him at the session, he came in just to record, told me he had to record 30 songs for the next album because he was going to have to turn himself in in the next two months (free 03!) but started playing beats, there were some other talented producers there as well and I just waited my turn. When he asked me to play some stuff, I played him a few and he took all of them, Mr. OT being one of them. No joke, Greedo did all the songs in 1-2 takes. Straight through, sometimes, didn’t even need to fly the hook over, he just knows when it came in again and would do it live. One of the most impressive artists I’ve ever recorded.
How/when did you first connect with New The Pharaoh? Can you run us through making the "86" beat? How did Nef end up hopping on it? Were you with him in the studio when he recorded it? If so can you run us through that session?
I first met Nef back in the day I can’t remember the exact year exactly but it was about 4/5 years ago. He came to my studio just to record with an artist named salty. I didn’t even tell him I made beats, I knew that one day we would end up in the same room together. We actually reconnected at the Gerald session the night I played on Charles Brown. He even bought me a zip that day because one of Gerald’s homeboys decided he wanted to roll some of my shit up thinking it was probably in the artist rider haha. But the 86 beat was made down in LA, I was working with nef and another artist I produced for named ALLBLACK, and they just wanted to get some songs together. I cooked up a classic bay style beat with chords to match nef mood but tempo and sound selection to match Black, nef recorded first and then black, then the record was sent to Cuban Doll.
How did you build up your placements? Any advice to all the producers out there trying to build up their placements?
I’ve been able to get placements purely through relationships, just being in the lab every day and my manager Benji taking the extra mile to reach out to these artists managers and labels to get work with me. The best advice I can give is don't turn down any sessions. Get in the room with as many people as you can regardless of whether you're working with them or not. You never know when your gonna get picked up and get taken to a big G Eazy session but being in the room every day working hard to enhance your sound will prepare you for these moments. I told Jay when I got in the car I didn’t have any beats for G, and he said yeah you do you got hundreds, you been in the lab every day you ready, and ever since then I’ve been pretty much lit. S/o to Benji, Jay, and Nef for always looking out for me from the jump, they helped pave the way for me to get in the room with the ppl I’m with now.
What's on the horizon for your music career in 2019?
2019 is big, working on Rexx Life Raj album (it’s incredible! Can’t wait for the world to hear this!) me and Nef have an album we are working on that I’m really excited for, I've got a record with Kehlani in the works, working with a young singer named Marteen on his album, and ALLBLACK and Offset Jim album. Also working on developing my own team's talent, working with an artist named Pluto Mars, he is one of my childhood friends but also a very talented musician excited for the world to hear him as well!
Check him out: