In Part 1 of the interview with AG, we dove into his roots. We find that he is truly a hiphop head and knows the game as far as some of the greatest hiphop leaders in our time. I’m still at odds with the whole “Is he really Batman” thing. Guess we will never truly know….

     But at the end of the day, our boy AG is truly the cool kat we all thought he was. And the future looks bright for this rising entrepreneur. Real talk, when my boy start’s makin that beast mode money, I will be askin him for a loan!….You hear me AG? I WILL be askin you for a LOAN dog. It might take a minute for me to pay it back, but, you’ll get it back eventually!lol

     We about to go in now. It’s time to get some studio talk in. Let’s chill with your boy AG in the second and final part to this interview.

Check it out:

Rushaa:  It’s good to know how much you love Hip Hop. Now we’re going to get into your growth into the culture. When did you know you were going to start getting into hiphop production? 

AG:  Production.. Kinda always been intrigued by the boards since I was young but never really pursued it until about ’04 

R:  Did you have anyone teach you the process? 

AG:  No, not teach me, but I worked closely with my cousin who made beats for me when I started rapping back in the early 90’s. Yea, he was heavy into producing ,coming up with Teddy Riley and a couple other cats and wanted to get an artist to start shopping some demos. But by him being in the “New Jack Swing” era of music.. I kinda had to introduce him to that raw hip hop. He was like my hands and I was his voice. Ya know?

R: If you could learn from any producer right now, who would it be?

AG:  Plenty of them.. Constantly learning new tips everyday! But if I had to choose it would be someone with a musician background.. Someone who plays several instruments.. Someone like a Ryan Leslie.. He’s dope too!

R:  Yeah you right about that. Ryan is a cold producer! Let’s get even more transparent though. What area do you need to work on in your production?

AG:  Everywhere! Still learning bro.. My thing is I know a lot of the techniques but my patience is where I drop the ball. Somewhere between when I start the beat to when I finish the first 4 bars I lose inspiration.. I’m like on to the next joint.. Only once have I really sat down and worked on a track from start to finish and it took like 4 hours.. But it came out DOPE!! (I think my best work thus far) For some reason I would rather teach others how to do it

R: That’s crazy dog. I feel the same way sometimes. What are you doing to strengthen that area?

AG: Nothing.. Lmao! Nah.. One day ima shut everything off.. Focus and try to put together the best project I can possibly make.. Just because its something I would like to accomplish for my personal achievement.

R: You got to do that one day for sure.

R: If you could make one album with any artist, who would it be?

AG:  Hmmmm.. I would have to say.. I really don’t know, I’m not really one of those dudes that reminisce about who was nice back in the day and would love to work with them now.. and I don’t really keep up with a lot of artists that’s out today.. Kinda in my own world.. Prolly myself. I would really like to write and produce an entire AG project!.. That’s a dream of mine.

{Inner  Samual Jackson voice: ” Prolly myself?…You arrogant MuthaaFu…..”}lol   Just trippin guy’s.

R: Ok cool. It’s all in your hands now. What direction would you take that album?

AG: My life, my autobiography… From beginning to end.. Nothing for the masses, just for me and my family.. Something my kids can pass down to their kids and say this is who your Grandfather was.. Something like that.. Meaningful!

R: That’s whats missing today to me. A story for a change. That’s what’s up. I’m going to tell you like this, I know a lot of people. Will you be ready if you get that call?

AG: Prolly not.. Hahaha.. I’m a perfectionist and never think I’m ready.. Everything gotta be right.. I’m working on it though lol.. Ima test it out by putting up some shitty quality tutorials and see how it works out.. Lmaoooo! Y’all remember that before you judge lol

R:  I’m hold you to that. We gonna keep an eye out. 

R: What was your first piece of equiptment, when you wanted to start production?

AG:  Ahhhh.. I still remember like it was yesterday! I don’t condone any illegal activities in this stage of my life (this was in ’96) but let’s just say I hustled up a stack and found a dude selling an ASR 10 in the trading post.. Went and copped it that night… The whole time driving to the crib I’m like “shit.. Premiere, Pete Rock, Mobb Deep all em better watch out.. Bout to kill the game!” Ha.. Got to the crib, plugged it in, put the os disk in… (Hype) until I couldn’t understand shit that was displaying on that screen.. Quantize, wtf is quantize.. I just wanna make a beat! Called cuzzo like a hour later “you know how to use an ASR? You can keep this joint.. Lets just make some music”

R: A free ASR?! You made that brothers day son! I would have moonwalked across the earth that night Jackson!lol 

R: Are you a manual reader?

AG: Hell no! Sometimes it comes in handy after you know your way around what you doing. But I’m a fiddler.. I like to fiddle around with stuff and stumble on my own techniques.. I love those aha moments!

R: For sure. lol  You seem to flow smooth when using Mashine. Did you ever use the MPC?

AG:  I’m still learning the Maschine everyday but I know my way around it pretty good now.. Yes I did.. But I can’t say I was ever a MPC head.. I just tried them out had the 1k, 2k and the 3k.. The workflow was good but for some reason Maschine just stuck once I got the gist of it.

R:  So many people talk about MPC this, analog that. It’s 2013. We have come to a culmination of the most ambitious digital programs and plugins to date. Do you agree that the line has been blurred when it comes to how indistinguishable analog and digital is?

AG:  I still think there is a difference but it is very minute.. Only true audiophiles can really here a difference. I believe it’s more nostalgia than anything. I can’t front on the different feelin I had with the 3k and ASR (the second time around) it just made me feel like I was bout to make some heat! Was it true.. NO!

R:  Hahaa, I feel you for sure with that. With the tweak of a knob, I can get that warmth, if thats what I want to do. As matter of fact, that’s all they ever really talk about. That warm, thick, sound. And when it comes to synths, that analog growl.  Are the analog heads just holding on to the past in your opinion?

AG:  Like I mentioned before.. I think its very minimal.. I honestly don’t think it’s about the sound. But if it is for some.. Things evolve and we should too. But I can understand keeping them around for that secret weapon.. That piece of gear to get inspiration from when you wanna break the monotony

R: What’s in Ag’s studio right now?

AG:  Maschine, Maschine Mikro, Axiom 25 and my Mac mini.. Used to be a gear junkie until I figured out it was hurting my progress.. For me, simple is better.. Guess like my tutorials.

R:  You picking up anything new soon?

AG: I don’t see anything out right now that’s gonna enhance my production so, ima say no at this time.. Unless it makes sense business wise.

R:  If I gave you $10,000 right now for your studio, what would you get?

AG:  I would tell you thank you and throw it in the bank.. Lol That would be some recoup back from all the thousands I put into this game and never got back.. I would rather open up a youth music program or something.. A Maschine Masters U! Haha

{Inner rant: “I said for a STUDIO, and this kat said he gone take my money and put it in th bank?….WT!”}lol

R:  You working on anything new right now production wise?

AG:  Alone.. Nah, but I’m currently putting together the Maschine Masters Mixtape Vol. 1 it should be dope! Got some hot joints from our members!  Might try to place me a joint on there if I make the cut! Lol

R:  In the next 5 years what do you plan on bringing to the world?

AG:  I would really like to open a full-blown online music production school.. Fully accredited and everything.. We’ll see…

R: That’s big brother. That’s needed today all over America.

R:  If there was one piece of good advice you would want people to implement into their life to succeed, what would it be?

AG:  Do you.. It’s 7+ billion people in this world.. Somebody is gonna love what you do.. It’s up to you to find them!

R:  Again give a list of your weapons of choice in the studio.

AG:  Maschine… Maschine… Maschine and more Maschine lol

Weapons of Choice:

Hardware:

Software:

With that MaschineMasters.com family, we’ve now know a lot more about AG. Was he what you expected? What did you take from this interview? What I learned was simple. I don’t judge. What I do is gauge a person’s character. Throughout his interview, his character never changed. And with that I see that there are actually down to earth, real kats left on the big blue globe. Peace to Ag and his family. It was an honor to us, for you to take this time and share a part of your life homie. 

And with that MaschineMasters.com family,

“I’ll holla at cha later”

Rushaa