Behind every successful project is not only a talented vocalist, but an amazing producer as well.
ChaseTheMoney is the mastermind behind his and K$upreme‘s collaborative project Caught Fire out now. ChaseTheMoney used the positive feedback from K$upreme’s hit record “Gucci Cologne,” as inspiration for the title of the project and even enlisted his creative director’s help in creating the cover art. ChaseTheMoney also discussed a number of forthcoming projects with underground artists and who he thinks is next up. Check out the full interview below:
The Knockturnal: I’m really glad that I have the opportunity to talk to both you and K$upreme today, I feel like you never really get to hear the producer’s side of the story or project, so I respect the way you guys are pushing the project and that it’s a collaborative effort.
ChaseTheMoney: True. I mean the whole concept was my idea. The cover art was like kinda my idea because I have a real creative director, his name is Farris, He’s from St. Louis, he’s done like Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World, did Droptopwop for Metro and Guwop, he did Savage Mode. He did all of those and kind of went crazy. So, the concept really came from – one day I was kicking shit with K and, I was like, damn, if we do a tape, what are we gonna call it? I said, ‘you did drop “Gucci Cologne” and you went up like you damn near on fire with ‘Gucci Cologne.’ You did that sh*t and you went up, you was lit, so I’m like, man, we should call it Caught Fire. Right? Because you caught fire with “Gucci Cologne. ” I just feel like the concept just came from that cause he was lit off that song. So I’m like, alright, well shit, let’s do it.
The Knockturnal: As the producer, did you guide him or direct him on how to approach the tracks or did you give him the beat and let him do his own thing?
ChaseTheMoney: We were just in the stu geeked up.
The Knockturnal: Where was most of the project recorded? Did you guys use different stus? Was it at the home base?
ChaseTheMoney: No, it was at a, actually at the home studio, 1865 studio down in Atlanta, like right across from main street. Most of it was recorded there. I think the whole thing was recorded there actually.
The Knockturnal: There’s crazy features on the project, like Yachty and Chief Keef. Can you go into each feature and how it came about, whether it was like sending the open verse or more of an organic thing?
ChaseTheMoney: “Hot Ham” came from a Yachty session in LA. We were all out there. It was me, him, Juice WRLD, K$upreme and you know, the whole gang, Earl, you know Jay Bandz, King shit. I ended up pulling up on him. I ain’t even know they were out there. I just pulled up on them. Yeah. So happened to play that beat, originally juice and Yachty hopped on it. Um, juice like I guess apparently just, you know, the label situation clearances couldn’t get made. So took him off, put chief Keef on there. And I’m like, we don’t really need no features off of that. We just put them two n****s on the song and put it on there and that’d be it. That beat’s so hard.
The Knockturnal: What is your favorite track off the project?
ChaseTheMoney: “Forreal” -I like that beat a lot it’s like one of the most simple, yet intricate beats I’ve made so I really like that beat a lot and I like the song too, it’s a good song.
The Knockturnal: How long have you and K known each other and how strong is the bond that you two have as not just friends, but also creators and collaborator?
ChaseTheMoney: I feel like we definitely make good music together I definitely feel like we got a sound together. I know how to adapt to an artist that wants a different sound -Ive been doing music for so long it’s like my ears been trained to know who needs what
The Knockturnal: What more do you have on the way?
ChaseTheMoney: I’ve been working with a writer by the name of Otti my homie from Detroit, he’s from Detroit, great writer, just overall talented person you know been working with him for like 2-3 years straight so got a lot under wraps, Ive been working with Steelo Steezy, he’s from Atlanta, got Super Steezy on the way, thats number two got that on the way for sure, number three Ive been working on “No Breaks, No Breaks” by James Wrighter he’s from Chicago like South Side, same part as Valee, met him and Valee around the same time been working with him since then, don’t nobody know him, but he’s the goat, he’s really the goat. I been working with him I really been working with unknown people I like to tap into unknown
The Knockturnal: Do you feel like a producer plays a big role in helping break artists?
ChaseTheMoney: I feel like with putting somebody on, you gotta be able to put yourself in the position before you can put somebody else in the position. You gotta secure everything for yourself before you do something for somebody else. You know it’s simple because at the end of the day you know it’s about having a pure heart and being able to do something you love to do, that you’re good at and got no problem doing it -you gotta do it out of love, you gotta do it from the heart, you can’t expect no return, you can’t expect nothing.
The Knockturnal: Who’s up next in your opinion?
ChaseTheMoney: Really who I feel like is next in line, in terms of people you might recognize is YRN Murk, he’s one of Offset’s close people, been working with him, he hard, I feel like he definitely up next and has a solid body of work. He’s dropping a project called Cranberry Porch real soon and we’re working on a separate project, I feel like he’s gonna go for sure. It’s a lot of people. UnoTheActivist, he’s the originator, his time’s gonna come for sure.
The Knockturnal: Do you hope to sound track a movie or film? Do you wanna expand into entertainment?
ChaseTheMoney: A lot of people don’t really know but I do have a couple sync placements, I got 2 minutes run time in Superfly, you know the scene where they all white at the club and throwing money and the girl pulled out a camera and the guy starts tripping? So it’s got 2 minutes of run time in that scene, the whole scene right there ChaseTheMoney be playing in the background. It’s actually a Gherbo song, but the Gherbo song is really a feature from my boy SKNY, my boy SKNY is from Minnesota, his name is @Aintyouskny on Instagram, he’s kinda unknown, but he’s signed to Machine ENT so they’ve been quiet for a minute. We had a project called Bombs Away, but that never really released, but the song got selected for that.
The Knockturnal: How long ago did you make that project? And it’s still not released?
ChaseTheMoney: Yeah it’s still unreleased
The Knockturnal: Can you tell us more about the project?
ChaseTheMoney: We did that project a year ago, we got valee on it, we got Gherbo, on it. I don’t know what the label doing, if I could buy back the songs from them I would. Another placement I did was on Netflix, Dear White People, episode 7 in the new season, I got a couple minutes of run time.
