Murda Beatz breaks down his new project Memory Lane with Shordie Shordie.
Most of us know the RIAA Platinum-certified producer-artist Murda Beatz from iconic hits such as Travis Scott’s “Butterfly Effect,” Migos “Motorsport,” Drake’s “Nice For What,” the list goes on and on. The 25-year-old Canadian prodigy gained notoriety in 2016 when he connected with Chicago’s Glory Boy Entertainment, home of Chief Keef and Lil Durk. From there he went on to work with Migos and other prominent artists like Gucci Mane, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Chance The Rapper, and Ariana Grande. In 2019 Murda made his artist debut with “Shopping Spree” featuring Lil Pump and Sheck Wes. Not only is he talented in the studio, he’s one of the most sought-after festival DJs gathering over 50,000 people at his last Coachella set in 2019 and touring with Ferg on the “Floor Seats” Tour. Today Murda returns producing and executive producing Memory Lane a collaborative project with DMV rapper Shordie Shordie. Find out more about the new project and what else Murda has in store in our interview below:
The Knockturnal: At what age did you realize you wanted to be a producer/artist?
Murda Beatz: I’ve been playing drums since I was 4 years old. I always wanted to be a drummer and start a band. I started this band in 8th grade called Black Light, I just wanted to be on stage and perform because music is my passion. I started to get into rap music and hip hop when I was 13 or 14, then at 16 years old I got into trap music and saw videos of how Lex Luger were making trap beats and that’s what made me want to produce.
The Knockturnal: How old were you when you started pursuing music seriously?
Murda Beatz: 16, right when I started making beats I was like this is what I wanna do for the rest of my life. With drums I feel like I plateaued and didn’t see myself getting better so I was losing the excitement of playing drums. When I started making beats it was the new “playing drums” for me. It was the new way I could express myself through music.
The Knockturnal: What was it like getting to work with Glory Boys Entertainment so early on in your career and being a part of that culture shift in music?
Murda Beatz: It was pretty dope, I got connected with them back in 2013 so that was the beginning of some big shit, that shift in culture. I got in contact with them through Facebook and Instagram and then went out there and started working with them.
The Knockturnal: What was it like going from that to moving in with the Migos?
Murda Beatz: After I got my music into Chicago, I really wanted to get my music into the south because that hip hop scene was going crazy. I was looking to find a new rap group in Atlanta and then I went on LiveMixtapes and found Migos. No one sounded like them, it was brand new. I hit them up on Twitter, sent them some beats and they started rocking with me. It was before Versace, I was 18-years old.
The Knockturnal: How doe it feel to be included in Forbes 30 under 30 list?
Murda Beatz: That was a big blessing. When I was first coming up I never really thought about being in Forbes and doing all these things, so they’re extra achievements and I’m just grateful to be on a list like that.
The Knockturnal: How did you get involved in Memory Lane?
Murda Beatz: I been a fan of Shordie Shordie’s music for the past 2 years. I was talking to him, I DMed him and then 6 months ago he was in L.A. so I pulled up on him and we started working together. The fist time we went into the studio we made like 9 records and that’s when I was like, we should just do an EP. We got into the studio a bunch more. The first or second time we were in the studio we did “Good Evening” and then shot the video like a week later.
The Knockturnal: What was it like working with Shordie Shordie on this project? What sets him apart from other artist you’ve worked with before?
Murda Beatz: He’s like a rockstar, when we’re in the studio his vibe’s dope, his melodies are sick, his in-studio performance when he’s recording and just his work ethic stands out to me. Two artists I work closely with a lot are Quavo and Partynextdoor because of their work ethic. With Shordie Shordie he’s amazing in the studio, he has that work ethic and can make songs quick and we had great chemistry off the bat and I was able to push him in a different direction.
The Knockturnal: What was your favorite song off of the project?
Murda Beatz: My favorite song is “LOVE,” when we made that records I knew it was a banger and then I ended up getting Trippie on it the next week.
The Knockturnal: What was it like shooting the “LOVE” & “Good Evening” video, how do you decide which videos to appear in?
Murda Beatz: With “Good Evening” we just all had this vibe that the song was amazing so we all just went to Malibu and shot it. And with “LOVE” I got Trippie on it and knew it was gonna be a single so we had to shoot a video for it. We came up with a little wedding idea with my boy Jermaine and then we shot the video. It was a lot of fun, I was drinking on set a little bit. Definitely more videos on the way.
The Knockturnal: Where do you draw inspiration from when creating new beats? How do you keep things fresh?
Murda Beatz: The way I be getting inspiration is living life honestly. Life has a lot of ups and downs so that dictates where my music goes. If I’m in a happy mood I’m gonna wanna make some energy, some club, something that’s gonna make everyone turn up, but if I’m feeling kinda moody or sad or it’s raining and cloudy outside I’m gonna make more sad music. I try to make music effortlessly too, I don’t try to spend a lot of time on it because when you start thinking about what you wanna make that’s when creativity stops.
The Knockturnal: You had a crazy year you worked with Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, Teyana Taylor , what was your fave collaboration that dropped in 2020?
Murda: My favorite collab of 2020 was Ariana Grande and Doja Cat, I feel like I showed a new side and the evolution of Murda Beatz in the pop space. The collaboration with Lil Baby was dope, the collaboration I did with Migos, Travis and Young Thug for “Give No FxK” was dope.
The Knockturnal: What have been your top 3 collabs to date?
Murda Beatz: “Butterfly Effect” with me and Travis Scott, Motorsport with Migos, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj and “Nice For What” with Drake, that was big because he got Big Freedia from New Orleans on it and we sampled Lauryn Hill. Ariana as well because it showed a different side of me.
The Knockturnal: Who do you want to collaborate with that you haven’t yet
Murda Beatz: Rihanna, Beyonce, and HOV. I definitely wanna make some music with Normani. I wanna work with SZA, I wanna do more with Ariana.
The Knockturnal: What’s next? When can we expect Murda She Wrote?
Murda Beatz: I definitely got new projects coming soon and I’m working on a new deal right now so a lot of new music dropping really soon. Collaborations on the way. I just dropped a meditation-focused playlist with the Headspace Meditation App. I also dropped these collectibles called Baby Murda exclusively available on the Network App. You never know what I’m gonna do next.
Photo Credit: Bryan Chong
