On this episode of ‘Vibe Check,’ host Jian DeLeon chats with Shane Lindstrom, better known as Murda Beatz, a multi-platinum record producer who’s created hit singles with Travis Scott, Gucci Mane, Drake, Migos, and many more award-winning artists. To keep the momentum going this month, he released two new records and his first drum kit sample pack.
Quarantine life has been the same work from home routine as usual for Shane, just heightened to a daily basis. Without outside distractions, artists have either been uninspired or motivated. Shane identifies with the latter, focusing on all things music including his upcoming singles. His latest project is what he refers to as the “MTV of gaming”: Players Ntwrk, a group of artists, producers, and athletes who stream their gameplay while connecting with fans. Shane shares some of his favorite games at the moment that are more than likely to make an appearance on Players Ntwrk (4:30).
Jian introduces Shane to the world of Animal Crossing where players have been designing clothing and reimagining real world merch and apparel in a 2D universe. This certainly speaks to Shane who enjoys the sense of community that comes with being both a producer and a gamer. The pandemic has also provided Shane an opportunity to work with a greater variety of artists while revisiting old practices. While working at home, Shane just might release some new gaming beats (6:50).
Recently, he released a Quarantine Pack with music production platform Splice, consisting of a drum kit that’s perfect for newly initiated beat makers (9:00).
The below interview is a transcribed version of ‘Vibe Check.’ It has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Jian DeLeon: It’s a time where people are taking on new hobbies. So as a producer, talk to me about how you want to inspire other people to start to get into the game and figure out what their voice sounds like when they sort of try to use these beats and make their own beats.
Murda Beatz: So like the first day of quarantine, I was like, man, this would be a great time for me to drop a drum kit and my first drum kit ever. So I dropped it with Splice. I partnered up with them, we did it, we released it, and it was a huge success. It had 600,000 downloads in the first week and it was like a crazy success. The thing is when I started making music, the go-to thing, the first thing I needed to get was like a Lex Luger drum kit and all these starter kits where I want this to kind of be like a starter kit. I want the new kid that starts making beats to be like, ‘Boy, you need to go get that Murda Beatz drum kit.”
Shane anticipates that his kit will be recycled, recreated, and retouched. But he’s also constantly on the lookout for new talent, and possibly his next collaborator. For a chance at that, Shane advises new producers to “be creative and don’t get caught up in politics.”
Stay tuned for new episodes of ‘Vibe Check’ dropping every Tuesday and Thursday.