Producer Ski Talks Working With Jay-Z, "His Next Album, I'm Gonna Hit Him With Some Joints"
Friday - April 6, 2007 by Carl Chery
After years on hiatus, longtime Jay-Z collaborator Ski Beatz is creeping out of obscurity and ready to work.
Ski's name pales in comparison to his resume. To date, the North Carolina-based producer has produced a series of Jay-Z classics, including, "Feelin It," "Dead Presidents" and "Streets Is Watching." In addition to his work with Hov, Ski has made his mark with Bronx, NY duo Camp-Lo ("Luchini") and Cinematographic group, Sporty Thieves ("Cheapskate"). Still, Ski is relatively unknown to this day. And that's just how he planned it.
"I guess that wasn't really my aim. I wasn't really trying to be a big producer, I was just making music cause I love to make music," Ski told SOHH exclusively. "I wasn't really trying to be a Pharrell or a Timbaland at the time. That wasn't really my main objective. I just wanted to hear hot raps over my beats."
After contributing to Jigga's first two albums, Reasonable Doubt and In My Lifetime Vol.1, Ski seemingly vanished from the Roc-A-Fella fold. The producer asserts that it was once again his doing.
"I guess I'm a crazy dude," Ski offered. "It wasn't nothing personal, I'm more of a ...I gotta do my own thing kinda guy."
"My own thing" included relocating back to North Carolina after years in New York City. But after a substantial break from the record business, Ski is looking to work again. He has recently placed beats on Jean Grae and Serius Jones' forthcoming projects and is presently working with Disturbing Tha Peace's Shareefa. Ski also bets that a recent call from the Roc means he'll soon be recording with Jay again.
"When I hear certain songs that he did, you know, I'm thinking like, 'damn, I could have gave him something that was a little more Jay," Ski explained. "But it's ill because when I saw Jay right before the Reasonable Doubt concert, I was in the studio with him and I was like, 'I wanna hear that Hov, Reasonable Doubt feel.' And then he made a valid point. He said , 'well Ski, we ain't living like that no more. And it's kinda hard to get back into that zone.'"
"His next album, I'm gonna hit him with some joints," he continued. "He's gonna love them and do his thing with them."
For more information on Ski Beatz, log onto
www.myspace.com/skibeatz. Ski Beatz's Beats, Rhymes & Samples, his mixtape is also available for free online now. [Download Below:]
http://www.zshare.net/download/beatz-rhymes-samples-ski-beatz-rar.html
-Ballerstatus
