Music
UK producer Menace shows us his almost-foolproof guide to getting Yeezy’s attention.
Say what you want about Kanye West – and people do – but you can’t deny that this is a man who will seize inspiration wherever he finds it.
Yeezus, his sixth studio album, contained beats from leftfield UK producers like Evian Christ and Hudson Mohawke. And last week it was revealed that one of the beats on his new LP, The Life Of Pablo, a track titled Father Stretch My Hands Part 2, was in fact based on a production by Adnan Khan, aka Menace, a 22-year-old mobile phone repairman from Rochdale, in north-west England.
It was big news for Addy, who only heard the news a couple of days before Pablo dropped.
"It just blew up overnight," he says. "All these magazines, media outlets – everyone just wanted to know who was behind it. Recently Rochdale has been in the media for all the wrong reasons, so it’s nice to be able to put it on the map for something positive."
In the future, he says, he’d like to hear Jay-Z on one of his tracks – not out of the realms of possibility, especially as it’s just been reported he’s signing to Kanye’s G.O.O.D Music stable.
Here are his essential tips for how to get yourself noticed.
1. Learn your craft “I’ve been producing for 10 years now, but it was never a serious thing,” says Addy. “It’s only the past few years I’ve been taking it seriously.” His favourite producers, he says, are Dr Dre and Scott Storch, the Long Island producer who has made beats for 50 Cent, The Game, TI and many more. Addy also taught himself piano, meaning that instead of sampling, he plays his own melodies. “I don’t use an MPC or anything – it’s my computer, a keyboard and a synthesizer.”
2. Build a website Addy says he sold his first beat a couple of years ago. “A guy contacted me on YouTube, said ‘I want to buy this beat.’ So I started a PayPal account. The same day I got paid, so I thought: ‘This is something I can really benefit from.’” Subsequently, Addy built a detailed website which offers up his tracks for sale with different terms of lease, from Basic Lease (US$30 gets you a high-quality MP3 file, but Addy retains full rights and production credits) to Exclusive Rights ($200 gives you a wav file and unlimited commercial usage). Now, he says, he’s sold “hundreds” of beats, and other big-name artists like Meek Mill have appeared on his tracks.
3. Make a name for yourself on social media Even in the internet age, the classic hustle is still important. “Obviously it’s all about word of mouth,” says Addy. His music came to the attention of Kanye indirectly. Last year, the rising Brooklyn rapper Desiigner surfed into the Menace website and purchased the beat under Exclusive Rights terms, recording it as Panda. When Desiigner signed to Kanye’s G.O.O.D Music, he brought the beat with him – and that’s how it fell into Kanye's hands.
4. Take care with your publishing Publishing is a complex and little-understood part of the music business, but it’s also crucial. Music publishers will place your tracks, sort out awkward things like copyright and bookkeeping, and get you paid. However, if Addy had sold his publishing in advance, under his Exclusive Rights terms he wouldn’t have seen a cent. “I’ve still got my publishing rights to the track, so that’s going to land me a bit of money,” he says. Now, though, he’s in a strong position to negotiate a good publishing deal: “I’ve got management and I‘ve got a lawyer, who’s shopping around for a publishing deal right now.”
5. Work hard Well, obviously. Right now, Addy is still holding down his job as a mobile phone repairman. “But when I get in from work, I produce… I’m producing all night sometimes. I’m just watching stuff blow up right now – hopefully this will pave the way for more stuff in the future so I can concentrate on music full-time.”
Check out Menace's website at officialmenace.com.
Want to discover a world of new music? Like our Facebook page.