RH First Look // SMKA Interview

We got together with one of our favorite blogs (RH) for an in depth interview.

We kick off the week by stepping into the science lab of the Atlanta production outfit, SMKA. The crew’s 2009 808 Experiment Vol. 1 was named one of the city’s best mixtapes by Creative Loafing, and with the recent 2010 release of Vol. 2, they’ve upped the ante. The new project features tracks with rising stars such as Yelawolf, Outasight, Aleon Craft, and many more. We put them under the First Look microscope and dig into the specifics of the science.

RubyHornet: We’re taught in science class that an experiment starts with a hypothesis, something to investigate… When you guys first put on your lab coats, what was the hypothesis?

SMKA: Too funny, we were talking about that the other day. Let’s put it this way…our studio has a bunch of Bunsen burners, schematics, blue prints and test tubes. SMKA Hypothesis = If you put talented artists together, they will eventually make beautiful music. The more talented people you have, the better.

RubyHornet: So the controlled variables were the production talents of SMKA. How did you go about picking the independent variables?

SMKA: It was a combination of things. No two songs are created equally. Some of the artists on the project reached out to us, and we found a song for them to hop on. Other artists we wanted to get on the project, so we would find production that would best fit their sound & style. We also had some tracks we knew we wanted on the project, so we would reach out to artists that we felt would sound best on that track. The artists are what make the production into a beautiful song, so it’s very important for us to find the right artists for each track. Which is why we have such a diverse group of talent, that are all in different stages of their career. But when you have one year to put a project together, all types of crazy stuff happens.

RubyHornet: Did the success of the first 808 Experiment make the second one easier as far as getting artists, promotion etc?

SMKA: One Word: YES. Vol 1, was our first project EVER. No one had EVER heard of SMKA. After the success of Vol 1 artists could see that not only is the music we produce really good, but they could also begin to see our vision for SMKA and the 808 experiment series. People want to be a part of something special & professional…and the 808 experiment is just that. Towards the end of Vol 2, we were getting hit up at least once a day by an artist looking to get on the project. Now that Vol. 2 is out, I imagine Vol. 3 will be that much easier. Media outlets have also caught on. Vol 1 didn’t have a very big online blog presence, but grew organically through people who LOVED the project. It became a cult favorite and the fan base just grew and grew. The first big look was a full-page article in Creative Loafing. Now, the work we do gets picked up by blogs and media outlets fairly quickly.

FULL INTERVIEW HERE