The SMKA Experience » interview

Murder He Wrote: 10 The Hard Way w/ SMKA

SMKA — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:25:44 +0000

DAMN… this dude Gavin can write his ass off!!! And he is finally taking it upon himself to start his blog back up. CNN by day, Super Writer by night… follow his blog at Murder He Wrote

Enjoy the 10 questions and answers from Mike & 808 Blake….

READ WHOLE ARTICLE HERE

It’s a rainy Thursday afternoon in Atlanta and Mike Walbert is sporting a nice shiner on his right eye, while lounging in the SMKA studio. To his right, partner-in-crime and production wunderkind 808 Blake is Facebook stalking. Believe it or not, this is as slow as the days get for the two high school best friends and business partners who four years ago decided — at a Chick-fil-a — to showcase 808′s production talents via a lending them to other up and coming artists in the Atlanta scene.

A few months after that fast food pow wow, l was living in Chicago and got a call from 808, along with Mike and their third co-founder 7King. They had an idea of putting together what they would call, “The SMKA Experiment Vol. I”,” an album featuring artists from all over the ATL, but produced mostly by 808 and 7King. The fellas asked for my help in finding some new names and others they might not have heard of quite yet to collab with for the project.

In the 1,460 some odd days since those conversations we all grew up. And by grew up I mean I got balder, slimmer and landed a corporate J-O-B. As for SMKA, their own growth has been undeniable and the fabric that ties their city’s Hip-Hop community together has in some ways been single-handily made tighter and stronger by these guys.

They’ve managed to produce two more “Experiments,” (fourth one on the way) collab’d with everyone from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to George Clinton and they do it all out of the guest house at Mikes’ parents crib. Oh, and they sure as hell didn’t need me for any more artists recommendations because they were all going out of their way to find SMKA. I could go on for days about 808 and Mike, (who once went with the last name Walberg instead of his actual “Walbert”) but as they would tell you the music does most of the talking.

READ WHOLE ARTICLE HERE

AOL City’s Best – “SMKA Celebrates 2-Year Anniversary at Star Bar” Star Watson at AOL’s City’s Best reached out to us...
[Creative Loafing] SMKA and Royal Flush flaunted Stankonia Sessions … at Stankonia (Grooveshark) The challenge, from October 6 to 8, kidnap 20 MCs...
Eidé-Setter Exculsive: SMKA Atlanta production team SMKA –founders Blake German and Mike Walbert–...

Eidé-Setter Exculsive: SMKA

SMKA — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:02:57 +0000

Atlanta production team SMKA –founders Blake German and Mike Walbert– carved out a place in hip-hop by doing the exact opposite of defining its sound… (just a teaser)

Read the whole article HERE

Thanks to all the good folks at Eide!

AOL City’s Best – “SMKA Celebrates 2-Year Anniversary at Star Bar” Star Watson at AOL’s City’s Best reached out to us...
Atlanta INtown – The Sound of Intown: SMKA FULL ARTICLE HERE (NOTE: This article is somewhat miss leading....
Meet The Men of ESPERANZA // Scoutmob Press We have recently joined FORCES with Esperanza to build the...

[Video] Jarren Benton – On Da Spot & Interview w/ DJ Green Lantern (Invasion on Hip-Hop Nation)

SMKA — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:45:51 +0000

Thanks to DJ Green Lantern for having Jarren Benton on the show…

“on some left of the left, lefter than left…I fuck with this kid” – DJ Green Lantern

Freebasing With Kevin Bacon (Coming Soon)

Follow
jarrenbenton.tumblr.com
http://twitter.com/jarrenbenton
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jarren-Benton/184596911617878

“Shut Up Bitch”

[Music Video] Jarren Benton – “Shut Up Bitch” (Prod. Kato) This is the Official Music Video for “Shut Up Bitch”...
Jarren Benton – “Shut Up Bitch” (Prod. Kato) off Freebasing With Kevin Bacon [Feb 2012] Jarren Benton – Shut Up Bitch (Prod. Kato) by SMKA...
[Live Video] Jarren Benton ft. Tom P – “Fuck That Shit They Drinkin” This is the FIRST of many videos and pictures coming...

Aleon Craft’s Top 5 Funkiest Moments from George Clinton (Refined Hype)

SMKA — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:32:55 +0000

In preparation for Mothership: The Decatur Connection w/ George Clinton, Aleon Craft talks about his top 5 funkiest moments from George Clinton. (LINK)

“Most of us will never get the chance to work with our heroes, but for his upcoming album “Mothership: The Decatur Connection”, hip-hop/funk artist Aleon Craft has joined forces with funk legend George Clinton. Consisting both of original recordings from Craft and Clinton, along with blends, of Parliament Funkadelic’s catalog and Aleon’s “Mothership Decatur” album, “Mothership: The Decatur Connection” is due to drop on December 20.

In order to get the populace properly prepared, Aleon Craft offers up the Five Funkiest Moments from George Clinton that inspired him to pursue a life of musical funk. Enjoy, and for music and video from “Mothership: The Decatur Connection”, along with information on Clinton’s groundbreaking copyright lawsuit, click here.” - Redefined Hype

TOP 5 funkiest moments from George Clinton on Refined Hype (LINK)

Craft also recent linked up with Frank151 for a discussion. Check it out HERE

PRESS RELEASE: Aleon Craft Announces a Collaboration Project with George Clinton, “Mothership: The Decatur Connection” to be Released in 2011 & MP3: “Donkey Kong” (Atlanta, GA – Sept 28, 2011) Mothership: The Decatur Connection...
[Video] Aleon Craft x George Clinton – “Make It Out” off Mothership: The Decatur Connection (Dec 20) We are proud to announce the release date for Mothership:...
Aleon Craft & George Clinton – “Places To Fly” off Mothership: The Decatur Connection (12/20) Mothership: The Decatur Connection is being released during a crucial...

[Video] Andrew Noz Interview Clams Casino for RedBull Music Academy

SMKA — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:53:24 +0000

Props to Clams Casino. We respect his work ethic and skill.

From the comfort of his New Jersey bedroom, 23-year-old producer Clams Casino turns out beats for a dizzying array of rappers like Lil B, Soulja Boy, A$AP Rocky, Mac Miller, and Havoc of Mobb Deep. His reverb-heavy, ethereal productions have earned him a cult following amongst the music blog community, and his recent instrumental release on the Tri Angle label has only solidified his status as one to watch in this omnipresent Internet age. In this sessions he talks beats, business, and his take on sound quality in the digital age, with Noz of Cocaine Blunts.

Affix Music: Featured Music Provider = SMKA (w/ Interview) ABOUT AFFIX Affix Music—Urban music licensing made easy Affix Music...
RH First Look // SMKA Interview FULL INTERVIEW HERE We got together with one of our...
Alex Goose Interview The talented Alex Goose recently sat down to talk with...

[Video] SMKA & Royal Flush Discuss Stankonia Sessions at A3C

SMKA — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:52:04 +0000

thanks to Inspire Mag for coming through

Last night, SMKA and Royal Flush hosted a listening session at Stankonia Studios for their compilation, Stankonia Sessions A3C Edition. After listening, they discussed in-depth how the idea came about and how they brought everyone together over three straight days of recording. The project includes 9th Wonder, Killer Mike, Ying Yang Twins, Freeway, Aleon Craft, Fashawn, Thurzday, Rapsody, and many more. I heard the album myself last night and its a very dope album. This is definitely not the typical compilation with a bunch of songs thrown together. The album however does span across every subject matter from Bitches & Drugs to Heaven’s Door. You can stream/listen to the album HERE

Grooveshark Presents… Stankonia Sessions: A3C Edition – Hosted by SMKA & Royal Flush Grooveshark Presents… Stankonia Sessions: A3C Edition – Hosted by SMKA...
“The Journey” ft. Young Scolla, Rapper Big Pooh & Freeway (Prod. Royal Flush & Marc Real) off Stankonia Sessions [Nov 16] Time flies when you are dropping new music every day,...
[Creative Loafing] SMKA and Royal Flush flaunted Stankonia Sessions … at Stankonia (Grooveshark) The challenge, from October 6 to 8, kidnap 20 MCs...

[Exclusive Video Interview] Duck Down’s Dru Ha Reports on the State of NYC Hip-Hop

SMKA — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:34:27 +0000

As part of DJBooth and SMKA‘s new The Report series, DJBoothTV sat down for an exclusive interview with legendary Duck Down Records founder Dru Ha to discuss the current state, and evolution, of east coast hip-hop.

Download The Report Vol. 1 mixtape, sponsored by Beat Kang, for free stream and download.

Shot, directed and edited by GoodFella Media.

“Maybe some of the new artists coming through feel pressure to fit in with that [mainstream] sound, instead of what we remember as the classic New York sound. But I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, it’s just a sign of the times.” – Dru Ha

[Video] Exclusive Aleon Craft A3C Interview w/ DJbooth.net Atlanta, Ga. — Last weekend, many of hip-hop’s hottest emerging...
VIDEO // Exclusive Pill Freestyle presented by SMKA A couple weeks ago we shoot videos for The 808...
The Canz // DJ Booth Exclusive Interview The homies and collaborators “The Canz” recently sat down with...

[Video] Fat Tony Live & Interview

SMKA — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:42:49 +0000

This is a cool piece put together for Fat Tony. Tony was one of the first artists we worked with from outside of ATL and he embodies the grind and love for hip-hop that I wish every artist had. Check out the video.

GFC ft. Fat Tony – “Around in Two Weeks” New track out with the homie Fat Tony, from Houston....
[Album] Fat Tony – SCREWDARGAB (OG Ron C) New Chopped & Screwed Ish from the homie Fat Tony...
Pill Interview [Video] One of the coolest dudes in hip-hop and a friend...

[Video] Jack Preston talks with 3 Little Digs about being on The 808 Experiment: Vol 3

SMKA — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:11:34 +0000

Watch as producer/emcee & singer/songwriter Jack Preston talks about his collaboration off of SMKA’s latest project, “The 808 Experiment Vol. 3″

We were excited to have Jack Preston on the project this year, and enjoy working with new & talented artists in the Atlanta scene. Jack is much more than an MC, and provides a very musical approach to the process. Jack and 808 Blake worked closely in the studio to make “Mechanical Love” come about.

Mechanical Love (Prod. SMKA) by SMKA

Jack Preston – The Trouble Man Album Release 11/9/10 @ The SoundTable Jack Preston puts on a great live show… therefor we...
[Video] Young Lyxx spits a verse in the SMKA cypher (Dir. 3LittleDigs) The California native grabs the microphone and spits a verse...
[Video] Aleon Craft discuss The 808 Experiment: Vol 3 w/ 3 Little Digs Aleon Craft discussed how he became to be apart of...

iStandard Exclusive Audio iNterview w/ Mike Walbert of SMKA Productions

SMKA — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:35:09 +0000

iStandardProducers.com corresponding reporter Derrick “Drawzilla” Carter recently got the chance to chop it up with “Mike Walbert of SMKA Productions”. Listen to him break down the importance of school and networking, the power of branding, management, building a strong team, and the future of SMKA and more.

Link to iStandard

SMKA Int by Frankie P

iStandard Producers @ A3C: 2-Night Producer Battle W/ Don Cannon, J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, Tha Bizness New Announcement from A3C Festival 2009… “For those who missed...
Mike Walbert Mike Walbert is an entrepreneur, and the Business Manager of...
Mike Walbert (of SMKA & A3C Artist Director) talkes with Creative Loafing about A3C Chante Lagon and Chad Radford talk with SMKA co-owner Mike...