Emile Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records

Although he's best known for being Cudi's producer, Emile shared stories about working with everyone from Eminem to Lil Wayne to Lana Del Rey and many more.

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For a producer who’s just starting to get the recognition he deserves, Emile has quite an impressive resume. Originally from Buffalo, New York, Emile Haynie got his first break after handing off a beat CD to Proof (RIP), and from there, his career took off in all directions.

Not only did he start producing for various members of Eminem’s Detroit camp (eventually landing a song on Em’s latest album Recovery), but he was also putting in work back in New York City with legendary rappers like Ghostface Killah, M.O.P., and AZ.

During the late 2000s, his career flourished, getting song placements on albums by Ice Cube and Slaughterhouse, and producing mixtape and album tracks for a rising star by the name of Kid Cudi.

This connection led to his being a co-producer on one of the biggest singles of 2010, Kanye West’s “Runaway,” a song that was spawned by a beat he played for ‘Ye while he was in Hawaii working with Cudi on Man on the Moon II.

Having started primarily as a sample-driven hip-hop producer, Emile has expanded his repertoire, producing for the hottest new songstress in the blogosphere, Lana Del Rey, as well as the pop hop powerhouse Gym Class Heroes. And he’s still doing his thing with the rap elite (check for “Novacane” on Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV) and even lacing newcomers like Action Bronson.

So before Emile gets too big to do interviews (we keeed!), Complex reached out to him so he could break down the stories behind all his classic records. He was more than hospitable, inviting us into his brand new, luxurious, art-filled studio in Manhattan’s Chelsea District to share tales about co-producing his first major-label release with Eminem, getting clowned for being white by M.O.P., and having DJ Premier do scratches on one of his songs.

Plus much more, including the unbelievable story behind his favorite song he ever did (it was with Proof), and how The RZA co-signed his production on Kid Cudi’s “Mr. Rager.” We have a feeling that this is just the beginning of a very prominent career for Emile.

As told to Daniel Isenberg (@stanipcus) & Joe La Puma (@JLaPuma).

Cormega "Introspective" (2002)

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Cormega "Introspective" (2002)

Album: The True Meaning

Label: Legal Hustle

Emile: “Before I met ‘Mega, Big Daddy Kane got a hold of my beat CD. I was cutting a record with Kane, so he brought me to D&D [which was how I first started going up there]. This was still ‘Golden Age’ era D&D, so it would be like M.O.P., Premier, Guru, Boot Camp, and all these guys in these sessions floating around. I was hustling beats. If I saw a rapper, it was like, ‘Here, listen to my stuff.’

“I met ‘Mega at D&D Studios. ‘Mega was one of the first dudes I actually got a beat CD to. He got a hold of my beat CD and recorded it. I wasn’t with him when [he made the song].

“But it started this relationship with him where we went on to cut a bunch more records. We didn’t really get to know each other until the next album. That’s when I started going and doing sessions with him. It was cool because he was coming off an underground classic with The Realness, and the fact that he set off his next album with my beat was dope.”

Obie Trice "Don't Come Down" (2003)

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Obie Trice "Don't Come Down" (2003)

Album: Cheers

Label: Shady/Interscope

Emile: “That was really my first time doing a beat for a big artist on a label. I was still living in my mom’s basement making beats on the ASR. That one, I’m in the studio in Detroit, working with this big, new artist on a major label.

“It was actually Proof who I have to give credit for starting my career. Proof came to New York, I bumped into him, and I gave him a beat CD. It was one of these, ‘Here’s some beats, thanks, see ya later,’ type of things.


 

Proof brought me out to Detroit because he was working on his album—but he was the kind of dude that if he liked your stuff, he would try and let everyone who he worked with hear it, and put the pieces together. That was just his thing.


 

He called me the next day and was like, ‘I’m back in Detroit, I took the tour bus home last night because it was the last stop on the tour. I listened to your beats the entire way. Get on a plane right now. Like, today.’

“Proof brought me out there because he was working on his album—but he was the kind of dude that if he liked your stuff, he would try and let everyone who he worked with hear it, and put the pieces together. That was just his thing.

“He brought me to this house that they all used to hang out at. All these D12 guys and Obie and Proof were in this crib and they were all listening to my stuff. Obie was there and he was sitting on the floor in front of the stereo with my beat CD on writing to it. I was like, ‘Holy shit.’ And Proof was like, ‘Yeah, I played him your shit. He likes it. He’s fucking with this one beat.’

“Obie was like, ‘I’m going to the studio tonight to record this, you should come through.’ So Proof brought me to Eminem’s studio that night. Em is my favorite rapper ever. Period. Still is. And this was right around when 8 Mile was filming, so he was coming off The Eminem Show, and he was my favorite and like, the world’s favorite.

“So here I am in the studio. Obie had one room, Em had the other room, and Proof brought me in and introduced me to Marshall and I was just tripping. Like, I was just in my mother’s basement the day before.


 

Em fucking did the drums over, put in strings, and all these amazing guitars and pianos in it. I remember I sent Em the vinyl I used and he sampled some other shit from the vinyl. He just showed me what a producer is. Like, ‘Holy shit, this is a fucking record now!’


 

“I co-produced it with Em, and it’s pretty nuts how much Em did. I was just using an SP-1200 and an ASR. It was this dirty sample and some drums from an SP-1200. It wasn’t intricate in any way. Obie cut to that version.

“Em came in and heard it and was like, ‘Yeah, I want to add some shit to this.’ He just took it and made it into this giant record. I learned so much about doing beats from that. If you heard my beat [Laughs.], it was cool but it was just a kick, a snare, a hi-hat, a sample, and a bass line.

“Em fucking did the drums over, put in strings, and all these amazing guitars and pianos in it. I remember I sent Em the vinyl I used and he sampled some other shit from the vinyl. He just showed me what a producer is. Like, ‘Holy shit, this is a fucking record now!’

“I had the core of the beat, it was like a 6.5. Em made it a 10. The difference in what he did and the sounds that he put in, and the way he made it so cinematic, that was all Em. I learned a lot from him. He’s an amazing producer.

“It’s a really special song to me. It started my relationship with Obie and my first release on a major label was co-produced with Eminem—the biggest rapper and my personal favorite. It was unbelievable. Talk about a starting point.”

Obie Trice "Hoodrats" (2003)

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Obie Trice "Hoodrats" (2003)

Album: Cheers

Label: Shady/Interscope

Emile:“That’s when I had gotten to know Obie and was starting to send him stuff. I sent him a beat and I was really proud of it because I didn’t use any samples. I was just figuring out how to use keyboards and stuff. It was kind of a fake Neptunes-y kind of beat.


 

It was kind of a fake Neptunes-y kind of beat.


 

“Obie killed it and Em added some stuff to that too, like all the keys on the chorus and that kind of shit. I look at ‘Don’t Come Down’ as a masterpiece, but ‘Hoodrats’ was just like a dope, fun kind of song.

“[Obie’s Cheers was] an incredible album. The beats that Dre was doing on that album were retarded, like ‘The Set Up.’ And the Em beats were incredible. Timbaland did incredible beats. It was just a monster of an album to be on.”

Ghostface Killah “Struggle” (2003)

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Ghostface Killah “Struggle” (2003)

Album: N/A

Label: N/A

Emile:“My relationship with Ghost came through Plain Pat. I knew Pat through C-Rayz Walz, who was this artist that Pat was working with. Then Pat got a job as an A&R at Def Jam, so the Ghostface project and The Roots project were two of his things. I would send Pat beats and he would give them to Ghost.


 

I remember getting a call from Ghostface from some crazy number. My phone rings and I’m like, ‘Hello?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s Starks.’ And I’m like [Laughs.], ‘Okay.’ The beat CD I gave him had ten beats, he played me nine beats and was like, ‘I want all of those.’


 

“I remember getting a call from Ghostface from some crazy number. My phone rings and I’m like, ‘Hello?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s Starks.’ And I’m like [Laughs.], ‘Okay.’ He’s like, ‘I got your beats, I wanna use your beats.’

“Ghost is one of my favorite rappers. I’m sitting there on the phone with him and the beat CD I gave him had ten beats, he played me nine beats and was like, ‘I want all of those.’ Obviously he didn’t use all nine, but he did use two.

“One of them leaked, which was ‘Struggle.’ He did this great song to this amazing beat but he didn’t put it on the album. He used the beat and did a Kay Slay freestyle and put it out. It’s not like a swing and a miss, but it’s like, ‘Foul ball!’ It wasn’t a home run. [Laughs.] It was like the sacrifice fly of records.”

Ghostface Killah "Intro" (2004)

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Ghostface Killah "Intro" (2004)

Album: The Pretty Toney Album

Label: Def Jam

Emile: “That was just a producer’s nightmare. [Laughs.] I made this fucking beat and the beat was incredible. I remember thinking, ‘This is so perfect for Ghost.’ Like, he’s gonna make this amazing album song over it.


 

Ghost called me and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I did it, but it’s the intro.’ I was like, ‘Can I hear it?’ So he sent it back to me, and it’s my beat that I thought was a masterpiece, ran through like some fucked-up filter, with Ghost just like talking on it for like forty seconds.


 

“Ghost called me—he used to call me and shit. And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I did it, but it’s the intro.’ I was like, ‘Can I hear it?’ So he sent it back to me, and it’s my beat that I thought was a masterpiece, ran through like some fucked-up filter, with Ghost just like talking on it for like forty seconds [Laughs.].

“I was like, ‘Dude, can you just do sixteen bars on it and we’ll put it on a mixtape or something? I just want to hear you rap on this beat.’ And he was like, ‘Nah G. This is starting off the album.’ So now I’m like the intro guy. I did the Cormega intro and now I got this Ghostface intro. That beat knocks, I don’t know what he put on it [with that interview intro]. I guess that’s the genius of Toney Starks.”

The Roots “Pity The Child” (2004)

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The Roots “Pity The Child” (2004)

Album: N/A

Label: N/A

Emile:“Plain Pat was A&R’ing The Roots album and they really didn’t fuck with outside producers, other than Scott Storch who did that one single, but he was sort of affiliated. So it was a big deal that I had this Roots song and I was an unknown producer.


 

At the 11th hour, Black Thought decided that he didn’t want to put that into the universe. He maybe felt like he was exploiting [his family]. I don’t know. He wasn’t comfortable putting what he was saying on the record.


 

“The song was really dope. It was actually a beat that I tried to make for Em, but he wasn’t into it. So I sent it to Pat and he gave it to Black Thought. It actually sounded like a good Roots song. Black Thought wrote about some real family stuff that had to do with both of his parents passing. It was a heavy song.

“It was cut and done and ?uestlove had Larry Gold do the strings on it, which was amazing because Larry now does all my strings. It was a big, epic record, with a big drum break on it.

“And I guess at the 11th hour, Black Thought decided that he didn’t want to put that into the universe. He maybe felt like he was exploiting it. I don’t know. He wasn’t comfortable putting what he was saying on the record.

“It leaked, but I don’t know [if he was pissed off]. A weird version of it leaked, some Beatles blend thing, But I have the real song [for Complex]. It’s a great song, but another one of those that was almost there.”

Cormega f/ M.O.P. "Let It Go" (2004)

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Cormega f/ M.O.P. "Let It Go" (2004)

Album: Legal Hustle

Label: Koch

Emile: “That was done at Quad Studios. M.O.P. and Cormega agreed to do a song together. Cormega called me for the beat. I knew M.O.P. because I had done some stuff with them that never come out. But that was my first session with those guys. I remember going to the session and it was ‘Mega, a bunch of his dudes, M.O.P., and like twenty-seven of their dudes in a small studio room.

“My illest memory of that was just how incredible M.O.P. did their vocals. They sit there, and the beat’s blasting, everybody’s drinking really hard, and there’s no communication. They don’t sit and write the raps together. They don’t plan the shit.


 

M.O.P. had jokes. Fame’s big thing was that I had a black dude locked up somewhere making the beats and I was stealing all his shit. He’d be like, ‘I know you’re not making these. What black dude do you have locked up making all the beats that you’re stealing the credit for, whiteboy?’


 

“But when it came time to record, [Billy] Danze would be like, ‘Okay, turn on the mic.’ And he would go in the booth and say his rap, but leave all these spaces. And I was like, ‘Why is he leaving all these spaces? Is he gonna do an ad-lib track? This is kinda weird.’

“Lil’ Fame goes in after and fills in the gaps, flawlessly. They’re like one person. They didn’t talk about it, they just did it, without even discussing it. Totally shit-face drunk, partying, and they just go in and nail it without even thinking about it. It’s just like second nature to them.

“M.O.P. is my favorite rap duo of all time. I would sit and listen to their ad-libs. Their verses are insane on that record. I always thought Danze was one of my favorite MCs ever. Everybody loves M.O.P. and what they do and their energy, but if you listen to their lyrics, especially Danze’s lyrics and the way he raps and writes, he’s really good and mad funny. That’s the thing about M.O.P. It’s the most violent music ever, but it’s hilarious.

“Their sessions are no fucking joke. That was a real-deal session. You’re gonna get clowned on like a motherfucker. They had so many white jokes for me. I was making these hard beats, but I would show up at the studio and I was this white dude. And this was before there was a million white producers. They would make fun of me so hard for being white!

“They had jokes. Fame’s big thing was that I had a black dude locked up somewhere making the beats and I was stealing all his shit. He’d be like, ‘I know you’re not making these. What black dude do you have locked up making all the beats that you’re stealing the credit for, whiteboy?’ They’re just fun as hell to hang out with and work with. You just start drinking and talk shit.”

Proof "Clap wit Me" (2005)

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Proof "Clap wit Me" (2005)

Album: Searching for Jerry Garcia

Label: Iron Fist

Emile: “That was the first song that me and Proof did. The shit with Proof was deep. It was more than just getting in the studio and cutting a song. If Proof brought you to Detroit, you’re rolling with him.

“I stayed at his crib, we hung out for the entire time, we ate every meal together. We would drive around listening to my beats and come up with ideas. He was just really special and welcoming.


 

I was somebody he didn’t know at all. Proof just brought you in and treated you like family. I remember the first or second time I went out there to work with him, it was Thanksgiving, and I had Thanksgiving dinner with his whole family. He would just open his door for you.


 

“I was somebody he didn’t know at all, and he just brought you in and treated you like family. I remember the first or second time I went out there to work with him, it was Thanksgiving, and I had Thanksgiving dinner with his whole family. He would just open his door for you.

“I was pretty psyched because he said my name right in between 50 Cent and Eminem’s name. I was like, ‘Wow, I just got my name mentioned between Eminem and 50 on a song.’ That shit blew my mind.

“The sample was from a 45 by this group Brief Encounter. It’s a really rare record from a soul group from the 70’s. If you try to find the album, you’re gonna spend $1,000 or up to buy it. We tried to clear the sample but we just couldn’t find them. The shit was an extremely independent, rare soul album.

“In one of the newer issues of Wax Poetics, they were complaining about that song, that we didn’t clear it with them. One of the original members of the band was like, ‘We’re down with sampling, just make sure you clear the music with us.’ We wanted to clear it, but we just didn’t have any means to find them.

“The late Proof’s label would’ve cleared it, but we couldn’t. So we just put it out. They never came after us and Proof passed away. It was like, ‘Sorry we didn’t clear, it Brief Encounter. We tried.’”

Proof "Kurt Kobain" (2005)

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Proof "Kurt Kobain" (2005)

Album: Searching for Jerry Garcia

Label: Iron Fist

Emile: “That’s definitely the most special record I’ve ever done and will ever do. It’s Proof saying goodbye to the world. It’s a really heavy song. The day that we did it, we were driving around in his car listening to my beats, and we kept listening to that one over and over and we were going to see his uncle who was on his death bed. I went to the hospital with him to see his uncle. Like I said, when you went to Detroit to see Proof, you were with Proof.

“I think that might have triggered the theme of that song because we were listening to that beat all day, which is like a sad, somber beat. I think his uncle passed away two days later. And my dad just passed away a couple months before that, so it was like, death was in the air and that was the soundtrack for both of us who were dealing with losses.


 

I went to the hospital with Proof to see his uncle. Like I said, when you went to Detroit to see Proof, you were with Proof.


 

“We spent a lot of time talking about death, losing family members, my dad, and his uncle. So that was the theme, and meanwhile this beat was playing the whole time in the car. It was a heavy day and it made that record happen.

“Two years after Proof passed, I was listening to that song, and for whatever reason, I got inspired to find the sample I used. It was by Lamont Dozier. Proof’s dad was a pretty legendary Detroit musician and producer and performer named McKinley Jackson. He had a band called The Politicians. He produced tons of classic Detroit soul records.

“When we were cutting the song, we brought in a bass player that used to play with Proof’s dad back in the day. And he’s playing bass on the record and he used to play bass on all Proof’s dad’s stuff. He’s like, ‘Man, I know this music. I can’t figure it out, but I know this music.’ It wasn’t a big deal, but he said it a few times. And in Proof’s lyrics he’s talking to his dad on the song.


 

The song that Proof wrote that he speaks to his dad on, that’s kind of a goodbye letter, the music [from the sample] was written and produced by his dad. And we had no fucking idea. This was a total coincidence. Only in hip hop would something like this happen. Like I said, it’s the most special record I’ve ever done and will ever do.


 

“Fast forward to years later, and I’m looking at the record that I sampled, and I look at the credits on the back, and it says, ‘Produced by McKinley Jackson.’ Talk about a moment of getting chills. My jaw hit the fucking floor.

“The song that Proof wrote that he speaks to his dad on, that’s kind of a goodbye letter, the music [from the sample] was written and produced by his dad.

We had no fucking idea. This was a total coincidence. Only in hip hop would something like this happen. Like I said, it’s the most special record I’ve ever done and will ever do.

“I’m sure there’s so many stories like this about Proof, these special stories. That’s the type of dude he was. He was made for these stories. He was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He launched my career and did it because he loved hip-hop and loved stuff that he thought was good. He had no other motives.

“He loved to see his people working on stuff together and liking each other. That was his favorite thing. You don’t meet a lot of people like that. He was just a special dude.”

AZ f/ Raekwon & Ghostface Killah "New York" (2005)

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AZ f/ Raekwon & Ghostface Killah "New York" (2005)

Album: A.W.O.L.

Label: Quiet Money

Emile: “I bit the sample from Wild Style. I was still figuring out how to play keyboards and that was a really easy bass line. AZ called me and said he wanted to do a song about New York and I think I had been listening to the Wild Style Soundtrack, and I was like, ‘Maybe we should re-do that beat.’ And then I’ll put James Brown saying, ‘I was born in New York City’ on it.

”Then it started with Raekwon getting on the album. I knew Raekwon from doing some things with his group Ice Water Inc. and some other shit that didn’t make his album. So Raekwon came to the studio and now I’ve got an AZ and Raekwon song. Next thing you know, Ghostface got on it and I was like, ‘Holy shit! AZ, Raekwon, and Ghostface on my record!’


 

[Premier] has the best cuts in the world I don’t care what anybody says. He’s the freshest. I’ll take his scratches over any of these super-fast technical DJs. His shit, you just can’t duplicate. Premier wouldnt’ve have done cuts on it if he didn’t like it, so that was kind of like me getting a co-sign on the beat from Primo.


 

“The icing on the cake was DJ Premier doing the scratches on the chorus. From being such a big hip-hop fan, having a song with AZ, Rae, and Ghost, and Premier—who’s like the god of all producers to me—it’s pretty amazing.

“[Premier] has the best cuts in the world I don’t care what anybody says. He’s the freshest. I’ll take his scratches over any of these super-fast technical DJs. His shit, you just can’t duplicate. They’re just perfect and they make songs and classic choruses with scratching. To this day, he’s capable of carrying a chorus. That was the stamp of like, ‘This is a banger.’

“Premier wouldnt’ve have done cuts on it if he didn’t like it, so that was kind of like me getting a co-sign on the beat from Primo. That was my hero. I used to sit and copy Premier’s beats. All my first beats were like terrible versions of his beats. I would sample his drums that he would leave open and try to make beats like him.

“It’s not a special beat but it’s a special song. The beat was just kind of good enough to showcase these dudes. It’s just an empty, sparse beat that sets the mood and feels very New York. I listen to it now and I’ll be like, ‘Man, I would’ve made that beat better.’”

Rhymefest f/ Citizen Cope "Bullet" (2006)

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Rhymefest f/ Citizen Cope "Bullet" (2006)

Album: Blue Collar

Label: J Records/Allido

Emile: “That was Mark Ronson’s idea. I bumped into Ronson on 34th Street on my way to Rock and Soul Records. And he was like, ‘Yo, I’m working on this new dude Rhymefest from Chicago who I signed. I’m starting this label, Allido.’ Me and Mark always had a good producer buddy relationship.

“He brought me in and the first record I did was ‘All I Do.’ Mark had this idea of using the Citizen Cope song. He was like, ‘Do you want to try and produce it up?’ And Mark had the relationship with Cope where he went and got the multi-track of the song, so I got to dig into Citizen Cope’s record.


 

I had to go in as the producer and make sense of the genius of Jon Brion, and make it like a hip-hop record without overloading on the synths. You gotta make room for the rapper.


 

“I re-did it a bunch of times. It was really like a community record between me, Mark Ronson, and Rhymefest. And then, they got the idea to get Jon Brion in the mix. And today, Jon Brion’s like my fucking hero. At the time, I was familiar with him just based off of his work with Kanye [on Late Registration], and I knew the Fiona Apple stuff. I didn’t know about the other incredible stuff he’d done.

“I remember going in the studio with Jon Brion out in L.A. and observing. He had all these synths and he’s just a super gear head. He schooled the fuck out of me on old synths. Now I collect all these vintage, analog, old synths. He was like, ‘Why are you using these stupid Triton, Motif, Roland things?’ He had giant Moogs, and crazy synths where you patch everything in. He schooled me to so much shit. He got me into using interesting pre-amps, I mean, he gets it. He’s the man.

“I had to go in as the producer and make sense of the genius of Jon Brion, and make it like a hip-hop record without overloading on the synths. You gotta make room for the rapper. So it was matter of bringing his stuff in to make space for ‘Fest. He played like sixteen tracks of keyboards. I didn’t know how to do that as well then. It was tricky. It was real-deal music, and I was like a sampling dude.

“I wish I could work with him now. I gotta get back in with him [and show him how I’ve progressed] because that’s a big part of my process now. Finding the perfect keyboard to go with the perfect pre-amp to have the perfect setting to catch that perfect sweet spot where it’s two percent warmer than it would’ve been before. He’s the king of that shit. He’s no joke. I was in a little over my head working with him at the time. [Laughs.]”

Obie Trice “Wanna Know” (2006)

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Obie Trice “Wanna Know” (2006)

Album: Second Round’s on Me

Label: Shady/Interscope

Emile:“That was me and Obie starting on the next album after we formed a creative bond from the first LP. It’s kind of a crazy song because it never took off at radio but has managed to have these long legs to this day. I think people just gravitate towards the rock sound applied to hip hop when it’s done tastefully.


 

Obie was trying to send me an mp3. He set the phone down and was banging the shit out of his computer to send it. [Laughs.] He comes back on minutes later after all the ruckus like, ‘I put the CD in the computer where the fuck is the send button?!?’ I ended up getting a CD in the mail a few days later.


 

“It’s a sample from this Detroit band called Power of Zeus, so it was fitting for Obie to rap on it. Pretty classic album for beat heads since it has a huge drum break on it that’s been sampled to death by people like Common, Cypress Hill, and Smif-N-Wessun. But I used a different song. It was really about the vocal sample and what dude was saying.

“I remember sending it to Obie and him calling me back a few hours later super excited, like, ‘I just cut the song—we got something big!’ Then he was trying to send me an mp3, but this wasn’t as common or easy as it is today back then. So he set the phone down and was banging the shit out of his computer to send it. [Laughs.]

“He comes back on minutes later after all the ruckus like, ‘I put the CD in the computer where the fuck is the send button?!?’ I ended up getting a CD in the mail a few days later and knew it was a great record the second he started rapping. The ‘Emile hit ’em’ shout-out at the beginning was dope too.

“I remember his team asking me about who should mix the song and i was like, ‘Uh, can Em do it?’ I don’t know if people really pay attention or whatever, but if you listen to the mixes Em does, they are incredible. He's obviously more known for his rapping and producing but he also has one of the best ears for sonics and mixing I've ever witnessed.

“The song was featured on an episode of Entourage, then it was basically the promo song for the next season. All kinds of licenses [have] come in for film and TV. They even used it like crazy on the Science Channel for some reason. We cleared the sample and it took a lot of the publishing, so there's definitely some relatively unknown psych rock guys hanging out somewhere in Detroit with fat pockets off that one!”

WC f/ Snoop Dogg and Butch Cassidy "Dodgeball" (2007)

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WC f/ Snoop Dogg & Butch Cassidy "Dodgeball" (2007)

Album: Guilty by Affiliation

Label: Lench Mob

Emile: “I love that song! I met Ice Cube and Cube introduced me to WC. I met Cube from a beat I did that was more of a sample-based, New York hip-hop beat. I grew up in Buffalo and we listened to West Coast shit all the time. So I really love the classic, West Coast Fender Rhodes chords and Butch Cassidy choruses. I love that shit.”


 

I was in the room with Cube, WC, and DJ Crazy Toones, and all these legendary West Coast guys. And they were quizzing me like, ‘What’s the best rap group of all time?’ And I was like, ‘Uh, N.W.A.?’ And they were like, ‘Get the fuck out of here! Run-DMC, man!’


 

“They flew me out to L.A. I think they brought me out like, ‘Let’s get this New York guy who makes all these sample-based hip-hop beats.’ I wanted to make some riding-around-with-the-top-down type records. So that was my attempt at making one of those.

“Butch Cassidy is so dope and they put Snoop on it. I was like, ‘Holy shit, I’ve got myself an official West Coast record.’ WC is a legend. I used to listen to WC and the Maad Circle like crazy.

“Hanging out with WC is one of the funnest experiences because he will school the shit out of you on hip-hop, like Gangstarr. He’s really into classic hip-hop and will talk about it for hours and hours.

“I was in the room with Cube, WC, and DJ Crazy Toones, and all these legendary West Coast guys. And they were quizzing me like, ‘What’s the best rap group of all time?’ And I was like, ‘Uh, N.W.A.?’ And they were like, ‘Get the fuck out of here! Run-DMC, man!’

“That shows you where their head is at. Those dudes are just hip-hop dudes, it’s not a coastal thing. They’re into real shit, no matter where it’s from.”

Kid Cudi “Bigger Than You” (2007)

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Kid Cudi “Bigger Than You” (2007)

Album: N/A

Label: N/A

Emile: “I found Cudi browsing MySpace one day. He had ‘Day ‘n’ Nite’ on his MySpace and it had like, a few hundred listens. And I’m like, ‘Who the fuck is this? This song is a smash. This dude is incredible and he doesn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard.’


 

I found Cudi browsing MySpace one day. He had ‘Day ‘n’ Nite’ on his MySpace and it had like, a few hundred listens. And I’m like, ‘Who the fuck is this? This song is a smash.


 

“And I’m looking at his Top 8 friends, and I see Plain Pat. So I call Pat, and I’m like, ‘There’s this fucking guy, he has this amazing song, and you’re in his friends.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, he’s this new guy I got, I think I’m gonna manage him. That’s my dude, we’re just starting out. You should produce some shit for him.’

“The first song we ever did was ‘Bigger Than You,’ which leaked but it never came out. The title on the Internet is ‘Do It Alone,’ but it’s really called ‘Bigger Than You.’ That’s a cool song. I wish that song got more shine.

“It was supposed to be the intro for Man on the Moon. But Cudi left a CD in some dude’s car in Cleveland and dude put the whole thing on the Internet. So that ruined that song. But it’s a great song and the first thing we ever did.”

Kid Cudi f/ Wale "Is There Any Love?"

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Kid Cudi f/ Wale "Is There Any Love?" (2008)

Album: A Kid Named Cudi (Mixtape)

Label: N/A

Emile: “That was the second song ever I did with Cudi. I was listening to records with Cudi—that was our thing. Before I got into sitting at the piano and we would come up with songs, we would just listen to records, listening for samples and ideas.

“I had this Trevor Dandy record, which is like this rare Canadian gospel record. We were listening to it and there was no question that it was amazing. The drums were there, it was all there in the song.


 

Cudi would be at the studio hanging out a lot and Wale was always around. They were boys. Wale just put out his mixtape. They were peers, so we had the idea like, ‘What about putting him on the record?’ We did that and it turned into this mixtape classic.


 

“I tend to sometimes overproduce things and ruin the sparseness of what we started with. That’s where a guy like Plain Pat being in the studio is so critical, because Pat was like, ‘Just fucking loop it.’

“I was trying to add all these keys and make it my own thing, but the music was amazing, so he was like, ‘Stop fucking around.’ Pat’s got the ear to tell you when to stop or when to change. And he was like, ‘Just loop it and leave it be.’

“It’s a straight loop off a gospel record. That’s all it needed to be. I added some keys on the chorus and changed the timing on it a little bit. Pat was the one who had the ill idea to put the 808s off a little, like in weirder spots. The 808s come in unexpected.

“Cudi would be at the studio hanging out a lot and Wale was always around. They were boys. Wale just put out his mixtape. They were peers, so we had the idea like, ‘What about putting him on the record?’ We did that and it turned into this mixtape classic.

“We put it out and it leaked, and that’s when things were starting to pick up with Cudi. Everything we did and put out, we got a good response on. That was the first thing we ever did that came out and saw the light of day.”

Kid Cudi "50 Ways To Make A Record"

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Kid Cudi "50 Ways To Make A Record" (2008)

Album: A Kid Named Cudi (Mixtape)

Label: N/A

Emile: “That was Plain Pat’s idea to use the Paul Simon thing. When I met them, they had been working a little but hadn’t recorded any of these ideas. So Pat had the Paul Simon ‘50 Ways to Leave Your Lover’ song looped up and Cudi had it written already.


 

That’s the first time I ever heard Cudi sing. I didn’t know he could really sing, so I was like, ‘Wait a minute—this is great.’


 

“That’s the first time I ever heard Cudi sing. He always had this melody-driven way of rapping, but this was like singing! He’s perfectly in key and it’s just right. I didn’t know he could really sing, so I was like, ‘Wait a minute—this is great.’

“That’s the beauty of mixtapes. You can use songs like that and re-create these classic songs that you probably wouldn’t be able to put on an album. I don’t know if you could clear that record.

“Eminem used it for ‘Murder, Murder’—he used the drums. I guess it didn’t come out because Paul Simon didn’t clear it. But you can still use it, even if Eminem already flipped it, because it’s just a fun idea. Over time, that’s become one of my favorite songs on the [mixtape].”

Ice Cube "It Takes A Nation"

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Ice Cube "It Takes A Nation" (2008)

Album: Raw Footage

Label: Lench Mob

Emile:“That shit came out so fucking good. I made the beat specifically for Cube. It was my version of what I think a West Coast record could sound like. I did it and sent it to him. He cut it and sent it back, and I was like, ‘Holy fucking shit.’


 

It was like, ‘Cube is back, I’m gonna talk a lot of shit, fuck radio. I’m Ice Cube I can do whatever the fuck I wanna do.’ And that record’s a great representation of that mind frame that he was in.


 

“I’m super proud of that record. It’s one of those rare instances where you make something specifically for an artist and they actually like it. [Laughs.] Usually they like the last thing you think they’re gonna like. I was like, ‘Cube’s cooking up a new album. I gotta make some Ice Cube beats.’

“It was definitely a Public Enemy–inspired record. I remember thinking it would be cool to hear Cube on some chaotic-feeling music with screaming electric guitars, but based around classic L.A. hip hop chords, and try to marry the two somehow.

“It was like, ‘Cube is back, I’m gonna talk a lot of shit, fuck radio. I’m Ice Cube I can do whatever the fuck I wanna do.’ And that record’s a great representation of that mind frame that he was in. On that second verse he starts talking crazy shit about radio and the politics and all the bullshit.”

Michael Jackson "Maria (You Were the Only One) (Show Me The Way to Go Home Remix)"

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Michael Jackson "Maria (You Were the Only One) (Show Me The Way to Go Home Remix)" (2009)

Album: The Remix Suite

Label: Universal Motown

Emile: “Sylvia Rhone, who signed Kid Cudi, was the Chair at Motown. She wanted to do a tribute album to Michael when he passed away that used his older material from his Motown catalog from when he was a kid.

“She called me up and was like, ‘Do you want to produce an old Michael song?’ I’m such a big fan of those old The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson records, so I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I want to fuck with a Michael Jackson song. I don’t know if I’m worthy of that.’ [But] I really wanted to hear the multi-track recordings of the old records.


 

I’m such a big fan of those old The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson records, so I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I want to fuck with a Michael Jackson song. I don’t know if I’m worthy of that.’


 

“I’m obsessed with the fuzz guitar tone on The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson early albums. I don’t know who the fuck was playing that guitar, but the tone is amazing. If you listen to their version of ‘Walk On By,’ which Just Blaze used for something, it’s a good example of that guitar tone.

“‘Maria,’ it’s the same thing. It’s one of my favorite guitar sounds of all time, which is why I picked it. We were limited to the first two Mike albums from when he was a kid.

“It was a lot of fun just to hear the genius behind dude’s production back in the day, like the strings and the guitars, and just the tones that they were getting were just so fucking incredible. I kind of have mixed feelings when I listen to it now, like, I don’t know. Is it that dope?

“It’s definitely not something I would try to go around and be like, ‘I did a Michael Jackson song!’ It was a lot of fun to do though. I was definitely in good company with Salaam Remi, Benny Blanco, and Pharrell. It was just a fun project.

“I wasn’t sure about it, but then Ryan Leslie called me about it, because Sylvia played it for him. And he was like, ‘This shit is incredible!’ So I was like, ‘Alright,’ and let it go. I just get weird about doing remixes when the person has passed away. It’s kind of tricky, because it’s like, ‘What if they would’ve hated this?’

Royce da 5'9'' f/ Crooked I "Gun Harmonizing" (2009)

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Royce da 5'9'' f/ Crooked I "Gun Harmonizing" (2009)

Album: Street Hop

Label: M.I.C./One Records

Emile:“Royce, especially now in 2011, sounds like an on-beat machine gun when he raps. He just sprays raps, but perfectly in the pocket. I don’t know how the fuck he does it. It’s so fast and intricate and well done. Dude has just mastered his delivery. That hook, he’s just doing gun sounds, but that’s the way he sounds when he raps.


 

Royce is super next level with the way he rides beats, his cadence, and his delivery. Him and Em, what they pick up on and rap along to is different than what a lot of rappers would do.


 

“He does these crazy patterns, and follows beats in such crazy ways. Dude is just super next level with the way he rides beats and his cadence and his delivery. Him and Em, they pick up on things in the beat, like background, syncopated stuff in the beat. What he picks up on and raps along to is different than what a lot of rappers would do.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of his. His albums are all great. I came in working with Proof and those dudes when they [were going through] family shit. He was having his family issues with those dudes. So I never really got the opportunity to work with him at that time. So it was great when I finally had the opportunity to cut records with him.”

Royce da 5'9'' "On the Run" (2009)

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Royce da 5'9'' "On the Run" (2009)

Album: Street Hop

Label: M.I.C./One Records

Emile: “I always envisioned a crazy skit to start off that record. We never talked about it. Royce just kind of knew where I was coming from. It’s a sample from a guy named Ted Taylor.


 

I pictured the setting of the song being in some fucked-up, shitty hotel, on the run, and cops and sirens outside the window.


 

“I wanted to use the vocal, and I pictured the setting of the song being in some fucked-up, shitty hotel, on the run, and cops and sirens outside the window. When I made the beat, I made it super dramatic with that sample, and rain and sirens in the background. And I put all these sound effects in the beat that I gave to Royce.

“We didn’t really talk about it. He was in Detroit and I was in New York and for whatever reason we couldn’t get in the studio, so I wanted to give my idea that it was definitely a story-telling record.

"And he coincidentally thought the same thing, because he came up with this whole crazy story and this wild intro about being on the run.

“It’s really good story-telling. Real MCs can write a story and pen something, whether it’s fictional or inspired by real shit, and actually paint that picture and tell it to you. And that’s Royce. He can take it there, any time.”

Slaughterhouse f/ Fatman Scoop "Onslaught 2" (2009)

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Slaughterhouse f/ Fatman Scoop "Onslaught 2" (2009)

Album: Slaughterhouse

Label: E1 Music

Emile: “That was me going in playing beats for Slaughterhouse. It was such a no-brainer to work with them. We actually did that at the new D&D, at Headquarterz. I was there for part of it. I gave them the beat, and they put it together themselves.

“There wasn’t a lot for me to do production-wise other than a little bit of arrangement. That wasn’t one of their concept, story records. That was just, ‘We’re about to go in and just murder this beat.’

“The beat’s just the right tempo and energy for them to showcase themselves. It’s one of those non-remarkable beats, but it’s good because it allowed them to do what they do on it. It gave them the space and the energy they needed to rap their asses off.”

Kid Cudi "Soundtrack 2 My Life" (2009)

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Kid Cudi "Soundtrack 2 My Life" (2009)

Album: Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Label: Dream On/Good Music/Universal Motown

Emile: “That record started with me just kind of on the keyboard just playing shit. When he heard something he liked, he would be like, ‘That’s dope.’ It would just be like some chords, then we’d kind of build it around that. It wasn't like, I’d have a beat done and be like, ‘What do you think?’ It would always just start with nothing and then build into a beat.

“That was [another] one of those records we cut all in one night, which is rare, because usually we would spend a few days or a few different sessions per song. That one we did in one night because he was just determined to get it done.

Kid Cudi "Solo Dolo (Nightmare)" (2009)

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Kid Cudi "Solo Dolo (Nightmare)" (2009)

Album: Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Label: Dream On/Good Music/Universal Motown

Emile: “I’ve always liked Truth & Soul and the music they put out. They’re the best camp at capturing older-sounding music but still making it fresh. I’ve always bought their music as a fan, not to sample. Even though it’s so sample-able. It’s hard not to sample their shit. [Laughs.]


 

I didn’t have a chance to over-produce it and fuck it up, because Cudi came up with the shit so fast.


 

“We were listening to records, and the [Manahan Street Band album released on Truth & Soul was playing] as just background music, just hanging out with Cudi and a bunch of people in the studio just kicking it. Not like, ‘Let’s sample this.’ And that shit came on and we both stopped and were like, ‘What the fuck is that?’ I was like, ‘If I slowed that way down, that would be kind of ill.’

“I didn’t have a chance to over-produce it and fuck it up, because Cudi came up with the shit so fast. I just slowed it down and looped it and put the 808s in and a little bit of keys. Cudi was like, ‘Turn the mic on.’ I was like, ‘Already?’ And he was like, ‘Yup.’ And he just went in and bodied it. That’s probably my favorite Cudi song if I had to pick one.”

Kid Cudi "Cudi Zone" (2009)

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Kid Cudi "Cudi Zone" (2009)

Album: Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Label: Dream On/Good Music/Universal Motown

Emile: “He had the first verse forever and me and [Plain] Pat were like, 'Cudi Zone,' what’s up with it?’ And Cudi would just blow it off. So me and Pat were just like, ‘Fuck man, this record is so dope.’ But it went on so long that I started to wonder if this monster of a record was going to be on the shelf, just like if it was ever going to get finished.


 

Cudi doesn’t force his stuff when he works. It’s either going to happen or it’s not going to happen.


 

“A long time went by and he just wasn’t going to force it. Cudi doesn’t force his stuff when he works. It’s either going to happen or it’s not going to happen. Eventually one day, it was real nonchalant, months and months after we had this record, and he was just like, ‘Oh yeah, I got the 'Cudi Zone' verse.’

“I almost didn’t believe him. I was like, ‘Word?’ Not only did he come in forever after we did the first verse, but he did the second verse and it sounded like he did it the exact same day he did the first verse. The tone was cool, everything was cool about it. It was like, ‘Ok, shit. We’re done. Sweet.’

We did ‘Cudi Zone’ and ‘Solo Dolo’ back-to-back in like two days. It had to have been six months [after he wrote the first verse of ‘Cudi Zone’].”

Ghostface Killah "Pimpin Chipp" (2010)

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Ghostface Killah "Pimpin Chipp" (2010)

Album: Wu-Massacre

Label: Def Jam

Emile: “I don’t know much about that. It was an old beat of mine, and I don’t even know if there was any business done on that. It was one of these things where I got the call like, ‘Ghostface rapped on an old beat of yours.’

“Normally I would be like, ‘This is old, I’ve never heard it, I don’t want to put it out there.’ But the fact that it’s Ghostface, chances are it’s going to be pretty good.

“That was a pretty strangely concocted album. I don’t really know how it [was put] together. But the fact that it was Ghostface, I was like, ‘Alright cool, let’s do it.’ But I really had no involvement in the making of that. It was probably a beat that he had on some CD in some studio.

“It feels like they kind of just threw that album out. If I would have got in the studio with those three guys, and I would’ve had the opportunity to actually make a record, it would have been something good.”

Eminem "Going Through Changes" (2010)

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Eminem "Going Through Changes" (2010)

Album: Recovery

Label: Shady/Interscope

Emile: “I went out to Detroit to work with Em. I’ve done shit for Obie; I’ve worked with Proof; I’ve worked with Royce; I’ve done some stuff with D12; I’ve met Eminem a number of times and co-produced songs with him, but I never got the opportunity to have my name on an Eminem album. And he is truly my favorite rapper ever. I listen to The Slim Shady LP all the time.

“Em’s always been pretty self-contained. He’s a phenomenal producer and does his own beats, and generally, if he’s not doing the beat, Dr. Dre is doing the beat. It’s kind of hard to get in there with producers at that level. They don’t need anybody.


 

Em’s always been pretty self-contained. He’s a phenomenal producer and does his own beats, and generally, if he’s not doing the beat, Dr. Dre is doing the beat. It’s kind of hard to get in there with producers at that level. They don’t need anybody.


 

“I think on this album, he didn’t want to do all the production. He wanted to focus moreso on writing, rather than getting that deep into the production side and making the beats. Em has been in the game now for a long time and managed to stay ahead of the curve in terms of what new artists are doing. He’s past that ten-year mark, and he’s still ahead of the times.

“I was lucky enough to get the phone call to go to Detroit and get in the studio for a few days and work with him. They take making music very seriously. Em’s not just going to rap on a beat and call it a day. He’s really going to work on the production and arrangement of the song. He’s a producer to the core.

“So I was there, working on ideas. I didn’t come with a bunch of ideas planned out. It was kind of like, ‘Let me set up my equipment and talk to Marshall and see what he is going for, and just try to make stuff, and hopefully make something that inspires him that he wants to rap on and turn into a song.’

“I made a lot of beats, a lot of hard, up-tempo stuff, and he kept saying, ‘Man, I really want to do like a classic rock kind of vibe. Like a classic rock sample. Something that I might have listened to when I was a kid on the rock radio station.’ So I always had that in my head, but I didn’t have any records or anything like that with me.

“So one morning I got up a little earlier and went digging in Detroit. I got a car to take me around, and I went to all these record stores, just buying classic ’70s rock records. I was at People’s Records in downtown Detroit, which is a great record store, and [Eminem’s manager] Paul Rosenberg called me like, ‘Where the fuck are you? Em’s about to be at the studio and you’re not here.’


 

I was at People’s Records in downtown Detroit, which is a great record store, and [Eminem’s manager] Paul Rosenberg called me like, ‘Where the fuck are you? Em’s about to be at the studio and you’re not here.’


 

“And I tried to explain, ‘I’m buying records.’ And I was far from the studio in downtown Detroit. So I grabbed a pile of ‘70s rock records, like a crate of 75, and rushed back to the studio.

“So I was flipping through them and Em would be in the studio doing his own thing writing. And I remember dropping the needle on Black Sabbath ‘Going Through Changes,’ and he walked in the room right as I dropped the needle. And it started playing, and we both looked at each other like, ‘That could be the one.’

““And he obviously liked the Black Sabbath song [and was familiar with it], and he gave me the look like he was into it. There wasn’t a lot of communication, but he definitely had the eyebrow raise like, ‘That could be something!’

“I went to work and started chopping it up and arranging the song. I came up with the chorus and the verses and some drums, but not the final drums. Mike Strange, who’s Em’s engineer and also a great guitar player, played some guitars on it. So we had the core of the music set, and I left Detroit.


 

Proof gave me my start in the business. Fast forward to when we did that record last year, it’s like I’m in the studio with Em, and he’s writing a really heavy record and talking about Proof on the song.


 

“Em didn’t do the song yet, but he was into it. He seemed to gravitate to that more than the other stuff I had been working on. Like Royce, Em picks up on different stuff in the beat to rap along to. He called me about the drums, and I remember I tried a few different drum ideas. I kept doing them and sending them and sending them [until] he was comfortable with them, and he ended up writing the song.

“It’s another special record for me, because of the history I have with those dudes and that camp, and Proof giving me my start in the business. Fast forward to when we did that record last year, it’s like I’m in the studio with Em, and he’s writing a really heavy record and talking about Proof on the song.

“There’s no one else like that for me in the business. This is a part of me. It wasn’t like me just cutting some song. I have a loyalty and allegiance to Em and Proof and that crew. I got my start with these dudes. A song like that, and how it came to life—it was full circle for me.

“I’ve known those guys for years, they’re all my friends. And finally having that record on this Eminem album, this amazing new album, with my favorite rapper in the game, one of the best to ever do it, it was like, ‘Here it is. I got my Eminem record.’ It was a big, big deal for me. Seriously.”

Kid Cudi “Mr. Rager” (2010)

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Kid Cudi “Mr. Rager” (2010)

Album: Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

Label: Dream On/GOOD Music/Universal Motown

Emile: “This was done before we went to Hawaii. He called me on the phone from L.A. I think he was in the studio with Snoop Dogg, doing ‘That Tree,’ and I was sitting in the studio by myself making a beat. I was playing it while I was talking to him, which normally drives people crazy, but he was just like, ‘Yo, what the fuck is that? Send it to me.’ I was like, ‘Aight, let me produce it up.’

“I’ll tend to completely over-produce shit so I didn't want to send it to him yet, but he insisted. I did a quick bounce and sent it to him and then he called me back the next day, super-excited, and was like, ‘Yo dude, I just bodied this record. Wait ’til you hear it.’


 

RZA heard it and was like, ‘Who did the beat?!?’ And Cudi pointed at me. RZA looked at me and said, ‘Your swords are sharp,’ He walked out of the room and that was it! He said it mad cool, and just bounced. I poured a drink and just savored the night after he said that shit. Fuckin’ RZA told me my swords are sharp. Incredible.


 

“In the meantime, I had added a million things since I first sent him the beat, and we were going to Hawaii soon, so it was just like, ‘Aight, I’ll see you in Hawaii and we’ll fuck with it.’ We kept working on it in Hawaii; we’d just pull that song up every day and work on it for a little bit.”

“Every time I think of being out in Hawaii, it was always this record that was just so fucking fresh. From my end, that was what led to the sound of this album; it’s a pretty unique sounding record for hip-hop, and it was a different vibe that would be my blueprint for the production on this album. It was the first one that we really nailed.

“RZA was out there working with Kanye, and RZA happened to come in to the room that me and Cudi were in working on ‘Mr. Rager.’ Cudi was like, ‘Man, can I play you this record I’m working on?’

“And RZA was like, ‘Yeah, play it.’ And I’m like, ‘Fuck, this is RZA. This is my dude!’ I love RZA, he’s a super-big inspiration to my beats. And some of those sounds I put in there are very RZA-y sounds, like the synth thing and some of the other shit.

“So he heard it, and was like, ‘Who did the beat?!?’ And Cudi pointed at me. And RZA looked at me and said, ‘Your swords are sharp,’ And he walked out of the room, and that was it! He said it mad cool, and just bounced. I poured a drink and just savored the night after he said that shit. Fuckin’ RZA told me my swords are sharp. Incredible.”

Kid Cudi “All Along” (2010)

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Kid Cudi “All Along” (2010)

Album: Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Label: Dream On/GOOD Music/Universal Motown

Emile: “I was thinking about it today because today was this rainy fall day in New York where all the leaves were orange and it was rainy and cold. That’s kinda what ‘All Along’ is. It's a very personal record for Cudi obviously and something he was dealing with at the time, and he just expressed it on the record.


 

It was classic Cudi delivery, the style on it was just classic, and I remember texting Pat because Pat wasn’t there, after one line. I was like, ‘Yo, we got a fucking banger right now.’ I don’t think Cudi likes to talk about that record that much because it’s a personal thing for him.


 

“I had the drums and the piano for the beat, and we were just in the studio and played that and he was just into it. He sat and sort of freestyled it. I remember he did it quick, and as soon as he got in the booth and did the first line I was just like, ‘Oh shit, that’s going to be the shit.’

“It was classic Cudi delivery, the style on it was just classic, and I remember texting Pat because Pat wasn’t there, after one line. I was like, ‘Yo, we got a fucking banger right now.’ I don’t think Cudi likes to talk about that record that much because it’s a personal thing for him. It’s the real emotion that he had at the time and it's just a really special record.

“Sonically it's so good, Larry Gold did a fucking amazing job on the strings. I was talking to Larry when we were putting that one together, and wanted to capture some Beatles kind vibe on the strings, he just nailed that one.”

Kanye West f/ Pusha T "Runaway" (2010)

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Kanye West f/ Pusha T "Runaway" (2010)

Album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Label: Def Jam

Emile: “That song is just the perfect example of the brilliance of Kanye West as a producer. And I got to witness that dude’s genius. I was lucky enough to go out to Hawaii to work on Cudi’s album Man On The Moon II. We decided to go out there because Kanye was working on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and we’re all kind of a team.


 

Kanye listened to the beat for four minutes, got in the booth, and almost verbatim to what’s on the song today, just did it. I don’t know if he wrote it in his head in those four minutes, but he just got in the booth and was like, ‘Yeah I always find, yeah I always find something wrong.’


 

“The way that works is that I was working on Cudi’s album, and it’s all very communal. It’s Kanye’s studio, and Cudi would be there, and Kanye’s whole team would be there, and everybody who’s at the studio does music.

“It was late one night, and we were hanging out, and Kanye asked me if I had any beats, and I started playing him some beats. Pretty low, no big deal, we were just chilling playing some beats. I didn’t know if I had anything that great, because his album’s production was coming out so fucking next level. I had some beats, but I was already in the process of working on songs from scratch, but I was like, ‘Yeah I got some stuff, I’ll play you some ideas.’

“I had a beat, and I played it, and it was the foundation of ‘Runaway.’ It was pretty different from the production now, but something about it, the chord progression or the way I put together the chords must’ve rung out to him.

“It was pretty amazing to watch. He heard the beat once, then asked the guy to play it one more time, and then was just like, ‘Okay, put it in Pro Tools.’ And when he said that, the room was like, ‘Oh shit.’


 

Jeff Bhasker and Kanye West really went in on the production. I was upstairs doing Cudi’s thing, and I just kept hearing the song just get better and better and better. Kanye is a super producer in the truest sense of the word. He turned it into the this epic song.


 

“He probably had listened to the beat for four minutes, and got in the booth, and almost verbatim to what’s on the song today, just did it. I don’t know if he wrote it in his head in those four minutes, but he just got in the booth and was like, ‘Yeah I always find, yeah I always find somethin’ wrong.’ And almost the whole song just came out. Something about the chords and the way the music worked, I don’t know, it just hit him and worked out perfectly.

“The lyrics and the concept were what they were, and that’s when the Kanye West genius producer mode came in to play. He totally reproduced the record, and kept working on it and working on it, along with Jeff Bhasker, who played the piano line and played a lot of the keys on it. He’s one of my favorite producers too.

“Those two guys really went in on the production. I was upstairs doing Cudi’s thing, and I just kept hearing the song just get better and better and better. Kanye is a super producer in the truest sense of the word. He turned it into the this epic song. It’s just a beautiful record. It’s a masterpiece.

“He always is like, ‘Thank you for ‘Runaway.’ Thank you for sparking that.’ He’s very cool about that. He’s very appreciative. I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re the one who made it this amazing record! Thank you for making my beat, that was pretty good, into this amazing song! [Laughs.]’’

Tinie Tempah f/ Emeli Sande “Let Go” (2010)

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Tinie Tempah f/ Emeli Sande “Let Go” (2010)

Album: Disc-Overy

Label: Parlophone/DL Records Ltd

Emile: “I did a deal with Sony Publishing and I went out [to the U.K.]. I met with the woman that I worked with out there named Janice Brock, and she was like, ‘Let’s set up some sessions.’ And she started naming all these big artists.


 

I’m like, ‘Who’s the new, fresh dude? Who’s the new rapper/singer that’s not there yet but about to be there?’ And she was like, ‘Well, there’s this cat Tinie Tempah who’s starting to get a pretty good buzz.’ She played me some of his stuff and I’m like, ‘Cool, he’s dope. Let’s go.’


 

“I’m like, ‘Who’s the new, fresh dude? Who’s the new rapper/singer that’s not there yet but about to be there?’ And she was like, ‘Well, there’s this cat Tinie Tempah who’s starting to get a pretty good buzz.’ She played me some of his stuff and I’m like, ‘Cool, he’s dope. Let’s go.’

“I did ‘Let Go’ with this dude Naughty Boy, who’s actually like a really big producer in the UK. Tinie had this star personality, and the ill thing about him is that when we first met, he just was rapping, and he spits.

“He’s got ‘Written In The Stars,’ which is this huge pop record, [pop radio] type of song, but dude spits. He’s got bars. It was interesting to hear a dude from England that could probably get on stage at an Open Mic night at S.O.B.’s and close the place down. I don’t know if they know him like that in the States yet because he’s got this big pop song.

“We had a good time. He was this new cat, and he was eager to work. He had that bug, he had that energy. He knew he was sitting on something good and that he was going to blow up. We were just cooking up, and it came out really good. And Emeli Sande, she got on the chorus, she’s another one that’s about to blow out there. She’s got a solo album that’s about to come out, and the whole fucking country is going nuts over her stuff.”

Lil Wayne f/ Kevin Rudolph "Novacane" (2011)

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Lil Wayne f/ Kevin Rudolph "Novacane" (2011)

Album: Tha Carter IV

Label: Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Republic

Emile: “I got the call from Wayne’s camp right before the album was going to mastering. I heard word that Wayne was interested in some of my beats, but wasn’t sure which ones. I got the call pretty late in the game that he was interested in that beat.


 

I’ve never met Wayne. I always wanted to work with him, he’s one of my favorite rappers, but I never really had an in. He’s self-contained. He’s one of these dudes who has his camp and doesn’t need any new people. He just needs someone to press record.


 

“I think my manager sent it to him, I don’t know. I’ve never met Wayne. I always wanted to work with him, he’s one of my favorite rappers, but I never really had an in. He’s self-contained. He’s one of these dudes who has his camp and doesn’t need any new people. He just needs someone to press record.

“I’m lucky enough to have gotten three verses on one of my beats and have it make the album. It’s pretty cool. He just did it and killed it. It’s a great song. I was scared as fuck that the sample wouldn’t clear because it’s this gospel sample and the whole song is about doing tons of cocaine. I don’t know how the fuck that happened [laughs]. I’ve had gospel samples on positive songs get denied.

“But it’s so fresh. Wayne’s so good, the way his voice sounds. And that record fit for him because it has so much space. And that was my thing with the beat, to keep the verses very stripped back and make this big hook.

“Wayne is the lead instrument on the song. There’s no big synth or giant drum beat to get in the way of Wayne’s voice. Besides writing some of the best raps, he just tonally is amazing. His voice is so cool and scratchy and unique. There’s no confusion as to who you are listening to. It’s Wayne.


 

It wasn’t inspired by Frank Ocean’s amazing song ‘Novacane,’ even though it’s got the same title. The hook was written prior to that. This dude Freddy Wexler wrote a hook on it, and Wayne got it with the hook on it and had Kevin Rudolf re-sing it. I heard the Frank Ocean thing a little bit afterwards and was like, ‘Ah fuck.’


 

“I heard it [for the first time] the day it came out in stores. It’s one of those rare things where I wasn’t there for the creation, but when I heard it I was like, ‘Oh shit, this is amazing!’ And it’s on a huge album. It was a good moment.

“It wasn’t inspired by Frank Ocean’s amazing song ‘Novacane,’ even though it’s got the same title. The hook was written prior to that. This dude Freddy Wexler wrote a hook on it, and Wayne got it with the hook on it and had Kevin Rudolf re-sing it. I heard the Frank Ocean thing a little bit afterwards and was like, ‘Ah fuck.’

“I had a few people ask me about that, I don’t know if that’s corny to talk about. I’m just thinking, ‘What would Wayne do?’ And Wayne would definitely not mention that. [Laughs.] Wayne would be like, ‘Who? What?’ Like, Wayne is definitely not thinking about any other artist. He wouldn’t even acknowledge that question.”

Lana Del Rey "Blue Jeans" (2011)

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Lana Del Rey "Blue Jeans" (2011)

Album: “Video Games/Blue Jeans” (Single)

Label: Interscope

Emile: “She’s my favorite new artist. An A&R guy who worked for Interscope named Jon Ehmann, who was early on peeping the kind of shit I’m doing now with songwriters and singers and writing songs, called me and was like, ‘I got this girl, she’s super interesting, beautiful voice, she writes—very talented. I think you should meet her.’ And he’s always been a dude whose ear I’ve trusted.

“Sometimes new artists don’t necessarily know their vision yet, and it takes them a while to figure out what they want to do. Whereas Lana, she came to the studio, and she had her whole shit in her head. She knew exactly what she was, what she wanted her songs to sound like, what she wants to talk about, what she wants her style to be, and what the videos she does herself look like. She’s the total package. She knows her vision. She knows exactly what the fuck she wants to do.


 

Lana, she came to the studio, and she had her whole shit in her head. She knew exactly what she was, what she wanted her songs to sound like, what she wants to talk about, what she wants her style to be, and what the videos she does herself look like. She’s the total package.


 

“We didn’t work the first time we met, we just sat and talked. And she showed me some of the stuff she’d been working on, including that track ‘Video Games.’

Musically, it wasn’t trying to sound like anything else. It was some different shit. She has a new sound. She figured it out.

“Then we set up a session, and she came here. It was one of the first sessions I had at the new studio. She had these chords and a lyric for what became ‘Blue Jeans.’

She had the idea in her head, and she started singing it to me, and I was like, ‘This is amazing. Let’s do it.’ So we sat together and built it up.

“Capturing her sound, and putting the guitars in there, it had a very L.A., Hollywood, 1950s kind of vibe and feel. Like glamour, and that kind of shit. And she’s very creative and hands-on, so it was easy to work with her and write the song with her. And we finished the song, and I kept producing it up, and she liked where it was going. It was sounding new and interesting but still having that classic, vintage music feel.

“She’s a special new artist. I’m producing a lot of her new album. I think it’s gonna be the shit. If I had to bet, I’d put all my money on her.”

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