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2/8/2009 Name: $port Hometown: Toledo, Ohio Length of time producing: 2 years Influences: J Dilla, DJ Premier, Just Blaze and Kanye West Sites: myspace.com/supersportmusic, www.whatupsport.com , twitter.com/supersport   So I met you in Miami at the 'Beats On The Beach' conference, thanks to Twitter, how has Twitter changed your life as a producer? Oh, man. It's definitely helped me connect with all kinds of people, including you. It also allows me to kinda promote myself without even having to leave the crib. And I'm a fan first and foremost, so to be able to interact with some of the movers and shakers in hip-hop and see what they're doing with themselves at a moment's notice is crazy. Had you told me when I downloaded TwitterBerry that this would be the best social networking tool ever, I would've called you a liar.   Let's go back to the producers conferences, which one have you attended and what can aspiring producers expect from going there? The main one I tell everybody about is the One Stop Shop. That's the best one out there, period, because it really caters to us producers. I encourage anybody who has anything to do with music and entertainment to go. Sha Money XL created a goldmine for us up and comers. You'll literally be within arm's reach of true legends and great people in general. Like I told Sha and so many other people, I got the chance to do a career's worth of networking in two days, which is great for me because I don't come from a big city like New York or Atlanta. I also encourage people to get familiar with iStandard. J-Hatch and Don really get busy when it comes to throwing events. They're great people and they'll definitely put you in the right place. Would you say it's definitely worth the money? Without a doubt. I made some great friends. And if anybody still isn't convinced, I'll put it to you like this: DJ Premier, 9th Wonder, Don Cannon, Denaun Porter, Swizz Beats, No I.D. And DJ Toomp were all on one panel! -What was the best advice you've received there? Just to keep grinding and chipping away at everything. It gets tough at times but as long as you believe in yourself and your craft, something's gonna work. What type of equipement do you use? True story, I started out making beats on my Playstation using a game called MTV's Music Generator. Later on, my brother bought a brand new MPC 2000XL and a Yamaha Motif. Once he moved away, I picked up an iMac and my home Jared, from Red Room, put me on to Reason and it's been that ever since. Though I've been itching to get another MPC. Hell, by the time this is over, I'll probably have one. How would you describe your style? It's really just me being inspired by all the greats and putting my English on it. I live in the crates, man. All it is is me, a bunch of records, and some imagination. Tell us how you work on a beat from beginning to the end Nine times out of ten, I'll hear something crazy from somebody and I get to feeling like, 'Yo, I gotta top that!'. From there, I'll just go buy a bunch of records and try and make some magic. Everything starts with the sample. Once I get that one break, it kinda snowballs from there. I'll chop it and try and take it to another level. I'm big on having the right drums, so I'll spend a good amount of time making sure it knocks properly. As an up and coming producer, do you feel like you're one hit away and that it could happen anytime, what keeps you moving? Absolutely. Above all, what keeps me moving is my love for hip-hop. Like I said, I'm a fan first. And to know that I could possibly make a living and maybe take care of one or two people based on that love makes it a no brainer. I believe I have something to offer and it's up to me to get it out there. Any projects you're working on? Well my second instrumental album, The $port Report- Episode 2, is kinda my main focus. My first project was just me showing I can make some decent beats. This one is actually gonna be a boy-meets-girl love story set in New York City and each track will be a scene. Think of a silent movie. It should be done and out some time this Spring or Summer. Other than that, I'm just submitting beats to different artists. I just sent 17 joints to a certain new artist who's out of this world, but I can't name him because I don't wanna burn any bread. But if he gets a hold of one or two, or seven of them, it's gonna be pretty serious. Any last words and advice? Well, I really want to thank HipHopGame for putting me on blast. This is a great look for me and my career and it means a lot. I'd also like to give some shouts to my family, my brothers over at WMF, and my man, AOK. For anybody who wants to know more about me and what I stand for, you can check me out at www.whatupsport.com. I'm not really one to be giving advice because I'm still working on my own comeup. But I do want to say to all my fellow new jacks, let's keep it positive and keep making that heat so we can take the game back to where it's supposed to be. Listen to $port's The Sampler Platter below:

By Dee Jekyll

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