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1/9/2006 What's good? Pro-V: We're just grinding down here, cranking out these hits. You guys are just coming up and the Diplomats have already embraced you. How did you get down with them? Pro-V: Through my boy Spliff, who is an assistant A&R for them. He's my manager now. We met up and I played him 30 beats, and it was on from there. How did you guys break in with the Dipset family? Pro-V: The first joint we did was for JR Writer. It hasn't come out yet and I don't think it ever will. We also did "Magic" for JR Writer, which got a lot of mixtape buzz. That was a good look. You did "Get Down" on the Diplomats album. How was it working with them on that? Pro-V: Unfortunately we couldn't be in the studio together. I met Juelz in Orlando and I played him that beat, and he said that him and Cam had already done a song to that. How did you make that beat? Pro-V: Basically, I was thinking I had to make some shit that would make Cam want to go to the studio as soon as he heard it. I had Cam in mind when I made it. I wanted to make it a dancehall drum pattern. I had a sample that I chopped up, and that was pretty much it. It wasn't that hard. How is it working with JR Writer? Pro-V: It's cool. I really respect him because he has some really hot words. I fuck with him because he was the first cat to really get on our beats. We were on "Writer's Block 2" for a beat that Jinx made. JR's cool. How do the Diplomats usually record their songs? Pro-V: Usually my manager is there. Since we work in Miami and they're in New York, we can't always make their studio sessions. I have met with them and recorded with them a little bit. Does that hurt the production process? Pro-V: Yeah, but it's the Diplomats and they do what they want. We'll worry about the consequences later. You're also on the Cam album. How's it sounding so far? Pro-V: So far, it sounds crazy. From what I've heard, it's going to be ridiculous. I did the intro track, and it sounds ridiculous. I can't divulge too many secrets, but it's definitely going to be something that the people are going to love. The Diplomats are known for having a certain sound, does that ever limit you in the beats you give them? Pro-V: No, because I see them moving on and rocking a variety of beats. One of the things about Treetown is that we're so versatile. We can do R&B, dancehall, soca, reggaeton. My man Jinx is so versatile. Are you working with any artists in Miami? Pro-V: Yeah. We're working with this group Blood Money Records. That's my boy Monte. We're working with this dude named Fuse who used to be signed to Universal. We have a possible track on I-20's next album too. How important is it to be versatile in today's game? Pro-V: I think it's definitely important. You have to have a certain sound, but you can't get pigeonholed into one certain style. That's not what we're trying to do. We're trying to have something for everybody. How do you guys work together? Pro-V: Sometimes, we just make tracks solo, but when we collab, we usually sit down and start with the sample, add some drums, tweak them…we're engineers also so that's an advantage we have in making things sound nice. What have you been doing as an engineer? Pro-V: I've also been working at Circle House Studios in Miami for the last four months as an assistant engineer. I've been able to do work over there with Lil' Wayne, Trick Daddy, Jim Jones, and some others. A lot of young producers today aren't very well-rounded. How does your engineering background help? Pro-V: It helps to know what sounds good together and to be able to mix and balance all the sounds to make the shit bang. How did you guys come together to form Treetown? Jinx: We met back in Ann Arbor, Michigan where we grew up. We were both taking classes at this community college up there. For the fall semester, we both signed up for all the audio classes they had. We started making bangers in those classes and then we started working on more. We decided to move out to Miami to go to recording school. Once we got down here, that's when things with Dipset really started popping for us. Does being in Miami ever hurt you being that a lot of artists are based out of New York? Jinx: A little bit. There's a hustle element to New York that makes you grind real hard. In Miami, we can just chill. We have a lot of influences down here to our sound that we wouldn't have had growing up in Michigan. We try to be very versatile. How important has the internet been to getting your beats out to artists? Pro-V: The internet is crazy because you can get a beat to somebody on the other side of the world. I've sold a beat to somebody in Thailand. The downside is people jacking your stuff and stealing your style. Have you had any problems with that? Pro-V: A little bit, but nothing serious. What equipment are you guys using? Pro-V: Right now, we're pretty software-based. Reason, Fruity Loops, Pro Tools, Cubase, some midi controllers, DST plug-ins…that's pretty much it. How has your production progressed from when you started making beats to today? Pro-V: I would say that we've gotten more productive, making more beats, and basically getting more productive with each beat. How do you stay fresh and original in today's industry? Pro-V: You definitely have to keep your ear to the radio but not so much so that you're biting everyone's style. We just feel that we have to do us, make the hottest shit that we can, and rise to the top. Will you have more work with the Diplomats in the future? Pro-V: We'll definitely have more work with the Diplomats. We're trying to score more films as well. We just scored an independent film. What are your goals for the new year? Pro-V: Right now we're just trying to get some more placements. A lot of big artists never pay for beats…do the Diplomats pay for their beats? Pro-V: For the mixtape stuff, we just get a good look on the promotion tip. For albums, we definitely get compensated. What's next for you guys? Pro-V: The next thing dropping is the NBA Ballers game, we got two beats on there. We're working with artists out of Michigan, M.Dot and Young T, and we're going to have the Killa shit dropping and the JR Writer album dropping after that. Jinx also has a song with I-20 that will probably come out over the summer. What do you want to say to everyone out there? Pro-V: Look out for Treetown. If you're looking for a banger or looking for a single, you have to check for us. For more info, check: myspace.com/daboypro myspace.com/jinxmia

By Brian Kayser

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