x-rated PRODUCTION CREDIT SWAGGER JAHLIL BEATS After spending a few years offering his beatmaking services for JACKER cheap, Jahlil Beats—the producer behind “I’m a Boss,” the buzz- worthy street single from 2011 XXL Freshman Meek Mill, featuring Rick Ross—knows it’s time to get paid. In 2008, the 23-year-old BORROWER Chester, Pennsylvania–bred beatsmith—born Orlando Jahlil KANYE WEST Tucker—became the go-to producer for upstart Philly spitta “H.A.M.” Meek Mill after he solicited free beats from Jahlil on MySpace. “Kicking bitches out like Pam, nigga.” The following year, Soulja Boy (“When I Grow Up”) and Lil Wayne LENDER (“Willy Wonka”) used beats from Jahlil’s instrumental mixtape LIL WAYNE series Crack Music as fodder for their own tapes. In 2010, Jahlil “MISS ME” spent the year cashing in. He provided Meek with the club smash “Kicking bitches out the condo like Pam.” “Rozay Red,” landed tracks on Chris Brown and Tyga’s Fan of a Fan mixtape (“Holla at Me”) and Fabolous’s There Is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service (“Tonight”), before crafting the aptly titled “Money, Money, Money” for Brooklyn MC Red Cafe. Now the burgeoning beatmaker can add Rick Ross, BORROWER Beyoncé and Jim Jones to the list of artists clocking studio time. Cha-ching! GAME “TAYLOR MADE” “I ain’t a killer, but don’t push me/I see a bitch looking, What’s the story behind “I’m a Boss”? I’ma end up in the pussy.” I was going to send that beat to DJ Folk to give to Jeezy for TM103. I ended up going to the studio and playing it for Meek… As soon as Meek heard it, he jumped on it… He [Meek] sent it to Ross, Ross got on it ASAP, and it took off. LENDER What were you aiming for when building the track for Young Jeezy? 2PAC “HAIL MARY” [Jeezy] likes brass horns in his beats, with a lot of 808s. I wanted to make an anthem. “I ain’t a killer, but don’t push me/Revenge is like the sweetest joy next to getting pussy.” Nevertheless, your chemistry with Meek is pretty impressive. Yeah. Meek got my buzz up around [Philly]… My sound is more, like, energetic, heavy 808 snare. I think Meek and I changed the scene around here. It’s more like club music. That’s a huge step from giving beats away for free. BORROWER A lot of people say that I just came out of nowhere. It’s just, like, I got that spark, and I ran with it… I saw the ACE HOOD opportunity, and I took it. —c. vernon coleman ii “HUSTLE HARD (REMIX)” “Oh, kemosabe, it be me, Ross, Weezy party.” LENDER T.I. CHAIRMAN’S “SWING YA RAG” “Whoa, kemosabe, big ballin’ is my hobby.” WORDS CHOICE CHAIRMAN MAO I don’t care what the damn groundhog says: Winter ain’t going nowhere anytime soon. As BORROWER a soundtrack to the brutal seasonal chill, I’d suggest Timbs-’n’-hoodies-type New York rap LIL WAYNE “ROCK N ROLL” moodiness. But since nobody’s making those types of records anymore (save for Roc Marciano, “I’m in this bitch like, ‘I wanna rock right now’/ who gets spins year-round anyways), Has-Lo’s In Case I Don’t Make It (Mello Music Group) we so deep you muthafuckers might drown.” provides a suitably cold-world-compatible alternative. As you might guess from song titles like “Storm Clouds” and “Subliminal Oppression,” the Philly MC/producer’s latest is heavy on the LENDER scars and pains. Yet Has manages to keep his introspection entirely listenable by flowing with ROB BASE a sleepy effortlessness that belies his bouts with doubt. Judiciously spare production creates “IT TAKES TWO” multiple moments of haunting beauty (e.g., darting synths on “Kinetic Energy,” warm keys on “I wanna rock right now/I’m Rob Base, and I came to get down.” “Everything Is”). “Build Jewelz” is the crown jewel: Strategically placed space echo and somber strings perfectly punctuate pronouncements like, “Fear and bias/Beside the beat, here in silence.” He made it. Officially making the transition from world-class turntablist to full-fledged artist/producer isJ. Rocc. Given the BORROWER Funky President’s rep for demolishing sets, you’d naturally expect his debut effort of originally produced instrumental ROCK (OF HELTAH SKELTAH) music, Some Cold Rock Stuf (Stones Throw), to lean liberally on the zigga-zigga. But Cold Rock is far less a DJ album than “WITNESS POWER” a DJ-friendly album—one that finds the longtime Beat Junkie as apt to mine roller-skating jams (“Party”), Dingwalls-type “Whoever said this rap shit was the easy way out jazz-dance things (“Malcolm Was Here [Part 1 + 2]”) or b-boy breaks (“Too Many Clowns”). That said, the word-association couldn’t understand the mechanics/And the workings of collages of “Rocchead’s Delight” and the superbly arranged “Take Me Away” bear the unmistakable creative fingerprints of a the industry, granted.” consummate spin doctor. Figure in an equally fresh bonus disc of goodies, and it’s clear J. can’t lose wit’ this Stuf. LENDER JAY-Z “D’EVILS” FAT AL EINSTEIN “Fugue in D(illa) Minor” (MP3) MORE JOINTZ “Whoever said illegal was the easy way out couldn’t understand CREATURE “Embrace the Day” (MP3) 2 CHECK 4 the mechanics/And the workings of the underworld, granted.” » VISIT XXLMAG.COM TO HEAR MORE FROM FAT AL EINSTEIN AND CREATURE.

110 APRIL 2010 XXLMAG.COM