Receiving his first Grammy nominations for producing DaBaby’s 2019 hit “Suge,” Pooh Beatz continues to prove that he is one of the industry’s most promising new producers.
Amongst the list of Grammy nominees announced back in November, Pooh Beatz was honored with two nominations for his work in producing. Although Beatz and DaBaby are up against some of hip-hop’s most talented acts, such as J. Cole, Nipsey Hussle, and Cardi B, the “Suge” creators may take home their first Grammy award as “Suge” was easily the hottest record of 2019.
Best Rap Performance
DaBaby – “Suge”
J. Cole – “Middle Child”
Dreamville ft. J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy – “Down Bad”
Nipsey Hussle ft. Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy – “Racks in the Middle”
Offset ft. Cardi B – “Clout”
Best Rap Song
DaBaby – “Suge”
YBN Cordae ft. Chance the Rapper – “Bad Idea”
Rick Ross ft. Drake – “Gold Roses”
21 Savage ft. J. Cole – “A Lot”
Nipsey Hussle ft. Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy – “Racks in the Middle”
Under Winners Circle Publishing, Pooh Beatz is an Atlanta-based producer, but hails from the motor city of Detroit. Pooh Beatz has also collaborated with hip-hop heavy-hitters including A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Kehlani, NBA Youngboy, Lil Durk and many more. The Detroit native has even worked with two of his hometown’s top rap artists: Tee Grizzley and Dej Loaf.
Pooh Beatz opened up for an exclusive interview with Quin Stanley to discuss his Grammy noms, his background, and more! Take a look!
QUIN: What was your reaction to the big news that you were nominated for a Grammy?
Pooh Beatz: “Of course I was very excited. I felt good about it because my age plays a big part in it. I’ve only been taking music seriously for like a year or two. I feel that I’ve accomplished a lot in a short amount of time.”
QUIN: How has your experience been working with DaBaby?
Pooh Beatz: “It was dope how it came about because I just went out to LA and we ended up having a session. This is before he started poppin. To see the outcome of our success was something very good.”
QUIN: If anyone, who do you want to work with in the future?
Pooh Beatz: “Hip-hop wise; I’m aiming for Drake, but on the other side, I’m really focusing on turning over to the pop and R&B world.
QUIN: What factors lead you to being a successful producer in the music industry?
Pooh Beatz: “Really just taking time out and focusing on producing and nothing else. Moving to Atlanta separated me from my comfort zone. I was only focusing on music. It’s a big sacrifice because I wasn’t able to see family for a long time and I had to miss a couple holidays, but at the end of the day, everything really paid off.”
QUIN: Would you say Atlanta impacted you as far as the kind of producer you grew to become?
Pooh Beatz: “Yeah, I would say it played a little part because it brought me to another space as far as hearing different sounds and playing different types of music outside of Detroit. It brought me to a different space to be able to expand beyond where I came from.”
“My long term goal is to be able to come back to Detroit and help out others. To teach others the things I have learned as well because, coming from Detroit, you can get stuck in a box because some people don’t have access to figure out the system. I feel like that’s where I come in at. I would be able to connect the dots and give people opportunity.”
QUIN: What has been your greatest challenge in establishing yourself as a professional in the industry?
Pooh Beatz: “In the beginning, my greatest challenge was staying focused because I had to make sacrifices like not seeing family and friends and being away. Sometimes you get down focusing on music all day every day for a whole year. I feel like that was the biggest challenge, but once things started falling into place, I started to realize that everything paid off and I see that’s the kind of stuff you have to go through.”
QUIN: Who would you say influenced the producer you’ve become today?
Pooh Beatz: “I listen to a lot of old school music and I also have a lot of family members who did music, but I would say the people I surround myself around now play a really big part in influencing me. My team played a really big part in influencing me.”
QUIN: As we move into 2020, what are some goals you hope to accomplish in the new decade?
Pooh Beatz: “I want to continue to grow as a producer, but my main focus is to start a program or do something with music to give back and give other people opportunities, especially in the school system. I want to be able to start a music program throughout Detroit.”
