88-Keys, the producer extraordinaire, is gearing for a huge 2012 for his new label Locksmith Music after a 2011 that sparked a Grammy nomination for his work with Kanye West and Jay-Z. His roster at Locksmith music includes 5 new artists that he found via twitter – Nemo Achida, Mann95, Tre DeJean, Robert Akins III and Little Vic. The team’s upcoming official project Ready/Set is coming soon, as well as a beat tape from 88 with beats made entirely from an MPC500 given to him by Little Vic.
“The new gimmick is flooding the people with sub-par content,” 88 told RubyHornet in a recent interview. “I’m a very harsh critic when it comes to music, especially Hip Hop, so when I think of an emcee, I’m thinking of emcees who can actually spit. Not like, ‘Oh he got swag.’ Na, like ‘can he spit?’ At the end of the day it’s like, man what the hell is that …Wittiness, punch-lines, the flow, the voice, what was making that emcee sound completely different from any other emcee, and I feel like that’s what my guys have as opposed to a bunch of new guys… I’m doing this not only for the artists and myself, but the Hip Hop culture, I feel it’s time for that.”
Lookout for a full interview with 88-Keys coming soon on RubyHornet.com
Listen to their debut project: 88-Keys Presents… Locksmith Music below. The emcees speak for themselves.