Apex (Real producer for "I Get Money" that got beat stolen from him) interview

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Apex (Real producer for "I Get Money" that got beat stolen from him) interview

http://www1.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.843/title.apex-tell-50-cent-i-got-money/p.all

Apex: Tell 50 Cent... "I Got Money!!!"

August 22nd, 2007 | Author: Kevin Clark
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Funkmaster Flex was on point when he said that 50 Cent’s "I Get Money" is the hardest record out. The end-of-the-Summer banger had everyone from dope boys on the corner to writer’s looking to get their name in their favorite magazine plotting on ways to get that cake. In collaboration with Curtis Jackson’s bravado lyrics was the pounding beat that sampled Audio Two’s Top Billin’ track. The repeated, yet built in hook drove the anthem and made it a certified East Coast/New York heat rock. Even the King of Queens – 50 Cent – sat down with HipHopDX.com he cited this song as the second greatest song that he’s ever done; the first being his classic smash – "In Da Club".
When it came time to find out who was the man behind the boards for this instant vintage banger, it was Scott Boogie whose name was flowing off of everyone’s mouth. Boogie immediately began to field calls from the big leagues – XXL Magazine and Scratch Magazine were ready to interview the would-be producer. But in an exclusive news break that ran on this site – it was learned that Scott Boogie was NOT the producer of "I Get Money". The real tastemaker was Brooklyn native, Apex. The man behind Apex Productionz built up a following from posting beats on MySpace and SoundClick. In this exclusive interview with HipHopDX.com, Apex sits down and talks about his start in the business, how 50 got his hands on the track and breaks down the theft in full detail.
HHDX: For those who are just now getting familiar with you – give a little background to who you are, where you’re from and how’d you get your start in producing?

Apex: My name is William Stanberry and I’m from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. I started out as a DJ and I was rapping when I was sixteen. Basically, around that time, I was influenced by the place I lived – Bed-Stuy! Hip-Hop was everywhere and I loved it. I went to a friend’s house and he had a pair of turntables. When I saw that a spark was lit inside of me and I wanted to pursue something with music. I bought some cheap tables, but I didn’t like them because they were wack. So, I got on the grind, hustled and got some better ones. One time, I was out and Doggystyle had just came out. I bought it on vinyl and that’s what I did every time I bought a new album. Then, I’d sit back and read the credits. That album was crazy…
HHDX: You didn’t have The Chronic…?

Apex: I didn’t get The Chronic album because it was playing everywhere in New York. So, when I bought Doggystyle, I wanted to do something more than just being a DJ. I would read the credits and I saw that Dr. Dre was doing the beats. So, from that point on I wanted to do that and I got some equipment and I’ve been doing beats non-stop.
HHDX: So, Dre was a major influenced for you, huh?

Apex: Yeah, definitely! He was a major influence to me. But I was also influenced by Erick Sermon, DJ PremierGangstarr – who wouldn’t be influenced by that?! I listened to Lords of the Underground. I used to listen to De La Soul. 3 Feet High and Rising – that whole album is amazing. That was a big inspiration to me. I knew when I heard that that’s how I knew I wanted to be in the music game, period! I had never heard anything like that. I was influenced by N.W.A.’s – Efil4zaggin – that album was put together great. If you can get the original CD version, it was raw. People don’t take time to do albums like that. Dr. Dre had a vision for that album, man. I was into D.I.T.C. [Diggin’ In The Crates crew] – all that stuff.
HHDX: With rap music being popular around the world – there are plenty of people who try to do what you are doing now. What do you attribute your success to?

Apex: I attribute it to hard work and just believing in myself. If you believe in yourself and think that you have something of worth, then you’ll do whatever it takes – legally – to get heard. I just promoted my music over the internet. I posted my music on MySpace, SoundClick, anywhere that someone can hear it. The Internet is the new thing. A&R’s are going online and looking there for talent now. If you’re hot, then you need to get heard. Don’t just sit at one place, go everywhere so anyone can hear it. I’d set up meetings to get my beats heard. That’s what I’m doing now so people can know who I am. If you’re hot, though, you can reach a large audience by dealing with the Internet.
HHDX: “I Get Money” is undoubtedly the hottest track that’s been out in a long time. For some it’s an anthem and even 50 Cent said that it’s his best song right underneath “In Da Club.” What’d you use to come up with the song?

Apex: Basically, I made most of the track using the Roland MV 8000 production studio. It’s a drum machine-slash-sequencer, it does almost everything. It’s a do-it-all in one box. I used a couple of other things as well. But with the Roland MV 8000, that’s where everything came from. The drums are heavy and the timing of the song was great. A lot of people badmouthed the MV 8000, but it’s actually a top notch music production tool. You can do a lot of things with it. You can do vocals, you can record directly and you can do just about anything with that machine. It’s pretty much the main thing that I use. The thing about this is when you’re around musicians and somebody walks by, they walk past the MV 8000 because it’s big. It’s like they’re scared to mess with it. The sound is so incredible though, they don’t know what they’re missing.

HHDX: Do you think that your track will help tip the scales in the sales race between 50 and Kanyé?

Apex: Yeah, I think so because that song is knockin’ in the club! I go to the clubs and I hear that song. I don’t hear anyone play "Can’t Tell Me Nothing". Not to diss Kanyé, but it’s not a 50 banger. We’re not speaking for ourselves, the people in the clubs and in the streets are talking about how hot the song is!
HHDX: Now, there was a discrepancy about who produced the song. People were giving Scott Boogie credit when it was you behind the boards. How did that all happen?

Apex: Ah, man, ****, this is crazy. Basically, this dude Scott Boogie went online and just scooped up a whole bunch of people’s beats off of MySpace and SoundClick, put it on a CD and represented it as his own work. He went straight to G-Unit Records and got it in the hands of some important people. They liked what they heard. When 50 heard it, he wanted it, he made it into a classic. I respect 50 for that.
HHDX: So, how they’d figure it out that it wasn’t his ****?

Apex: They needed to master the song, so they asked him to go into the studio to bring up the track file and he was coming up with excuses. He said that he didn’t have the copies or the track files. He said that his hard drive on his computer broke. It was crazy. I was told this after the situation happened. After all that, they gave him some studio time to re-do the beat. He goes to the studio and he doesn’t know where the drums came from! So, now, they’re trying to get some sound that sounds like the one I used and they kept asking questions. They played me the version that he had made and it sounded like trash. It was borderline copy-cat. He couldn’t play the melody of the beat. He didn’t use the instrument that I used for the beat. So, he called his homeboy to play it. His connect at G-Unit was questioning Scott and he was struggling for answers. This guy by the name of Broadway searched online and the fans of my stuff were saying that that was my beat. Everyone was saying that that was an Apex beat. So, once the guy heard that it was me he asked Scott if he ever heard of me. He said no. Broadway got in touch with one of these rappers on MySpace who rapped over my beat. The rapper then got in touch with me. I listened to what the guy had to say and later on, Broadway got in touch with me directly because I wasn’t dealing with the rapper guy. The both of us linked up at Junior’s and talked about everything. Once it was all settled, Scott Boogie was out and I was in.
HHDX: So, would there be a problem if y’all crossed paths?

Apex: If I ever saw him, then it’d be a problem; it’d be a serious problem. The funny thing about that is that after this whole thing, a few weeks after that, some clowns were going around saying that they were me! On the intro of Styles P’s "Stop Schemin’" they shouted my name out on the track… but it wasn’t me who produced the track. On the reals, I’ll lace Styles up with a real beat, though. It’s corny to see how people try to be me. Styles, man, you can holla at me dog! I got some real **** for you.
HHDX: Are you upset with Scott for doing what he did and did that event result in helping fuel your producing career?

Apex: That’s why I’m not really going around saying that I’m sincerely upset. I’m puffin’ an L and I’m chillin’, B. [The success] It was meant to be. I knew that I was going to get in the game sooner or later. I didn’t know that I was going to get in on a major label and that it would turn out to be like this. I knew that I would get my music heard in a major way, it was planned like that. I just didn’t plan on it being jacked. I’m not really mad about it because it’s over with and I’m moving on. It is what it is. I believe in fate. God don’t like ugly, man. I’m not even a religious person, but God don’t like ugly, man. For real, last year, I did a beat called "Where Brooklyn At?!" – I can e-mail you the track. But when I posted the song on the site, I put in parentheses that it’d be a great song for a collaboration with Jay-Z, Fabolous, Joell Ortiz and Papoose. At the end, I put, “Brooklyn – STAND UP!” I had it on there for about four months, last year. It’s funny that a few months later that I hear the same two dudes on a track together with the same sample [Fabolous’ "Brooklyn" produced by Versatile]. It had the same intro, but the instrumental was played a little different. I heard this about two-to-three months later and then this **** with 50 happened, so it’s been crazy! So, I know cats are trying to steal tracks from me. It’s been going on for a couple of years, but all that **** stops now. I’m in the game, now!
HHDX: You’re going to be in the next issue of Scratch Magazine which is a good look for all beat makers. What is one word of advice that you want to say to those up-and-coming producer’s looking to make a hit?

Apex: Don’t just do what everyone else is doing – do something different. Just make sure that you try to stand out and promote your music as hard as possible. The Internet is a beast, man. I’m inspired by this **** man. I was planning on getting rich off of this ****. The Internet is the future. You either need to get with it or get ran over. The majors are still trying to figure it out. Hip-Hop isn’t dead; it’s just that the majors are trying to get a handle on the Internet. After that, it’s going to kick back off majorly.
HHDX: Now that you’ve given 50 a monster track – what’s next for you?

Apex: I got a lot of things on the horizon. I’m just trying to do more joints with G-Unit as a whole camp. They already know. Prodigy took a track from me. I’m hoping to place some stuff with the next G-Unit album. Outside the camp, Uncle Murda took a track. I got a beat CD to Chamillionaire – shouts out to him. I want to get a few tracks out to Mariah Carey.
HHDX: [Laughs] …Mariah Carey?!

Apex: Yeah, man… On the real, hate him or love him, 50 knows good music and he knows how to make a hit. So, if he co-signs my music, then why not shoot for the stars?! I’m looking out for the underdogs, too. I’m looking to work with the cats who are coming up in the game. I work with independent artists as well… just as long as they got their bread right [laughs].
HHDX: If you could executive produce an album, a compilation of sorts – who would you have on it and why?

Apex: Wow… Ah, man, that’s a crazy question, son. I’d definitely try to get Dre on there. That’s one of my idols growing up, man. He wouldn’t have to produce a beat; I’d just want him to put his voice over one of my tracks. 50 would be there because we need to do another smash. It’d be something different than "I Get Money". Jay-Z because that’s Brooklyn all day, I’d love to work with him. I would want to work with Fabolous because he’s from Brooklyn, too. I’d love to work with Snoop Dogg, too. I’d want to work with Mobb Deep because I think that they’re not getting the shine that they should. I think they lost a little shine, just a little bit and I think that I can help get them back to that Shook Ones vibe. I love Mariah Carey’s voice and I’d love to have her and Keyshia Cole on a track. I love their voices.
HHDX: Word is that there’s going to be a remix to I Get Money…

Apex: Put it like this… if you read the newest Forbes list with the top musicians who are making money, just know that you may see them on a remix [laughs]. That’d be a hot look right there. Those tops dudes get money and that’s all I know. That’s all Forbes is saying, B. [laughs].
HHDX: A lot of people have said that New York rap music has fallen off. What do you have to say to all those naysayers?

Apex: Wow… New York never fell off. New York never, ever fell off. The industry has turned its head away and looked down south. They neck is hurting now and they’re looking at the East again. Shouts out to the South, they have nothing but talent. We have that cycle where everyone gets their shine. I think it’s our time to shine again. The South has been killing it for awhile, but right now, it’s about New York City. You got Papoose, 50 and a lot of other guys poppin’ off right now. You got a lot of talent that’s about to make some major noise. You’ll hear from my artist Kevlar. New York has never fallen off, on the real, B. We here now! The biggest rappers that have been successful in the last five years have all been from New York. So, you can never say that New York fell off.
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wow thats a real good look for him.. now that that scott boogie was finally taken care of..

so he was givin a deal to g-unit because of this huh?
 
That sucks that the beat was stolen. To be honest, It's not even that good of a beat, but i guess that's what the club wants.
 
Soundclick, the number one place to get your ideas stolen. That's what my homeboy was telling me.
 
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Glad something positive came from such a sucky situation for dude. Good read too, by the way, Jerz.
 
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that's why you don't jack beats. Because when it comes time to get the beat MIXED, you can't produce the multi-tracks. Then you look like a fraud.

Scott Boogie or whoever he is has to change his name now. Cuz nobody's gonna wanna be associated with this dude.
 
If RK can get away with being a pervert this dude can sell a few stolen beats. Its not like people in the industry have high moral standards.
 
noblewordz said:
If RK can get away with being a pervert this dude can sell a few stolen beats. Its not like people in the industry have high moral standards.

Naw, this is a totally different situation. We're talking about crossing dudes in the industry. You can do whatever you want outsite the industry, and people generally treat street crime different. But when you're messing with people's business/money/music, industry cats take that very seriously and you will be blacklisted.

It's not about moral standards; it's about business.
 
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[Khameleon] said:
Naw, this is a totally different situation. We're talking about crossing dudes in the industry. You can do whatever you want outsite the industry, and people generally treat street crime different. But when you're messing with people's business/money/music, industry cats take that very seriously and you will be blacklisted.

It's not about moral standards; it's about business.

Time will tell.

Since when was being a pedophile a street crime?
 
noblewordz said:
Time will tell.

Since when was being a pedophile a street crime?

'Street' meaning, outside of the industry, in the regular pedestrian world.
 
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[Khameleon] said:
Naw, this is a totally different situation. We're talking about crossing dudes in the industry. You can do whatever you want outsite the industry, and people generally treat street crime different. But when you're messing with people's business/money/music, industry cats take that very seriously and you will be blacklisted.

It's not about moral standards; it's about business.
I gotta disagree. Gillie didn't discredit Wayne. The producers ripped off by dipset didn't discredit them. As every door closes, another opens. Someone will want to hear(and sell)the other side of the story everytime.

But I will agree this puts him in the sh*thouse with most industry guys. There's always that 1 who opens the door. 50 Cents whole career can be creditted to Em signing him when he was blacklisted by everyone else. That's proof in itself.
 
I thought it was funny when dude was talking about someone jacking his beat that was obviously a sample. When you use samples and some one else uses the same record chances are it is going to sound similar. That doesn't mean someone "jacked" your beat.
 
^^ wat u mean??.. somebody took his work.. like took it off his soundclick and said it was his.. that means somebody stole it
 
as20gp said:
^^ wat u mean??.. somebody took his work.. like took it off his soundclick and said it was his.. that means somebody stole it

I don't mean the Fifty track. I mean this...

"real, last year, I did a beat called "Where Brooklyn At?!" – I can e-mail you the track. But when I posted the song on the site, I put in parentheses that it’d be a great song for a collaboration with Jay-Z, Fabolous, Joell Ortiz and Papoose. At the end, I put, “Brooklyn – STAND UP!” I had it on there for about four months, last year. It’s funny that a few months later that I hear the same two dudes on a track together with the same sample [Fabolous’ "Brooklyn" produced by Versatile]. It had the same intro, but the instrumental was played a little different. I heard this about two-to-three months later and then this **** with 50 happened, so it’s been crazy! So, I know cats are trying to steal tracks from me. It’s been going on for a couple of years, but all that **** stops now. I’m in the game, now!"
 
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