DJ Mustard & The Return of the Hip Hop Super Producer

^^^Plenty of artists have been "hottest in the game" at some point without being comparable to greats.

Chingy
Yung Joc
MC Brains
Kriss Kross
Cheef Keef
Soulja Boy

You're trying to put emphasis on the idea of someone trying to immortalize Mustard simply because we're giving him props for what he's doing. He'll continue on the path to being immortalized if it's meant to be, but we must be reading 2 different threads if you think anyone is saying he's already there.

EDIT: my bad, not even trying to debate further, didn't realize who posted the message above until after responding. :cheers:
 
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Mustard Makes Microwave Beats. None of his stuff has longevity like a Neptunes or Timbaland etc. It's to satisfy the crack babies with ADD who need to hear 30 similar sounding songs per day. He's getting his money fast which is a good plan for him. Flood the market then go away. He'll probably continue to DJ long after he is no longer in demand. He was a Dj First anyways.
 
Mustard Makes Microwave Beats. None of his stuff has longevity like a Neptunes or Timbaland etc. It's to satisfy the crack babies with ADD who need to hear 30 similar sounding songs per day. He's getting his money fast which is a good plan for him. Flood the market then go away. He'll probably continue to DJ long after he is no longer in demand. He was a Dj First anyways.

100% Truth

I would really like to hear from cats who don't agree with everything this man Chuck D says during this interview because I feel it really explains many thoughts we all have about the state of the music industry currently and why some are ready to delegate Mustard a Super Producer:

 
Mustard Makes Microwave Beats. None of his stuff has longevity like a Neptunes or Timbaland etc. It's to satisfy the crack babies with ADD who need to hear 30 similar sounding songs per day. He's getting his money fast which is a good plan for him. Flood the market then go away. He'll probably continue to DJ long after he is no longer in demand. He was a Dj First anyways.

lol I remember when cats were saying that all of the neptunes beats minus a hand off sounded the same....... and like this era cats were trying they best to bite them... history repeats itself
 
^^^In all fairness, they did. Superthug and You Don't have to call were the same melody. Grindin was 4 keys next to each other out of a triton drum kit. They used the same hollow drums, guitar licks, and minor chords on tons of stuff. Can't see how people are overly impressed by their catalog while being quick tom judge others.

It's all just music to me, I rarely hear stuff i can't remake, emulate, or innovate on top of. I can make a beat that sounds like something Mustard did like I can make a beat that sounds like something Nepz did. That's taking nothing from either of them when they both INVENTED/PLAYED UP ON sounds that are currently being embraced, the most I can do from this point is take advantage of a sound they made popular.

Still, guys be up here acting like one is rocket science and the other is childs play. They're really in the same skill bracket.

Again, not saying mustard is anywhere near the Nepz status...just saying when they were a year in, they weren't comparable to any greats either.
 
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^^^In all fairness, they did. Superthug and You Don't have to call were the same melody. Grindin was 4 keys next to each other out of a triton drum kit. They used the same hollow drums, guitar licks, and minor chords on tons of stuff. Can't see how people are overly impressed by their catalog while being quick tom judge others.

It's all just music to me, I rarely hear stuff i can't remake, emulate, or innovate on top of. I can make a beat that sounds like something Mustard did like I can make a beat that sounds like something Nepz did. That's taking nothing from either of them when they both INVENTED/PLAYED UP ON sounds that are currently being embraced, the most I can do from this point is take advantage of a sound they made popular.

Still, guys be up here acting like one is rocket science and the other is childs play. They're really in the same skill bracket.

Again, not saying mustard is anywhere near the Nepz status...just saying when they were a year in, they weren't comparable to any greats either.

Just to play devil's advocate:

1) To make a hard hip hop song that reached #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart and then use the same melody for a smoothed out RnB song that won Usher the Best Male RnB Vocal Performance Grammy 3 years later is pretty impressive IMO.

2) The Neptunes were first discovered by THE Teddy Riley at age 17 and signed to his label after graduation. Again, pretty impressive IMO

I can't knock Mustard's accomplishments because he is both a successful businessman and music producer who clearly has a product that people want...I can't knock another man's hustle.

But, The Neptunes have made household names out Noreaga (besides hip hop heads no one knew who CNN were), Clipse, Kelis, Mystikal (his comeback and biggest hit), Philly's Most Wanted, Slim Thug, Robin Thicke (no one remembers Shooter even with Lil Wayne or When I Get You Alone), N.E.R.D., Kenna, etc. Granted, not all of these artists have had amazing careers, but it shows a broad and diverse range in skill and musical intelligence. If Mustard can do like Mike Will and go to different genres and prove he has the skill to work with established artists, then maybe I can take him more seriously as an artist. But, and real talk, I hear better emcees on this forum on our tracks than I do on Mustard and Mike Will beats.
 
Just to play devil's advocate:

1) To make a hard hip hop song that reached #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart and then use the same melody for a smoothed out RnB song that won Usher the Best Male RnB Vocal Performance Grammy 3 years later is pretty impressive IMO.

2) The Neptunes were first discovered by THE Teddy Riley at age 17 and signed to his label after graduation. Again, pretty impressive IMO

I can't knock Mustard's accomplishments because he is both a successful businessman and music producer who clearly has a product that people want...I can't knock another man's hustle.

But, The Neptunes have made household names out Noreaga (besides hip hop heads no one knew who CNN were), Clipse, Kelis, Mystikal (his comeback and biggest hit), Philly's Most Wanted, Slim Thug, Robin Thicke (no one remembers Shooter even with Lil Wayne or When I Get You Alone), N.E.R.D., Kenna, etc. Granted, not all of these artists have had amazing careers, but it shows a broad and diverse range in skill and musical intelligence. If Mustard can do like Mike Will and go to different genres and prove he has the skill to work with established artists, then maybe I can take him more seriously as an artist. But, and real talk, I hear better emcees on this forum on our tracks than I do on Mustard and Mike Will beats.

Valid points, but . . .

Pharell said it himself Teddy Riley wasn't from Va he moved their and got hip to them (they had already been grinding an doing the talent show thing)

The Neptunes have been the game since the mid-nineties that's almost twenty years and their early stuff wasn't that much different than Mustard (in terms of complexity).

What they have really been good at is changing their sound, but this happened over the course of years. Who's to day Mustard's sound wont evolve in the next years?
 
The Neptunes have been the game since the mid-nineties that's almost twenty years and their early stuff wasn't that much different than Mustard (in terms of complexity).

are you sure? :)



The thing with Neptunes is they were in the bands and played instruments before they started producing, I like DJ Mustard, but I also think he keeps making similar sounding simple stuff out of necessity and lack of musical knowledge :(

^^^In all fairness, they did. Superthug

Here is another Neptunes track released around the same time as Superthug, and aside from the drums (live kit, same room), those two songs sound nothing alike. They were always able to capture different moods or pay homage to different genres/different eras



Grindin was 4 keys next to each other out of a triton drum kit.

Another reason why the Neptunes are so great, you think it's just 4 keys on the Triton, meanwhile they replayed obscure jazz record from the 80's.
 
i was listening to Angie Martinez debut on Power 105 yesterday, and I swear it was like DJ Mustard radio.


They played 8 Mustard songs in an hour...at one point they played 3 in a row.


The rest were Drake songs. lol
 
^^^In all fairness, they did. Superthug and You Don't have to call were the same melody. Grindin was 4 keys next to each other out of a triton drum kit. They used the same hollow drums, guitar licks, and minor chords on tons of stuff. Can't see how people are overly impressed by their catalog while being quick tom judge others.

It's all just music to me, I rarely hear stuff i can't remake, emulate, or innovate on top of. I can make a beat that sounds like something Mustard did like I can make a beat that sounds like something Nepz did. That's taking nothing from either of them when they both INVENTED/PLAYED UP ON sounds that are currently being embraced, the most I can do from this point is take advantage of a sound they made popular.

Still, guys be up here acting like one is rocket science and the other is childs play. They're really in the same skill bracket.

Again, not saying mustard is anywhere near the Nepz status...just saying when they were a year in, they weren't comparable to any greats either.


lol very true.... your right... I dont know if mustard can really play the keys or any other instruments unless one considers CDJ's and a mixer an instrument.....
 
are you sure? :)



The thing with Neptunes is they were in the bands and played instruments before they started producing, I like DJ Mustard, but I also think he keeps making similar sounding simple stuff out of necessity and lack of musical knowledge :(



Here is another Neptunes track released around the same time as Superthug, and aside from the drums (live kit, same room), those two songs sound nothing alike. They were always able to capture different moods or pay homage to different genres/different eras





Another reason why the Neptunes are so great, you think it's just 4 keys on the Triton, meanwhile they replayed obscure jazz record from the 80's.


Okay man, I'm not gonna try to claim that the Neptunes are not extremely talented or that I think Mustard is on their level (u had me when u cited Kelis, which most people don't know it was like there first major project).

Still . . . I don't think you're acknowledging that a) Mustard is still very early in his career, and b) it does take talent to make a hit and keep making hits (even if its viewed as simple in terms of musical complexity). Some of the most notable songs in music history (all genres) are relatively simple in terms of the structure. Gifted musicians can take the most simple idea and turn it into something beautiful
 
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i was listening to Angie Martinez debut on Power 105 yesterday, and I swear it was like DJ Mustard radio.


They played 8 Mustard songs in an hour...at one point they played 3 in a row.


The rest were Drake songs. lol

That's why I started the thread because the term "super producer" from a Music Industry point of view usually refers to when a producer can pretty much dominate the sound of mainstream radio with their sound to the point the labels are demanding their artists to jump on the sound as a single formula. How dope/quality the music is irrelevant because its a corporate term, keep that in mind. In my opinion Mustard right now is as close to that since the Neptune/Timbaland/Scott Storch "golden era". Now if you want to talk how he stacks up overall to the other brand name producers that's a related but seperate convo
 
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That's why I started the thread because the term "super producer" from a Music Industry point of view usually refers to when a producer can pretty much dominate the sound of mainstream radio with their sound to the point the labels are demanding their artists to jump on the sound as a single formula. How dope/quality the music is irrelevant because its a corporate term, keep that in mind. In my opinion Mustard right now is as close to that since the Neptune/Timbaland/Scott Storch "golden era". Now if you want to talk how he stacks up overall to the other brand name producers that's a related but seperate convo


When he consistently crosses over, then I'll be willing to consider him as a "super producer".


Like Timbo and Storch and Neps were always working with Non-Urban artists.


So far, Mustard's resume is full of rappers and trap-singers.
 
When he consistently crosses over, then I'll be willing to consider him as a "super producer".


Like Timbo and Storch and Neps were always working with Non-Urban artists.


So far, Mustard's resume is full of rappers and trap-singers.

I can agree on that. But remember I'm not saying he's yet on those guys level but in terms of impacting he's the closest thing we've witnessed since that era. At least some of those rappers and trappers are crossing over and are winning on the pop side which you have to give him credit for. That "Fancy" record wouldn't exist if it wasn't for his sound being so hot and we all know how big that record is in 2014
 
I can agree on that. But remember I'm not saying he's yet on those guys level but in terms of impacting he's the closest thing we've witnessed since that era. At least some of those rappers and trappers are crossing over and are winning on the pop side which you have to give him credit for. That "Fancy" record wouldn't exist if it wasn't for his sound being so hot and we all know how big that record is in 2014


Impact, absolutely.


We'll see how long that "impact" lasts.


There's no SUPER without the LONGEVITY (which in urban music, is relative).
 
Yep, as a person being in the business formally longer than some of the posters in this forum been alive longevity is always high on the credential lists in my book.
 
I can agree on that. But remember I'm not saying he's yet on those guys level but in terms of impacting he's the closest thing we've witnessed since that era. At least some of those rappers and trappers are crossing over and are winning on the pop side which you have to give him credit for. That "Fancy" record wouldn't exist if it wasn't for his sound being so hot and we all know how big that record is in 2014

I can't agree with this - Mustard didn't invent the sound of a drumline with some synth chords over it. This has been coming out of the ATL and Dirty South for the past 20 years. I think people keep confusing what the "Mustard Sound" is just because he, as of yet, has not produced a song with much complexity.
 
Well since rack city he has had 4 platinum and 2 gold singles (according to wiki DJ Mustard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) , and its safe to say 2014 will be a good year for him.

Good find. I just find it hard to compare (just like Timbo's $250,000 salary per beat to today's market) the time when the Neptunes and Timbo had to physically sell singles on CD to today's market of ringtone downloads which are not only cheaper, but accessible right on our phones and computers...many artists, including Three 6 consistently talk about how they only make money off of touring and ringtone sales when it comes to the music.

Kid Ink's Show Me peaked at #13 on the charts, but regardless, platinum is platinum.
 
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