Meet Music Producer BLAPDRE, One Of One

“Once we received our first gold plaque, 500,000 sales. That was like a sign of recognition that Yo like this isn’t just bedroom music anymore. This is national, worldwide stuff. We can take it there. After I got that first gold plaque, it was mind-opening just because we recorded that song in the bedroom type thing and the garage type thing. So it was just crazy to see it go from garage to worldwide where it is now. So I think that shows me that what we’re doing is part of history. It’s not just us just running around making music anymore. We’re becoming part of history in the Bay Area and other places because our music travels past the Bay Area.”

I.E. – (This interview has been condensed for clarity) 

Disney: Who is BLAPDRE? 

BLAPDRE: How do I put this? Producer, engineer, manager, pretty much the guy you called to get the job done when you’re in the studio. I wouldn’t say I like to limit myself to just engineer, producer, anything. So I want to do whatever it takes to get my artist to the next level.

Disney: What Was Your Upbringing Like?

BLAPDRE: I grew up around music. Of course. My mom was big on the church, so we went to church every Sunday. Music was just part of me. I started off rapping in high school with friends beating on trash cans, free-styling . I wanted to take it more serious so I started going to different Studios in high school, and networking with other people, I had a good friend named TJ who had went to a school for Recording Arts in Emeryville. The recording studio was like a space ship, I didn’t know what any of the buttons did. It was a million-dollar facility. I decided that I wanted to learn how everything in the studio worked. After he showed me that college, I took it upon myself to start learning. I started networking with more engineers and producers and ended up attending that same college.

Disney: Who are some of the producers that inspire you? 

BLAPDRE:  Some of the producers that inspire me? Well, I would say any producer who wears multiple hats, of course, DR.Dre is one of my inspirations. He was one of the first producers to wear multiple hats in the studio. You would see him behind the board, behind the mic, and making plays as far as whatever needed to be done.Travis Scott & Kanye West definitely at the top of my list as well.

Disney: You say you have over ten years of experience in the industry. You’ve worked with a lot of different people. What has been the most memorable part of it for you? What has mattered the most to you out of everything you’ve done? 

BLAPDRE: I would say the most monumental part was receiving that first gold plaque Because, as I said, we started in the bedroom recording records with just a bunch of friends. Once we received our first gold plaque, 500,000 sales. That was like a sign of recognition that Yo like this isn’t just bedroom music anymore. This is national, worldwide stuff. We can take it there. After I got that first gold plaque, it was mind-opening just because we recorded that song in the bedroom type thing and the garage type thing. So it was just crazy to see it go from garage to worldwide where it is now. So I think that shows me that what we’re doing is part of history. It’s not just us just running around making music anymore. We’re becoming part of history in the Bay Area and other places because our music travels past the Bay Area.

Disney: So walk me through it. You’re making music at home with Nef The Pharoah, and then out of nowhere, he gets invited to go on tour with G-Eazy. Of course, he’s like, you’re coming with me. So what was that like for you?

BLAPDRE: When he told me that, I didn’t know what to expect; Nef was just like, Yo, we’re hitting the road. When he said this is going to be big we were going on a national tour I didn’t know what to expect. . And then, after the first day, I realized this is next level. We had multiple tour buses. I think G-eazy definitely had close to a million dollar budget for that tour. We had the same stage team traveling with us to every city and they had their own tour bus as well. It was the first time I had people working under me while I was engineering. I was running front of house sound and I brought the recording studio with us. Tour dates were back to back so we were hitting city after city with barely any rest days.

Disney: So, at what point of G-Eazy’s career was this?

BLAPDRE:  This was during the “When It’s Dark Out” Tour. I believe that was a high point of his career because everything he was releasing was going gold and platinum. I think he was on the radio nearly every city we visited.

Disney: So between G-Eazy, Kehlani, YG, Mannie Fresh, or Ty Dolla $ign, who would you say was the most fun to work with?

BLAPDRE: I would have to say G-Eazy. He lives life like a rockstar. He’s also down to earth and was showing nef love and would put us on any chance he got.

Disney: So, what advice do you have for other young people who want to follow in your footsteps as fellow creatives? 

BLAPDRE: I would say follow your heart. Your head will always tell you what makes sense logically, but follow your heart. Figure out how to do it and get it done and Don’t let anything hold you back.

Disney: So, who are some artists you haven’t been able to work with yet that you can see yourself working with? 

BLAPDRE: I would say some more singers : Beyonce, Drake, Chris Brown

BLAPDRE continues……..

We had a chance to work with Drake because Drake had brought Nef out for a show, and then Nef was texting back and forth with Drake. We ended up sending him two songs for him to feature on but he never got back to us. Drake posted Nef on his Instagram page, brought him out for a show, and was genuine to Nef so I thought we were getting that Drake feature for sure.

Disney: Tell me about your most recent project Da Boii “Can’t Tame Us.” 

BLAPDRE: Yeah, that project drops on the 13th. I helped Daboii executively produce that project from the ground up. That was a fantastic project. We put in so much time with that because before that we were known for our music with SOBXRBE. But since the group split up we’ve been pushing Daboii as a Solo Artist. And I think this album captured his energy, his raw energy, because he didn’t write any of those records. Whole Project was freestyle . So really, it was him getting in the booth and going in while we were looking for production to match his new sound. We went to Atlanta networking with different producers, went to LA, and linked with other producers. He challenged himself to put the pen down and we built a whole project around that and his new sound.

Disney: What can we expect next from you?

BLAPDRE: Next, I want to open up the most prominent recording studio in the Bay area. It will be so big that people will travel from LA and Atlanta to make music at my studio. It will be a “one stop shop” studio where you can come record a song, shoot a music video, do a photo shoot, as well as have people help you with releasing the record and promotion. I think this would be legendary because many people don’t know how to connect those dots, and I want to connect those dots. As well as build a legacy, I think that’s the way to go.

Disney: Tell everyone where we can find you 

BLAPDRE: @BLAPDRE, Instagram BLAPDRE.com, no Twitter

BLAPDRE currently has a project with Daboii titled “Can’t Tame Us” and Music with up-and-coming artist Yatta Bandz. Make sure to check it out on all streaming platforms. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.