Mike WiLL Made It Appreciates Having Big Stars At SXSW
Mike WiLL Made It
"War Ready" featuring Jeezy and Tracy T
Mike WiLL Made It: DJ Khaled, man, he reached out to me that Ross was working on his new project. He knew me and Ross had previous hits before with "Tupac Back," "King Of Diamonds” and “Marble Floors.” He actually did all three of those records at the same time. Khaled reached out to me and told me he had a list of who Ross wanted to work with. I [got] to work with Rick Ross, he’s a legend and his albums are always crazy. We make great music together.
I came to Miami to fuck with Ross and Khaled and went to Ross’ house and went through some beats but he didn’t hear anything right away. He reached out to me and said that he needed something crazy, with the crazy 808s, the meanest beat you can possibly do. "I’m about to do a song with a game changer, someone who you might not even think I would do a song with." I had a idea that it was Jeezy. So I went through some beats and sent it to him. He told me he heard one right away and was excited about the song. At the end it came out good. I was proud of the song. I started working on the 808s, then Jeezy sent his vocals in. We just kept mixing the record. Everybody had their opinions until down to the wire with the way they wanted to sound. Everybody just worked hard when it came to this record. We knew that it was going to be a moment in hip-hop. It’s always good to see rappers come back together when people don’t think that they work with each other anymore.
Amidst all the talk of SXSW veering off into the mainstream and leaving less room for up-and-coming artists, Mike WiLL thinks having both parties present is actually a good mix and the chatter should cease.
In an interview with XXL, Mike unveiled that he's confused by the recent SXSW comments, because having those corporate people around should be a rising artist's dream come true. "It was a lot of independent artists down there; it was a lot of corporate people, too, but I feel like it’s no such thing as too corporate," explained Mike. "If everybody down there is trying to get on and then you got the corporate people—like presidents for different record labels down there—then that’s even more accessible from when I was trying to get on."
He went on to add that he could have only wished for an opportunity like this year's SXSW on his journey to the top. "I wish I could have did that when I was getting on, so I don’t really know how that really sounds," said Mike. "It’s not like the presidents from these labels are like, 'We need to have the streets blocked off, we can’t be moving like this.' Even though it’s corporate people out there, they still just kicking it and checking out different showcases and shit like that."
As for his experience, Mike will maintains that SXSW 2014 "was dope this year." Mike performed 3 shows and also showcased his two artists signed to Eardrumma Records (via Interscope), Rae Sremmurd and Two-9.
"Two-9 already has a crazy independent following," Mike said about his artists. "They’ve been going to SXSW every year, so to see their fan base starting to build up and be able to react to them, seeing them perform at the Illmore and people fucking with they songs. Some of those same corporate people asking what’s going on with Rae Sremmurd... It was just all love man. And bringing Future out [during] my set at the ICM show, and us rocking the stage—it was just all love." —Miranda J
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