Interview - Body Bag Ben
Body Bag Ben is a producer who has been making waves with his music for a few years now, most notably his albums like Strength In Numbers and Integrity. He has recently released his latest tracks Voodoo with Black Soprano Family’s Rick Hyde and Vanilla Sky with Chino XL. We caught up with him to talk about these two tracks, the experience of working with both artists, as well as discussing his forthcoming music.
Voodoo with Rick Hyde dropped a few weeks back. How has the track been received so far?
I’d say so far so good! I can’t wait for people to hear the whole project!
How was the experience of working with Rick and will you work together again in the future?
Rick and the BSF brothers are good people for sure. Rick and I are dropping a EP called Hyde The Body Bag this summer fully produced by me.
That followed Vanilla Sky a few months ago. How was it working with Chino XL?
Chino’s a living legend so I’ve just been soaking up game from him and enjoying the process
You also dropped your Gods Country album back in February. What was the motivation behind that?
I just wanted to make some shit that people could drunk freestyle to in their backyards! Volume 2 is on the way.
Then late last year, you also gave us the Write It In Blood project with Milano Constantine. Can you tell us about the creation of the album and its sound?
We just wanted to make something for the hardcore hip hop fans you know. That gutter shit! I couldn’t be more elated with how the fans took to it. Peers received it well and people I admire like Showbiz & DJ Premier rock with it
How did you and Milano hook up in the first place?
The homie DJ Enyoutee hooked us up after I produced a song for Milano and Planet Asia called Don’t Become a Victim and the rest is history. We’re working on part 2 as we speak!
Whilst we’re running through the discography, you’ve also dropped projects with Robert Deniro and Eto, worked with M.O.P and had the likes of Estee Nack, Daniel Son and Madhatten grace your tracks. Do you feel excited working with all these great artists and do you feel about the new wave of rappers coming through and making moves that you are a part of?
It’s good when its good and bad when it’s bad if that makes any sense! Rob’s a super talented dude and mad cool. M.O.P are one of my all-time favourite duos so it was an honour to work with them. Eto’s a solid brother with unreal talent. I’d say a good portion of these guys are genuine but some of these dudes are…I’m just running my race and couldn’t care less about what anyone else is doing.
You have had a very busy few years. How do you keep up with so many musical projects on the go?
Just try and stay organized and set realistic goals for myself. It’s always quality over quanity
What is a typical day in the studio like for you? If there is such a thing as a typical day!
I literally only have time on the weekends to sit down and crank shit out. My real life is very demanding so it’s all about balance
Have you got any other music on the way that you can tell us about?
I have a bunch of projects lined up this year. Albums with Rick Hyde, Chino XL, J Scienide, Lush One, Goretex and a few more.
Who are your biggest influences as a rapper and what was it about them that you resonated with?
Nas, Raekwon , Big L , Snoop , Ice Cube , Chino XL, Guru , Jeru Da Damaja. Their tone, delivery and story-telling are crazy
And who are your biggest influences as a producer?
DJ Premier, RZA , Alchemist , Dr Dre , Pete Rock
What are your three favourite beats that you have done and what are your three favourite beats by other producers of all time?
My beats would be Essence off Integrity, Lord Body with M.O.P & this track me and Chino got called Infamy . Three classics would be Mass Appeal by Gang Starr, 4th Chamber by RZA & Dre Day by Dr Dre
How did you get into Hip Hop in the first place?
Growing up in Oxnard / LA, being around my brothers older friends and people I knew who where already in it. We started breakdancing, doing Graf, DJing, beatboxing and all of that
What was the Hip Hop scene like in Oxnard when you were coming up and what is it like now?
I grew up in two cities really but it was always around me. The scene now is different just like anything else; you’ve got people like me who are still on that gutter shit then you got these youngsters who are all on that Migos autotune shit.
Madlib and Oh No are Oxnard natives. Were they big influences on yourself as a rapper and producer at all?
Love Lootpack. They definitely had a influence but I was always looking into different sounds and styles.
Even though you are based in California, you work with a lot of East Coast MCs and beyond. Do you think that social media and the internet has been a great tool in connecting artists?
It’s a good tool but it’s fucking stupid at the same time. People aren’t really like they are in real life. The way they project themselves on social media; it’s a front but it’s the new norm and that’s pretty scary.
Are there any up-and-coming rappers and producers that you could recommend for us to check out?
My homie Mark 4ord from Oxnard is a beast. He raps & produces - definitely check him out
You played in Hardcore bands as well. Can you tell us about that and is that something you still do or will do in the future alongside Hip Hop?
We had a lot of fun touring and playing that music. If we stayed the path and if one of the band members wasn’t a fucking thief we probably would have went a lot farther then we did.
Oxnard has always had a big hardcore scene going back to bands like Dr Know and the whole Nardcore scene. Was it always prevalent to you coming up as well as Hip Hop?
Not really. I always liked brutal music and I started listing to bands like the Hope Conspiracy and American Nightmare long after I was listening to LL Cool J and Rakim!
What are your musical plans for the new year that you can tell us about?
Too many to name really, just stay tuned
What have been some of the highlights of your career so far?
Doing it my way and not playing into the fuck shit that comes along with trying to make unhappy people happy.
Words by Gavin Brown