This year’s Red Bull Big Tune competition brought together hip-hop giant Ghostface Killah and up-and-coming producer/beat maker Adam Feeney a.k.a. Frank Dukes  for a recording session in Red Bull’s $6,000,000 Santa Monica studio.  Dukes, whose name is a Jean-Claude Van Damme / Blood Sport reference, is an all-business personality.  Seeming comfortable in the studio, he is meticulous, well spoken, and purposeful. His focus and tenacity were tested by fire when Dukes lost in the 2008 big tune finals to Chicago native C-Sick.  Undaunted and eager to set the record straight, Dukes returned in 2009 to unleash his wrath on Detroit, winning the national producers competition and earning him the opportunity to work with the MC of his choice.

I only got a few moments with the Toronto native but I did manage gain insight into his beat making process.  “I try and keep it simple,” Dukes told me. “I start with a vision, and I work from my MPC.”  Dukes is a connoisseur of sound and a veracious collector of records.  He loves hunting for obscure or “horrendous” discs because often, he explains, it’s these unlikely sounds that become the best samples.  While eavesdropping in the studio, I overheard a couple of Dukes’ other tracks, which proved to be heavy, yet uniquely sophisticated gems.  A recent collaboration with 50 Cent, in addition to winning the Red Bull Big Tune producer competition,  Dukes’ promise as one of hip-hop’s next generation of beat scientists.

Ghostface Killah, on the other hand, is a jovial, Dalai Lama-esque personality who puts everyone at ease. Upon being introduced to Ghost by a member of the Red Bull Big Tune team, Ghost kindly says, “Oh sh*t, what’s up Big Mike…,” and extends his giant hand for a grip. But don’t let his calm demeanor fool you because when he’s on the mic, this living legend spits fire.  With an honesty and ever-evolving style, Ghostface Killah continues to thrive as one of hip-hop’s most dynamic and relevant artists.  In a game when the average shelf life of an MC is about a year, that is a testament to who he is as an artist and a person. In March 2010, Ghost released Wu-Massacre with Wu-Tang Clan members Method Man, and Raekwon.  I was fortunate to ask him a couple questions regarding his writing process and the collaboration with Dukes an the following is what he had to say:

How do you go about writing lyrics?

Ghostface Killah: The track sets it off…ya know what I mean? So once you got that and a sense of direction of where you wanna go with it… you just follow that.  You just take it there.  So the beat kinda’ brings a lot of the thoughts and everything out.  You know like if the beat sounds like it’s a happy beat… then maybe you should write something happy, or sunny.  You know what I mean? Or about something that goes on in the summer or what ever the case may be.  And if it’s [the beat] dark and gloomy, then you might write about a murder, or a robbery.  The beat tells it all, and you just follow that. That’s what works for me.

Let’s talk about the tune you just made with Dukes.  What was the vibe of that and how did it come about?

Ghostface Killah: Yea… On the hook of that beat, it says something like, “Am I a good man or am I a fool…” So, I just followed that and went off of that.  Deep down in the verse I started talking about God, and about me being in Africa feeding the children and doing this, that, and the third, and Mandela and all that- based it on the good things I did and that just lead right on into the hook.  But like I said, it’s mainly the beat. It always gives you a direction- if you’re open minded.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with ChinaShop.

Ghostface Killah: Anytime baby, no doubt, respect.

Words a by Michael Bucher, Photos by Nicholas Schrunk/Red Bull Photofiles