Producer Earl On The Beat will find inspiration in any room he’s in. Whether it’s Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red,” Lil Yachty’s “Oprah’s Bank Account,” Drake and 21 Savage’s “Privileged Rappers,” or any of his other hits, Earl can create wherever he is. And that includes studios, where anything can happen.
“I came into the studio, and there was nobody in the A-room but Travis Scott sleeping,” Earl told REVOLT. “Another night, I went in there and it was Offset, Takeoff, Quavo, Gucci Mane, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, and all the jewelers from Icebox with all the jewelry.”
In this installment of “Studio Sessions,” Earl On The Beat revealed how an Usher song led to him producing Doja Cat’s latest single, the amount of unreleased records he thinks he has with Lil Yachty, and which two rap superstars he’s working with this year. Read the exclusive chat below.
How did you land a production placement for Doja Cat’s sick “Paint The Town Red” record?
I made that beat two years ago in 2021. I was listening to people’s discography, and I came across her discography because I heard Usher, Just Blaze, and Jadakiss’ song [“Throwback”] that sampled [Dionne Warwick’s “You’re Gonna Need Me”]. I was thinking, “This is a good a** voice. Who is this?” So, I went through [Dionne’s] discography, listening to songs. I decided to try and play around with the sample a little bit. Then, I met Doja at a Grammy party this year out here in LA. I did some touch-ups the next day because the beat was old, and I sent it right off the next day. I shot my shot.
Another left-of-center female artist you made a banger with was Rico Nasty. How was working with her for “Phuckin Lady” different than your typical session?
That was last summer. It was different. I never went through a process like that before. But it was cool because sometimes a new perspective or approach is better to take versus your approach all the time. She came into the studio and said, “I want to do something different.” She came in with that energy. I remember we were all just working at the same time, and she would say, “Stop right there. Send it to Pro Tools. Let me add my voice.” Then, she’d send it back. We’d add some more stuff to the beat from her voice. We were working crazy with the voice chops. It’s a lot going on but in a good way. I never worked like that before. Roark [Bailey] added some more with the drums. It was a cool process.
Her personality is very vibrant. She’s chill in a good way. You can be yourself in front of her. You can smoke your blunt. You can vibe out. You can play your beats, and she’ll converse with you. She’s not stuck up in the studio. She’s cool to be around.
Lil Yachty is the artist you’ve worked with most. How many unreleased songs would you estimate you two have?
We have a lot. We got a song with Juice WRLD that never came out. They would always be in the studio because they had a good relationship before Juice passed. Yachty be in the studio all day, all night, so he’ll be working on songs constantly. We probably have 100 [unreleased] songs. Yachty’s the person I really get in with the most in the studio, other than the producers on my team. I got a label called Pearll Street Records, and I have a producer named Bangs. He helped me produce DDG’s record “I’m Geeking.” He helped me do the Yeat record “Dnt lië,” the Kodak Black record “Feeling Myself Today,” the Jack Harlow and Smokepurpp record “Tide Pen,” [and] a couple of other records.
What’s your vibe in the studio?
I’m the type that doesn’t need to vibe out with people for a really long time. With me, it’s more come in; let’s talk about where everybody’s head is and get to work to maximize our time. Actually, collaborating is not a lot of kicking it, hanging, and being friends for hours. I’m definitely not trying to smoke hookah for the placement (laughs).
What’s the most star-studded session you found yourself in?
I’m not gonna lie. Being at [Quality Control] in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, you never knew who you would see there. I remember walking into QC once, and I think Migos were in town. This was before Culture II was out. I came into the studio, and there was nobody in the A-room but Travis Scott sleeping. Another night, I went in there and it was Offset, Takeoff, Quavo, Gucci Mane, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, and all the jewelers from Icebox with all the jewelry.
Speaking of Gucci Mane, how did you end up producing his song “Cold Shoulder” from the Evil Genius album?
I went to QC’s studio, and no one was in there, but Gucci Mane happened to be recording. I was in the B-room making beats. He was in the small C-room, but I think he came out into the living room. I went up to him and said, “Hey, I’m Earl On The Beat. I got some beats. Do you want to listen to some?” He said, “Yeah.” Back then, I didn’t know how to work the boards, and there was nobody in there to work the boards. But it ended up working out. I hooked up to the AUX, played some beats, and he chose the beat, but I had nobody to come pull up [and record it]. If you know who J. Rich is, he pulled up in about five seconds off a random call I made to him asking, “You want to record Gucci Mane to my beat? I’m in the studio.”
What do you have coming for the rest of 2023?
I’m working with Cardi B and Latto. Hopefully, the songs come out. Besides that, I love traveling because you have to see the world to hear more music. We make music a certain way in America. But when I went to London, they made music differently. Imagine going to Germany or Australia to cook up with some producers out there. Or imagine we go to Africa and catch a crazy Afrobeat inspiration. You can’t just come in here every day because after you do it for a while, you’ll stop getting inspired by just coming in here. You must get some experience and hear certain things in different places and countries. Even if you’re in America, go to Alabama if you’re an LA person. It’ll be a different vibe for a week.