This is the spot where you’ll see upcoming producers and Industry veterans in the game. A lot of people don’t know what goes into production. This will be the section where we feature the hottest producers in hip hop. Each month we’ll bring to you a new producer along with their background.

THIS MONTH’S FEATURE IS: The Order

The production group known as The Order was formed in Tampa, FL in late 2009. The Grammy nominated, multi-platinum production group consist of Brian Soko, Andre Proctor, & Rasool Diaz. As college freshmen of the Arts, they were coincidentally housed together. Living in the same quarters, there was a lot of friendly competition naturally, a household where no one wanted to be the first to quit. Pushing the limits, some recording sessions would go 16 hours straight.

 

As a group, The Order brings wide-ranging musical diversity. Contributing a plethora of different sounds and influences from sonically different places. Rasool hailing from the Midwest, Andre is from Maryland, and Brian is from Zimbabwe. Through persistence, dedication, & many late nights, The Order was recognized by Detail in Miami, 2012, through a mutual friend. From that point on, the group made frequent trips from Tampa to Miami in efforts to get formally established.

Later, That same year, The Order solidified their first major placement under Detail for the production of “No Worries” by Lil Wayne on his anticipated album “I Am Not A Human Being II”. This hit single would propel The Order new heights. With the help of the label Warner Chappell, the highly sought out sounds of the The Order brought forth some of the industry’s best such as Beyonce, Drake, Future, Flo-Rida, Jennfier Lopez & more.

Interview 

First things first, please introduce for me the members of The Order…

The Order is made up of 3 producers; Rasool “Sool” Diaz, 24; Andre “Dre” Proctor, 23 and Brian Soko, 24.

How did the 3 of you actually come together to form the collective?

We met in Tampa Bay our freshmen year of college…Dre and Soko were randomly housed together, and Dre and Rasool had the same classes…We just starting working together and helping each other improve.

Now where exactly do you all hail from? And growing up, who all did/do you all consider to be your strongest musical influences?

Soko: I’m Brian Soko, born and raised in Zimbabwe; I grew up listening to a lot of African music like Afro pop and Afro gospel…And, I try to apply that to the music I make today.

Rasool: I’m Rasool Diaz, from Bloomington, Illinois…I started playing drums at an early age and that was my biggest musical influence…And, that eventually transitioned into making beats.

Dre: I’m Andre Proctor, from Maryland; Prince George’s County…I used to listen to a lot of 2Pac, Aaliyah and Timbaland…And, anything that was playing on radio at that time.

At what point in time did you all even opt to pursue music on a professional basis?

Soko: Once I started selling beats online in high school, I knew it was something I wanted to do. But collectively, I think when we all signed up to go to College for Recording Arts we were pretty serious.

Because you all have already worked with a who’s who; Beyoncé, Drake, Lil Wayne, Teyana Taylor and J.Lo, among others, of the industry’s top tier talent, is there anyone, specifically, who still remains on your “wish” list?

We want to continue to work with those artists on future projects, and we’re also looking for the right new artists to get involved with as well.

Take me through a typical studio session with you all; is there a “method to your madness” when you’re crafting for others, or does it vary from artist to artist?

There’s no set method; it varies from artist to artist. We like to make something different every time.

Do you all have any funny/memorable stories and/or anecdotes that took place while you all were working in the lab?

Dre: The first time we came to work with Detail in L.A., we got off the plane and went straight to Encore Studios in Burbank. We were drinking and working, and Mike Posner stopped by the studio…He challenged us to a beer chugging challenge; he won easily…Soko started throwing up in the parking lot.

Soko: The first time we worked at The Hit Factory in Miami, we were celebrating a placement we had just gotten…And Dre got really drunk and threw up. It was bad because that was our first time in a big studio.

I know it’s probably not “politically correct” to really ask this, but is there any one specific individual(s) that have been your favorite(s), when it comes to previous collabos?

We worked with a lot of artists and a lot of different projects, but we did a lot of classic music with Detail.

With that being said, how then would you all describe and/or define the style of music that you all create and perform?

We couldn’t describe it. We’d rather just let you hear it and define it for yourself.

Where did your moniker The Order originally derive from? And, what do you all feel you all offer the music industry that we don’t already have in other producers?

The Order came from us always feeling like we were the next in line and we had the next sound…And, we feel like our sound allows artists to do songs outside of their usual comfort zone.

Have you all encountered any problems in getting to this point in your career?

Yes, we encountered many problems and obstacles in getting to this point, but with the support of our family and friends, we were able to keep working and focus on the music and let everything else fall into place.

What do you all want people to get from your music?

We want people to feel inspired by our music. And, we want people to be able to feel the same energy we felt when we created the songs.

What has been your greatest achievement(s), thus far anyway?

Being nominated for multiple GRAMMYs has been our biggest achievement so far. We’re blessed and honored to be a part of such big records this early in our careers.

If you all could collaborate with any one DREAM artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Michael Jackson, Bob Marley and Beethoven, because those 3 people were the voices of their respective generations and that’s what we hope to be one day.

One track of yours that you think defines you all and why?

We’re defined by the “next track,” because that’s what we’re all about; the next beat, the next song, the next hit. We haven’t made our best stuff yet, so it’s always about the next song.

What’s next for The Order? And, lastly, any “parting” message(s) for our readers?

We’re always working on new music, and looking for new talent to help cultivate the sound of tomorrow. We’re looking to really establish and expand our brand this year; we’ve got some dope stuff planned! #OrderUp