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: MONTANA TRAXX
Montana Trax, aka 26-yearold Kevin Butler of Memphis, Tennessee.
has been producing professionally for six years, but has been musically inclined since birth. His high school had a recording and engineering class, with a studio in the school.
“I used to sneak in the classroom sometimes and just sit in the booth and talk to the instructor and ask him about key points,” he remembers. “Throughout my high school career I was playing drums, I was in the band playing trumpet, so music was always with me. Once I graduated, I bought a drum machine, and haven’t looked back since.”
Perseverance to his craft along with undeniable talent put Montana in the path of revered locals 8Ball & MJG, of whom he was a longtime fan. A few years ago, he made a beat that sampled from Willie Hutch’s “Theme of Foxy Brown,” and a friend who knew MJG said that it sounded like something they could flow on and passed it along; a few weeks later, MJG’s manager was calling to say that they wanted to work with Montana.
“I had a smile so big on my face, because I had never done anything like this and never been in a position to be around platinum-selling artists,” he says.
The young producer knows the daunting odds that he has beaten, and continues to be nothing but appreciative of the chance to prove himself. Now, joining forces with 8 Ways Entertainment makes Montana an unstoppable force.
“Man, it’s rare. It’s very rare. But, we just took into each other like brothers. Ball and G both, they’re some real down guys and I thank them for the opportunity.”
Montana notably produced on 8Ball & MJG’s last album Living Legends, and has completed a single for the pair’s forthcoming effort Ridin’ High on Bad Boy Records (the song, “Fuck It” is already a fixture on Memphis radio and has been converted into its own ringtone). Last year, he contributed several tracks to Hanh!!!, a widely buzzed-about, street distributed mixtape starring the Ying Yang Twins and DJ Scorpio. The CD found Montana producing songs for major rap stars like David Banner, Trillville, Khujo Goodie, and, of course, the Twins.
HIS LATEST RELEASE: Da Boy Somethin’ Great…brings together a true representation of the raw, soulful, proud and unrelenting streetbased hip-hop of Memphis, a sound that has started to intrigue the entire world.
This project finds Montana Trax joining seasoned, internationally known rappers such as 8Ball, MJG, Skinny Pimp, and Playa Fly with newcomers like Gutta, Cuzzo, and Mac E and notable best-kept local secrets yet to get their true due such as the Memphis female hard-spittin’ Minnie Mae.
When it came to doing his own full-length project, however, it was really important to Montana to produce an album that represented Memphis and also united artists within the city. The end result illuminates some of the finer dimensions of the talent there.
“That’s what needs to happen in Memphis, and what we’ve all been trying to do—get all the artists together,” he explains. “It hadn’t been happening much, so I managed to pull a lot of them in together. It’s a perfect time: The boys [Three*Six Mafia] just brought home an Oscar, so you’ve got to tip your hat to them for doing that. Right now, the door’s wide open. I believe Memphis is going to be looked at in a whole different light, and it’s going to be really big this year. There’s a whole lot of talent, and people are going to be listening.”
Montana doesn’t disappoint; he’ll give them all something to listen to and feel. From synth-driven club joints and eerie minor key soundscapes that could score the scariest horror flick to laidback, playalistic jams for fly rides and straight-up whimsical head-nodders, Da Boy Somethin’ Great introduces Montana and his Hy Lyfe label to the world. It boldly highlights the studio versatility that keeps Montana both excited to work, and in demand.
Montana doesn’t disappoint; he’ll give them all something to listen to and feel. From synth-driven club joints and eerie minor key soundscapes that could score the scariest horror flick to laidback, playalistic jams for fly rides and straight-up whimsical head-nodders, Da Boy Somethin’ Great introduces Montana and his Hy Lyfe label to the world. It boldly highlights the studio versatility that keeps Montana both excited to work, and in demand.
“The stuff that I have coming up is a new sound from what my peers are doing, but at the same time I still incorporate the flavor of Memphis artists that I grew up on like Three* Six Mafia and 8Ball & MJG.”
Next for Montana will be releasing albums from Gutta, Mac E, Ghetto (the youngest at 19), and female MC Loko on his Hy Lyfe label—artists who all do their thing on Da Boy Somethin’ Great. He’s also been dabbling in film. Musically, expect Montana Trax to continue to push the boundaries of what people expect not only from Memphis, but from hip-hop itself.
