The traditional method of making hip-hop beats usually involves one person sitting in their room / studio / where ever they make music, and putting something together on their own. I love this part of the process, when I can be with my own thoughts and ideas and have no distractions. Regardless of how comfortable this method is for many beat makers / producers, it can limit you to a degree, and creative collaboration can be a good way to influence your ideas and sounds. There are instances when it will not work at all , you might bring someone in who has ideas that clash too much with your vision but at least you gave it a try and learned from the experience.
This track was originally started as just drums and samples and my good friend (and incredible musician) Alonzo ( http://soundcloud.com/alonzo-wang ) played the keys and bass line on this one, circa 2002. I love what he added to the track, it definitely allowed me to create more of a musical arrangement.... the moral of this long winded paragraph is: collab with someone whos music you feel and see what happens!
West End
