Scoop DeVille Is Crafting A 'Futuristic' Sound That's All His Own

'People are like, 'What did you sample?' I'm like, 'Uriah Heep,' ' Scoop says of mining rock collection for rap bangers.By Shaheem Reid





Scoop DeVille

Photo: Tokyo Sex Whale Records




Behind the Beats: Scoop DeVille
Frost is such a veteran, he's an O.G. among O.G.s. Dr. Dre used to be his DJ back in the '80s. And when Frost (originally known as Kid Frost) pioneered in 1992 with his Hispanic Causing Panic debut, his son, little Scoop DeVille was only 2 years old. In 2009, Scoop broke through himself by producing Snoop Dogg's blockbuster "I Wanna Rock." Everyone from Jay-Z to Ludacris eventually jumped on the track in various official and unofficial remixes. Then he gave Fat Joe two bangers in "(Ha Ha) Slow Down" and "No Problems," and laced N.O.R.E. with the Flavor Flav-inspired "Nutcracker."

"I don't see Scoop as a real young producer really," Frost said, sitting next to his son in Scoop's Los Angeles studio. "I see him more as an old soul that's been in it for a long, long time. People are just barely finally discovering his sound, but man, he's been harboring a fresh, fresh sound in him for a long time. It's finally starting to sail now. It's finally starting to leave port and people are starting to jump on it."
Scoop gives props to his pops for keeping music around him that would later influence his career.
"That's all I was around man," Scoop says. "I was fortunate to not have that gang life and I got to be around the music and school. So I got to learn all of the hip-hop history and I got to meet a lot of these people who were hip-hop celebrities. Like the Eazy-E's, Ice T, and Snoop and Dre and it's like the list goes on, man. From people who were on the scene ... everybody, there's numerous people. I mean my music, just my hard drive and my brain is crazy: I have like classic rock. There's a crazy record, it's not just hip-hop, it's like [other genres] because that's what made hip-hop too"
"I never really played that much rap in my house," Frost smiled.
Instead, Scoop, who also rhymes, picked up most of his hip-hop away from home.
"I got to learn my own stuff to a point where I was writing my own lyrics and recording my own songs," Scoop explained. "I would go back to a lot of old stuff. Lots of old-school records, '70s funk, reggae, I mean, there's so many, the Doors, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Marley, all that. Led Zeppelin, Beatles — that [sound] was a big influence on me, just the way that their music sounds so monstrous. I would love to take that and incorporate that in hip-hop. So now I got records with Xzibit that got crazy rock samples in them and people are like, 'What did you sample?' I'm like, 'Uriah Heep. You don't even know what that is.' That's hard rock heavy metal back in the day, 60's. And you know psychedelic, all that stuff. I love all kinds of music."
Next Wave of Flav:
On 50 Cent: "I haven't done anything with 50 yet. We just met. I worked with [Shady Records A&R] Riggs {Morales]. I was trying to get on Em's project a while back. We got a lot of things in the works with them. We try to keep it cool with everybody. It's definitely a new sound what we're trying to do. I wanna have everybody involved at all angles. It's good to see everybody come around. I definitely played them a few records. They're not looking for anything like I've been doing. They're looking for something real different. The records I'm playing for them are different, futuristic."
On Busta Rhymes: "I got a few records on this new album. When that comes out, it's going to take the beat stuff to a whole 'nother level. This record he has coming out, we did three joints for it. Oh my God, the sh-- I gave Bus is ridiculous. I've met cats like David Banner and Swizz Beatz. They all got records on the album but they all say, 'You got the craziest record on the album.' "
On the Clipse: "That was amazing. When we were in the lab, we were going beat for beat. They were picking everything. It came to a point where they were like, 'You're 10 for 10.' There was like 15, 16 beats and they were like, 'We're taking all these beats.' That was dope because they get beats from Pharrell. That's the number-one producer to me. Just to get that response from them and their management. That was a dope experience. They were a big inspiration for me making beats in high school."
On Raekwon the Chef: "Rae's a real cool cat. We were in the lab until 3 in the morning listening to beats. He took records for a new Wu record, he took records for him and Ghost. He's gonna put me in contact with Ghost. Rae is cool. I have a lot of records for him, a lot of real grimy records."
Hottest Streak Thus Far?
He's just getting started ladies and germs.
For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.



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