StashOnline.com Profile and Interview

Peace to StashOnline.com for providin a space for your beat homies to voice how we get down. Beatmakers should check this joint out too and see how we put these joints together. Anyway, peep the interview and visit the StashOnline.com and check out some more dope music & interviews!


Words: Evan Kidera
Photography: Paulino Love

Outfit
Yamaha Motif
Roland Phantom
Micro Korg
MPC
Protools

DOPE TRACKS
"The Times"
Blu, Fortilive and Nino Moschella

"Alright with Me"
Dminor and Phonte of Little Brother

"Nightclubber"
Lang, Jerny Eye, Geologic of Blue Scholars and Joyo Velarde


"Free"
Cappadonna

"I'm On Swerv"
Tash of Tha Liks, Da Evangillest and E.Jenks

RESUME
Its not to often you catch hip-hop producers teaming up to make beats yet alone form a duo, but Keelay and Zaire of the Sole Vibe Music Group have done just that. The tandem, which met online in 2003, both got in to hip-hop with aspirations of becoming DJ's. Their pursuit to mix tracks quickly converted to making tracks through gathering records and hearing samples that they wanted to chop and flip. "You start putting two and two together of how the beats are made and its like Lego's, you just want to start putting it together yourself," says Keelay.

The duo, also known as Kee and Zee, have been able to accomplish a lot together even though they reside on opposite coasts. Keelay, from San Francisco, and Zaire, from Virginia, credit their ability to make the long distance tandem work to the Internet. "It basically starts from a rough beat and then it's back and forth between me and Zaire, adding stuff here, rearranging stuff there, taking stuff out, and that's how it's done," says Keelay.

Its been all up hill for Kee and Zee since they combined to create a two headed producer monster and they are set to release their debut album Ridin High in February of 2009. The album will feature a range of artists including Phonte of Little Brother, Blu, The Cali Agents, Saafir, Tash of the Liks, Fortive, Supastition, The Sole Vibe, and more. Ridin High will also be the first album released by the brand new Bay Area based urban/hip-hop label, MYX Music Label. After recently appearing on the world-renowned Wake Up Show, Kee and Zee debuted the video of their first single, "The Times", on mtvU. Kee and Zee are attracting a lot of attention these days but they understand that this is just the beginning for them and that they need to stay hungry and humble. "Were excited and we feel really blessed to be in this position."

STUDY YO STUDIO
Words of advice from Kee and Zee: "Keep working on your craft. Keep doing what you do. Give up a lot of things you don't need and just grind, grind, and grind. Master your sound if you got a sound and just keep moving towards what moves you to make more music," says Zaire. "I would say the same thing cause I believe the most important thing is to handle your business. Continue to make music that inspires you and don't try to cater to any type of sound. Do what makes you feel like you make good music," says Keelay.