KEY! Interview | '777,' ‘Meaningful Music,’ Influence, Kenny Beats, Cozy Tapes & More!

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From SoundCloud era stars like Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi Vert to TyFontaine and other rising trendsetters, KEY!‘s cultural impact is felt amongst many generations. His influential album ‘777’ — produced by Kenny Beats — is not only considered to be the Atlanta native’s magnum opus, but has altered the landscape of hip-hop at its core. Even KEY! acknowledges that he hears his cadences, flows and production style within rap's current wave, but it’s always love from the iconic producer-rapper. He’s born and bred ATL, showing appreciation to bubbling movers and shakers like Bear1Boss and Tony Shhnow, who KEY! refers to as the “future Curren$y of Atlanta.”

Whether he’s tapped into his “Keyonce” or “Keyangelo” alter egos, KEY!’s colorful personality speaks to his eclectic taste and desire to craft more “meaningful music” down the line, as well as take up a role as an executive. “I want to evolve my music with my life,” he told OGM host Hakeem Rowe. “I want to executive produce more than I want to sign artists... I was once the headache, and I want to show others how to own their headache.” Touting pipelined projects with the prolific DJ Mark B and his idol DotDaGenius in his vault, KEY! and Keem chopped it up for a rare conversation, speaking on KEY!’s influence in the game, ‘777,’ new music, Kenny Beats, Atlanta and so much more in this Our Generation Music exclusive interview.

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KEY!: https://bit.ly/3BjUAYY
FULL STORY 💻: https://bit.ly/42Ao3tG

CREDITS:
Hosted by: Hakeem Rowe (https://bit.ly/3Ur2U1A)
Directed by: Saint Black (https://bit.ly/3LjCKuG)
Edited by: TooSam (https://bit.ly/3MwlgfP)
Produced by: Jon Barlas (https://bit.ly/3GzPJFU)
Graphics by: Rafael (https://bit.ly/3ApPQQI)
Research by: John Cotter (https://bit.ly/3LVBjBJ)

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STAMPS:
0:00 - Intros
1:09 - KEY!’s alter egos, “they find me”
2:15 - Hakeem gives KEY! his flowers
4:02 - KEY!’s eye for cutting edge talent, early co-signs to Carti, 21 Savage, Post Malone
5:20 - Intentionality of art, being “cool” and working
6:20 - KEY!’s thoughts on signing artists, bringing new artists into his fold
8:10 - KEY! on Tony Shhnow, Atlanta connection
9:40 - Working with Bear1Boss, ATTNWHORE on their collab project, ‘GIVE EM HEAVEN’
10:30 - KEY! on Kenny Beats and their joint LP ‘777,’ the process behind the album
12:30 - KEY!’s needs to create: “I don’t need nothing in the studio but the studio”
15:02 - What KEY! looks for in his production, thoughts on the future of music
16:10 - “What is production missing nowadays?”
17:52 - Memories from working on AWGE’s ‘Cozy Tapes,’ KEY!’s aspirations to do emulate this camp
19:00 - KEY!’s thoughts on the past/future of rap collectives, evolution
22:36 - Next steps for KEY!: “I want to evolve my music with my life… I want to executive produce more than I want to make music. I was once the headache. I want to show others how to be their own headache.”
23:26 - Maturing and realizing the cause of his attitudes, actions
24:53 - Era of good karma, being a good friend
25:38 - KEY!’s EP ‘Mama’s Man’
26:10 - KEY!’s upcoming music being more “meaningful like 777,” what makes meaningful music
27:00 - Where KEY! thinks of his bars, his love for television
30:07 - KEY!’s upcoming solo project, another full-length project with DJ Mark B
31:00 - Linking with the legendary DotDaGenius, their collab tape, meeting Kid Cudi
32:19 - KEY! unleashing the vault sometime soon
32:45 - KEY!’s influence from different artists in different cities, discovering new sounds, Milwaukee, Detroit, Jersey Club etc.
34:20 - KEY! is grateful that people are influenced by him
35:13 - The Future of KEY!, his aspirations to do a food show
36:28 - Message for Our Generation