Zaytoven: "If I Spend More Than 15 Minutes On A Beat Then I Ain't Feelin' it"

The Atlanta producer reveals just how quickly he makes his beats.

BYTrevor Smith
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Zaytoven has given us countless classic records with the likes of Gucci Mane, Future, and more. He's also pumped out his church-trained organ beats out an impressive rate, but we didn't realize he was putting together his instrumentals in mere minutes.

In an appearance on Sway In The Morning, Zaytoven shared some insight into his songwriting process. After recalling that he made Gucci Mane and Jeezy's "Icy" beat in 5 minutes, Zay dropped a bomb. "Let me say this, there is no record you've heard me produce that I've spent more than 10 minutes on," he said. Sway, like the rest of us, was surprised, and asked Zay to explain exactly how he became such a songwriting machine. 



The producer suggested that both he and Gucci Mane are impatient people, and it only makes sense for them to make as much music as possible. "We want to listen to this music in our car," he said. "I don’t want to do just one song, ride around and listen to that. I wanna listen to 5 songs. So we can't do 5 songs if I spend an hour on a beat, you spend an hour writing it."

"Music to me is a feeling," he said. "If I spend more than 15 minutes on a beat, then I ain't feelin' it." In fact, he won't even go back to add additional elements to the beats.

And so the Zaytoven/Gucci Mane formula was born, and it can probably be applied to many of the prolific rappers and producers of today. Future and Young Thug certainly come to mind. 

Watch the interview above. The conversation begins at 19:45.

[Via HipHopNMore]

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About The Author
<b>Features &amp; News Writer</b> <!--BR--> Trevor is a music writer currently based in Montreal. Follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/trevsmith_" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a>.