Budding Producer Benny Cassette Discusses Life in LA and Working with Kanye West

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By jessicat31 9 May 2016, 10:18am

Benny Cassette has worked as a producer for some of the biggest names in music, including Kanye West, John Legend and Miguel. He's also released plenty of music of his own. We talked to the songwriter to discuss his work with G.O.O.D. music, LA influences and his budding solo career.

You're both producer and an artist - was there an original plan to be one or the other? I was always an artist first but I started creating and producing my own music because I could never find music that fit what I wanted...so it was never really the plan to be a producer. People would hear my music and then ask if I could make something for them and since I always have ideas that don't necessarily work for me it became fun to work in other genres and with artists that don't do what I do.

Tell us about how you came to work with Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music and what the experience was like.

I was introduced to Kanye's cousin at a bowling party (I know that sounds odd but it's true), and he took my number and actually ended up calling me to meet up with him. I went to the studio and literally played him two hours of music I had. After the two hours he asked me what my goal was and I told him that Kanye was my musical idol so my personal goal was to be better than him. I left thinking I would never hear from him again -- but two days later I was in Paris at Ye's house playing music and working with him. It was like going to school because you're surrounded with the best people in each of their crafts. It makes you step up to levels you didn't know existed and also makes you really dig and think about every creative choice. I got 1000x better the first month and the growth hasn't stopped for me.

Do you finally feel like you've found your sound with your upcoming album or do you always feel like you'll be experimenting?

I feel like I've found myself with this project. I've figured out exactly who I am as an artist and person and for the first time feel 100% in-line with the art I'm creating. I will always experiment musically but it feels like there's real purpose in what I'm doing with this body of work.

Tell us about your earliest music experiences in LA growing up and how that has shaped what you're producing today.

I grew up around so many different types of people from all backgrounds and heard so much music as a kid in LA. It always felt natural that each place I was had a sound: in my neighborhood it was a lot of Latin music and oldies, in the house it was jazz, and on the bus and at school it was rap. I never realized how much I was influenced by it all until I started producing and I had all these crazy references and sounds to pull from. The biggest thing for me will always be bass and drums, though. I remember hearing hip hop on the bus and 808's in low riders in Echo Park and it would shake your whole body in the best way. So even when I'm working in Nashville I'm sneaking 808's into the song somehow.

What's your taken on modern hip-hop with artists like Kendrick Lamar moving the genre very much away from the 'bling and bitchez' hip-hop stereotypes?

There's a place for everything in music because it's all just a reflection of what's going on in the world, even the stereotypes. But Kendrick and artists like him inspire me because they're doing what I believe was the intention of hip hop....to be a voice for people that weren't being heard and to rebel against the establishment. Kendrick especially speaks to me because he's so LA and pulls so much from LA culture.

With the industry constantly evolving what is your idea of success in the music industry?

On the surface success to me is being able to pay your rent and put food on the table with your art. If you can do that you're doing what most people dream about. On the deeper level, success for me, my goal is to use the music I'm doing to inspire people and push the culture. I created a lot of this music while in a place where I questioned the world and my place in it, so I want whoever feels that way to hear this and know I'm right there with them and we have to push thru. In 20 years I want to be mentioned with the greats that really did shift the culture, Michael, Prince, Bowie, Lennon, Marvin, Jimi, Janis, Aretha, etc etc etc. Thats the ultimate success for me.