Hip Hop has always been known for innovation and creativity. Urban production has been on the raise in recent years and with so many great established music producers like Dr. Dre, Timbaland, The Neptunes, Kanye West, and DJ Premier, their music has inspired a whole new generation of young ambitious producers. Now, get familiar with Philly producer, HoodFamous.

Yo! Raps had the opportunity to talk with the Philly beatsmith to figure out the process of creating a beat and what the "perfect beat" would sound like.

How old were you when your passion to make music began?

I originally wanted to start DJing at the age of either 13 or 14, but instead of getting turntables for Christmas, I got my first beat making program called Kinetic by Cakewalk.

Who or what is/was your biggest inspiration to make music?

Right now it has to be Vybe Beatz. The producer of All The Way Turn't Up by Roscoe Dash.

The popularity of music production has been on the rise in recent years. With so many people trying to make beats, has it become harder to find artists to work with?

Not at all. Thanks to Yo! Raps, I have plenty of artists to choose from [laughs].

Your weapons of choice for production is the Motif & Fantom keyboards. If you could only pick one of these keyboards which would you take and why? What other equipment are you working with?

I would pick the Motif for sure. I know my way around the Motif and it has my favorite instruments of choice in it. And I’m currently using Pro Tools, Reason 4.0, Fruity Loops 9, and Audacity.

When it comes to creating a beat, how long does it normally take for everything to begin to click and come together?

It all depends on what instruments I roll through in the Motif or the Roland. It usually doesn’t take longer than an hour to get down the main idea of the beat.

What was the most difficult beat you've ever made? How long did it take to finish?

The one I'm working on right now is the longest. I'm taking to work on a beat, but it's only because I'm very busy with studying for tests, going to work, hanging with friends, working out, and picking up women. All of it is a lot to juggle.

What exactly is your process when you create your beats? Some producers listen to old albums and pick drums & vocals from them. Describe your creative process?

I usually go through my Brass or Synth sounds first and find something I like.

If you could describe "the perfect beat", what would it consist of?

I can’t let everyone know my secrets [laughs]. Seriously though, it all depends on what kind of mood and feeling that you are trying to set for the listener.

Production can be tricky sometimes and some beats fit artists better than others. Young Jeezy sounds perfect over a strong 808 beat, while a legend like Nas may sound out of place. How do you decide who fits your beats or not?

Lately, I have been looking for creative artists that would sound good on a southern beat.

Speaking of which, if you could pick any artist to rock over your production who would you pick and why?

I would like having T.I. or T-Pain on my beats. T-Pain's vocal chords and his recordings sound great to me.

Have you worked with any well known artists in hip hop so far?

Well, Meek Mill is pretty well known but so far, nobody actually famous, so I guess not.

In the era where artists are here today and gone tomorrow, what do you think is the key to successful longevity in Hip Hop?

Just be as creative and diverse as you can be. People's moods are always switching every day so try to make a couple different types of feels in your music and I think you will be set. It goes the same for producers and the reason I say that is because, as a producer, you have to be able to compose more then just one type of beat.

Who are you favorite producers in Hip Hop and why?

Vybe Beatz, definitely. I don’t know exactly what it is that he does with his beats, but for some reason, they just grab the attention of my ear.

How can fans or artists contact you?

Just visit me at www.myspace.com/hoodfamous215. Some beats are up there if you wanna go take a listen. And if you wanna get in contact with me just send a message.

Thank you for taking time out for the interview today and good luck to you in the future. Do you have any shoutouts?

J.T, definitely, for helping me out all this way, Roll Models, Amir and www.allflamerz.com, Sinati Pop, Matty Gates & Shizz Nitty, both of O.T Records, J Five, Dave Vegas, Kaboom, all of Touch Money, Upscale Ent, my homie Vanity, Cyssero, DJ Difference, Jaymall, and all the producers I deal with…

- By Eric Merriweather