The Big Ten with Divine Minds Producer Mike A.

For this week’s Big Ten interview, we stop to chat with Divine Minds producer extraordinaire and Shaker Heights native, Mike A. Let’s get into it. You can catch the Big Ten every Wednesday at The Higher Plane dot NeT.

Interpreted by MK

1) Who is this man on the boards they call Mike A.?

I’m just a kid who loves music on a mission to make new music that people will love and want to play over and over again.

2) Where does the inspiration to make music come from?

I could probably write an essay to answer this question, but I’ll spare you. In short, it comes from a variety of places including my life experiences, other artists that move me, and most of all, from my soul. I’ve had a natural obsession with music as far back as I can remember, and I didn’t really even get into hip-hop until around middle school. Earlier on I was more into rock and jazz…jazz music has probably influenced me more than any other genre.

3) What type of process do you go through when making yours beats and do you have a specific artist in mind when making a beat, or you just do as you feel?

Making a beat can start a lot of different ways. I work a lot with samples so a common starting point for me is hearing something in a song I feel like I can take and use to create something of my own. I try not to think about other artists when I’m working to keep my stuff as original as possible but you will hear traces of people who have inspired me in my work.

4) You have been working with Black J for a minute now. How did that relationship begin, and when did you guys first start making music?

We’ve been friends forever man, since first grade. The musical relationship didn’t start until after we graduated from high school. I sent him a couple beats and he sent me them back with songs written to them and we’ve been building off of that ever since.

5) How has your work process and sound evolved since those initial sessions?

Both have evolved a great deal…if you heard some of our earliest recordings you’d probably be surprised that we made them, haha. Music is just like anything else in life, the more you do it, the better you get at it.

6) Let’s talk about Divine Intervention a little bit. What can we expect production wise?

(Hehe) I’ll let your ears decide the answer to that question for you but you can definitely expect some epic backdrops for J’s vocals.

7) When can we expect to experience this Divine Intervention? How many tracks and are there any guests spots?

It will be out in mid to late May 2009 and will have 14 tracks. We kept it mostly Black J and Mike A, but you’ll hear contributions from a couple other MC’s, a vocalist, a couple DJs, and some other musicians. The recording sessions were a real group effort.

Are there any projects outside of Divine Intervention the people should know about?

Keep your ears out for Give up the Sticks. It’s gonna be a collaborative effort with Soulklap and will be out in the late summer or early fall.

9) What are your thoughts on the Cleveland music scene right now?

I think there’s a lot more talent around here than most people think there is. It’s just harder to get yourself heard in a smaller city where there aren’t as many opportunities as a New York or LA.

10) Rank in order your favorite teams in Cleveland right now….Browns, Cavs, Indians and why.

Let me just start out by saying I’m a hardcore fan of all three of those teams, haha! But, at this point in time I’m gonna have to say my number one favorite is the Cavs because they are so damn talented and have such great chemistry. Man are they fun to watch. The Indians come next because that’s the first sports team I really fell in love with. Those mid nineties teams were amazing. The Indians have had a rough start to this season, but I always keep faith in them. I don’t want to say the Browns come last but they are my number three for now…I love them but God do they torture us…

11) First, if on a deserted island pick only three albums you could take with you and why. Three movies and why? And who is the baddest chick you’d bring, just one and why.

Krieg, you ask some really in depth and great questions man, haha! These are some tough choices. The three albums I would take would probably be Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, Big Pun’s Capital Punishment, and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I love so many genres of music I’d have to make sure to bring a mix. As far as the movies go, I hate to be a cliché but I’m all about the gangster flicks so I’m bringing Scarface, Casino, and A Bronx Tale. Lastly, Jessica Biel would be nice to have with me on a deserted island…

MK: Thanks Mike. I appreciate it man.

Mike A: No problem, thank you. Keep up the good work on the site.

You can check out more about Mike A. at the Divine Minds MySpace page.