The UK hip hop scene is rife with rappers and MCs right about now, but what about the people behind the boards, behind the decks? The people that create the head nodding instrumentals us fans vibe to? Haka is one of those, an up and coming producer that we hooked up with to talk about working with Lowkey, his involvement with NME, how DJ Ames seemed to randomly put his tunes out there and how R&B isn’t Haka’s first love!
What does Haka use to make the hit beats? What equipment do you prefer to use?
I like to mix it up, the ingredients different all the time, if you’re a chef, you’ve got different ways of making good food all the time. But my main tools are my keyboard, MPC and my mac, but I love using the guitar where I can.
Haka & Jude
Quite a few producers can’t actually play any instruments and do everything through digital stuff, can you play anything yourself?
Yeah, I started out by playing the guitar when I was about 12, then learnt the bass guitar and the piano for a year or two in college. I think all producers should be able to play instruments, I wouldn’t really call them a producer if they don’t, or at least read music.
Haka & Na
You worked with Lowkey quite closely in the past, do you two have any plans to work together again?
I’ve been chatting to Lowkey every now and then, he’s back on his grind with his band Mongrel, and he’s got some big plans. But when he’s back from Venezuela we’re gonna get in the studio and lay some stuff down.
Mic Assassin is one of my favourite battle rappers in the UK, is he as energetic in the studio as he is on the street battle tip?
Haka, ABD, Craig, Jawad& Jude
Mic is a professional, I’ve gotta rate him for that. I’ve only had the chance to be in the studio once with him, but he’s grounded and got loads of energy. Up early, grinding till late kind of brudda.
On the CD ‘Underground Journeys’ you have a mix of hip hop and R&B on there. I find that when hip hop producers try and make R&B, it never sounds fluid, always a little forced. Not with you though! Are you into that music a lot as well, and if so, is it more the new Ne-Yo type music, or the old Motown?
Haha safe man, to be honest, I’ve never been that in to R&B, except the old stuff, I always loved Boyz II Men and some of the classics, but I’ve never bought an R&B album, strictly hip hop, I never set out to make R&B, I just use some of the melodic elements and sometimes the structure.
Haka-Underground Journeys
Many UK DJ’s have been supporting your movement. How did you first get in touch with DJ Ames?
My boy Wuz sent him a track or two of mine, with my boy Jigz, and he put it on one of his mixtapes, apparently he was feeling it, and that was ‘Big Business’ (one of my oldest tracks). Since then, I heard he’s been winning mixtape awards and all sorts!
He’s got a lot of connections overseas, what with doing mixtapes with DJ Drama, Willie The Kid and more. Have you, to put it bluntly, managed to nick any of those contacts for your own benefit?
You know what, I’ll make it clear that DJ Ames ain’t my boy, so I don’t even chat to him about any of them guys! he’s doing his thing, and I’m gonna just let him carry on doing what he’s doing.
You also work with acclaimed Wolftown DJ and Producer Tricksta, was he an inspiration to you coming up? He was one of the first UK producers to really hit the scene, so was he someone you looked up to?
I’d heard of Tricksta from a lot of people, the ‘hardest working man in the business’. Everyone used to talk about his mixtapes and how hard he was pushing, so yeah definitely, he was an influence on me, you need people around you who are doing this thing day in, day out.
How would you describe your style, or can you make a beat in pretty much any style?
I always describe my stuff as Alternative Hip Hop, but I’ve been a studio engineer recently for NME magazine, recording some indie bands, so I’d like to possibly throw some of those elements in to my music in the future, but Hip Hop’s my life man.
Where can we check you out?
www.hakabeats.co.uk or www.myspace.com/hakaonthegame
Have you got any shout outs or anything you want to say before we finish this up?
Yeah man shouts to Tricksta for hooking everything up, shouts to my main guys Jigz, N/A, Corpz, Downtown Soul, Danz, Nathan, Insane, Jetsun and Harry Love. Check out my website and preview some of my videos and tunes. Peace!
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