Quincey Tones Interview (Originally Printed In Hip-Hop Connection Issue 220 / Death Row Cover / March 2008)

In case you hadn’t noticed, the world is becoming an increasingly smaller place thanks to almost daily advances in technology, a situation that west London-based music man Quincey Tones has been very happy to use to his advantage. Introduced to hip-hop in the mid-90s and captivated by the sounds of legendary sample wizards such as DJ Premier and Pete Rock, Tones decided to try turning his beat-making hobby into a viable career in 2003. Unfortunately, Quincey’s sound, which he describes as “very soulful and melodic”, wasn’t exactly met with open arms by the homegrown rap fraternity.

“I was reaching out to a lot of UK rappers,” recalls Tones, “but I felt they weren’t really giving me a chance. Everyone seemed to be working with their own clique and didn’t want to hear what I had to offer. I felt quite downhearted, but then I decided to see if any of the American guys who I’d been listening to were interested. I started sending people my stuff on MySpace and almost straight away artists were coming back saying they liked what I was doing. They didn’t care that I was this British guy they knew nothing about, it was just all about the music.”

The amiable producer soon found himself placing beats on albums from respected stateside acts such as Casual (Hieroglyphics) and Apathy (Demigodz), which led to further interest from the likes of Masta Ace and DITC’s O.C..

“In some ways it can be difficult,” says Quincey when asked about the limitations of working with emcees located halfway around the globe. “I always try to get as involved as I can in the concept of a track and stay in regular contact with whoever I’m working with. When artists send vocals back to me I’ll give them some input in terms of what I might think could be done better. Everyone involved just has to be honest with each other and open to constructive criticism.”

2008 will see Tones release his as-yet-untitled debut album; a project he says will feature US, UK and European artists, including Kidz In The Hall lyricist Naledge and Ghostface protégé Trife, plus some “singer-songwriter types you wouldn’t normally expect to hear on a hip-hop project.”

With contributions to releases from Yungun, Torae and The Arsonists also wrapped up, the coming year definitely looks set to be a busy one for the bespectacled beat junkie. Proving that rap’s favourite gangster Tony Montana was right, the world really is yours.

Ryan Proctor