Rome (January 2008) | Interview By: Eddie Gurrola

       Dubcnn linked up with the man behind the B.Y.I. sound, Rome, for an exclusive interview. In this feature, you’ll get to hear all about how Rome started out as a producer, and how his skills have evolved to what they are today. We speak about the signature “Latin Soul” B.Y.I. sound, and how that style was created. We also discuss the Dout Gotcha! & Rome collaboration street album “Respect It Or Check It”, DJ Skee’s “American Godfather” project, and Rome’s outside production work with Cool & Dre protégé Joe Hound. Rome tells us about his plans for the future, and, of course, we find out more about Omar Cruz’s full-length debut “Sign Of The Cruz.” Read on to learn about all of these topics and much more.


As always we have both the transcript and the audio for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: eddie@dubcnn.com

 

Interview was done in January 2008.

Questions Asked By : Eddie Gurrola

Rome Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio : Here

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Dubcnn: We’re here with Rome. What’s going on?

Chillin’ man, chillin’! I just wanna give Dubcnn a shout out for taking the time to interview me.


Dubcnn: Definitely, it’s our pleasure! Let’s start with this. Tell us about how you first got into producing music...

I got into producing when I was 15 years old. My brothers listen to a lot of hip-hop, so all the beats just intrigued me big time. I got a hold of a computer program that really made me the producer that I am today, and ever since then, I’ve just been making beats. Every single day, that’s all I ever do. I never had a job when I was younger; my family really had my back because my sound was evolving to the point where everyone saw a future in me. Once I met up with LuLu [the C.E.O. of B.Y.I. Entertainment] and he gave me the whole run down with B.Y.I. and what he was trying to do, I was down with it. Ever since then, it’s been history and I’ve never looked back. There’s really nothing that can stop me right now, and every beat I do just gets better and better. I’m shooting for the big leagues now without looking back.

Dubcnn: All right! Which computer program did you use when you were starting out?

When I first started, I used Fruity Loops. Then when I met LuLu, he was fucking with the Clipse and Pharrell at that time, so he told me that if I wanted to compete with these big dogs, I’ve gotta use what they use. That’s when I first started playing the piano and then I got a Motif, a Triton, and Pro Tools - all the big hardware. [That’s] really a big reason why my sound is [so] professional. People don’t think or realize that in order for your sound to sound professional, you’ve gotta use professional equipment. That’s how the whole Rome sound came about.

Dubcnn: You guys over at B.Y.I. have a signature sound, which incorporates old Latin samples. You’re the founder of the sound, so tell us how you came up with this new flavor of music…

Yeah, it’s funny because, going back to when I met LuLu, he had told me that I needed my own sound to separate me from what I was doing at that time. I was sampling everybody else’s music, like taking the drum kicks and taking the snares, and just making [my own] record [with it]. Let’s say I would sample an R. Kelly song. It would sound like an R. Kelly song because I would use all of his samples. So [LuLu] was like, “Yo, you need to find your own sound so we can run with it, or else you’re not going to be known as Rome, you’re going to be known as [one of] the other producers that’s running around right now sounding like [one another].

When he told me that, the only thing I could think of was what was right next to me, and that was my parents’ record collection. I dug into that, and I remember playing it for him. He was like, “Yo, that’s crazy man! Now all we need is a rapper who can rap on that type of music,” which was the “Latin Soul” sound. Then when LuLu came about finding Omar Cruz, we put it together, and B.Y.I. is just history from there. We’ve never stopped and never looked back!


Dubcnn: We just dropped the Dout Gotcha! & Rome collaboration street album “Respect It Or Check It.” How did you guys link up to do that record in the first place?

I met Dout Gotcha! during the time I met LuLu. Dout used to be the Clipse’s DJ. I remember one day, Dout and LuLu were doing a party at [a club], this was in 2003, and Dout was like, “Yo Rome, I can rap man!” At that time, to be honest, it was just funny because everybody wants to be a rapper. Whether they’re a DJ, a real estate agent, or a telemarketer, everybody raps! So I finally got a chance to hear him, and I was like, “Man, this dude is crazy!” I was like, “Lu, Dout can rap!” And he was like, “Yeah! I told you he could rap.”

So me and Dout really got serious to the point where we started working constantly, the same way me and Omar Cruz do. We [would] just work everyday to create all of this music. So Dout came with the idea like, “Yo, let’s do this street album, which will be all original songs. I’ve got a couple of songs right now I want to put [on there] that are done, but I want you to do most of the production.” So we just got in the studio and we created his whole sound.

A big reason why this Dout Gotcha! street album means a lot to me is because it lets people know that I can do more than just the Omar Cruz type of sound. I’m a real producer: I don’t just make beats, I make songs. People need to figure out there’s a difference between a beat maker and a person who produces songs. I can make beats all day, that’s not a problem! The thing is, can you make a record that people are going to like and enjoy, and then, can you make a whole album? Now that we have the opportunity to release albums through a download over the internet, it’s way easier to get it across to people. When we started out with Omar Cruz’s “Blow,” when we first did the digital download, [people] caught on because now you see everybody doing the digital download.

But that Dout Gotcha! project is special because everybody knows me for Omar Cruz, but it’s like here I come again with Dout Gotcha! and it’s undeniably heat. I want to thank everybody that downloaded it, because they appreciate it to the point where they write me messages all the time on how they bump it everywhere! People from L.A. all the way to V.A.


Dubcnn: Yeah, there are all types of sounds on the album, from club-type tracks to laid-back songs…

Yeah! Mostly it’s Spanish samples too, but there’s a couple that aren’t, and that was a first for me. His sound ain’t the same as Omar’s, so you have to switch it up a little. But I really like the Spanish soul, that’s my expertise.


Dubcnn: You’ve also just worked on another different-sounding project. You’ve got three records on the “American Godfather” DJ Skee and Jay-Z remix album. Tell us about what happened with that. How did Skee approach you for this project?

Yeah, Skee hit me up because when I sample Spanish, I sample all the orchestra stuff, all the big stuff. So he had hit me up when he first started like, “Yo, I think you’d be perfect for this!” I was actually supposed to do more of it, but the time we had was short because he wanted to release it right away. He had [asked] me [to do it] during the week that we were shooting Omar’s video, so it was kind of hard for me to be in the studio and do the video shoot. I only ended up doing three [records], but he asked me personally because he knows the style from all of the Omar stuff.

It was an honor to do it, because it’s getting a real big buzz right now. So it’s just a great opportunity, and I’m glad DJ Skee thought about me because that’s how I get down. When you hear “The Godfather” score, it kind of sounds like my style too, it sounds Spanish. It’s still Italian, and it all goes together. It was easy – it was like doing any other song! Once you hear the score, it’s like any other sample that I sample. The other songs are crazy too, the whole CD is crazy! I wanna give a shout out to DJ Skee for looking out on that one.


Dubcnn: The next project everyone wants to know about is Omar Cruz’s “Sign Of The Cruz”. Can you give us some insight as to what this album is going to sound like?

The Omar Cruz album is phenomenal, and I don’t just say that because I’ve done almost 75% of it. It’s phenomenal! We started right when he got his deal, and we’ve done over 100 records already for this album. The 13 that we have right now are ridiculously crazy! From my end, I really grew as a producer. When we got on Geffen, it was the big leagues now! There were no more excuses, these weren’t mixtape records we were doing – the label wants songs. Omar was in the studio with all of these big producers, so I’m the rookie producer on the album. I had to come with it big time! I [was also] the one who has to do most of it, because I [formed] Omar’s sound. They didn’t want to lean away from that, they wanted to stick with Omar’s sound to keep the same fan base. Plus, you don’t want to put in an Omar Cruz album and [have it] sound totally different than what we’ve done!

So we have etched and stoned this project to the point where it is flawless. I can’t wait for it to come out, because it’s a brand new sound. Even to the mixtapes that we’ve done, it’s an advanced sound. Now it’s to the point where it’s a classic, and I’m glad that we’re going to be able to reach the thousands and millions this time because we have the Interscope/Geffen push. But it’s something that we worked really hard on.

It’s been fun, we’ve been to New York and Miami, we’ve been in Austin, Texas, Phoenix, Chicago – we’ve been everywhere putting this album together. But I promise that we haven’t leaned away from our true B.Y.I. sound. I know everybody’s waiting for it, because it’s gonna be epic! The label’s taking its time on it too to promote it, and everything’s being done right for this album to be released as a certified classic.


Dubcnn: That’s really great to hear, and we all can’t wait to see how it turned out! You’ve got another track you did recently with Joe Hound, Cool & Dre’s protégé, and Rick Ross. Tell us about your experience making that track…

Cool & Dre, those are my homies! Every time they come to L.A., they always come fuck with me, and every time I go to Miami, they fuck with me too. So they were out here for the “A Bay Bay Remix” video. They came to my studio and I gave some tracks to Cool, and there was a certain one that he really liked. When he got back to Miami, he played it for Joe Hound, and everyone was fuckin’ with it big time, which was a big blessing for me. Cool had told me that Joe had picked this record, and that Ross was fuckin’ with it, and they made it happen!

It’s probably going to be his next single for his album “Misery Loves Company.” It’s an Epidemic release, Cool & Dre’s label, and it has a big buzz in Miami right now, it’s going strong. It’s on my Myspace Page too. It’s just an honor to be doing something with the people from Miami. I’ve been out in L.A. for so long, but now [I’ve got] the opportunity to reach out to more parts of the hip-hop community. It also lets people know that I’m in it to win it. I’m not out to do one specific type of music. You put anything in front of me, and I’ll do it!

In 2008, I just want to let people know that I’m a real producer, and I’ve got the West on my back! We’re trying to bring it all back with the whole Omar Cruz thing. With B.Y.I. especially, we’re really going to put it on the map. By me working with other artists, it’s really going to stretch my hand out to the hip-hop areas I can reach. A big shout out to Cool & Dre for that one.


Dubcnn: What else are you working on right now?

I have a lot of things, a lot of things I can’t say. But I’ve submitted to T.I., Lil Wayne, [and] Nas. I’m going to be in New York for most of January working with all of those artists. But I’m trying to get everywhere. I’m trying to be the next big hip-hop producer. I’m reaching for legend status. Every year it gets better and better. God has blessed me with a lot of opportunities, and I don’t turn any of them down. Anything that comes my way, I shoot for it. It’s really exciting because it all started with Omar Cruz, with the release of “City Of Gods”, and now I’m getting the opportunity to work with people that I’ve always dreamed of [collaborating with], and my music’s getting out everywhere. So it’s a big blessing.

We have this new thing, “B.Y.I. TV”, which you can see at www.youtube.com/byitv, that’s going to show more behind-the-scenes of me in the studio with Omar, and me in the studio with other artists. [You will] also see LuLu doing his thing. You’re really going to see how the work is done, and how we get down. So opportunities are flowing, and I’m just taking advantage of them.


Dubcnn: Is there anything else you want to say to all of the fans on Dubcnn who have been checking you out over the years?

I just want to give a big thanks to everybody – everybody who holds me down, everybody who mentions my name on the forums. I read all of that – it all started with Dubcnn! They’re the ones who broke Omar, and you can even say me too, because whoever broke Omar broke me, you know what I’m sayin’? So it’s a big honor to be doing this for the West Coast. I’m glad I’m doing something that I love, and everybody’s appreciating it. I want to let everyone know that we here at B.Y.I., we’re really going hard with this hip-hop shit. I know we’re Latin, I know it’s a new sound, but this is something that people are gonna have to get used to now, because we don’t settle for what’s given to us.

We want to make our own standards, we want to create our own doors, plus open the ones that have already been created for everybody else. We’re a record label and a company that’s going to be reckoned with, and they’re going to have to compete against us now because we’ve made our mark throughout the years, and we’re going to keep doing it. We’ve got bigger surprises! Everything we just talked about ain’t nothing compared to what we’ve got in store for [the rest of] 2008.

I want to thank everybody who has helped us, because if it wasn’t for the fans, we wouldn’t be where we’re at. We’re continuously doing music, we don’t stop working. I’ve got a new mixtape coming out, it’s my first mixtape! It’s called “2004-2007: B.Y.I. Entertainment – The Samples”, which is really a behind-the-scenes look at all the music I’ve done with all of the artists. It’s a mix between the original samples and the songs that I did, plus it has some new exclusive songs I did with Omar, Dout, and a couple of other artists. So we’re not gonna stop working, we’re gonna be here forever. This is a B.Y.I. thing. I just want to thank everybody who has helped us out and continues to support us, and everybody who writes to me on Myspace. It’s just a blessing. We’re approachable dudes, you can hit us up whenever, we don’t act all booshie, we’re some real dudes from L.A. I just want to thank everybody, especially Dubcnn, for all of the love they’ve shown me and B.Y.I.!