Murda Beatz Discusses Journey Into Self-Reflection

Motion
Murda Beatz makes dope beats, but now he's stepping out of his box.
Interview: Aleia Woods
Editor’s Note: This story appears in the Winter 2022 issue of XXL Magazine, on stands now.

Once the “Murda on the beat, so it’s not nice” producer tag drops at the top of a track, heavy bass, ticks and an array of other musical soundscapes are sure to follow. Grammy-nominated Murda Beatz has been hard at work in 2022, crafting beats for some of hip-hop’s biggest stars. But the beatsmith also delved into projects outside of the studio. He has inked residencies in Las Vegas and Miami and released the Murda Beatz NFT Collection. Here, the 28-year-old Canadian producer discusses what he has planned for next year, keeping Takeoff’s memory alive, mental health awareness and more.

XXL: How does this level of growth feel for you at this point?

Murda Beatz: It definitely feels surreal. Even with the death of Takeoff, RIP, my brother. I still can’t believe this is real, but I’ve been doing a lot of life-reflecting and stuff. A lot of thinking back to the beginning or thinking back to when my father passed and I was just trying to get stuff off the ground. And then think to where I’m at right now when I’m sitting in my own studio in my own house in L.A. I’m very blessed and grateful to be doing what I’m doing.

What is a day like for you in the studio?

Some days, I might go in the studio and I might work 10 hours straight and make a bunch of beats. Some days, I go, cook up for an hour. Might take a break. Might cook up for another hour. I make beats pretty fast. I can make a beat from anywhere to 1 minute to like 15 minutes. I usually don’t spend a lot of time on each beat.

How did your residency in Las Vegas come together?

This year, I had a residency with Tao Group. To be able to ink a deal in Vegas, that’s crazy. I would’ve never thought that I’d have a residency in Vegas beside all of these celebrities and names in the music industry. It’s a blessing. I’m gonna be back with Tao Group and next year I’m announcing a new residency in Miami at E11even, which is cool.

How did you all come up with the concept for the Murda Beatz NFT Collection?

I love the whole crypto space. I love the whole NFT game. I love the whole Metaverse stuff. I’m still holding a lot of crypto and stuff. We dropped the Baby Murda toy a couple years ago so then I was like, Oh, we might as well do an NFT version of the toy. And that’s what we did.

Your NFT sold out in less than 15 minutes. Do you plan to release another one?

Yeah, for sure. I’m definitely going to be doing some stuff. I’m also going to be doing a little give-back to the people who bought the NFTs and are holding them as well. We’re still kind of working on that.

What do you have planned in 2023? What can we expect from you?

A lot of new music and shows. I want to do some philanthropy, charity stuff and giving back to the creative community. Giving back to my home of Canada. Definitely working to keep Takeoff’s legacy going. That’s gonna be forever, though. Talking in some spaces about mental health. I feel like it’s very important to touch base on mental health. A lot of people in music and people, in general, have mental health issues. I feel like people should know that people they look up to—artists, entertainers, everyone—we all bleed the same blood. We can all relate in a lot of ways. I feel like when people look at someone with more money or famous, they forget that we’re normal, too. And we all deal with the same problems and situations that everyone deals with.

Read Murda Beatz's interview in the winter issue of XXL magazine, on newsstands now. Check out additional interviews in the magazine, including the cover story with Pusha T as well as conversations with Chance The Rapper, Ab-Soul, Freddie Gibbs, G Herbo, DaBaby, EST Gee, Morray, Ice Spice, Jeleel!, Armani White, Destroy Lonely, producer Dez Wright, singer Kiana Ledé, actor Shameik Moore, plus a look at how new artists get on in hip-hop these days, hip-hop's love for wrestling, the ways in which women in rap succeeded in 2022, the rapper-run podcasts the game has grown to love and a tribute to rappers we lost in 2022.