A Casio and a tape deck! That’s how it started for producer Shondell Brandon, or Ess Be, Illect Recordings newest roster addition. The Lansing, Michigan native eventually matured to using Fruity Loops. While producing for local Michigan artists and showcasing through beat battles, Ess Be met hip-hop veteran Sareem Poems (Sharlok Poems, LA Symphony) who invited him to produce a full project. The result was Beautiful Noise, the duo’s first release together.
Stylistically, Ess Be pulls from several influences…boom bap, trap music, dubstep, and legendary producers like Dre, Just Blaze, The Neptunes. The result of all these influences is a unique sound that provides the perfect backdrop for progressive hip-hop, yet grounded in the major sounds of the art form. New, yet somehow familiar.
As Ess Be continues to expand his efforts (he’s producing for underground artists Ozay Moore, Mizz Reality and EMD), he’s taking time to give back…teaching beatmaking through Michigan based All of the Above Hip Hop Academy!
“How I feel is how I create,” says Ess Be.
Sareem Poems & Ess Be “Beautiful Noise” out March 31.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beautiful-noise/id964619555
http://bit.ly/PoemsEssbe