Trevor Lawrence Jr.: Touring keeps you out of the city, keeps you out of the country, and being a producer, you’ve got a deal — they’re going to want you to be in these rooms. Stanley Randolph: I took your advice, man. In 2017, that’s when I quit all my gigs except for Stevie. I remember you telling me, “You’re going to go through the whole process, because it’s going to be like you’re brand new in the industry.” I took one piece of advice from Timbaland, who I just recently worked with two weeks ago for the first time, which was an epic experience. One thing I took from him that he said years ago, decades ago, man... Trevor: Real quick, if you’re new here, welcome to The TrevBeats Show. Make sure you subscribe if you want to stick around. And for the regulars, if you ever feel compelled to throw some extra support our way, check out the membership options next to the Subscribe button. It’s strictly for those who want to help us do more, but your viewership is supporting us. Now, back to the show. TrevBeats Show. TrevBeats Show. Welcome back to The TrevBeats Show. Today, we’re joined by a powerhouse. A lot of people play, a lot of people have chops, a lot of people have pocket — but this guy has it all. And it’s only fitting that he would work with one of the greatest artists alive in history, Mr. Stevie Wonder. If you’ve watched Stevie or gone to a show in the last 10 or 15 years, you have absolutely seen my guest today. Without further ado, I want to introduce the incredible Mr. Stanley Randolph. Welcome to the show, man. Stanley: How you doing? What’s up, what’s up, what’s up, man? Look, the headphones just kicked on right now. Trevor: Hilarious, bro. That is hilarious. Still sound good, though. Stanley: Yeah, man. Trevor: So what’s up, bro? How you doing? Stanley: I’m great, man. I’m excited. Still riding the high from this Grammy win. It’s been amazing. I did a bunch of cool sessions, cool meetings. It’s been great, man. It’s a blessing. Trevor: Yeah, man. So let’s talk about that. For those of you who don’t know, Stanley is fresh off his Grammy win with the incredible Mr. Durand Bernarr. Congratulations. Stanley: Appreciate it, man. And Leon Thomas, too. Trevor: Oh, that’s right. That’s right. Come on, man. Come on, man. That’s what’s up, bro. You killed it this year, man. Stanley: Hey, bro, listen, it’s a blessing to even be in the conversation. It’s always cool to be recognized by your peers, and somebody’s got to win. Trevor: Yeah. And that record is crazy, bro. That record — he’s a phenomenal artist, man. My wife and I got hip to him years ago. It was like a cypher on an award show. I want to say maybe the BET Awards, and he just bodied everybody. We were like, “Who is this guy?” Just destroyed it. That dude is amazing. So that’s awesome, bro. Let’s talk about Stevie, because that’s a close family connection to me. I obviously did the gig for a while, but to see you coming in on the heels of the great Jerry Brown and really being there — how did it happen? You were kind of young, right? You were about 23 when you went over to Stevie’s? Stanley: I was. Yeah, I was 23, bro. Trevor: So how long had you been in L.A.? First of all, let’s tell everybody where you’re from and give a little background. Stanley: I’m from Memphis, Tennessee, born and raised. Pretty much I was there until I was 22, 23-ish, and then I moved to L.A. I took a bunch of trips to L.A. when I was 21 and 22 just to check out the scene. Then randomly, in 2006 — October or November — me and my band, New Genesis, we were all from Memphis. We just packed up and left, man. We made a decision in November: “We’re moving January 2007.” And that’s what we did. Trevor: And the great Brandon Brown is in that band, yes? Stanley: Correct. Brandon Brown, Pastor Funk. Trevor: Yes, sir. Come on. Stanley: That’s my brother. We’ve known each other since elementary school, bro. His mom was actually my kindergarten teacher. Trevor: Wow. Amazing. You can hear it, bro. As soon as you hear that, you hear that all day. Bass and drums, when you get a lock, man, it’s a special thing. You feel me? Stanley: Yes, sir. Yes, sir, for sure. Trevor: So you come to L.A., and then obviously you’re doing some gigs. I know you did Christina Aguilera and a whole bunch of other gigs leading up to this. How did it go getting in the atmosphere of the Stevie camp? Was it an audition, a recommendation — how did that happen? Stanley: It was a recommendation, man, from Chris Johnson and Teddy Campbell. Teddy was doing it at first, but I think that’s also around the time American Idol started. Teddy was heavily busy with Ricky Minor, because they started that show. Chris Johnson did it a few times, but I also think at the same time Chris Johnson was playing for Seal. I remember after his child was born, he came back for maybe two weeks and then Seal called him out. But as far as getting the gig, it was a recommendation from both of those guys — Chris Johnson and Teddy Campbell. Trevor: Yeah, man. That’s a great way to be recommended. The lineage was basically Jerry left, and then I came for a few years. After I left, in the middle was Franklin Vanderbilt. He played it for a while. Then Teddy came, and then the whole thing with Teddy and Chris, and then you came. And when you came, it was like, “Oh, that’s what I’ve been looking for. That’s the fit.” That was it, man. Your style of playing — I know you are also a consummate example of what the music dictates, because you really went your way to get in that vocabulary and adopt some of those instincts on those records, and even some of Stevie’s instincts. Sonically, you went for the double-kit hybrid thing, which no one had done on that gig before. That just took it to a whole other level of authenticity. There are so many songs in there that he could call at any time. I remember when I did the gig, I was like, “Well, what are we playing?” And they said, “You know that iPod you’ve got with all those songs? Any of those.” So how did you wrap your mind around that huge discography of songs that he could call at any moment? Stanley: Man, honestly, it was a show-by-show, year-by-year thing. After the audition, they gave me the same iPod, and it had 300-something songs on there. It was impossible to learn everything within a week, week and a half. So I learned the main songs, because I went and watched Chris Johnson play the show like three times. I remember writing down those songs that he did at those shows, and I learned those songs for the most part. Those are the hits that he’s going to do no matter what. And the way Stevie is, man, he’s been playing those songs forever. He didn’t want to play them in soundcheck. Soundcheck was no help, man, because he’d come into soundcheck writing a new record. So pretty much, I was learning the gig on the spot. Stevie is so free with it. He doesn’t like rehearsals so much, but I understand. He’s been playing those songs for decades. I think he liked the fact that it was fresh. I remember he told me before, “If you mess up, man, mess up loud and do it again.” I guess it made the music new to him all over again, with me having a new approach. Trevor: Let me pause you on that, man, because that right there is something that is getting lost on this generation. Everybody is so worried about competing with the machine and trying to be perfect. I’ve heard stories of that exact same thing being told to Herbie by Miles, and Herbie telling it to the band, and it keeps going on. And there’s another genius, Stevie. The people who are the real ones, they’re not worried about one little mistake. It makes the music human. They don’t need to prove anything. He wants you to be you. He wants Stanley to show up. “What’s Stanley on tonight?” Not what we did 20 years ago. I think that’s genius that you would mention that, because that mindset is something I keep seeing with all the greats. They want you to be you. So to all the listeners — people trying to get into this business on whatever instrument — make sure you have you, too. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. You can never go forward unless you take a chance. So you start playing with Stevie, and obviously that gig gets you in all these crazy rooms and places. You decide, “Okay, this is somewhere I want to be.” And now it’s been how many years? Stanley: Since 2009. What’s that? Crazy. Trevor: It went fast, Stanley. Golly, bro. Stanley: Super fast, man. Trevor: That is unbelievable. Like you literally have made that gig your gig, bro. But I think it’s important — your roots as a drummer are very important, and you definitely made a name for yourself. I understand there might be a little change happening now that you might want to talk about, if it’s okay. Stanley: Yeah. You’re hearing it first, because I haven’t even made the announcement. I’m going back home, originally, to Pearl Drums. I’m going back to Pearl Drums, man. I’m excited about it. They have some new gear that I’m excited to play. Everything is different now — the staff, the politics, everything with that is way different now. They have some dope heavy young hitters on the roster now who are incredible, and I’m glad to be a part of all that. Trevor: Crazy, man. You feel that energy. I definitely felt that energy at NAMM. I interviewed Calvin on the show, and I had a chance to do a thing with Calvin last year and check out his drums and the vibe. Sonically, I was like, “Man, these drums sound great.” It’s noticeable. That’s beautiful, man. Congratulations on that. So just in talking about gear before we get off the drums — do you still employ the old-school/new-school kit approach? Stanley: I’ve been thinking about it, man. I think I’m past the young me. If you look at the DVD, I had so many toms and so many cymbals and all of that. After really going into this whole vibe of capturing Stevie’s sound, I’ve really been going with no bottom heads. I use way bigger cymbals now, really closer to rides. After being in Stevie’s studio, he still has the same kit that he used back in the seventies, man. That kit is so simple. It’s not a lot of stuff on that kit at all. I think on this next tour or next run that we do this year, I want to simplify even more. I’m thinking about going to maybe two ride cymbals and one crash, maybe going with just the 12, 14, and 16 — something a little more simple, and giving me a little more retro look along with the sound. I think that’s going to be the new wave for his kit. I ordered a few kits, because I’m still playing with Tems, the Afrobeat artist. With her, I’m going to have a full kit. But with Stevie, I think I’m going to go back old-school and simplify it all the way, and really lock in on that whole vibe. Trevor: That’s dope, bro. It’s cool that you’ve got the flexibility. It’s always cool to rock with companies that rock with you. People don’t understand this thing is not about drum gang-banging and cymbal gang-banging. Sometimes people just want to change. It might be business. It might be a change in sound. There’s nothing wrong with change. For you, you’re actually going back home, and it’s a different situation. It’s going to be beautiful, and whatever you play is going to sound incredible anyway. That’s Stanley the drummer. We all know. But I really want to talk about Stanley the producer, because for years I’ve been like, “Yo bro, your production is crazy.” I saw it right away. It was like, “Okay, this is going to be an equal situation.” This isn’t just somebody who can make a beat here and there. No, this is production. I think I first noticed when you were doing stuff with Amy Seacrest, right? Stanley: Yeah. She was one of the first artists. She’s actually from Tennessee as well. She moved out here probably two or three years after we did. She’s also one of the first artists that I really took seriously and grew with as a producer. We did a lot of dope business together, and it’s been pretty successful, me and her working together all these years. We really started back in 2014, 2015 — something like that. It’s been a great road. We both learned this industry together. Trevor: That’s dope. Stanley: It’s always something new every year with this music industry. Trevor: And other people you’ve worked with on the production side — did you do something with will.i.am? Stanley: I did something briefly. I used to have a room — Sony got me a studio — and I was right next door to Keith Harris. Trevor: Oh yeah. Stanley: We used to see each other every day, man. We ended up collaborating on some stuff, and I ended up doing some work with him and will.i.am. Trevor: That’s beautiful, man. Keith is such a great guy — another guy who has put so many people in position, especially where he’s from in Chicago. Sometimes people don’t see what happens backstage and behind the scenes. Some people get on and get these relationships, and they hoard them. They try to burn the bridge and the ladder. They don’t want to help anybody. Other people say, “Hey man, come on over here. Let me help you. Let me put a word in for you.” That’s what we need to do more of. Keith is one of those guys. So now you’re producing, and that’s starting to go well. How did the connection with Durand Bernarr happen? Stanley: Two things. Durand’s father used to be a stage producer or tour stage manager or something. He used to work with Stevie. I met Durand at a really young age. He saw me even back then when I first worked with Stevie. I was on my laptop making beats, trying to make records and figure stuff out. He saw me way back then. He ended up hiring me and my band New Genesis to be Durand’s band when he was way younger. I think Durand might have been 14 or 15. So I’ve been knowing Durand and his dad for a minute. I also produced this girl group I created called GAWD. The girls and Durand are really great friends. When Durand started working on his music, GAWD was really heavy into this soul-house vibe. Some of the stuff Durand wanted on that album Bloom, he wanted a house, R&B, soul-R&B type vibe. So he ended up calling me in. I brought the girls with me. I also have a producer partner named Poe. She’s amazing — an amazing artist and a great producer. I brought her in with me as well. We all collaborated together and created those songs for Durand. So yeah, I’ve been knowing him for some time now. Trevor: So it wasn’t just a cold connection. It’s a real connection. The fact that you were with him together — that’s got to be special. Now, you spent some time also being an MD. You’ve done it all, bro. I want to talk about the connection between being an MD and a producer, because in some ways they’re kind of the same thing. You’re over the whole thing. How do you bring those experiences together from MD to the studio and vice versa? Somebody like you, with the output you have, you have to know how to work with people. What are some of your tips when it comes to that? Stanley: I had some great teachers, man. One of my first teachers to really show me how it’s done, how to work with the artist, make them feel comfortable, and make sure they get what they’re looking for, was Rob Lewis. Trevor: Oh, Rob Lewis. Stanley: Working with Rob for years, seeing him work with Christina Aguilera, Tony Braxton — and then we did all the boy bands. We did New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys. We did all the boy bands. Seeing him work with all these different artists, and they all were satisfied — he knew exactly how to produce and get them exactly what they wanted in an accurate amount of time. It didn’t take him long at all. I learned with him that it’s all about your team. It’s who you pick and put on your team. Me being a drummer in that situation, I was also like the new guy. I was showing Rob, “Man, here’s the new plug-in. This is the new software. With this gear, we can do this and that.” I was that type of asset to his team — not only just the drummer, but a guy who could come in and help. One time, Christina Aguilera wanted to turn one of her hit songs into some type of hip-hop remix. Rob doesn’t specialize in hip-hop — he’s a great string arranger — but he passed me the ball. He was like, “Here are Christina’s vocals, and here are some of the sounds. Take this and make it something she would want to hear in the club, something people in the audience will want to dance to.” Being given those opportunities, I was able to sharpen myself and get closer to her and talk to her. She’d be like, “Yes, I like this,” or, “No, we should do this,” or, “No, we can do this better.” That’s when I realized, “Yo, this is like being a producer in the room.” You’re working with the artist and the writers, everybody is giving ideas and opinions, I’m giving my ideas and opinions, and we’re all coming together to make sure it’s something we all love and agree on. So Rob Lewis — big ups to him. He really trained me a lot with that. I call him the Moment Man. He knows how to create moments for every artist. It’s amazing. He pays attention to the audience and the reaction of the audience. He knows exactly how they’re going to react. Watching him put it all together — the sound, the lights, the Pro Tools guy, everything — he has his hand in every little piece of the whole show to make it this epic thing. I watched him do it so many times. He’d say, “Watch this. If we do this part right here, then we’ve got the lights, and you stand in the middle of the stage, and everything else goes black and dark, the crowd is going to go crazy.” And to see him do that for years, and it’s always accurate, I was like, “Man, I’m around some heavy hitters.” He had a lot of great people on the team: Ethan Farmer, amazing bass player; Michael Herring, the guitar player, amazing; and we had this playback guy named Crunchy. I learned so much from Crunchy about his tools that he used to mix and to level. It was just a great camp to be in, man. I learned a lot. Trevor: And Rob came from under Ricky Minor, right? Stanley: Yeah. Trevor: So he had a great teacher. It’s lineage, man. And you hit the nail on the head. It’s like producing live. Sometimes people don’t realize that the great musical directors are part of the thing in its entirety. It’s not just, “I’m dealing with the music.” This is a shared vision everyone is trying to bring together for the artist. Everyone is trying to give as much to that vision as possible. I see that you picked up stuff along the way. Tell me if you feel the same way: over the years, with the way technology is going, I’m seeing less of a separation between MD and producer. Look at Thaddaeus Dixon and all these people — it used to be more separate. Now it’s understood that you can do both things. It wouldn’t be far-fetched for a producer to be an MD now. Back in the day, it was more, “I deal with this over here in the studio.” But it’s changing because of how technology has moved and how we go about making things. You’re right in the middle of that chain, from the old-school way to what’s going on now. Stanley: I agree. I even feel like that gap is closing between the MD and the artist. When I first started, there was a whole stereotype: if you’re in the band, then that’s where the artist is going to keep you. They’re going to keep you as a band member. But now, these artists are taking chances and saying, “If I’m with you four or five months out of the year, and we’re on the road, I might as well create music with you too.” I know a lot of artists I’ve worked with who were quick to put you in that lane. I’ve been that guy working with Christina or Tony Braxton, and I’d say, “Check out this record,” or “Check out that.” They would entertain it a little bit, but at the end of the day, they had the people they knew. “This is who I’m using as my producer to create my records. You’re my drummer, so stay my drummer.” But now it’s opening up more, where they’re actually taking a chance to work with some of the guys in the band and create records. Justin Bieber’s band, We the Band — they’ve got some great records as a band. They’ve also done some great production with Justin Bieber and other artists they play with. I’m happy to see them rising to the top with that. It’s amazing. Trevor: I just discovered the other day that I actually judged Stix at the Guitar Center finals back in the day, like 2011. I didn’t even know it — and Diamond Johnson. Crazy, bro. What you just said is a lot, because it was definitely separate back in the day. I developed something over the years called a 360 principle. My thing was, if I meet you here, I’m going to work with you the other two ways. So if I meet you live, I’m going to write with you and record with you, and vice versa. I’ve been fairly successful with that with most of the artists I worked with. But you’re right. I think now it’s becoming more and more common. First of all, we have more music being made than at any time in history right now. Artists feel that. And now artists have their foot on their neck, because they’ve got computers sounding like them. All we care about is what happens when you press play. We don’t care who it comes from. I think that changes things. If somebody has something, you need that. Nobody cares where it came from. You heard it, and you want that. It’s changing, man. That’s great for us as drummers, because they used to always look at us as not musical like that — not songwriters, not producers. I love the fact that you now have Grammys, multiple, and you’re out here playing with the biggest artists. This is great for drumming. Think of the gap between Narada Michael Walden and Questlove. Then from that person to whoever the next drummer was. We don’t have that many drummers really doing it on that level. We can’t forget L.A. Reid, but he’s more in executive mode. We don’t really know him as a drummer. To have an actively cracking, high-level drummer who is active and still getting Grammys at the same time — Stanley, that is a unicorn, bro. That’s not a small feat. That’s big. I’ve got to say again, congratulations for that. Stanley: Well, bro, I’ve got to give you your flowers too, man. You were part of that whole decision-making. Speaking of L.A. Reid, L.A. Reid and Tricky Stewart gave me my first deal. I remember getting my first deal as a producer. I remember me and you sat down and had a talk. I was like, “Man, I’m doing great as a drummer. I’ve got all these tours coming in, but I know I’m signed as a producer, and I keep getting these calls while I’m on tour — opportunities to work with certain artists. I keep missing them because I’m out on the road.” I remember you telling me, “You’re going to have to pick.” I’m going to have to pick. It’s impossible to do both. Touring keeps you out of the city, keeps you out of the country, and being a producer, they’re going to want you to be in these rooms. So I took your advice, man. In 2017, that’s when I quit all my gigs except for Stevie. I gave all my gigs away to the new up-and-coming homies. I was like, “Y’all take this. Y’all need this experience. Y’all tour, travel, work with this artist, and be part of the team.” It worked out amazing for them. I remember you telling me, “You’re going to go through the whole process, because it’s going to be like you’re brand new in the industry.” So I went through that whole thing. I quit touring, and I was just sitting out here surviving off royalty paychecks, placements, church gigs, local stuff. I went through that whole struggle, but it was my best decision, which I thank you for. You, Nisan Stewart, Eric Seats — people like that — really gave me the push to be like, “Yeah, bro, if that’s where your heart is, go for it.” The reward from being a producer, in my opinion, was so much greater than being a drummer. Playing drums has definitely taken me all over the world. I’ve seen some of the most amazing things. But there’s nothing like being a producer and creating something amazing, then seeing hundreds of thousands of people singing, dancing, and vibing to what you created. It makes you be one accord with everyone. That has been my best decision ever, and I have to thank you, Nisan Stewart, and Eric Seats. They all gave me the same advice. Trevor: First of all, bro, of course I’m glad we had that conversation. For everybody watching, it’s never “stop forever.” But the reality is, you hear all the buzzwords: “I want to make mailbox money.” Well, you have to do something with action. You have to put action to it for that to happen. Instead of calling it struggle, we should start calling it investment. That’s what we’re doing. You’re stepping back and maybe walking away from some right-now money for something more sustainable, to bring you to whatever mailbox money looks like for you. I’ve never really seen it happen without struggle. I think in our business it’s fueled by struggle. You’ve never heard a story without a story — the time it took for you to step back, hone your craft, and get new again. It hasn’t really been that long. Stanley: Hold on. Hold on. Trevor: Yeah, man. It’s all good. You straight? Everything cool? Stanley: Yeah. This is Pearl trying to deliver my drums. Trevor: We call those Cadillac problems. I’ll take it. I’ll take the call dropping for that any day. Like I was saying, you have to take a few steps back to move forward. That’s pretty much with anything in life. We don’t win without struggles. We don’t get to the next level without trying. You don’t win without failing. These are all things that happen. You can’t be afraid to do that. One thing Dr. Dre used to always say — this is his story — is when he did The Chronic, it was a weird time. It was ahead of what it was, and people weren’t necessarily getting it. Apparently, all the labels may have said no except one. But he says he had to bet on himself. Look where we would be if he hadn’t bet on himself. I think it’s never wrong to bet on yourself. You’ve been out here killing it, and you’re in the height of it right now. You’re also in a time when all this technology is going crazy. So with the future of music right now, what’s your take on AI? We know you can play. We know you have a great ear. Give us your take on AI. Stanley: I love it, man. It makes the job easier. I don’t see it as any different than anything technology-wise that has been given to us. I’m pretty sure when the drum machine came out, drummers were like, “Oh man, you’re replacing me. You’re trying to take my job. I’m the one who plays the beats in the studio.” I’m pretty sure they all said that. But what I’ve learned is, if you don’t be a part of the evolution, you will get left behind. And I refuse to be left behind. Past music, I’ve been using AI dealing with music. But past music, everything it’s doing now — I just learned some new apps from Grant 1500, and how it’s organizing and putting everything together. It’s like you’re creating apps and doing stuff. It’s doing everything for you. It’s making it easier. That’s what technology is, and I’m with it. Everything is going to have its ups and downs, and people are people. People are going to use it the right way, and they’re going to use it the wrong way. That’s not my judgment call. But what it does for me, I love it. Trevor: And you were a proven creative before it, so it doesn’t take anything away from you. You’re going to be a proven creative after it, because you still have to do the work. I’m a broken record, but I’m going to say it again: if you were dope before AI, you’ll be dope after AI. Period. Stanley: You sure will. Trevor: Everybody who is cracking, who is a creative, has no problem with it. It’s usually the people who are not necessarily in the mix who have the loudest voice in the comments. Then you search them and it’s like, “Search not found.” They don’t exist on AllMusic. So what are we talking about? I was talking to somebody recently, and they said something so cold. They said, “You don’t need tools if you ain’t going to work.” Stanley: Oh man. That’s a quote. That’s a quote for real. Trevor: Everybody I know who is working, who actually has output and is delivering, has no problem with it. I’m glad you shared that with us, man. I tell you, brother, you’re a busy guy, so I’m not going to hold you much longer. A lot of people always want these things to go longer, and I try to explain to people that everybody I interview is really in it. Jobs and all kinds of stuff are going on. I want to give you an opportunity to plug anything you want to plug. Stanley: My main thing now is letting everybody know that I am a producer. That’s what I’m really going to work on content-wise this year. I’m going to do more of that. We used to have these shows on Tuesday nights, and everything was already set up. I would always make little videos here and there, but I ended up taking a break when I moved out of that studio. Now that I’m in a new room, I’m setting it up so I can get my content and everything up to par. Everybody just look out for the music I’m creating. I’m back in the studio. I just got out of the studio yesterday with Durand, so we’re making more stuff. After this Grammy win, a lot of cool people have reached out. That’s one thing I’ve noticed about the Grammy: it gives you a great amount of respect. Some of the people I had actually reached out to before to try to work with or collab with — they didn’t really have time, or they probably didn’t take me that seriously because it was like, “Oh, you’re a drummer.” But now that I have those credits as a producer, people are like, “Come on, let’s collab. Let’s work.” It allows me to be in the room, which I’m grateful and thankful for. I’m going to be posting more content as a producer. Look out for the artists. Durand is going to be putting out a new album pretty soon, within a month and a half. I’ve got the girl group GAWD — they’re putting out a new album within a month. And whoever else I end up working with. There are a lot of artists and cool people out here. I’m down to work with whoever and create some great memories and great music. Trevor: That’s beautiful, man. One more thing I want to ask you: for the next generation — now that you’re keeping this blueprint going so eloquently — for the next-generation drummer who wants to be a producer, what do you want to tell them? Someone who is out here in L.A. thinking, “Man, I can play, but I want to get to this other level.” I get DMs from random people saying, “Can I send you some music? Can you get a placement?” People really want to get into this. What’s your advice? Stanley: My advice is something I took from Timbaland, who I just recently worked with two weeks ago for the first time, which was an epic experience. One thing I took from him that he said years, decades ago, was: find you a writer or find you an artist to start with, and create a vibe and a sound with them. Chasing placements and all this stuff is cool. I got burned out in that game early, back when I got signed in 2012. I got burned out sending in records, and it was always, “Could you do something more like this? Could you do something more like that?” But when I found artists for me that I started with — we all started together — it was easy for me to create a sound and create a vibe. Labels and everybody are attracted to that because it’s new. When you’re part of something that’s already big, it’s cool. I’ve had some cool placements, but it’s not sustainable to me. What’s more sustainable is when my artists — Amy Seacrest, GAWD, Pastor Funk — when I can make records with them constantly. We’re friends. We’re cool. It’s a vibe. Their fans can feel that and see that, so it keeps us going. I’ve been working with those guys forever. Poe, I’ve been working with her forever — building and building. And whatever opportunities do come from the bigger people, I now have my team. I have my team, and I can say, “If you want me there, then I’ve got to bring Pastor Funk. I’ve got to bring the girls. I’ve got to bring Poe. These are my people who I work with, and this is the sound that you’re hearing.” So that’s what I would say: find an artist you believe in and trust, and grow with them. Learn this game together. Trevor: That’s real talk. You heard it here directly from the source. This is one of the cheat codes for today — and it really is the cheat code, period. What he was referring to, as far as the big placement thing, is always a thing. They have these lists of who’s looking, and it’s always too late and outdated. It’s a bunch of people trying to show that they’re working, and those lists are almost irrelevant 100 percent of the time. “We need a hit song.” What does that even mean? “Only taking hits.” Come on, man. Stop. You heard it here from somebody who is fresh off two Grammy wins, completely in the mix, and also holding it down for one of the most important artists of our generation. At the end of the day, man, it’s a blessing to have you here, my brother. I’m thankful you came through. Feel free to come back whenever you want. If you’ve got something you want to plug, it’s no problem. Ladies and gentlemen, once again, Mr. Stanley Randolph. Let’s hear it for him. Just a great brother, and I’m so proud of you, man. I’m seeing everything you’re doing. One day, I’m going to dust off my MP and come kick it with you too, man. Stanley: Come on. Pull up, man. I’m with it. I’m down for that. Trevor: Thanks again, my brother. Appreciate you, man. Stanley: Thank you, bro. Trevor: Thanks for watching The TrevBeats Show. I’m Trevor Lawrence Jr. It’s The TrevBeats Show, and we out.