HHNM: And you can sing pretty well right?
Mr. Porter: Oh I’ve done a lot of hooks. Like that Busta Rhymes ‘They’re Out To Get Me’ song. But I’ve also written songs for Bilal and produced a song for Eric Roberson’s new album. Yeah, I’m a pretty good singer. I’ll be singing on my albums. People will get to hear it. There’s a song that I would like Eminem to help me finish because I think he can make the song bigger than what it is. Just looking for the time to finish it. I would like to put Kendrick on it, it’s a pretty big song. I’m not wasting any facet of my talent. I’ll try to do all I can. I have a song called ‘Impatient’ that’s one of my favorites for my album.
Oh yeah, I don’t wanna forget. J. Cole is definitely somebody I wanna work with. I’m actually from North Carolina and most of my family is there. 9th Wonder is a good friend of mine and Phonte is like my brother so it makes sense for me to work with him.
And yeah, singing is something it was going to evolve into anyway. People need to catch up. I have been singing on hooks for years. Like the Game record ‘All Around The World’, I wrote it for Jamie Foxx. A lot of times people don’t know stuff cause I don’t tell them and I’m learning to say it (laughs). It’s hard for me because I don’t wanna come across like I’m tootin’ my own horn. I hate that sh*t. But yeah, I have a lot of singers in my family so I’m definitely gonna display that talent.
Oh yeah, I actually bumped into Usher the other day at Coachella and I just sent him 2 songs that I wrote, sang and produced for his album. Hopefully, something will happen.
HHNM: Name your top 5 producers of all time. Doesn’t have to be in order.
Mr. Porter: Do they have to be all Hip-Hop producers?
HHNM: Nah, any genre.
Mr. Porter: Hmm.. J. Dilla, Dr. Dre, Stevie Wonder, Prince and then a tie between Eminem and myself.
HHNM: Nice. I’m glad you mentioned Prince since he’s my all time favorite artist. Alright, so this is a question we ask everybody we interview here at Hip Hop N More: Prince or Michael Jackson and why?
Mr. Porter: Wow, let me think, that’s a hard one. If I had to pick one, I would say Michael. When he was doing Jackson 5, he had hits then. His catalog is just ridiculous. You really can’t front on Mike. MJ is an artist and Prince is really heavy on the production side. Prince really snuck into my previous list coz I’m on some really Funk Prince sh*t right now. Usually it’s Quincy Jones, that’s always gonna be my top 5. He’s got crazy longevity. I respect people with longevity. If Dilla was still here, he would be bustin’ people’s ass. Prince is still around and he’s still one of the best singers, guitarists, producers and performers.
I’m not into one minute people that are around for a decade and then you move on to the next person. If you look at my career, I base my career on longevity, not off fame, not how hard I talk about myself. You should be able to re-create yourself at all times. I have been able to stand the test of time because I listen. Same with Eminem. So is Dre.
HHNM: Alright great. So that’s about it. I had a great time chatting with you. Thanks again and good luck on all your future endeavors.
Mr. Porter: Definitely man. Thank you. It was my pleasure.
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