In this interview, we sit down with producer Cloud to discuss how his passion for music evolved into a successful production career and the key moments that have defined his journey. Cloud shares the story of how a chance encounter with an audio engineer sparked his passion for making beats and how his early experiences with YouTube tutorials fueled his creative growth. He also offers insight into his process for producing tracks, as well as how he first connected with top-tier producer TM88 and joined Crush Dummy Records. From crafting beats in his kitchen to collaborating with major artists like Yeat, Lil Durk, and Quavo, Cloud’s story is one of persistence, innovation, and dedication to leaving a lasting impact on the music scene. The interview was conducted by Andrej Aroch via video call on November 13th, 2024.
Can you share how you first got interested in music and how that led to music production?
It’s actually a funny story. My cousin’s ex-boyfriend was an audio engineer at a studio, and we were all just hanging out one day. This was maybe seven years ago, so I was a lot younger—I'm 25 now. I kind of knew about beats back then but didn’t understand much beyond that. I’d watch certain producers on YouTube, but I didn’t really get the process.
When he found out I was interested, he showed me Logic on his Mac and said, “Yeah, you can make beats with this.” He didn’t even make beats that often, but he showed me the basics, like how to use a hi-hat and a snare. I thought it was really cool. Afterward, I went home and just became obsessed. I was like, "Alright, now I’ve got to make beats." I’d always wanted to make beats but hadn’t understood how until then. Seeing that I could just get an application—whether by saving up, borrowing, or finding a way—opened that door for me.
So, that’s how I got started. Then I started looking up producers of the songs I already liked, and from there, I went down a “YouTube University” rabbit hole. I watched a lot of tutorials—Nick Mira, Internet Money, and all kinds of stuff. Everything I watched slowly led me into making loops, creating beats, and building from there.
What was your initial process for promoting your music back then? How did you market it, and how did you first find artists to work with?
At first, it was mainly through traveling—going down to Atlanta, visiting LA, and other places. I also started posting YouTube type beats, which was actually one of the easier ways to get noticed back then because new styles of beats were emerging. I was making type beats, and they were doing pretty well—not anything huge, but they started gaining traction. I connected my YouTube channel to my Instagram, so people found me through there, too.
Eventually, I started putting out loop kits. This was pretty early on, and not many people were doing it yet, so it was still a new idea. I kept posting loop kits and beats, and from there, things just started to grow.
It’s funny you mentioned type beats because I actually had a question about that. Do you still think it's a good strategy for producers today?
Yes, I’m going to say yes, even though I almost said no. The reason is that you never know what might work, and it’s free. For some, it might be hard to make one beat a day, which I get. But if you’re at a point where you want to start putting your stuff out there, uploading a beat every day can’t hurt. It only takes maybe 30 minutes to upload—not counting however long it took to make the beat itself. And I feel like it’s pretty normal for someone to make at least one beat a day. So why not upload it for free to your channel and have a BeatStars account? It doesn’t cost you anything.
That said, I wouldn’t call it a “golden ticket” strategy. It’s not necessarily the one magic way to succeed, but it’s definitely something worth doing.
Can you share the backstory of how you got connected with TM88 and Crush Dummy?
It’s crazy—or at least it was for me! I was living in North Carolina at the time, which is about an eight or nine-hour drive from Atlanta. Back then, I was constantly making loops and beats, posting beats on platforms like BeatStars and YouTube, and putting out loop kits to send to other producers. I knew a lot of producers might not want my beats directly, but they needed loops, so I focused on that. Since I make my beats from scratch, I’d just render out the loops and send them around.
I started DMing every producer I could think of—TM88 wasn’t the only one. I’d DM them on Instagram, but no one responded, probably because I didn’t have much of a following. So I switched to Twitter, where a few producers were active, and I DMed TM asking if he was getting my loops. Still, no response. But I kept putting out kits and sending loops, hoping they’d eventually reach someone.
One day, a friend of mine accidentally included a bunch of producer emails in the “To” field instead of “BCC.” I copied all those emails—I didn’t know who they belonged to or their social media handles, but I figured someone might hear my loops. A couple of months later, I saw a story on TM88’s Instagram, and he was showing a beat. Something about it sounded really familiar, and I thought, “Wait… did I make this?” I checked with a friend on Discord, and he confirmed it sounded just like one of my loops. I freaked out—it was the first time I’d heard something I made on someone else’s page.
So I messaged TM again on Twitter, saying, “Yo, I saw what you posted—that’s my loop! Where should I be sending them?” He finally responded, saying, “Keep them coming; we’re locked in.” I kept sending him loops for months after that. Eventually, things started picking up; I posted about TM using my loops, and other people started asking me for them. My Instagram started blowing up, and I decided to go down to Atlanta to network and get my name out there in person.
One time, my boy DB was at a session in Atlanta while I was there, but I was back at my place. He texted me like, “I wish you were here; TM’s here!” DV mentioned me during the session, and they all knew who I was, which was insane. The next morning, TM DMed me saying, “You’re super hard. Your work is great, and I want you to be part of the team.” That was the invite, and I said yes right away. I linked up with him, and things have only gone up from there. It’s still kind of surreal to think about.
It’s funny you mentioned type beats because I actually had a question about that. Do you still think it's a good strategy for producers today?
Yes, I’m going to say yes, even though I almost said no. The reason is that you never know what might work, and it’s free. For some, it might be hard to make one beat a day, which I get. But if you’re at a point where you want to start putting your stuff out there, uploading a beat every day can’t hurt. It only takes maybe 30 minutes to upload—not counting however long it took to make the beat itself. And I feel like it’s pretty normal for someone to make at least one beat a day. So why not upload it for free to your channel and have a BeatStars account? It doesn’t cost you anything.
That said, I wouldn’t call it a “golden ticket” strategy. It’s not necessarily the one magic way to succeed, but it’s definitely something worth doing.
Can you share the backstory of how you got connected with TM88 and Crush Dummy?
It’s crazy—or at least it was for me! I was living in North Carolina at the time, which is about an eight or nine-hour drive from Atlanta. Back then, I was constantly making loops and beats, posting beats on platforms like BeatStars and YouTube, and putting out loop kits to send to other producers. I knew a lot of producers might not want my beats directly, but they needed loops, so I focused on that. Since I make my beats from scratch, I’d just render out the loops and send them around.
I started DMing every producer I could think of—TM88 wasn’t the only one. I’d DM them on Instagram, but no one responded, probably because I didn’t have much of a following. So I switched to Twitter, where a few producers were active, and I DMed TM asking if he was getting my loops. Still, no response. But I kept putting out kits and sending loops, hoping they’d eventually reach someone.
One day, a friend of mine accidentally included a bunch of producer emails in the “To” field instead of “BCC.” I copied all those emails—I didn’t know who they belonged to or their social media handles, but I figured someone might hear my loops. A couple of months later, I saw a story on TM88’s Instagram, and he was showing a beat. Something about it sounded really familiar, and I thought, “Wait… did I make this?” I checked with a friend on Discord, and he confirmed it sounded just like one of my loops. I freaked out—it was the first time I’d heard something I made on someone else’s page.
So I messaged TM again on Twitter, saying, “Yo, I saw what you posted—that’s my loop! Where should I be sending them?” He finally responded, saying, “Keep them coming; we’re locked in.” I kept sending him loops for months after that. Eventually, things started picking up; I posted about TM using my loops, and other people started asking me for them. My Instagram started blowing up, and I decided to go down to Atlanta to network and get my name out there in person.
One time, my boy DB was at a session in Atlanta while I was there, but I was back at my place. He texted me like, “I wish you were here; TM’s here!” DV mentioned me during the session, and they all knew who I was, which was insane. The next morning, TM DMed me saying, “You’re super hard. Your work is great, and I want you to be part of the team.” That was the invite, and I said yes right away. I linked up with him, and things have only gone up from there. It’s still kind of surreal to think about.
It’s funny you mentioned type beats because I actually had a question about that. Do you still think it's a good strategy for producers today?
Yes, I’m going to say yes, even though I almost said no. The reason is that you never know what might work, and it’s free. For some, it might be hard to make one beat a day, which I get. But if you’re at a point where you want to start putting your stuff out there, uploading a beat every day can’t hurt. It only takes maybe 30 minutes to upload—not counting however long it took to make the beat itself. And I feel like it’s pretty normal for someone to make at least one beat a day. So why not upload it for free to your channel and have a BeatStars account? It doesn’t cost you anything.
That said, I wouldn’t call it a “golden ticket” strategy. It’s not necessarily the one magic way to succeed, but it’s definitely something worth doing.
Can you share the backstory of how you got connected with TM88 and Crush Dummy?
It’s crazy—or at least it was for me! I was living in North Carolina at the time, which is about an eight or nine-hour drive from Atlanta. Back then, I was constantly making loops and beats, posting beats on platforms like BeatStars and YouTube, and putting out loop kits to send to other producers. I knew a lot of producers might not want my beats directly, but they needed loops, so I focused on that. Since I make my beats from scratch, I’d just render out the loops and send them around.
I started DMing every producer I could think of—TM88 wasn’t the only one. I’d DM them on Instagram, but no one responded, probably because I didn’t have much of a following. So I switched to Twitter, where a few producers were active, and I DMed TM asking if he was getting my loops. Still, no response. But I kept putting out kits and sending loops, hoping they’d eventually reach someone.
One day, a friend of mine accidentally included a bunch of producer emails in the “To” field instead of “BCC.” I copied all those emails—I didn’t know who they belonged to or their social media handles, but I figured someone might hear my loops. A couple of months later, I saw a story on TM88’s Instagram, and he was showing a beat. Something about it sounded really familiar, and I thought, “Wait… did I make this?” I checked with a friend on Discord, and he confirmed it sounded just like one of my loops. I freaked out—it was the first time I’d heard something I made on someone else’s page.
So I messaged TM again on Twitter, saying, “Yo, I saw what you posted—that’s my loop! Where should I be sending them?” He finally responded, saying, “Keep them coming; we’re locked in.” I kept sending him loops for months after that. Eventually, things started picking up; I posted about TM using my loops, and other people started asking me for them. My Instagram started blowing up, and I decided to go down to Atlanta to network and get my name out there in person.
One time, my boy DB was at a session in Atlanta while I was there, but I was back at my place. He texted me like, “I wish you were here; TM’s here!” DV mentioned me during the session, and they all knew who I was, which was insane. The next morning, TM DMed me saying, “You’re super hard. Your work is great, and I want you to be part of the team.” That was the invite, and I said yes right away. I linked up with him, and things have only gone up from there. It’s still kind of surreal to think about.
You produced “BË QUIET” by Yeat & Kodak Black. Can you share how this track came together?
I actually made that loop right here in my kitchen, on my MacBook—without even using a mouse. It was quick—maybe five or ten minutes tops. I was feeling kind of bored and uncreative, so I made something just to push myself a bit. My friend Chef9—shoutout to him— was asking for ideas we could work on together and send out for placements. So I said, “Sure, here’s something I just made. Don’t know if it’s worth anything, but give it a try.”
Chef9 added these three piano bass notes to the loop, which are in the final track, and I thought, “Man, that’s fire. I wouldn’t have thought to add that.” We sent it out to our boy Dream Awake in a random pack with a bunch of other loops. About three months later, Dream hit us up and told us Yeat had used it and that there might be a big feature on it. At first, we heard it might be 21 Savage, but then, just a couple of days before the release, we found out it was Kodak Black. Lazer Dim 700 ended up doing ad-libs on it too. Dream handled the drums and got it placed. And that’s pretty much how it all came together.
Is there a production of yours that’s your favorite?
Recently, I’d say my most recent one with Yeat is a favorite. But aside from that, I’d have to go with my track with Lil Durk, “You Got Em.” I really like that one. The style of the beat perfectly captures the sound I was going for at the time, and I think it represents that era perfectly. I truly enjoyed making that song.
What kind of music do you listen to in your free time?
Besides trap and rap, I used to listen to a lot of EDM, and I still listen to some house music now. Lately, I’ve been really into Latin and Afro music—especially reggaeton. I don’t know what it is, but it has this consistent energy that I love. When I listen to it, it just makes me feel more energized. It’s that vibe I’m really into right now.
What advice would you give to new producers trying to establish themselves and start working with artists?
Put yourself out there as much as possible, no matter where you are in your journey. Just because people have been making beats for longer doesn’t mean you should hold back. If you’re new and don’t feel like you’re there yet—maybe you don’t know piano or how to make melodies, or you only use loops—just keep creating and always strive to improve. But most importantly, put yourself out there. Go to studios, learn how to engineer if you can. If you're in a smaller city with limited resources, that’s okay—use the internet. Get a cheap laptop, or even go to the library if you have to.
Post your work online—tutorials, beats, Instagram reels, loop kits, or sample previews. Make it a habit to share your creations every day. And don’t be afraid to DM people. DM lots of producers. It’s free and doesn’t cost you anything but your time. Make it a goal. I used to DM 30-40 producers every day back in 2022. It was a lot of work, and at times it felt like no one was responding, but trust me, people do see your messages. Even the biggest producers check their DMs—everyone has Instagram. You never know who’s going to respond.
You can also post beats on Twitter, tag the producers you want to work with, and they might see your work in their mentions. If they like it, they might ask you to send loops or give you an email to connect. But the key is to keep putting yourself out there. If you don’t, your beats will just sit on your computer, and you’ll feel stuck.
Where do you see yourself in five years, or what’s your long-term plan as a producer?
In the long term, I definitely see myself having mentors and possibly building a team of producers. That’s definitely in the cards a few years down the road. But before all that, I just want to make sure I leave a lasting impact on the culture with the sound I bring. When I look back five years from now, I want to be able to say, “I did something meaningful.” I want people to be able to look back and say, “This music inspired me” or “These songs helped me through a tough time.” That’s the kind of impact I care about. My long-term plan is simple—just keep making beats, keep working, keep growing, and keep inspiring others to do the same.
Follow Cloud on Instagram: @prod.by.cloud
