Exclusive Interview
Produced by: Rudy Manager
Edited by: Rudy Manager & Andrej Aroch
Dunk Rock - Producer Behind Records for Gunna, NBA YoungBoy and Lil Wayne on Building a Lasting Career
We caught up with Dunk Rock in LA on April 19 after he invited us to meet him at a rooftop bar in Beverly Hills. During our conversation, we spoke about his recent trip to London with Gunna, his creative process in the studio, his thoughts on the current state of hip-hop, and the advice he would give to the next generation of producers. Dunk Rock has worked extensively with Gunna and has also contributed to records with NBA YoungBoy, Lil Wayne, and many more. In this interview, he reflects on his growth over the past year, the importance of staying grounded, and what it takes to keep pushing your sound forward while building a lasting career in music.
“Do the best you can, make something you think is fire, and hope it connects with other people.”
- Dunk Rock
It’s been over a year since we last spoke. What has changed for you professionally and personally during that time?
As far as what’s changed, I feel like I’m in a blessed position to be doing what I do full time. Honestly, I feel like I have great relationships with great people, and I’m continuing to work with the people I like working with while trying to push my sound as much as I can.
Obviously, continuing to work with Gunna is a main focus, but there are other people as well. I’m still working with Cheese, who works with YoungBoy, and Keefa, who works with Roddy Ricch and artists like that. I’m just trying to do what I can to the best of my ability and hopefully it connects with the artists. Then hopefully it connects with the public, too. That’s really all you can do. Do the best you can, make something you think is fire, and hope it connects with other people.
You went to London with Gunna on his tour. What was that experience like for you?
It was great. It was my first time out of the country for a real trip, so London was awesome. I got to experience being in a different environment and catching a different vibe. I’ve been to a couple of Gunna concerts before, but it was really cool to see his international impact.
It’s really just kudos to Gunna for continuing to elevate his career and being the amazing artist that he is. I feel lucky to see songs I produced being performed in front of international crowds and to see how many people love him overseas. It was really cool to catch that energy.
I also got to go to Paris, which I’d never been to before. I was trying to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and all of that. It was just really cool to go over there, feel what it’s like to be overseas, and catch a different vibe with the music. They have some different tempos going on over there too, so it was a really cool experience. I feel really lucky to have been able to do it.
How do you usually start an idea from scratch when you first open FL Studio? Do you start with melodies or drums?
I’m a Reason guy. I’m one of the few Reason people left. For me, the majority of the time, I start with melodies. On an average day, I’ll wake up and make a couple of melodies. Then I’ll go back to them later and see if I really like them. If I like them, I’ll build a beat around them. If not, maybe I’ll pull up some loops from other people and work on beats that way.
When I’m starting from scratch, though, I almost always start with the melody, not the drums. Honestly, that’s what I enjoy doing the most. When you’re making melodies from scratch, you basically get to discover something every time. You get to explore, and you don’t know what you’re going to come up with. That’s more fun to me. So that’s usually my process. I’ll start with the melody, and if I really like it, I’ll add the drums.
Do you have any special process when it comes to making melodies that you haven’t seen other producers do?
I like to think that I study music, especially hip-hop music. A lot of times, I’ll look at chord progressions from songs from 10 years ago, 20 years ago, or even five years ago, and I’ll be like, “Okay, I really like this chord progression.” If they used guitar, I’ll put it on piano. I might reverse it, pitch it up three semitones, put halftime on it, and just mess with it.
For me, it all starts with how good the chord progression is. I like to look up chord progressions that I really like and ask myself how I can make them my own. How can I mess with it and turn it into something more interesting? Maybe I’ll play it on guitar instead of piano, or maybe I’ll use a synth and do a bunch of different things to it. I feel like it all starts with the chord progression, and from there, you can really build on it and make something cool.
What’s your opinion on the current state of hip-hop and trap music, and where do you see it going over the next few months or years?
I think we still have a lot of really great artists making hip-hop music. Music in general just comes in waves, so certain things are going to be more popular at certain times. But I really feel like once we get back into that mode where it feels a little more fun, things will keep moving in a good direction. I feel like hip-hop got a little less fun at one point, so once we get back to that, I think it’ll connect more.
You can kind of see it right now with artists like BossMan Dlow and DaBaby. Their tracks are doing really well, and they’re fun records. I know a lot of producers feel like hip-hop can be too simple and that we need to make it more complex and intricate with the production, but I actually feel the opposite. I feel like we need to make it simpler and more fun, and then it’ll get back to being more mainstream, if that’s the goal.
At the end of the day, it’s always our job as producers to make things we think are fire and translate that to artists so they think it’s fire too and want to jump on it. I think that’s all you can do. As producers, we still need to do our best to push what we think is dope first, and then hopefully the artists adopt that and keep moving forward with it.
What kind of music do you listen to in your free time when you’re not in the studio working on music?
I have two playlists I always go back to. I have my “on the way to the gym” playlist, which has Future, Moneybagg Yo, Gunna, and all those guys. That’s when I’m trying to have a lot of energy.
Then I have my chill playlist, which is for when you’re driving back home at night or it’s sunset. That one has Bad Bunny, SZA, Kehlani, Tems, Prince, and older stuff. It’s just music that’s more of a vibe. I kind of go back and forth between the two. Sometimes I want to listen to stuff like Post Malone or artists like that, where it’s maybe a little more pop or R&B. Obviously, Bad Bunny is more international. It’s just different stuff that pulls me away from what I’d normally listen to first. I think it’s good to have that mix and always keep your mind open to new ideas.
Are there any new or upcoming artists you’ve noticed that you’d like to shout out for fans to check out?
Honestly, someone I’m not working with yet, but whose sound I really like, is sosocamo. I think he’s got a really cool sound, and I’ve been playing a lot of his stuff.
I’m always keeping my ears open to new artists. Shout out to Dina Ayada, who opened up for Gunna on his tour. She’s really young too, so I think she’s going to go crazy in the years ahead. I got to see her open for Gunna at the last show I went to, and she’s fire.
What advice would you give to new music producers who are just starting out and want to work with established artists and build a career in the industry?
That’s such a good question because it’s always tough. The thing I had to do was really envision myself as the person who had already reached the heights I was working toward, even if I hadn’t gotten there yet. Even when I had no placements or anything going on, I always felt like I had something different to bring to the table.
I would tell producers to literally write down the vision for where they want to be, whether that’s on their phone or on a piece of paper. Think about where you want to be five or 10 years from now and read that every single day. Whether it’s, “I’m a multi-platinum producer,” “I’m a diamond producer,” or whatever you want to be, read that every day and let it sink into your subconscious.
You still have to put in the work every single day, but remind yourself that you’re always one moment away, one connection away, or one person away from making that a reality. That’s so important to realize, especially in this business, because everything can change really quickly. In six months, your life can change. So just keep pushing and remind yourself that you have something special to bring to the table, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
What plans do you have for the rest of this year, both personally and professionally?
For the rest of this year, I’m just excited to continue building out my sound and staying as busy as possible. I’m still competitive at the end of the day. I want to be on all the big albums and work with all the best people, but it’s all about timing. You can’t really force anything. You can never force vibes, and you can never force a relationship.
I’m very blessed to be comfortable with the people I’m working with, while still trying to push and see where I can move into different spaces. It’s a combination of being thankful for where I am and also seeing where I can push next. You never know where that’s going to take you, so just be open to it.
What’s your message to the music producer community?
Just be smart with your money, and don’t let success become the main part of your identity. I think that’s really important. When you have some success, it can be easy to attach your identity to being a successful producer and feel like that’s what brings you joy. It’s great to have success and be happy about it, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t, but things inevitably come in waves.
There are going to be times when people aren’t answering your calls as much, or things maybe aren’t going as well. Just remember that it doesn’t affect your value as a person. Maybe you’re not getting placements, or maybe people aren’t answering the phone, but it’s really about whether you’re still enjoying what you do. If you can provide for yourself doing this, that’s a very lucky position to be in.
You just have to ride out the waves. At the end of the day, are you enjoying it? Are you having a good time? Are you enjoying the journey? The success, and hopefully the money, will come as you keep going. Just let that ride, stick with the people you rock with, and rock with the people who rock with you.
Follow Dunk Rock on Instagram: @dunkrockproductions
More Blog Posts
See our latest blogs
