Exclusive Interview
Produced by: Rudy Manager
Edited by: Rudy Manager & Andrej Aroch
Stack!e - Dallas Producer Behind Drake’s “Q&A” on Maid of Honour
Studio Talks sat down with Stack!e, a 20-year-old producer from Dallas, to talk about his journey from making beats to landing his first major placement with Drake. Stack!e has built momentum by putting out his own music and developing a style that caught attention online. In this interview, he breaks down how Drake discovered his music, how the track “Q&A” came together, and the advice he would give to producers who are trying to build their own momentum.
"I really encourage producers to put out their own music because it can bring you income, attention, and opportunities from other producers and artists."
- Stack!e
Can you introduce yourself and share some of the songs you’ve worked on for people who might not be familiar with you yet?
My name is Stack!e. I’m a producer from Dallas, and I’m twenty years old. Some of the songs I’ve worked on include “Body Party. (Nola Bounce),” “Body Party. (Jersey Club),” “Me n You Jersey Club,” and “Me & U 2. (Jersey Club).”
I also have a lot of Jersey Club and Nola Bounce songs out on SoundCloud, Spotify, and pretty much every platform. There are a couple more songs out there too, and a lot of them are in my SoundCloud playlists. I can’t remember every single one off the top of my head, but there’s a lot.
Do you have a favorite one?
My favorite one would probably be “Me n You Jersey Club,” because that’s actually the first song I made for TikTok that blew up. That song really brought me a lot of attention with this music stuff, especially on TikTok. So yeah, that’s my favorite.
Can you share the story of how you first got interested in music and how you then evolved into becoming a music producer?
I first got into making music back during COVID. I started making music around that time because I was bored. Back then, I used to beat on tables and stuff, which is kind of funny because that was really how I started making music at first. Then I thought to myself, “I should learn how to actually make music for real.”
So I got on this platform called Soundtrap and started making beats there. I made a couple of beats on it, and they were cool and decent, but I really wanted to learn how to make good beats. After that, I got FL Studio, and that’s when I really started taking music more seriously.
My dad used to make music back then too. He used FL Studio as well, probably one of the older versions. But pretty much, that’s how I started making music, and that’s what inspired me to stick with it.
Did you have any mentors, or were you mostly self-taught when it came to learning FL Studio?
I’m mostly self-taught when it comes to FL Studio. I learned by watching YouTube videos about how to use it, and I would get on FL Studio every day to practice.
I taught myself how to use the plugins and VSTs, how to make drum loops, how to create loops, and pretty much everything else from there.
Who were some of the people you looked up to?
When it comes to making music, I look up to a lot of the people I’m around, especially people in my producer circle. That includes people like 808toofly, Olly, and a couple of my producer friends, like AP (apmelodies).
I’ll mention AP because he was part of the “Q&A” beat that I made with Drake. There are a lot more people I could name, but those are a few of them.
How did Drake first discover you? Were you posting music online, or did the connection come together another way?
So the way it actually happened was, I was posting my music on all platforms, like SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, and pretty much everywhere else. His cameraman found my music on Spotify and had been listening to it for a couple of weeks.
I guess he showed Drake my music, and Drake said he really liked it. Then his cameraman texted me again and said, “I might send Drake your way.” I didn’t really know what he meant by that, but then I checked my requests and saw that Drake had hit me up, trying to work with me. That’s how it happened.
What would you consider your first placement, and how did it come together?
My first placement was with Drake. The way it came together was, one day, I was on break at work, and my manager called me. He was like, “Yo, Drake hit you up.” I was like, “Are you for real?” He said, “Yeah,” so I checked, and Drake had actually messaged me.
He told me he wanted to work with me, and then he gave me his number, so we started talking. He said he wanted some beats for the summer, and I was like, “Okay, bet.” I started thinking about what type of vibes he would like, because I knew he wanted something different. I thought maybe we should make a beat with Brazilian and R&B influences.
Me and AP worked on it, and the day we finished that beat, I sent it over to Drake. He was like, “This is amazing.” That night, he recorded it, and that’s how “Q&A” came together.
Can you share a bit more about how the “Q&A” song came together?
The story behind the “Q&A” beat is crazy. I had met this guy named AP, and we started working after some of my producer friends put me onto him. At the time, AP and I were trying to brainstorm and figure out what Drake would want for an album, especially something different. I was thinking we could make a Brazilian R&B type of joint.
I started a MIDI idea for it, and that same day, he made a crazy beat over it. I was like, “Yo, this beat is crazy. I know Drake would like this.” So I sent it to Drake that night, and he texted me back like, “Yo, whose vocals are on this?” I told him it was a Dylan Hyde vocal. He was like, “This is crazy. There are no samples, right?” I told him there were no samples, and that night, he recorded on the beat. That’s how the “Q&A” song was made.
There’s another part to it too. I was also part of another beat with some of my other guys, who I was helping out at the time. That beat was in the process as well, and whatever happened in the studio, I had sent both beats in. They ended up putting the two beats together, and that’s how the “Q&A” song sounds now on platforms. It’s two of my beats together.
So you worked on both beats?
Yeah, I helped on both beats.
That’s rare nowadays. In terms of the timeline, when was this?
It was a couple of months ago. I’d say around January. I’m not completely sure because it feels like it was a long time ago, but I know it was a few months back. We’ve been working on this project for a long time, I’ll say that.
How do you usually approach working on music from scratch?
The first thing I do when I load up FL Studio is think about all the different ideas I could create. I’ll ask myself, “Should I make a beat for people to dance to? Should I make something for people to listen to and enjoy?” Music is art to me, so every time I open FL Studio, I’m thinking about creating a different type of art for people to listen to and enjoy.
That’s really my thinking process when I make music. A lot of times in FL Studio, I’ll start with a dance type of vibe before making actual beats for rappers to rap on and stuff. I like making my own type of music, so that’s usually where I start.
In terms of VSTs and hardware equipment, what kind of tools are you using?
I use Zenology, Korg’s Wavestation, Hive, and Keyscape. Those are the main things I use to make loops and stuff, especially when I’m working with other producers.
What do you think about AI in music production?
I actually like it. There are some things I don’t like about it, but overall, I do like it. There’s definitely a benefit to using AI. There can be days when you’re stuck on a beat or need ideas, and AI can help with that.
Sometimes I feel like AI can take away from the creativity of making beats, but at the same time, it can help you in moments when you really need it.
What advice would you give to the new generation of music producers who are just starting out and want to work with artists like Drake?
I would say just be humble and put out your own type of music. A lot of times, artists pay attention to producers who are doing their own thing. When they see that, they might think, “Oh, they can do this, they can do that. I want to work with this person because they have their own sound and they’re putting their own thing out there.”
I really encourage producers to put out their own music because it can bring you income, attention, and opportunities from other producers and artists. You can do it in different ways. You can work with artists and build yourself up that way, or you can build yourself up alongside an artist. You can do anything as a producer. But for me, the way I do it is by working on my own and putting out my own music.
Are you also working with artists from your hometown of Dallas?
Not at the moment. I’m not working with any big artists from Dallas right now, but I do want to work with artists from Dallas. Any artist who’s out here in Dallas, I want to connect with them and work with them.
I want to push my sound out there more and have more artists in Dallas hear what I’m doing. So yeah, I definitely do want to work with artists from Dallas.
What plans do you have for the rest of this year?
My personal plan is just to stay on top of everything and make sure things get done this year. When it comes to music, my main plan is really to start traveling more. I don’t really travel like that right now because I’ve been in college, but I definitely want to start getting out there.
I want to travel and connect with artists and producers in places like LA, Florida, and anywhere else that makes sense for me. That’s really my focus. I need to start traveling more and building those connections.
What message would you share with the producer community?
The message I’d give to the producer community is to stay close to God and stay humble. That’s a big thing. A lot of times in the producer community, people need to stay humble in everything they do.
When you stay humble, a lot of people will want to work with you and respect you. And when you stay close to God, He can bring a lot of things into your future.
Follow Stack!e on Instagram: @stackkie
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