Twysted Genius has emerged as one of today’s most in-demand producers, crafting hits for Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, and more. In this exclusive Studio Talks interview, he shares his journey, creative process, favorite tools, approach to collaboration, thoughts on AI, and advice for upcoming producers, offering a rare look inside the mind behind some of hip-hop and R&B’s biggest tracks. This interview was conducted via video call by Rudy Manager, on August 20, 2025.
"Invest in yourself, no matter what it takes. It doesn’t always have to be money. Find a way to invest in yourself and your work, in any way you can."
- Twysted Genius
Can you share how you first became interested in music and then in music production?
Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated by sounds. Whenever I heard a song on the radio or anywhere else, I could pick up the beat instantly and recreate it with pencils or whatever I had on hand. I could figure out the entire rhythm and play it on my desk. Listening to music made me think, “I can do that.”
Then one day, I was introduced to FL Studio. I tried it out and immediately loved it. From that moment, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I dove in and kept going from there.
Did you have any mentors early on, or what was your process of improving back then?
It was mostly hands-on experience. I spent a lot of time learning the program and perfecting my skills. Back then, it was purely a passion. I would sit for hours, tuning out the world, making beats, and figuring out how to get better. That’s how I started, and I was only 11 at the time.
Were you watching a lot of YouTube tutorials or other resources when you were learning?
No. When I started, I spent most of my time outside, so I wasn’t really on the internet. I didn’t know anything about YouTube or tutorials. I figured it out on my own. I would get on the program and learn through trial and error until I got it. A lot of what I learned actually happened by accident.
Who were some of the first artists or projects that you worked on?
At first, I was working with a lot of guys from my hometown. That’s really where it all started. Eventually, it branched out once I got onto social media, a couple of years after I began making beats and had gotten pretty good.
One of my first placements was with a guy from my hometown who had a song featuring Stewie Rock from Atlanta. Another early placement was with Pastor Troy and Zed Zilla, who was once with CMG. Those were some of my first placements that really felt significant to me. At the time, it was a big deal.
How do you like to approach a composition from scratch?
It really depends on how I’m feeling, and the time of day. Most of my work happens late at night, but sometimes it’s morning or evening. When I open FL Studio, I might decide I want to make a beat for a specific artist. In that case, I’ll do some homework, listen to their music, pull up some sounds, and work on melodies.
Other times, I just freestyle. I go through sound selection, experiment with different sounds, and see what comes together. Sometimes an artist inspires me in the moment, and I build from there.
I don’t focus on a specific output like making a certain number of beats. I just create until I naturally burn out. I try not to stay in a box. If I make a trap beat, I might switch to R&B or something else, hitting different styles in one session. I take breaks as needed, sometimes playing a game or stepping away. Often, I’ll catch another vibe in the early morning and continue until I’ve exhausted my creativity for the session.
Who were some of the first artists or projects that you worked on?
At first, I was working with a lot of guys from my hometown. That’s really where it all started. Eventually, it branched out once I got onto social media, a couple of years after I began making beats and had gotten pretty good.
One of my first placements was with a guy from my hometown who had a song featuring Stewie Rock from Atlanta. Another early placement was with Pastor Troy and Zed Zilla, who was once with CMG. Those were some of my first placements that really felt significant to me. At the time, it was a big deal.
How do you like to approach a composition from scratch?
It really depends on how I’m feeling, and the time of day. Most of my work happens late at night, but sometimes it’s morning or evening. When I open FL Studio, I might decide I want to make a beat for a specific artist. In that case, I’ll do some homework, listen to their music, pull up some sounds, and work on melodies.
Other times, I just freestyle. I go through sound selection, experiment with different sounds, and see what comes together. Sometimes an artist inspires me in the moment, and I build from there.
I don’t focus on a specific output like making a certain number of beats. I just create until I naturally burn out. I try not to stay in a box. If I make a trap beat, I might switch to R&B or something else, hitting different styles in one session. I take breaks as needed, sometimes playing a game or stepping away. Often, I’ll catch another vibe in the early morning and continue until I’ve exhausted my creativity for the session.
Who were some of the first artists or projects that you worked on?
At first, I was working with a lot of guys from my hometown. That’s really where it all started. Eventually, it branched out once I got onto social media, a couple of years after I began making beats and had gotten pretty good.
One of my first placements was with a guy from my hometown who had a song featuring Stewie Rock from Atlanta. Another early placement was with Pastor Troy and Zed Zilla, who was once with CMG. Those were some of my first placements that really felt significant to me. At the time, it was a big deal.
How do you like to approach a composition from scratch?
It really depends on how I’m feeling, and the time of day. Most of my work happens late at night, but sometimes it’s morning or evening. When I open FL Studio, I might decide I want to make a beat for a specific artist. In that case, I’ll do some homework, listen to their music, pull up some sounds, and work on melodies.
Other times, I just freestyle. I go through sound selection, experiment with different sounds, and see what comes together. Sometimes an artist inspires me in the moment, and I build from there.
I don’t focus on a specific output like making a certain number of beats. I just create until I naturally burn out. I try not to stay in a box. If I make a trap beat, I might switch to R&B or something else, hitting different styles in one session. I take breaks as needed, sometimes playing a game or stepping away. Often, I’ll catch another vibe in the early morning and continue until I’ve exhausted my creativity for the session.
How many beats do you make per week or month?
On an average month, I probably make around 80 beats. On a good month, I might make 100 and 120. I’ve had months like that, but making a set number of beats is not really my focus. I go with the vibe.
My process is cyclical. I spend the month making beats, and at the end, I go back and export everything I created. That’s my burnout time, which might take a week or two, depending on how I feel. Once I’ve cleared that mental space, I’m ready to start the next month fresh. Often, on the first day back, I can make 30 beats right away.
I noticed that most of your big placements are just your beats, not five producers on one track. What’s your view on collaborating with other producers in the industry?
I don’t mind collaborations, and I’m not against having two, three, four, or even five people on a beat. It depends on the type of beat. Take Emotionally Scarred, one of my biggest songs, for example. That track only needed two sounds and didn’t require three producers. For records like that, I feel like it just isn’t necessary.
Now, if we were doing something huge, like a complex EDM track or an R&B record with intricate instrumentation and a crazy bridge, I understand having more hands involved. But for a typical trap beat, it’s usually not needed.
I’m open to collaborating as long as we can work well together. If everyone is focused and communicative, that works for me. The main challenge for me is working with someone whose workflow doesn’t match mine. I work fast and I don’t like sitting for 45 minutes to an hour while someone works on a loop that doesn’t need that much time. That’s not saying their process is wrong, everyone works differently, but it’s just not compatible with how I operate.
How many beats do you make per week or month?
On an average month, I probably make around 80 beats. On a good month, I might make 100 and 120. I’ve had months like that, but making a set number of beats is not really my focus. I go with the vibe.
My process is cyclical. I spend the month making beats, and at the end, I go back and export everything I created. That’s my burnout time, which might take a week or two, depending on how I feel. Once I’ve cleared that mental space, I’m ready to start the next month fresh. Often, on the first day back, I can make 30 beats right away.
I noticed that most of your big placements are just your beats, not five producers on one track. What’s your view on collaborating with other producers in the industry?
I don’t mind collaborations, and I’m not against having two, three, four, or even five people on a beat. It depends on the type of beat. Take Emotionally Scarred, one of my biggest songs, for example. That track only needed two sounds and didn’t require three producers. For records like that, I feel like it just isn’t necessary.
Now, if we were doing something huge, like a complex EDM track or an R&B record with intricate instrumentation and a crazy bridge, I understand having more hands involved. But for a typical trap beat, it’s usually not needed.
I’m open to collaborating as long as we can work well together. If everyone is focused and communicative, that works for me. The main challenge for me is working with someone whose workflow doesn’t match mine. I work fast and I don’t like sitting for 45 minutes to an hour while someone works on a loop that doesn’t need that much time. That’s not saying their process is wrong, everyone works differently, but it’s just not compatible with how I operate.
How many beats do you make per week or month?
On an average month, I probably make around 80 beats. On a good month, I might make 100 and 120. I’ve had months like that, but making a set number of beats is not really my focus. I go with the vibe.
My process is cyclical. I spend the month making beats, and at the end, I go back and export everything I created. That’s my burnout time, which might take a week or two, depending on how I feel. Once I’ve cleared that mental space, I’m ready to start the next month fresh. Often, on the first day back, I can make 30 beats right away.
I noticed that most of your big placements are just your beats, not five producers on one track. What’s your view on collaborating with other producers in the industry?
I don’t mind collaborations, and I’m not against having two, three, four, or even five people on a beat. It depends on the type of beat. Take Emotionally Scarred, one of my biggest songs, for example. That track only needed two sounds and didn’t require three producers. For records like that, I feel like it just isn’t necessary.
Now, if we were doing something huge, like a complex EDM track or an R&B record with intricate instrumentation and a crazy bridge, I understand having more hands involved. But for a typical trap beat, it’s usually not needed.
I’m open to collaborating as long as we can work well together. If everyone is focused and communicative, that works for me. The main challenge for me is working with someone whose workflow doesn’t match mine. I work fast and I don’t like sitting for 45 minutes to an hour while someone works on a loop that doesn’t need that much time. That’s not saying their process is wrong, everyone works differently, but it’s just not compatible with how I operate.
What hardware or VSTs are you using the most right now?
I’ve been using a Fantom-06, which I got about a year ago. I don’t use it all the time, but I really like it. As for plugins, some of my go-to VSTs are still the classics. Nexus is always a staple for me, and I use Zenology a lot as well. Beyond that, I experiment with a lot of different plugins, so my setup can be pretty all over the place. But Nexus and Zenology are definitely my go-to.
What’s your favorite song that you’ve done with Lil Baby?
My favorite is Forever, the track with Lil Baby and Lil Wayne.
Can you share the process of how that song was made?
It started with a phone call asking me to come to the studio. I agreed, and when I got there, they immediately asked me to record Lil Baby. At that time, I could record a little, but I was still new, and engineering wasn’t really my strong suit yet. I was nervous, but I knew I could handle it.
That night, Baby was recording a few features, and he did about three that session. Then he wanted to work on his own material and asked if I had any beats. I did and played a few typical Lil Baby–style beats, but he said no. He wanted something different, something he could really rap on.
The first beat I played after that was the one that became Forever with Lil Wayne. I had made that beat back in 2018, but it didn’t get placed until 2020. What made it special for me was that I used a sample. At the time, I didn’t know much about loops, MIDI, or sampling, so I just experimented.
When it was time to release the album, the label told me they couldn’t clear the sample because it was a Nintendo sample. I had to remake the beat completely. I always keep track of my sounds, which helped me rebuild it close to the original. I got permission from the label to use the vocals that had already been recorded, and then I recreated every element in FL Studio. I detuned and retuned a lot of sounds to match the vocals, which already had auto-tune on them. It took about eight hours, but the label was satisfied.
That process made Forever one of my favorite songs from the project. I even like it more than Sum 2 Prove.
When you were in the studio with Lil Baby recording that beat, did you know it would be such a hit, or did that realization come later?
Honestly, I had no idea. When we got in the studio, I pulled up the beat, and he didn’t even finish the song that night. He only recorded a few lines, stuff like, if I sell my soul, I’ll take it back, I’m slime forever, I put bust down on the whole gang, we gon’ shine together… and that was it. Then he was done for the night. I was thinking, this is my first one with him, we need to finish this song, but that was it for that session.
Three weeks later, we were back in the studio, and he was talking about a crazy record he did with Wayne. I didn’t even realize he was talking about my beat at first. Then I saw him post a story, and people started sending it to me because people heard the riser that I use. That’s when I realized it was the one. Having Wayne on my beat like that was just insane.
What do you think about the use of AI in music production?
Personally, I don’t use it. Not saying I wouldn’t, because it can definitely be helpful in some cases. Overall, it’s kind of scary. AI can do a lot. It can cut out work, but it can also create problems. At the same time, it can solve problems when needed, which makes it even scarier. I’m on the fence about AI. I’ve never used it seriously, but I’m not against people who do, depending on how they use it. If it’s used for good, that’s cool. But if it’s used in the wrong way, then that’s a concern. I’m just cautious about AI. It’s wild, it’s strange, and honestly, a bit scary.
What advice would you give to upcoming music producers who are just starting out and hoping to get placements, work with major artists, and build their careers?
I would say be patient and always stay true to yourself. Do your homework on many things. For example, if there are certain artists you want to work with, you need to study them. Pay attention to who they’re around. You often can’t reach the artist directly, so focus on connecting with people around them. This could be another artist they work with. Try to get placements with those people, as that can eventually lead to bigger opportunities. That’s how you build your path.
And finally, don’t be afraid to invest in yourself. Many people talk about collaborations and paying for them like it’s a scam. Sometimes it might be, but that’s not the point. When you pay for a collaboration, you’re not just paying for the work itself, you’re investing in the relationship. Once you realize that, you’ll see the relationship can take you much further than money alone. Looking back, I wish I had paid someone to collaborate with me when I was grinding.
So my advice is invest in yourself, no matter what it takes. It doesn’t always have to be money. Find a way to invest in yourself and your work, in any way you can.
Of all your placements, do you have a favorite that holds a special place in your heart?
I’d say Sum 2 Prove, because that was my breakout record and my first big placement. That one will always hold a special place for me. Alongside that, I’d probably pick the track I did for Chris Brown, Hmhmm, as another favorite.
Where do you see yourself a year from now, both personally and professionally?
Honestly, I don’t think that far ahead. Anything can happen, and I can’t predict the future. I take things day by day, step by step, and handle whatever comes. I don’t plan for next year or the next five years. I focus on building every day and staying positive in all aspect.
Follow Twysted Genius on Instagram: @twysted_genius
