Mark Batson talks about working with Dr. Dre, Eminem, and more.
Mark Batson, the super-producer who has worked with the likes of Dr. Dre, Beyonce, Eminem, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and more, contributing to the records which have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, sat down with HipHop-n-More for a new interview where he talks about his long career, unreleased music with Eminem, Jay-Z, 50 Cent and more.
Mark Batson’s name may be found on hundreds of the most popular music recordings of the previous two decades. He has hundreds of them in his collection that have yet to be published, and tonight is a rare chance to hear about his experiences working with Eminem, 50 Cent, and Dr. Dre.
Mark’s most recent collaboration with Marshall was on Eminem’s newest album “Music To Be Murdered By” earlier this year – a long way from 2004 when Mark Batson co-wrote the famous “Ass Like That” for “Encore,” which he produced alongside Dr. Dre. During the golden age of Aftermath, Mark worked with the brightest stars. What can he tell you about that period of his life?
Mark has worked with Eminem on various projects, including his classic ‘Relapse‘, and recently, he also contributed to his latest album ‘Music To Be Murdered By‘.
HipHop-n-More: You have worked on music that has sold a whopping 150 million copies. That is really huge and very uncommon. Out of all the amazing artists you’ve worked with, what are some of your favorite memories?
Mark Batson: Working on India .Arie’s first album (Acoustic Soul). It was when I first got serious about making records. I was the musical director for Kelis’ band and I met Pharrell and Rob Walker, his manager. They were an inspiration to me that I could be successful as a producer and not just a road musician. That first album I made after meeting them was Acoustic Soul and it got nominated for Album of The Year at the GRAMMYs. It was a dynamic ride going from playing keys in a band to being at the audience at the Grammy’s and meeting Bono. On a side note, Pusha T was the rapper for our band then, and was named “Terrar.”
I have so many great memories with artists I can’t count… Working with Eminem and Dre and the Aftermath squad in Hawaii for months at the Kahala resort, in Vegas with 50, Dave Matthews in Virginia at their Haunted Hollow studios. Music can take you to some incredible places.
HipHop-n-More: According to me, the peak Aftermath era with Dre, Em, and 50 is one of the most influential times in modern music. Do you agree? And looking back at it, how do you feel about being a part of such a monumental period?
Mark Batson: It was amazing, and one of the best musical experiences of my life. Working with the top people had a lot of benefits, and they were all really fun to work with. 50 Cent is absolutely hilarious. He used to come to the studio and have the whole room on the floor laughing until our stomachs were hurting. There would literally be tears pouring down my face listening to his stories… and Dre is the best band and team leader I’ve ever worked with. His work ethic is ridiculous and we made a lot of incredible music. He rarely releases songs and I probably have a thousand to 1500 tracks that are in his vault. He plays the music loud with the best sound system in the country, and a lot of people couldn’t take the intensity of the volume beating in your chest, but I grew up with Hip-Hop and going to jams, block parties, and clubs so I loved it. Creating with him was like going to the best club in the city, making the music, and then having drinks and rocking out to it.
HipHop-n-More: Beyonce, Eminem, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Maroon 5, Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band, and countless more, you’ve contributed to a lot of great music and it’s in different capacities: sometimes as a producer and musician and other times as a writer. Is there a role you enjoy the most?
Mark Batson: I have a flexibility because I believe that music is a universal language. I started out learning classical piano while living in the projects in Brooklyn and then being in a rap group with my brother at the beginning of the rap era. When we practiced classical music in the projects, older kids, some tough ass dudes used to come to my floor to smoke weed and drink 40s while listening to me and my siblings practicing Bach, Brahms, and Beethoven. They had mad respect for me and my brother on the musical level and also on the fighting level. At a young age, I knew that music was an ethos, that if practiced diligently in search of perfection, one could apply to a myriad of art forms. I knew that different styles could be appreciated if presented in the right context. I bring that sensibility and respect to every art form, and consider Eminem in some ways to be parallel to Yo-Yo Ma in talent. I have collaborated with both of them and both are supremely dedicated to the highest level of performance and emotion. If you study your craft, you become flexible and confident. It makes fulfilling a variety of roles that much easier.
HipHop-n-More: Do you think there will ever be a time when projects like these will become commercially more acceptable?
Mark Batson: I don’t think of music in that way. Again, we are healers and evolutionary thinkers. Sometimes you may reach a small audience with a piece of art and sometimes it will envelop the planet, and other albums may only appeal to 500 people. When we made Relapse with Eminem, it was not well received at the moment but now it is considered to be a classic. That’s how it goes… The most important thing is to keep being creative and offer the people things you think they will need. From the calls, I have been getting today, and the album already being #1 on the iTunes’ New Age charts, I think that people are letting their voices be known that something like this album is essential.
HipHop-n-More: What upcoming projects can we look forward to from you? Can you tell us about some collaborations you’re working on at the moment?
Mark Batson: Over the last few years, I’ve been wanting to help some younger artists get going. I worked with Tank & the Bangas on their last album, and then a black country singer named Willie Jones who is dope. I spent some real quality time with the incomparable Chika, and she blows my mind with next-level talent. Watching them grow into the next generation of super creatives has been inspirational. I started this year working on Eminem’s album (Music to be Murdered By) that was the biggest Hip-Hop album in the world, and I hope to end the year with my own album being the biggest New Age album in the world.
Check out the full interview here on HipHop-n-More.
