Redd Stylez is a young up-and-coming songwriter from Florida, who started off with the Songbook Camp– the same creative collective that superstar songwriters Johnta Austin and Claude Kelly sprung from. After having some early success with Trey Songz (“He was the first one that said to me, ‘I don’t think you understand the gift you have with writing songs,’ recalls Stylez, “but I was too stubborn at the time on being an artist instead of a writer.”) just last month Redd moved himself out to Los Angeles full time to “evolve my career” and take his music to the next level. And first on his agenda in doing so, was working with highly-respected producer Brian Kennedy.
Redd took some time to sit down and share his thoughts on what its like to collaborate with BK during one of their recent studio sessions, and his insight is pretty amazing:
“With Brian the thing about it is, there are only a handful of producers in this whole music industry who are as crazy on the (piano) keys as he is…. and alot of times people think that’s all it takes– you know— how many notes at one time can you hit with your fingers and how many crazy chords can you do before you get to the hook. But with Brian, he has the ability to be very musical where you could say ‘okay, this guy is something serious he definitely has a crazy musical background’ BUT, Brian doesn’t get in the way of his own work. A lot of producers who are that talented, who can do those many chords, who are that classically trained, they try too hard. The composition almost becomes about them, what they can show off like a beat war. So its a feeling like, “are you producing for yourself and not for the overall song?” Rather than with Brian who does enough with the music for his chords to pull out a certain melody that you probably wouldn’t even have sung if you were working with someone else…. it actually inspires you to sing a certain type of melody.”
Redd was asked to describe the difference of how he collaborates with Brian Kennedy versus other producers in the game:
“Many other producers will force you, as a top line songwriter, into a certain direction. For instance, halfway thru the verse you have a key change so your instinct is automatically, “okay I wasn’t tryin to go here but this is where I have to go now…..” it kind of messes up your whole vibe. But Brian does the greatest job in terms of leaving enough space– but keeping it really musical and it feels good. Like seriously, the chords resonate within your heart and your soul.”
Redd also describes how Brian Kennedy’s “post-production” work ethic has such a huge impact on the finished song:
“Most of the time when you work with people, they have the beat or track — and then you go in what you lay there– that’s it. With Brian Kennedy, he constructs the song around what you wrote. What he plays you before the session is crazy but afterwards too– he’s gonna go in, and you come back the next day and when Brian says to you, ‘hey I did some stuff on the track,’ you think its gonna be like, a bass drum or an 808 here but no– he reproduces the whole song. And that’s stuff that people like Quincy Jones do. Even some of the biggest producers don’t do this nowadays. Most of the songwriting process is: when you go in and lay that record down, that’s pretty much how its going to sound on the album. But Brian Kennedy goes back in and builds upon what’s already there. And that’s real production. That’s what separates a real producer from a beat maker. Cuz like, c’mon, umm….Soldier Boy makes beats. But Quincy Jones? Is a producer. Rodney Jerkins? Is a producer. And that’s why I think with the next set of guys who are going to be the legends…. I definitely know that his seat is already reserved up there. For sure.”
Redd Stylez has been in the lab with the Team BK quite a bit in the last few weeks, so we’ll be hearing more about their musical collaborations very soon! Stay Tuned to bkclassik.com for updates…..
