J.R. Rotem

J.R. Rotem -- Interviewed By: B Garcia





To start things off, tell everybody a little bit about yourself.
I am a music producer with a background in classical and jazz piano. I am originally from Canada and the San Francisco Bay Area but Los Angeles is my home now. Lately I have been producing records for many urban artists including Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Fabolous, Obie Trice, Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Tony Yayo, Olivia, etc.



What made you make the change from jazz to hip-hop?I was starting to really make a name for myself as a jazz pianist when the urge to want to compose music more than perform hit me. I also started thinking that hip hop today, is what jazz was in the 50s and 60s and that producers are the modern day composers- not to say that jazz is dead, but that its peak of creativity seemed so have flourished in that era. Hip hop is such a powerful music and culture today, that I wanted to have a voice in this genre and be relevant. Dr. Dre's production is what really inspired me to want to produce hip hop.



I see you've done a lot of work for the G-Unit / Shady / Aftermath camps, any affiliation with them other than producing tracks for them?I have a song deal with G-Unit. Other than that, I work closely with the above camps but I am not exclusive to anyone.



When you make a beat, do you have your eyes set on who you want to make it for or are they just made and its just a first come first server deal?Usually, if I am not producing in the studio specifically for an artist, I just try to do make good music in general, and classify the beat after it is made. Sometimes, I will set out to make a certain kind of beat for a specific artist or camp.



Do you have a certain style when producing or are you into mixing it up ?I try not to limit myself to a certain style but I do try to make sure the beats have a certain energy, darkness, or tension to them.



What can we see from J.R. Rotem in the future?Hopefully, continuing to grow as a producer, and also as an executive with my production company NetWorth Entertainment with my partner Zach Katz.



Is there anyone out there you would like to work with?Eminem, Jay-Z, Ludacris among many others.



How long have you been in the game?I have been taking producing seriously for about a year or two.



Other than producing is there anything else you do, writing, rapping, singing?Other than playing piano and keys, not really.



What made you get into jazz?After high school, as a classical pianist, I went to Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA to study film scoring however I became immersed in the jazz world and dedicated myself to becoming a jazz pianist.



What makes your style of producing different from others in the game now?My style is based on my unique musical background as a classically trained pianist. The kind of beats that I make are influenced by all the classical composers I studied such as Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Stravinsky. I am also heavily influenced by jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Mcoy Tyner, and Wayne Shorter. All of this combined with being influenced by producers such as Dr. Dre go into my sound.



Where do you see yourself in 1 year?Hopefully doing the same thing but better - connecting with people musically, producing better music with more artists, and having more respect from the industry.



Would you consider yourself a hard worker to get what you want?Yes, very. This is all I do.



If you could describe your style of producing in one word what would it be?Dramatic



Just for kicks, what do you think about the 50 VS. Jadakiss, fat joe beef?Beef records are a tradition in hip hop, so as long as no violence erupts, I don't have a problem with it.