Today we’d like to introduce you to NameForeign.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Back in 2012-2013, I attended an audio school in Tempe, that’s where and when I started making hip hop beats. I graduated and went to intern at a studio in Los Angeles right on Hollywood Blvd. called West 1 Studios. I didn’t have much money at the time, was living in my car at the time, and at times going days without eating anything. I was putting in 14-18 hour days in the studio cause I had nowhere to go and it was hard getting a 9-5 with no address, so I decided to put my all into the music.
I put in my required internship time and feeling somewhat defeated with my living conditions I decided to head back to Tucson. I got a job at a Guitar Center soon as I got into Tucson and I would play my beats throughout the speakers at the store. I spent about 2 years working at Guitar Center till one day this guy walked in and heard my beats playing at the store, he said he really liked them and said he was The Game’s manager / best friend to show him some more.
He ended up liking my beats and said he would take me to The Game’s house to meet him and show him my beats cause he was looking for new producers to work on his album. We went out to Calabasas to meet The Game at his house, he the way I engineered and produced so I was lucky enough to be invited to work on his album. Through the next couple of years, I would be producing at my house in Tucson and would head out to LA soon as The Game would hit the studio. I got fired from 3 different jobs because of his invites and the trips I would take would be so sudden without any warning.
After going back and forth for a couple of years I finally got a deal from The Game / The Label and was blessed to engineer and produce for him. Through the process of working for The Game, I got to meet a bunch of other great people. I’ve been blessed with working with gaming companies like Ubi Soft and working with Viacom, making music for their TV networks like MTV, Bravo, CBS Sports, etc. At the moment I’m working on producing music for other artists like Dom Kenedy, Blue Face, and other artists like that. I’m also producing music for Telemundo and a telenovela on Netflix. I currently also own my own studio and production label in Tucson called FREQZ (short for frequencies).
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. I struggled a lot when I was in Los Angeles because I was spending so much time at the studio as an intern and wasn’t getting paid for it. I was living in my car and went days at a time without eating while being around artists that were millionaires.
The day after I got back from meeting The Game in LA I was fired by Guitar Center over the fact that I had simply left on such short notice. I got fired from 3 different jobs for the same reason through the years till I finally got my deal.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I produce hip-hop music mainly but I also make music of my own and I be audio engineering also. I did some work on The Game’s “Born 2 Rap” album, I have done music for Ubi Soft video games and I have done music for TV shows like Real World & Road Rules.
I am most proud of being born in Tucson and being a part of such dope projects.
The way I sample and compose my drums is what sets me aside from the rest.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The main thing I learned is not to take anything for granted.
Pricing:
- Unlimited Beat Lease $100
- Custom Beat $1,500
- Song Mixing & Mastering $50
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nameforeign/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nameforeign/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMvnWH6Bukn60wTgkpz-DQ
Image Credits
Zack Damiano
Anna Enriquez
Ray Montana
