The Rapzilla Beat Battle gave everyone the opportunity to witness some of the best up and coming producers in the genre. Today, we’ll be focusing on contestant Jon Payne Music.
Tell us a bit about yourself. How’d you get into producing and what’s your goal?
Playing and performing music has always been a part of my life since the 6th grade. I got a scholarship to play classical music (The Oboe) for Saint Mary’s University, but I ended up falling in love with Hip-Hop. A little while into my career as a rapper with a local Christian record label, I got married. God made it clear that I should focus on my family during that time so I stepped away from the music grind professionally but continued to work on my craft. Six kids later, I got the green light from God to jump back in the game as a producer in the summer of 2017. I’ve been grinding ever since. My goal with production is to own my own production company that will specialize in helping different types of creatives produce the content they want to create.
Do you have a specific style or genre that you work in?
Hip-Hop and a little bit of classical are what I do best. They go better together than people may think. I’m also a songwriter who’s made a few guitar and piano songs. As my platform grows, I plan to link up with talented singers to help me bring those songs to life.
What has been the biggest beat placement you’ve received so far?
Probably making the Rapzilla Beat battle was my biggest production accomplishment so far in my short but fulfilling career.
Who are some artists you’d like to work with?
Some artists I’d really like to work with are Jerrell Flowers, Sondaye, WHATUPRG, Derek Minor, Cam, Canon, J.R., Lecrae, Andy Mineo, GWVI, Bizzle, V-Rose…The list could keep going but I’ll stop there.
How was the experience of the Rapzilla Beat Battle?
The experience was very unforgettable and transformative. I connected with so many cool people and created so many memories that I’ll never forget. It really was an honor being a part of the Beat Battle and meeting so many people I’ve looked up to, but only saw on the internet.
Did you learn anything from performing beats live and competing?
Oh yeah, I definitely did. I think I was the only Beat Battle Rookie there and I learned first hand how refined the other battelers skill were on stage. Their ability to control the crowd without words was amazing to me. I learned that to really wow the people and judges you have to put a lot more transitions and changeups into your music then you would in song production. Even if you got an amazing “Flip” or “Groove” going on you still got to change it up pretty quickly if you want to come out on top.
What’s the best advice, if any, that you received at the battle?
Onstage all three judges gave me amazing advice and compliments that let me know that I really did belong up there with those amazing producers. Having the legendary S1, Tee-Wyla, and OnBeatMusic tell me that my music was dope meant a lot to me. Offstage the best advice I got was from the Grammy Award-winning producer Malex. He told me not to overthink my loss to Egomi. Malex just told me that making it to the battle was a major accomplishment in of itself and to just keep grinding and getting better. He said as long as you had fun and make connections that’s what matters. I did that, so I was happy.
What’s next for you?
I got at least three artists lined up to produce projects for and I’m going to be releasing music videos on a regular basis featuring me rapping over my own production. I also plan on branching out into comedy as well. It’s going to be a busy year but I’m super excited for what’s to come. Thank you all so much for interviewing me!
