Timbaland, Big Daddy Kane and other music industry icons came together at this year’s ASCAP Experience in Los Angeles to share advice for making headway in the music business and inspire songwriters and composers to continue channeling passion into their work.
A much-anticipated session of the day was the “Celebrating 50 Years of Hip-Hop” panel with Big Daddy Kane and Easy Mo Bee, moderated by Datwon Thomas, editor of Vibe. The industry icons talked Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, and reflected on the history of hip-hop and its longstanding impact on culture.
Renowned producer Timbaland was the keynote speaker. The “Supa Dupa Fly” producer was interviewed by Ray Daniels, CEO of Raydar, to talk about Timbaland’s over two decades of work producing in R&B, hip-hop and pop. Throughout his career, Timbaland has produced for artists like Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Brandy and Ludacris.
“How I got started was really just loving what I do,” Timbaland said during his talk. “Loving the craft of music, but me in all the right places at all the right times. But it was my sister Missy Elliot who stood by my craft. She took me along on her journey. Missy is the one who really got me into the music business.”
He talked about how borrowing from and being inspired by other genres and musicians is a big part of his work as a producer — and that it shouldn’t be frowned upon.
“Music is a repetitive thing,” he said. “It’s not copying — it’s inspired. People who produce they say, ‘I’ll give you that Timba bounce,’ cause they’re inspired by what I do. Nowadays there’s so much to take in. I take from all types of genres.”
Timbaland also touched on AI, a big topic now in music production. He wanted to emphasize that using AI doesn’t write artists out of the equation. He believes it simply helps them get the job done in a more efficiently.
“We need the human heart of people to make AI do what it does,” Timbaland said. “It’s a tool that’s gonna be so beneficial and that’s why it’s important to show people I’m creating a dope song with a dope melody, but it still takes me to try and get it.”
PvNew’s Jazz Tangcay hosted the Intelligently Navigating Artificial Intelligence panel with ASCAP chief digital and strategy officer Nick Lehman, composer Lucas Cantor Santiago and DAACI CEO Rachel Lyske. The panel illuminated the pros and cons of using AI in the music industry, while heeding listeners to protect their IPs.
“What we’re headed towards is a lot more like the computer from Star Trek,” said Santiago. “It creates space for creativity. That’s what every new musical technology has done, it has always made us better, faster and more creative.”
The event also included the Social Listening panel with singer-songwriter Alex Warren, Atlantic Records executive Caroline Kimiko Jensen and moderator Maria Gironas. Together they shared artists can utilize social media to grow fanbases in the current age of social media. “Authentically post about yourself, about your music, anyone who has written about a tough time in their life, just keep telling the story and people will eventually listen,” said Warren.
