FEATURE: MARS THE PLANET

VE: When did you start making beats?

MARS: 14 YEARS OLD. I TRIED TO EMULATE BEATS THAT WERE FEATURED ON THE RADIO. I GOT GOOD ENOUGH TO WHERE THE TRACKS I WAS EMULATING WOULD SOUND JUST LIKE THE TRACK OR EVEN BETTER. YOU KNOW I MIGHT BE GOOD AT THIS. SO I STARTED MAKING MY OWN BEATS.

VE: Did you always know that you were going to be a producer?

MARS: I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT BEING A PRODUCER ENTAILED. BUT I KNEW I WAS GOING TO BE DOING MUSIC. I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO MUSIC. OCCASIONALLY I WANTED TO BE A BASKETBALL PLAYER BUT I KEPT WITH MUSIC. INSTEAD OF PRACTICING MY FREE THROWS I WAS PRACTICING MY C NOTES.

VE: When you were younger, did you know that you would have this much success by age 25?

MARS: OF COURSE YOU DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH SUCCESS YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE. BUT I DEFINITELY HAVENT EVEN REACHED HALF OF MY POTENTIAL.

VE: Who are your musical influences?

MARS: MY DAD, MICHAEL JACKSIN, J DILLA, QUINCY JONES, STEVIE WONDER, DONNY HATHAWAY, ANITA BAKER, MARVIN WINANS, THOMAS WHITFIELD, MARVIN GAYE, PARLIAMENT, JAMES BROWN.

VE: How did you get your start? Tell me about your come up, working with Just Blaze and Brian Michael Cox.

MARS: I MOVED OUT MY PARENTS HOUSE AT THE AGE OF 17. GRADUATED FROM SCHOOL EARLY. MY DAD TOLD ME WHEN I FINISHED SCHOOL I COULD DO MUSIC. I SIGNED A ONE YEAR INDEPENDENT CONTRACT WITH THIS LADY LATISHA, HAD MY OWN STUDIO OWN APARTMENT. ALL I HAD TO DO WAS GIVE HER 15 BEATS. MY HOMEBOY JONATHAN INTRODUCED ME INTO LARRANCE. WE ALL PLAYED IN CHURCH. CAME BY HIS STUDIO. I PLAYED HIM SOME STUFF. LARRANCE SAID “I PLAY SOME STUFF FOR SNOOP YOU SHOULD COME BY AND PLAY SOME STUFF.” WENT AND PLAYED. SNOOP LIKED IT. SINCE THEN WE BECAME PRODUCTION PARTNERS. WORKING WITH JUST BLAZE AND BRIAN MICHAEL COX WAS GREAT BECAUSE THEY ARE SEASONED VETS AND BIG BROTHERS IN THE INDUSTRY. EVERY TIME I WORK WITH THEM I LEARN SOMETHING.

VE: Do you play any instruments?

MARS: I PLAY THE DRUMS, ORGAN, PIANO, BASS, ANYTHING WITH KEYS, KEYBOARDS, XYLOPHONES, WHATEVER.

VE: Damn that’s a lot lol. What are some of your biggest tracks.

MARS: DOPE BOYS BY GAME, TAKE YOU DOWN BY CHRIS BROWN, STRONGER BY KANYE WEST, WHICH ONE BY SNOOP, SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT BY JAY Z. WE GOT SOME STUFF COMING OUT ON SNOOPS NEW ALBUM. GET THAT. “MALICE IN WONDERLAND.”

VE: Which of your beats if your favorite?

MARS: I LIKE TAKE YOU DOWN. TAKE YOU DOWN MIGHT BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE BEATS.

VE: What was your first major hit?

MARS: GANGSTA LOVE BY BOBBY VALENTINO.

VE: Describe the feeling when you first heard it on the radio.

MARS: I DIDN’T HEAR GANGSTA LOVE ON THE RADIO. THE FIRST MAJOR HIT ON THE RADIO WAS DOPE BOYS. IT WAS PRETTY EXCITING.

VE: What do you think about the current state of hip-hop.
MARS: THERE ISN’T TOO MUCH GREAT MUSIC OUT RIGHT NOW. SO THAT GIVES ME A LANE TO DO WHAT I LOVE TO DO WHICH IS GREAT MUSIC. EVERYBODY EXPRESSES THEMSELVES DIFFERENTLY.. I LIKE THE WAY LUPE RAPS THE WAY HE EXPRESSES HIMSELF. HE HAS STORIES AND CONCEPTS.

VE: Is it in your plans to produce other genres or are you content with hip-hop and R&B?

MARS: I PRODUCE OTHER GENRES, I PRODUCE GOSPEL AND LOOKING FORWARD TO PRODUCE OTHER GENRES.

VE: What projects are you working on now that we should look out for?

MARS: SNOOP, LUPE, THE GAME, REDMAN, UHHH MAN JUST A LOT OF THINGS. IF ITS REALLY HOT YOU KNOW I DID IT. YOU KNOW ITS FROM THE HOTTEST PLANET: MARS.