Bennett : In terms of engineering , I have a lot more experience with hiphop than I do with metal . I mean , metal engineering is a whole different kind of ballgame once you ’ re dealing with baritone guitars and breakdowns in drop A , and there ’ s a whole way of using samples with live drums and stuff …
In terms of blending the two , I think part of what makes Ashanti ’ s productions super unique is just the fact that she tends to take these really aggressive samples , but then present them in a hip-hop focused way . Ashanti , the way you set up your drums and set up your 808s is super hip-hop focused , and the way you chop everything up and the way that everything ’ s rhythmically set up is very , very hip-hop . But then the content of the samples , frequency wise , and especially on the Stigmata EP , it was all metal samples and stuff . On God Has Nothing to Do with This , there ’ s that Nine Inch Nails sample , there ’ s the Black Sabbath sample , and [ Led Zeppelin ’ s ] “ When the Levee Breaks ” and all those different things .
So , it ’ s sort of like taking metal and punk and hardcore sounds from an aesthetic perspective , but then setting them up and processing them in a way that rhythmically ends up becoming hip-hop . So really , my job was just to be like , “ Okay , what is the energy here ? How can I ensure that I ’ m not sterilizing anything , but still have it hit really hard and be beefy when it needs to be beefy , and be hype when it needs to be hype ?”
CM : Ashanti , how did you come to this unique style of rap production that prominently incorporates metal elements ?
Backxwash : Back in the day , when I was like 13 to 17 , on previous projects I would never rap on my beats . When I slowly started making beats , I was just like , “ I ’ m just going to use the stuff that I ’ m influenced by .” I feel like the importance of choosing a sample comes in the feeling . Like when Kanye West picks those soul samples , they ’ re extremely good because of the feeling that they give you . So , feeling is a big thing for me . Growing up listening [ to rap and metal ], I just liked how it made me feel because it was so tormented and I was in a Christian home , so it was kind of taboo . I was just like , “ I ’ m trying to be my authentic self , so I ’ ll just mix the two .”
Then partnering up with Will was also a no-brainer because the mixes came out incredible . When we did Deviancy , the beats were heavy , but there was still some space to make them heavier . I think we kind of did that with God Has Nothing to Do with This because it ’ s a much heavier record . With Stigmata , [ the newest EP ,] we turned that dial up even more !
CM : Where were you two recording this ?
Bennett : Mostly in my current apartment in Montreal . When we did Deviancy , I was living in a different apartment . That was this super-tiny-ass room . Basically , Ashanti was maybe a foot to my left while she ’ s on the mic . We were just doing stuff in headphones . My current apartment , the room is at least a little bit bigger , but it ’ s still just an extra bedroom in my apartment that I use as a mixing room , and then we recorded vocals there as well .
CM : Ashanti , how fully-formed were the songs when you two met to record ?
Backxwash : I think the lyrics and the structure was there , but what I like about recording with Will is he gives a lot of feedback and advice while you ’ re doing the recording . A good thing about Will is he knows how to transition energy , or maintain energy . You know , he gives a suggestion like , “ Why don ’ t you do it like this ?” and that usually works out .
So , the songs and the structure were there , but there were a few times where it was like , “ Why don ’ t we do this ?” in terms of arrangement or structure . A good example is the choir part in the song “ Amen ” where it slows down . That was supposed to come at the end but Will was like , “ Why don ’ t we bring that to the middle and have that 808 come at the end ?” It just worked out pretty perfectly . Also , the arrangements on “ Into the Void ” and “ Spells .” The advice he gave while recording them took it to a whole other level .
CM : When you have a lyrical theme that carries throughout the album like you do on God Has Nothing to Do with This , do you find maintaining that thread is helpful or an obstacle when it comes to simply writing a good song ?
Backxwash : Yeah , it is kind of a challenge . But , you know , I ’ ve reached the point where I don ’ t think I can rap about anything else right now . When we were recording Deviancy , before I came up with the tracks that I was going to use for God Has Nothing to Do with This , I was thinking I ’ d maybe do a [ Deviancy ] part two . But I was writing and the lyrics sounded like trendy political tweets [ laughs ]. It ’ s like , “ Yeah , you ’ ve got the message , but there ’ s no passion behind it .”
CM : Will , what was recording set up in your apartment when making this album ?
Bennett : Basically , I ’ ve got an [ Audio-Technica ] AT4040 condenser mic and an API Lunchbox . The preamp I used was a Vintech 1073 clone that I usually run pretty hot . There are definitely some parts of the album where Ashanti didn ’ t clip my converter but she just clipped my preamp and it sounded great … Like , I remember on “ Into the Void ” when she ’ s yelling “ fuuuck !”
Backxwash : Oh yeah !
Bennett : It was super , super clipped and I was like , “ This is fucking awesome !” But Ashanti was saying , “ Maybe it ’ s a little too much ?” So , I was like , “ Okay , okay , I guess ” [ laughs ].
So , I ’ ve got that and I have this 500 Series RNC compressor [ from FMR Audio ]. It ’ s just a cheap 500 Series compressor that I found , which is okay . I use that to shave off a couple dB before I hit my converter . For converters I ’ ve just got a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 and I ’ m running that into Pro Tools on my Mac Mini .
Speaker wise , I ’ m mostly mixing on my pair of [ KRK ] Rokit 8s . I think I ’ ve had them for maybe six or seven years now , so it ’ s definitely not the newest generation of them . I also have
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