Today, is another special day for us at The Source. We’re proud to present a great collaboration project between two of Hip-Hop’s greatest producers who may not be as recognized as they should be. K-Def worked early alongside Marley Marl and created tracks for Ghostface Killah, LL Cool J, Lords of the Underground, and Diddy, earning him a title of a “producer’s producer”. The 45 King not only laid down the funky “900 Number” breakbeat as well as tracks for Eminem, Jay Z, Madonna, and of course, Queen Latifah. So with some help from Redefinition Records, these two producers got in the studio together to give us 12 new songs of original boom bap. You can stream the project below while you read our interview with the two. You’re going to want to read it to the end and see some tracks you probably didn’t know were produced by the 45 King.

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What is like working with another producer on a major project like this, as far as balancing your styles with the other producer and playing off of each other’s ideas?

45 King: K­Def kinda A&R’ed the whole project. I just did what he asked, I’m very diplomatic like that (laughs).
K­-Def: I’m fortunate enough to be friends with some great producers out here from Lord Finesse to my man Def Jef, and we all love talking shop. I’m always checking what samples and techniques my peers are using and I’m always looking to expand my skills. I knew 45 King had a subtle style and he hasn’t changed up too much over the years. I wanted to bring some accents to the project to compliment what he does but not just sound the same as him. My selections are for the artists and beatmakers. We started withhis tracks and added on from there, then I mastered everything to make it feel complete.

Both of you guys have extensive lists of credits to some of the most celebrated names in Hip­Hop. That said, please name some of your favorite artists that you’ve had the pleasure of working with, and please details some of the most important lessons you’ve learned while working with them?

45 King: MC Lyte really knew how to rap. She wrote her all her own rhymes and was just such a pro. Was so easy to work with her. She was even punching herself in. My favorite track with her was “Kamikazee.” Working with Dennis Coffey was fun. He was from Detroit and didn’t know me or any of the other guys when we first started working, but the chemistry was good. Real straightforward sessions. I’d say he was one of the best guitar players around. I also worked with Queen Latifah before she got on. I did her demo and got her played on the radio and gave her some decent tracks. I didn’t know if she was gonna be a star but at the time she got on the best label (Tommy Boy), and she could sing and rap. She stood out, and was a real nice person, period.
K­-Def: I learned a lot about mixing from Marley Marl & Frank Heller at the House of Hits in the 90s. Back then we had everyone coming through from LL Cool J to KRS. It was competitive and serious, not too much fun. Basically I was making beats and then Marley World Renown was fun. One of the guys was my cousin and the other, Jon, was Marley’s cousin. They were from my home town and it was a great experience making music with those guys. There were no egos or anything like that involved while we made the songs. I made How Nice I Am after hearing Nas The World Is Yours. Working with Larry O on the real live was great too. There were ups and downs, highs and lows… it was very competitive, real serious. That’s why the album sounds the way that it does. And that stuff was totally different than working with World Renown. When I did “We Gon Make It” with P Diddy, that was a highlight. There was a level of mutual respect that I was surprised by. He was fond of me as a producer and gave me much more control over the sound and process than I expected when I walked in. I have the utmost respect for him (Diddy). Regardless of what people say about him and whether he’s a rapper or producer, he really knows his shit. He knows about sound.

Set the tone for the room, or setting that you’d like the listeners to enjoy thisproject in.

45 King: Weed everywhere and no Backwoods.
K­-Def: I think this is a good album to listen to whole cruising on the highway or stuck in traffic. When I hear that first track, “Jaguar,” I wanna jump in a car and drive. The mood is more or less an unwinding mind state.

Who are some emcees or singers you’d like to see rap or sing over these beats? Or maybe there aren’t any… do tell.

45 King: Definitely the teacher, KRS ­One. Aside from a freestyle session from ’89, we’ve never worked together. I’d like to hear Madonna on here too, I love how she sings. I also wouldn’t mind working with Tom Jones. I happen to love his voice.
K-­Def: As far as singers, Faith Evans, Keisha Cole, Mary J Blige, Alicia Keys come to mind. Shit, anyone from Jada, Ghostface, Diamond D or Lord Finesse. Anyone that really can sing or rhyme, since this has a sample orientated vibe with no synths, it has a ’90s feel.

Explain how you got the name of the project. Did we ever leave the beat?

45 King: That was all K’s idea (laughs).
K-­Def: It was first a title to one of my beats, but then the name just started to describe the whole project to me. The title track has some scratching in it and it has a golden era vibe. The whole project is kind of about revisiting the sound of the ’90s. We’re not reinventing the wheel and this isn’t what you’re hearing in Hip­Hop these days, but its different, even different than what I was doing on my last album, One Man Band, which was all replays with no samples. There were no restrictions or rules or lanes we had to stay in. Both of our beats together sound cohesive on here.

Which is your favorite track off of the project, and why?

45 King: “Chances Taken,” because it is! Shit was hot. And “Change of Keys.”
K­-Def: Chances Taken or maybe Back To The Beat. I originally made “Chances Taken” in ’94 at the House Of Hits. I did it over again in 2012 cause I lost the original idea. It was a weird jazz sample that nobody used before. By nature I’m a jazz freak, so even though I made Real Live Shit, and everyone expected some more hardcore stuff, I’m more of a melodic guy that likes working with jazz vibes. Once I figured out the loop, I had to add some drums to make it fit. The drop that’s on here, “We Gon Do A Song That You Never Heard Before” was something I used to trigger when I played breaks on Pirate Radio. Back to The Beat is funky, it was something hard with some scratches, something I don’t do much these days. It was pulsating and the drum pattern is unlike anything I’ve heard.

45 King Bonus Q&A: Name five songs off your discography that you would like for people to know you for aside from “900 Number.”

1. Eminem-”Stan”
2. Jay­ Z-”Hard Knock Life”
3. Lisa Stansfield-”All Around The World”
4. Take 6-”Spread Love (Remix)”
5. Big Daddy Kane-”Set It Off” *I gave Kane the drums and the main sample. Marley later added a sample.

Bryan Hahn has this on repeat for the rest of the week. Expect a mixtape of terrible rhymes but stellar beats by the end of the week. He’s on Twitter (@notupstate).