Consistency is everything. That’s something 183rd has come to live and work by. The NYC producer didn’t pick up a MPC or a MOOG as a kid, but he’s put in enough work and relied on his natural music skills to get him on production credit lists for most of the new talent coming out of the Rotten Apple. He’s most closely associated with Smoke DZA and the RFC camp, but he’s always on the look out for new talent in his own backyard of Bronx and has his sights set on the rest of the country as well. We spoke to him about everything you’d want to ask him, from being a Lo Life to his favorite producers to new music coming out.

Looking at your discography, you’ve worked with a lot of New York City rappers.

All the new breed. I never worked with no real… 90′s era… the classics. Not yet. I worked with everybody on the come-up.

And outside of New York…

Curren$y, Fat Trel, Cornerboy P, Kendrick Lamar, Dom Kennedy.

How did you first meet Smoke DZA?

Before I even did beats, I was with Smoke DZA. I knew him since I was 14-the year 2000. Another artist that he used to rap with by the name of Numbers (Smoke & Numbers). I was with him and we came to Harlem to meet Smoke. That’s how it went. They was doing music. I didn’t produce beats at that time. I started producing beats in my 20′s. I met him when I was 14.

How did you get into production then?

DZA was going solo. He was like, “Yo, when we start making money I’m not gonna pay you to just sit around and be cool. You ain’t doing nothing else. You just in the streets, moving around, and you take time out of the streets to come sit here in the studio. Why won’t you turn this into some money?” That’s all I needed to hear. I got a laptop and my homeboy had FL on his joint. He put it on there and I just learned. DZA and them, to build my confidence, they rapped over any beat I made just because. It was whack but just to keep me going. If they said it was whack I would’ve just stopped. The record never came out but he did it to build my confidence.

So you’ve known him for a while then.

Yeah, his kids. I’ve watched them. He’d be like, “Yo, I’m going out. What you doing?” His kids call me Uncle L and all that.

Getting to your music, you are super sampled based.

Everything.

Do you remember the first sample that you used?

Leroy Hutson. “Never Know.” And Donald Byrd. “Places and Spaces.” Those were the first samples I made a beat out of.

Why those?

Bearshare. Like if I see something on late night, and it’ll be like the Best of… everybody. I’ll see the names and I’ll go back and put it in Bearshare. Those were the only records that would pop up. Before I was getting albums and going downtown, transferring them into my computer. That was probably ’06. Limewire!

But I never stole current music. I would be like, “Nah, I’m a support Jeezy.” I’ll probably download it first like, “Is it hot?” But if it’s hot, I’ll go buy it. I’ll treat it like the bus. I’ll sneak on but I’ll go back on and pay my fare.

But the older stuff…

Well let me keep it 100. My father is a DJ so it’s in me. I had a lot of records. And my cousin, he’d send me a lot of samples. However he got it, what dirt he did, ain’t on me.

Do you think that you’ll eventually create original music with instruments?

Yeah, hell yeah. Sometimes you don’t wanna clear nothing. Me and DZA got f*cked over a lot because we couldn’t clear sh*t. We got some amazing records we didn’t put out for free because we didn’t want jackers jacking. It’ll come out eventually.

Who are some of your favorite producers who influenced you?

I don’t see how anyone can say one person is their favorite as far as influence. For producers, I’m gonna say Cool & Dre, B!nk, Tone and Poke, DJ Toomp, and any Hitman, even when Sean C & LV did they thing.

Wow, Toomp? You rarely hear that from a NYC dude.

Come on man. When the South started coming up, they got it from Toomp! I listened to down South dudes who could rap-Jeezy and T.I. And when you listen to their albums, there was always Toomp. “White House”-Rick Ross. That’s the hardest track on Port of Miami, that didn’t have a single. And Drumma Boy!

Was there one song that convinced you to get into producing full time?

Blueprint… “Jigga That N*gga.” I always wanted to make sh*t like Trackmasters. Like “Fatty Girl,” pause. To me, Biggie would’ve killed a beat like that. And the ones who rapped on it, killed it. If I had to make a club single, it would sound like that. Like Mario Winans or Ryan Leslie.

How did you come to use the name, 183rd?

Mad historical gangsta sh*t. 183rd runs East to West in the Bronx. I’m from Grand Avenue-183rd. That just says everything right there, for the people who know the streets of the Bronx. That’s Davidson, University, Andrews, Creston, the list goes on. The 4 train. The D train. Drug dealing and gangster sh*t.

It’s rare to see an artist rep where he’s from like that in his name.

Funny sh*t is Troy Ave, that’s not his real name. He’s from Troy Avenue. My producer name was L 183rd. They dropped the L because Google search purpose. My mane Steve told me in ’09 and that’s how I got my name. But Troy Ave, that’s not his real name. And I knew Troy Avenue in Brooklyn. My parents is from Brooklyn.

What did the L stand for?

My real name is Lance. That’s what everybody calls me in the streets. L. L’s. Whatever.

The first time I really started doing some research on you was when I heard “Royal.”

I’m a Bronx dude. I had to do that one. Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz. When I came across it, my cousin was like, “N*gga, I got one for you.” But it’s two samples in one in theirs. Me, I just had to find a way to get that one. That was the best way to loop it.

For Pharrell, which I think he should take a lot of drums off his work and release it. I know he could make money off that forever, including royalties. Him, Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins.

It sounds like your cousin is the plug here.

That n*gga would take the credit. At times, it’ll be 3 in the morning and I’ll wake up to my email. Funny thing is my cousin, he works at Chase Bank. He’s a real blue collar dude. You’d be surprised at the stuff he’s sending me at 3 in the morning. But he’s like me. It was embedded in us, to pick samples. We love that.

Walk me through a day of your life.

Everyday. I love the women… Nah, let me stop. I wake up. I go on Polo.com and see what they got. I go cash out and probably buy something. I call DZA. I speak to DZA every single day. I speak to DZA, NymLo, I speak to all the members every single day. Even if they don’t pick up the phone, I’ll call them. I bother them, really. I joke a lot. Sometimes they really get mad at me. That’s me. And I make beats. I really make beats late at night. I sleep but I don’t. I don’t sleep the normal hours. But I’m up during work hours. Like 6 o’clock I’m up, in the morning. I’ll probalby go to sleep around 10 o’clock, depending on what I’m doing. I’m simple like that. I just like to get Polo, have bread in my pocket, make beats, and I f*ck with the women.

I never smoked or drank in my life. Never tried it. No tattooes. Just a different breed, naturally. Not even on purpose.

And before you did music?

I was in the streets. I never killed anybody. But that’s really what I was all about. Being around positive people like DZA and John Shipes, they showed me a different life. I wish everybody get to see how other cultures live. If you in the hood all day, you’re automatically gonna be a sell out because you just don’t know.

When you look at the other classic producers who are sample based-Premier, DOOM…

NYGz. Panche. He from my hood. He run with Guru. That’s the Triple OG. But continue though.

Are you in the conversation with them, when it comes to best sample based producers?

Hell no. I’m gonna get there though.

What’s your favorite Lo piece or outfit?

Damn. That’s hard. They do different types. Jean jackets, coats, vests. They can do all four seasons. That’s why I wear Lo. True Religion, you could only really wear it the jeans and the jean jacket. You ain’t gonna wear a True Religion skully. That sh*t look dirty as hell. Everything I got on me right now is Lo.

Have you thought of your own pieces for them?

Ya’ll don’t follow me on the gram! I be going crazy on the gram, customizing my sh*t.

What’s next for you, musically?

RFC. The Outsiders. NymLo. Al-Doe. Blunt Smoker. Smoke DZA. Myself. Den10. End of this year and ’15, we drop the actual album. Me and Blunt Smoker gonna do a tape. Me and Al-Doe gonna do a tape. I’m a do a tape with every member. EP, before they drop a mixtape or whatever. Just to heat them up in the streets. Heat myself up. I got records with everybody-A$AP Rocky, Troy Ave. I know they’re recorded. I just don’t know where the tracks are gonna end up. I’m just working with RFC closely now.

What about your own tape?

Yeah. Honestly, ain’t nothing guaranteed because there’s always some new sh*t in the game. “That was that and now we trying to theme this…” Everything is themed now and nobody puts out just hot sh*t. I know me and Smoke gonna do a Part 3 of the Ringside. I know what’s guaranteed in my camp. I’m also working with up and coming dudes in the Bronx like Maxx Brown and Brickhouse.

Finally, there have been rumors going around that Stevie Wonder is actually not blind, like when he caught a falling mic on stage. What do you think the truth is?

His Spider senses are real… I don’t even care man. If he gaffed since the 70′s and had motherf*ckers believing it. They should really put him in some government sh*t so he could be a spy.

You can follow 183rd on Instagram and Twitter.

Bryan Hahn think Stevie Wonder is blind. Probably. He’s on Twitter (@notupstate).