By: Jay Williams 

When you think of Detroit, Michigan what comes to your mind? Probably Motown, Berry Gordy, or maybe even automobiles. Detroit for decades has branded itself as an innovator of new music and the leader in cutting edge trends.

Careful not to stray from that tradition with Hip-Hop,  Eminem, D-12, J-Dilla, and others branded the city as a viable competitor in the world of Hip-Hop. Nick  Speed is one of Detroit's new hopes to carry the torch that was lit so many years ago. The multi-talented producer, emcee, and DJ is branding his name as one of the fresh and new faces coming out of "The D." 

Working as one of G-Unit's in-house producers, running a independent label named Libido Sounds,  as well as releasing his own mixtape compilation Cd is sure to keep his sound of "Bleeps and Blips" ringing in your ear drums.  BeatDynasty.com took time out to chop it up with one of Detroit's most promising up and coming artists.

BeatDynasty.com: What's going on with you?

Nick Speed:  It's all good. I'm just getting it in out here in Detroit, putting it together trying to make a splash in the game.

BeatDynasty.com: Some would describe you as a triple threat as far as rhyming , deejaying, and producing. Is that true?

Nick Speed:  Yeah, actually I started off as a DJ. When I was four I was the host of a radio show in Washington D.C..  Then I moved to Detroit, Michigan when I was six and got adopted by the city.  I was rapping in a group called 9-2-5 Colony that included Magestik legend who now represents with Subterraneous, and Elzhi from Slum Village.  I started making beats out of a necessity for rapping. Instead of buying beats, I just invested in a beat machine and started making my own tracks.

BeatDynasty.com:  So you are now signed with G-unit?

Nick Speed: I got signed to G-Unit's production company which is TeamWork music. That's basically a in-house production team. I got signed in 2005 by G-Unit and we put it together where they were shopping beats for me. They ended up getting beats placed with artists like Snoop Dogg, Talib Kweli, Musiq Soulchild, and artists of that caliber. I just sent beats in through email and Fed Ex, right from my apartment.

BeatDynasty.com: So how did you get hooked up with G-Unit?

Nick Speed:  I sent in a couple beats through a connect.  I put out the Elzhi CD, we did a mixtape called Witness My Growth. I had a Japanese distribution deal with  Up Above Records and some how I was connected with a A&R from G-Unit.  I had sent the CD to another guy [at G-unit]  and he called him on the three way and was like, "Yeah I got a guy named Nick Speed." The other guy was like , "Yeah, I've heard of Nick Speed."  He knew about the mixtape and he knew about a few things. I was surprised I was on his radar.  It all came together. He told me send another CD and Lloyd Banks picked a beat.  They did a release party in Detroit for The Massacre and I met 50 and sent a couple more beat CDs. They asked me who I was signed to and I said, "nobody." So they sent the paperwork and the rest is history.

BeatDynasty.com: So what did that signing lead to?

Nick Speed: The Get Rich or Die Trying soundtrack came out and my debut was on a song called "What if?" by 50 Cent. After that the Lloyd Banks song came out on The Rotten Apple, but when his album got leaked I had five songs, but he totally changed the whole album up.  I didn't know that he rapped to that many beats of mine until I heard the bootleg. 

50 Cent "What If?" Produced by Nick Speed

Lloyd Banks  "Victim Of Society" Produced by Nick Speed

BeatDynasty.com: Even though it leaked, that's still a good look though right?

Nick Speed: It worked out in a sense. It never was packaged up in Target but it did a lot in the underground. So I used D-Tour to showcase  to showcase to people what I've done. I got this song I did for Talib Kewli called "New York Weather Report" that was on his newest album Eardrum  with Jazzy Jeff doing the cuts. I just kind of sent out the beats and they built the song around it. So in that sense I was kind of like the "beatmaker" but now I want to show people my production skills and how I can take overall projects from start to finish. That's how I feel like I can get my claim in the game.  Just like how Dr. Dre had The Chronic or Premier had Hard to Earn, every producer got their classic albums that's held up to their level. 

 Talib Kweli " New York Weather Report" Produced by Nick Speed

BeatDynasty.com:  You describe your sound as "Bleeps and  Blips." What's the definition of that?

Nick Speed:  Bleeps and Blips is a style I created on a beat machine out of ignorance. I was exploring the MPC myself and I listened to an artist like Swizz Beatz. They had a lot of keyboard beats out at that time.  I was thinking that they probably don't bring the keyboard to the studio and they just program it all on the MPC.  So I learned how to make keyboard beats on the MPC just by putting little bits and pieces from sounds everywhere. I'd get a horn sound from this record, and a violin sound from this record.  A record is like a new sound library for me. I just mix it all up like gumbo and just play it out on the MPC using the pads as opposed to using a keyboard.

BeatDynasty.com: How does putting out a full project like D-Tour (Nick's Mixtape release)help you more than just shopping your beats around?

Nick Speed: First of all the best example of showcasing what you can so is a song instead of just the beat. A regular person can appreciate a good song versus just the beat.  When you have a product it's the best business card that you can have. It's an example of your work and showing people that you can do things without them.  If you put your money where your mouth is , you can at least have something to show for it. You can so you're the coldest n***a on beats, but give me an example of it. 

Nick Speed "Let's Make Out" Produced by Nick Speed 

BeatDynasty.com:  Detroit is hard to describe as far as Hip-Hop. The artists seem to stick together, but  it doesn't transcend into that movement like Atlanta or Miami did. What are your views on that?

Nick Speed:  That's because that togetherness is just starting. It's been separate and segregated for a long time man.  Detroit is 85 percent black. Most blacks in the South landed in Detroit because this is where the first automotive plants were.  It was like an explosion of blacks here. It's a lot of togetherness and great music, but we need that superproducer from here. We got Eminem, it's the home of Motown, it's the home of J-Dilla, but a lot of people seem like they don't want to give it up. 

First of all Detroit don't play our own music on the radio.  Like an artist that you know, some of the people in the streets of Detroit don't even know.  Half of these people don't know who J-Dilla is.  This is Detroit and they have billboards in L.A. Talking about "We Miss J-Dilla."  It's like the hood scene is what their rocking to. You have people like Phat Cat, Dwele, and Slum Villiage that tour the world, but people in the D (Detroit)  might not be exposed to that.

BeatDynasty.com:  Maybe you'll be the one to break that trend though.

Nick Speed: I've been fortunate enough to be led into the mainstream or the industry.  I've been able to be on some big records so I can expose what my sound is about to people all over the world. I hope we can get some shine over here because I feel like it can blow.  It's like you got so many people like me that rap, make beats, and DJ. It's tons of us.  Everybody knows if we come together it can be Motown again. We are just waiting for that label to say here is the budget and we're gonna do it.

BeatDynasty.com:  If you were in a place like New York, do you feel your career would be further along?

Nick Speed: I already know it would. I sacrifice by staying here. I stay here just to keep my foundation and to build on this. All movements start underground. Detroit is becoming that movement and we are just trying to stay out in the forefront and make some good things happen.

BeatDynasty.com:  Are you still going to pursue the rap or will you just stick to production?

Nick Speed:  When I got signed, I was working on my album.  I just knew I was going to get on someway through the game. Whether it was directing videos, rapping, making beats, engineering, or anything that has to do with this entertainment s**t. I try to study and be at a good level with it so I can come in it at any aspect.

BeatDynasty.com: How do you feel about D-12 and Eminem?  They came in real hard, but it didn't seem to transcend into success for the whole city.

Nick Speed: I think they've  done a lot for Detroit, just off the fact that you know that they are from Detroit. That helps me in my career being from Detroit even if my music didn't sound like that. 8 Mile was a movie that documented Detroit's history and I'm part of that legacy. I was right there as a kid, and grew up off of what you saw on 8 Mile. I think they did a lot for Detroit, just off of that. It's not about how many people you can put on, it's about getting out there.

BeatDynasty.com: So give me a run down of what you're working on now.


Nick Speed: We're just promoting the D-Tour album right now for Libido Sounds.  We got Elzhi's project, that's coming soon.  I'm actually working on  five albums right now.  I got Danny Brown which is on the single for the D-Tour album called "WhatupDoe." He's in a group called The Rese' vor Dogs and the name of his album is called Hot Soup.  We also have 87 who's another artist in Detroit.  He was a part of this group called The Breakfast Club with include Dwele.  I got another project called Dope Head with an artist named Mike Green also from Rese' vor Dogs.  I also have my solo album which is called This Side Of The Speaker.   It's definitely five new albums coming from Libido Sounds, maybe by summer time.

Danny Brown and Big Herk "Whatupdoe" Produced by Nick Speed 

  DownLoad Nick Speed's Mixtape release D-Tour for FREE with this link.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L6LC4F0P