When you first pull up to DC’s House Studio, you get the feeling that you’re going into a small and rather routine house that doubles as a “studio”. When you enter House Studio, your perception changes instantly. The phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” immediately smacked me in the face. As House Studio’s resident A&R Vic began giving me the grand tour, it was amazing to be able to witness the different stages of the music making process. The first production room we walked into had a wicked guitar laced beat playing, while two artists sat and critiqued their work. We exchanged a quick dap and moved on to another room. I honestly couldn’t help but feel like I was missing out by not just taking a seat and listening to some more of those dope beats. Little did I know though, there was much more to see and to hear. Inspirational art, notes from production meetings, and state of the art equipment were just some of the things I got a quick glimpse of. The tour of the house culminated in the upper level as we took a seat and got ready to play some Xbox 360 before conducting the interview. Vic stepped away for a moment, which gave me time to setup my laptop for our impending interview. The Xbox, which was connected to a stereo system, happened to be playing a beat that I had never heard, but was immediately drawn to. As the beat ended, I quickly grabbed the Xbox controller and played it back. The name of the beat popped up on the screen and read, “Kenn Starr beat by Soulful”. I slouched back on the couch for 2 minutes, taking in the beat, as well as the feel of the whole house. There is a magical essence in House Studio that manifested itself through that incredible beat by DMV producer Soulful. As the beat tailed off for a second time, Vic came back upstairs, this time accompanied by his cousin and partial owner of House Studio, Yudu Gray. iHEARTDilla got the chance to chop it up with Vic and Yudu about how House Studio came to be, the DMV music scene, and the countless number non-profit projects that House Studio is involved with.

A-TRAIN: How did you, as individuals and as a collective [House Studio] get started?

Yudu Gray: Well there is a long version and short version, so I’ll give you the medium one. In the daily grind, doing the whole 9 to 5, I always knew I wasn’t built for that. A lot of people say that, but I genuinely felt that way. I was doing well at my job and I knew if I stayed there I would make good money, get the house and all that. But I knew I wouldn’t be happy. One day I was speaking with the CEO of the company I worked for and he said something, kind of in jest, but he said ‘you do so well here, imagine if you did what you loved’? It stuck with me, and honestly I don’t really think that he ever thought that I’d leave. So I just decided that I was going to get into music and I did it. I started working at a studio in Bethesda and the rest is pretty much history.

A&R Vic: Well to keep it short as well, Yudu is my cousin so we always talked and hung out. Around the time he started at the studio in Bethesda we ran into each other at a party. I asked him where he’d been at, because I didn’t see him at the basketball courts anymore. He said he was spending all his time at the studio. He told me he had a plan for a business and that he needed my help. I looked at him crazy and asked him, ‘well what would you want me to do’? That’s when he told me he wanted me to be an A&R. Being that we’re cousins, we always had each other’s back so of course I said yeah. For the first six months or so I was just winging it because I was trying to read and learn all the information I could. But, basically that’s how it all got started.

A-TRAIN: So how long has House Studio been in business?

Yudu Gray: Officially, it’s been 10 months since House Studio has been up and running. The idea of House Studio is about 3 to 4 years old. Before it was even a studio, it was a business model. From a business model it then moved to a studio, and from a studio we’ve moved to multimedia where we cover pretty much everything from videos to audio, booking shows and helping artists.

A-TRAIN: Who are some of your favorite artists that you know and have gotten to work with?

A&R Vic: As we talked earlier, as a total package I’d have to say Incwell. He is really a complete artist. He’s an MC who really knows how to perform with a live band and play to a crowd. Female wise, and I tell her this every time I see her, I think RA the MC has the potential to be the next Lauryn Hill. She has the talent to take it that far. And definitely Gods’Illa, I really like their sound. And then you have Fat Trel, Bear Witness, Whitefolkz, and you know each of them have their lane. Each of those artists has the potential to come out of DC and stand out in their own way.

Yudu Gray: I love Maimouna Youssef, I love her sound. A lot of artists like her kind of go under the radar. She’s an amazing singer, song writer, and producer from this area. She kind of goes under the radar though because she’s not really out there on YouTube and Facebook every day. I think the Indie Soul scene is pretty big and catching up to the Hip-Hop scene in DC. All of these artists that we work with you know, I’m a friend first and then a fan. Every artist we’ve had the pleasure of working with I’ve walked away liking them in some form or another.

A-TRAIN: I’ve heard a lot of different artists’ perspective on the DMV classification, but from your end, how do you feel about what is actually considered “DMV Hip-Hop”?

A&R Vic: I feel like a lot of the Baltimore influence comes from places like Delaware, Philly, and Jersey. And because the term DMV originated in DC, people from Baltimore are obviously going to feel a different way about it. In my opinion, Baltimore artists and Virginia artists are not as accepted in the DC area. So you don’t see them coming into these areas because of the reaction they get from DC artists. I don’t think there should be a limit on what is considered DMV, because if that’s the term – DC, Maryland and Virginia, then no matter what part you’re from you’re a part of that DMV.

Yudu Gray: I think DMV has to become the brand. There are certain artists that I’m friends with that hate the term though. It’s a term we’ve sat down and had discussions about. When you talk about other places, like California for instance, even though Sacramento, L.A. and the Bay Area are so far apart from each other, when an artist says “Cali” you know they all represent it. Another area like that is Georgia. Nobody up here really understands the difference between Bankhead, Atlanta, and College Park. But, when you say ATL you know what it is and you don’t have to live in the city to represent that. If people were to embrace the DMV and look at what we’re doing… Maybach Music for instance, the foundation is Wale, Rick Ross, Tone P, and Lex Luger. 3 out of the 4 people are from the DMV. If you look at some of the biggest urban pop artists like Trey Songz, Chris Brown, and Usher, 2 out of the 3 are from Virginia. A lot times I hear people saying “our time’s coming, we’re next”, but what people don’t realize is that our time is already here. So what happens with these artists is, instead of [the fans] embracing them in the DMV, we treat them like outcasts. So when they come to DC they don’t feel like they’re coming home, they feel like it’s another stop on the road. So as long as it’s like that, where even artists like Wale may feel like that, we won’t have a scene like New York where its common to see a Jadakiss walking around, or in L.A. where its common to see Game walking around. I think we’re the only area that gets star struck when we see our local artists because we don’t make them feel like this is home. We make these artists feel like if they’ve made it then they can’t be a part of the DMV, because we’re still struggling. It is changing somewhat though, with artists such as RA the MC and XO who actually travel and then come back to DC. If you see them walking on U Street or in Georgetown and you dap them up and you’re not afraid to walk to them, eventually when these artists are in the limelight then they’ll feel like this is their home. But yeah, we’ve all got to embrace that DMV term, whether it’s Ocean City, Maryland or the most southern part of Virginia. If someone is representing the DMV don’t waste your time arguing something like, ‘well Wale isn’t really from DC’ when in actuality when Wale was coming up, 99% of his shows were in DC. Places like Germantown, Gaithersburg and Silver Spring weren’t trying to do Hip-Hop shows 5 or 6 years ago, it was the DC venues that opened up the doors to him so of course he’s gonna represent that.

A-TRAIN: Interesting points, some of which I haven’t heard before. What are some of projects you are currently working on?

A&R Vic: Wow, well I’m not sure that I can mention all of them, but one of the things I’m involved with is Grind Time Now DMV, which started about a year ago at the Bohemian Caverns. I’m from New York and I really love the whole battle scene so I was a fan first of the Grind Time event. I’m a big fan of Drew Law’s and he happened to be battling that first night that I went and I didn’t really think that it would lead to me being on camera or judging the battles or anything. But since then, Paradox and Maestro have opened their arms and showed me what goes on behind the scenes. With Grind Time we go out to different places like New York, so I’ve gotten the chance to meet people like Philly Swain, who I’m a fan of. You got guys like Dizaster and Pro’Verb as well.

A-TRAIN: That’s cool, so you get to experience the hip-hop scene from a different perspective.

A&R Vic: Definitely, it’s a totally different scene. And even when you break down the battle scene you have Grind Time DMV and then you have the Mid Atlantic Battle Association which is run by Shaka Pitts out in Baltimore. So you have a lot of dope artists out there within the DMV battle scene. A major reason I’m involved is because a lot of the battle rappers don’t know how to make complete songs. Like, they know how to write a bunch of punch lines but they need help in the structure of things. Besides the Grind Time thing, I’m always working with artists who come in to House Studio. I’m also trying to work on a radio show called the A&R Report.

A-TRAIN: Is the A&R report going to be online?

A&R Vic: Yeah it’s gonna be online and it’s going to be give artists another outlet to promote their music. A lot of times artists have a hard time getting exposure because their name might not be “big enough”. But, I’m a huge fan of the underdog and I feel that if you’re good at your craft, then you’re good at your craft.

A-TRAIN: That’s dope. I think that’s a big similarity all of us have, rooting for the underdog.

A&R Vic: Yeah, no doubt man.

Yudu Gray: We’re also really big in the non-profit world and a big part of the business model is to put the future and education first. A large portion of what we do is based on giving back, whether it’s through workshops that are used throughout high schools in DC, raising awareness of cancer by doing shows with artists that we know, or the basketball tournament we’re hosting in July that is raising money for a scholarship fund. A big part of what we do outside of making music, which is something we love to do and is our passion, is we are building a foundation for giving back. By using some of these artists and celebrities that come through, we’re able to lend a voice to real issues that are going unnoticed and ignored. 60% of kids in DC don’t graduate high school, which is a very big issue. It’s really hard for me to just be in the studio all day and hear people talking about spending money and ballin’ when in reality, just right down the street half of these kids won’t even graduate high school. By getting some of these notable names to come out and help, we’re able to bridge the gap for the youth to be more successful.

A-TRAIN: In addition to the educational ventures, talk a little bit more about the events House Studio has hosted in collaboration with Face Up 2 Cancer.

A&R Vic: Well Yudu came to me one day, shortly after our Aunt had died from cancer and mentioned this FU2Cancer project and wanting to get involved, so I was with it. Before this came up I honestly wasn’t really into talking to people about cancer and it just wasn’t something that I was doing. Ever since I started helping with this, and now that I wear the cancer band, people will just tell me their stories and it’s definitely a special thing talking to people who have cancer or people have been affected by it. At the end of the day, people just want to talk to you and they want you to feel like they’re people first.

Yudu Gray: Yeah and to add to what Vic is saying, basically the original concept was since we have a studio and we have access to artists, why don’t we sell music and donate the funds to the American Cancer Society. In doing our research and learning where the funds go within some of these organizations, I didn’t really feel like they gave a voice to the target area we were trying to reach out to. We started putting together programs, beat battles, basketball tournaments, video game tournaments and music concerts that would attract our demographic, our age group. What struck me was that a lot of the people that seemed to be surviving cancer were the same types of people, middle aged white men and women. When I asked doctors why this was the case, they said it’s because African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics are so afraid that they don’t ever get tested. So a lot of clinical research and medicines that are made are simply not geared towards us and they affect our bodies differently. Our whole goal is to raise awareness among our generation and our communities so that we can be healthy. If we can reach one or two people at an event, we hope that it’ll spark a larger change in the community. So having said that, the next event we’ll be sponsoring is Hoops for Change on July 30th. That event is a 3 on 3 basketball tournament with the proceeds going towards a scholarship fund for young adults whose families or they themselves have been affected by cancer.

A-TRAIN: That’s really incredible. I commend you for all the work you’re doing for the community. Switching gears, what advice or suggestions can you give artists that are coming up in today’s music business?

A&R Vic: I’m pretty sure my cousin would agree when I say consistency. It’s something that we tell every artist that walks in here. You have to stay consistent. You can’t drop a project and not have a plan behind it, whether it’s a single or if it’s a mixtape or a whole album. If you just come into the studio and record a song and you want to put it on Facebook for everyone to hear, that’s as far as it’s gonna go. You have to put a team together. A lot of artists think that if they give their CD to someone then eventually it’ll fall into the right hands and they’ll get on. But, it doesn’t work like that so you have to work hard. You still have to go out and network with people, have your flyers, CDs, street team and just push yourself. Also, you have to take feedback. Accept and listen to feedback and don’t get mad at what someone tells you. Understand that not everyone is going to like your music. But, at the same time, some artists need to realize that sometimes doing something else is a better idea [laughing].

A-TRAIN: Everybody wants to be the man and rap!

A&R Vic: Yeah, and that’s the thing, like [even if you’re not in the limelight] you can be the person who makes the connections, calls people, books shows, etc. You can have a crew of 20 people and everybody wants to rap and be on camera, but when you turn around and say ‘I need a manager, I need someone to book shows’ nobody fills that position.

Yudu Gray: Yeah, that pretty much says it all. When you build a team, they have to believe in you as much as you believe in yourself. When I meet people that I consider successful, they usually say the same thing. These people just continued to work and work for years. A lot of the artists we consider a superstar today, you have to look at where they were 10 years ago. If I was an artist, if I had to wait 10 years to be where Rick Ross is at today, would I? I think the answer is probably yes. So, you have to think and try to determine if you have that in you. If you want things to just work right now, then this career is probably not for you. And that goes for any career. Some people would be comfortable with where we [House Studio] are but, I want to keep working and keep building.

A&R Vic: Also, the last thing I’d say is if you’re an artist, you need to invest in yourself. You’d be so surprised, everybody wants something for free. If you can prove that you take the time to invest in yourself, someone is going to want to invest in you. But if you always go around with your hands out, it’s going to be harder to get to that next level.

A-TRAIN: Talk about the workshops and group education that House Studio offers.

Yudu Gray: Like we were saying before, we [House Studio] really try to give back and although people may think of House Studio as just a studio, we’re really a multimedia group. I would love it if all the artists that we worked with walked away with not just the project they did, but also a little bit more knowledge from the technical side of things, the business side of things, and the marketing side of things. One thing that we offer artists [and to the general public as well] are Pro Tools, Logic and Reason classes. The way I look at it is if I’m an artist and I have to wait for my engineer or my producer to get something done I’d go crazy. I would learn how to start mixing, editing, and recording. Once you’re done recording your vocals at a studio, you should be able to take your files home and work on them and then pass it off to a professional to put the last finishing touches on it. If we have 30 projects here, with 30 follow up singles and 30 videos, we treat each one the same. But, treating it the same isn’t equal to how you would treat your one and only. And this is coming from someone who owns a studio, you know? I really love artists who we have trained and work on their projects here with us.

A-TRAIN: Where can people go online to find out more about House Studio?

A&R Vic: The official website is www.housestudiodc.com. It’s so unique and I’m very proud of it. You can book studio time online, create logins, and you can even go to store and upload your own music. On Facebook you can reach us at www.facebook.com/housestudiodc. On Twitter hit us up @HouseStudioDC and @ARVIC20.

A-TRAIN: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Yudu Gray: I’d just like to say, keep an eye on House Studio. Don’t ever get comfortable with what we’re doing. If you’re an artist in the DC area or anywhere, we are here for you. We spent the first year solidifying the audio aspect and I think we’ve done a good job with that through the projects we released. We are launching our video division, which will help raise the bar for music videos, commercials, movies and documentaries. We are going to be a part of the unified DMV front and we will do our best in helping everyone move forward.

A&R: I just want to say thank you A-TRAIN and thank you to iHEARTDilla. Make sure you look out for the LTDM Mixtape coming out this summer. I also wanna shout out Twink (@TwinkDrumZ) who is one of the dopest drummers on the East Coast! She just dropped her Snares & Kixtape which I honestly think is going to start a trend amongst drummers. It’s going to be the drummers mixtape. That’s going to open up a whole new wave and scene in the DMV so make sure you check that out. Shout out to all the artsits that we work with, without them there is no us.

Through this interview, I hope you learned, as I did, that great Hip-Hop music and culture lives and thrives in many different places. I hate to get all retrospective and reminisce about days lost, but we live in a time where anyone with a USB microphone and a laptop can upload music and call themselves a musician. When you hit the play button on a song that’s been created in a place like House Studio DC, you’re giving life to a legitimate piece of art, which often times is worked on, worked on some more and reworked again. These types of songs and albums are built through production meetings, listening sessions, and audio and visual inspiration. Next time you play a song or album, think about the creative process and you’ll find that it usually takes more than a laptop and a mic to produce something we can consider music.

Links:

www.housestudiodc.com

www.faceup2cancer.com

www.facesofcancer.me

www.grindtimenow.com