The doors to career-changing opportunities are wide open for producer PL12 Tha Mistro. The hit-making Muskegon, Michigan native is enjoying the results of two incredible recent accolades – producing “Bussdown” for Hip Hop artist Scotty ATL and “Crazy In The Park” by Dribble2Much on the NB2K22 soundtrack.
In THIS INTERVIEW PL12 tells us about making both songs, the perks of being a musician, why he appreciates the late J-Dilla, and expressing love and gratitude to his grandmother. THIS is for YOU!
You amaze us, PL12. You produced “Bussdown”, the 9th track on Scotty ATL’s album Trappin Gold, and it’s become a standout hit that earned you a plaque from Spotify. Tell us how this came together.
The song originally started off as a song for my grandmother who passed away. She helped raise me. She was like my second mother. And I’m not really a rapper, but I was trying to create a beat to express my love and gratitude for my grandmother. It’s a dope song but I found out that my guy Scotty was looking for beats for his new album. So, I erased my vocals off the beat because I knew he would kill it, way better than I did. I sent it to him and…we’re here now!
You also produced “Crazy In The Park” by Dribble2Much which is on the NB2K22 soundtrack. How did you land that?
Dribble2Much, Johnny Stephene, is the skill coach for [NBA stars] Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, and DeMar DeRozen. I was playing 2K and his song came on that he did with Damian Lillard. I was like, ‘Who did this song?!’ So, I looked at the credits and reached out to him to let him hear what I had. He was feeling the beats. I went LIVE with him on Instagram the next day and he heard 2 or 3 beats that he was feeling. Then he hit me back a couple weeks after that with the finished song.
Your personal and professional roots are in West Michigan, an area rich with talent and music industry success stories. You’ve produced gems for Beanie Sigel, Dorrough, Mr. 1204, Scotty ATL, NB2K… Where do you rank now among the greats from your area?
There’s a lot of great producers from West Michigan that I look up to. There’s V12 from Grand Rapids, he’s doing his thing. Honorable CNOTE, that’s the homie too. He’s doing a lot of big things! And I don’t want to be cocky with my answer, but I feel like I’m one of the best, right up there with the best. I’m holding my own.
I’ve got industry placements after industry placements just by myself, and I did it by grinding. But this is still just the beginning for me, so who knows? But success affects your credibility which ain’t a band thing.
You’re more than a producer who is proficient with the technology that allows you do what you. You’re also a trained musician. How has that helped you?
I think that’s where it all boils down. A lot of people just guestimate where to put certain notes when making beats. By me being an actual musician, I know where certain notes should go to compliment other notes. That has definitely played a huge role in my success.
Do you have a sound that you’d like to introduce to the current music industry that maybe hasn’t been heard yet?
To be honest, if I had my choice of what kind of music is being played now, I’d bring it back to early Kanye West producing on [Jay-Z’s] The Blueprint. That soulful type of sampled music. That’s my favorite type of music to produce! That soulful music.
PL12, success has extended your name, your sound, and your reputation well beyond your Midwest roots. How do you bring that success home?
I’ve got all my accolades hanging on my wall. Man, my Soul Train article, awards, plaques… I don’t do that to gloat. When I’m sitting in my studio looking around it makes me hungry for more! I want more of that. I want more accolades. More of everything. It motivates me.
How do you take the motivation you have and use it to encourage others who may not even believe they can make it?
I love talking to people who ask me how I’ve done what I’ve done. I remember back when I was 23 and homeless, sneaking in places! When you’re hungry for something you don’t give up! That’s how you know if you’re really made for it, for the next level. For some people it’s just a hobby, but for me making music is my life. I’ll be making music until my last breath. I’ll be sitting in a hospital bed with a laptop making beats … like Dilla!
You’ve mentioned J-Dilla before in previous interviews. How deep is his influence on you?
J-Dilla, him and Kanye, they were the first producers I read about when I wanted to decide how even to become a producer! I saw Dilla’s unorthodox approach to how he made beats, and he didn’t do it like everybody else. He didn’t have all the high-tech equipment and gadgets to make beats. Sometimes he had just a tape deck and a little simple beat machine. To hear the sounds he made from that was crazy! When I started, I wasn’t blessed to have the high-tech gadgets and equipment. Seeing what he did with what little he had, and he was dealing with health issues on top of that, that’s why I appreciate Dilla so much! He’s Top 5 in my book, f’sho!
You’ve achieved some noteworthy accolades so far as a producer. As we mentioned earlier though, you’re a producer that’s a musician. Pl12, how far can your musicianship take you?
I want it to bring me respect. I see myself using my musicianship, the full flow of my ability, to produce for more big names. Then at concerts I want to come out on stage with them and play the guitar licks I used in their song. |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
