Bangladesh is the architect of hip-hop and R&B’s greatest songs. Hailing from Des Moines, Iowa, and making his identify in Atlanta, Bangladesh emerged as a formidable power in music manufacturing, crafting signature sounds that turned the blueprint for chart-topping hits for artists like He has produced chart-topping hits for Beyoncé, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, and plenty of extra. His revolutionary however minimalist manufacturing fashion has not solely outlined eras but additionally cemented his legacy as a real architect of contemporary city music.

HOT97 spoke to Bangladesh about his legendary profession, his newest music venture, and the launch of his clothes line.

HOT97:How was it rising up in Des Moines, Iowa?

Bangladesh: Growing up, I knew of two guys who made rap music. One was near my household, and the opposite was older than me. His identify was Corey D, and he made it on Rap City, and that was a giant deal again then. But there wasn’t a rap scene as a result of it wasn’t any retailers there. There wasn’t a lot occurring so far as like tradition, so we pulled from the West Coast and East Coast popping. We listened to E-40, Bone Thugs In Harmony, and anybody who was poppin at the moment.

HOT97: I learn that you simply had been found as a producer whenever you had been a barber.

Bangladesh: I had been slicing hair since I used to be 12, so by the point I used to be 15, I used to be earning profits doing it. In my senior yr in highschool, I used to be working in a barber I began saving up. Once I graduated from highschool, I moved to Atlanta with my auntie, and he or she had a beautician license and her personal store. I saved my cash up and purchased myself an MPC 2000, and I simply began making beats.

HOT97: How did you provide you with the identify “Bangladesh?”

Bangladesh: Bangladesh was a phrase that we used a few used. We used to make use of that phrase to explain cool stuff like “Oh, that’s Bangladesh. I named my firm Bangladesh Records as a result of I wished to at all times be a document government. I used to be engaged on a venture with a number of the artists that I had, and I began to do ad-libs on the songs, and I might say Bangladesh, Bangladesh, Bangladesh, an entire bunch of occasions, and I sampled it like my very own voice. I began placing it in entrance of beats, and it turned a producer tag.

HOT97: Eventually, you relocated to Atlanta, the place the rap scene was nearly to take off in a serious method. How was it to see so many artists turn into stars?

Bangladesh: Rico Wade, who was 1/3 of organized noise, his sister went to highschool with me. All I wished to do was transfer to Atlanta and be within the Dungeon Family, so think about you going to highschool with the chief’s sister. I simply began assembly folks on the college I went to, and my greatest pal is a cousin of Lil Fate, who’s Ludacris’ right-hand man and his hype man even at present. But again then, everyone was simply rapping and had rap desires. So realizing one another, and everyone being like-minded, we simply got here collectively, and it simply organically occurred for actual.

HOT97: Your work with Ludacris helped to launch him into superstardom. When did you first join with Luda?

Bangladesh: Me and Ludacris already knew one another. I used to be amongst a gaggle of those that was doing music. So I believe Chris was most likely the final individual that knew what I used to be doing, as a result of he would come by way of, he would get his, you recognize, he had an afro, he would simply get lineups. I took him to my automotive sooner or later, and I performed him, like 4 beats I had on a tape. The entire time, he was listening and searching by way of the entrance window. He by no means checked out me, by no means stated a phrase. I might see him  considering, like, ‘Man, this, this dude got it like this?’  ‘Where did he come from?’ From there, we began engaged on “You’s a Ho*”, which is one in every of my first beats. That was the beat tape I performed him, and “What’s Your Fantasy” was the final music we recorded.

HOT97: You additionally created “Diva” for Beyoncé. How was that artistic course of?

Bangladesh: I had “A Milli” with Lil Wayne, and when you’ve gotten a smash out, everyone is open to no matter you’re doing. Everybody desires to work with you. It was simply the right time to work on her venture, coming off {that a} Millie music. I used to be working with Sean Garrett, who wrote “Diva”, um, so I had the beat already, however I didn’t take the beat significantly. It was a replica of “A Milli,” and I by no means tried to not remake issues, and that was a mixtape monitor that I used to be engaged on with my artist. I used to be enjoying a beat within the studio sooner or later, and my friends had been going loopy. I form of downplayed it, however  I began it completely different. When I obtained with Sean Garrett, he was at all times a fan of “A Milli.” He stated, “If I had ‘A Milli, I would have killed it. When I was working on Beyoncé, I just pulled that beat out. She was the only top-tier female artist who could do a song like “Diva.” I already had the beat, and so they put her voice on there. All we needed to do was end the job.

HOT97: After all of your success in music, you’ve gotten entered the style world. What led you to this manner?

Bangladesh: I’ve at all times been into style. I assume it’s within the blood. All my friends at all times get concepts of what to put on for me. Ever since I used to be in elementary and center college, I’ve at all times come again from Christmas break and costume like me. They would inform their mother and father to get them the shirts and the pants like mine. 

I at all times knew that’s form of how I obtained into style as a result of I noticed the affect it has on everyone, and I wanted to do one thing with this. I’m late to style. I ought to have been doing it. I’ve impressed lots of people quietly. They may need a bigger platform, so it seems to be like they did it first, however I do know the place they obtained it from. I simply wished to get into one other area in life due to making one thing from nothing.