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http://www.missinfo.tv/index.php/rick-ross-rich-forever-producer-arthur-mcarthur-exclusive/
Rick Ross unveiled the tracklist to his highly anticipated Rich Forever mixtape, which drops at 3:05pm today. And for the most part, the Bawse enlisted the usual suspects to provide beats: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, The Inkredibles, Lex Luger, Beat Billionaire, Boi-1da and Mike Will. But Ross also tapped some new talent like Chuck Inglish (one half of The Cool Kids), DVLP, and…Toronto native Arthur McArthur. Yup, you read that right. His name is Arthur McArthur (23). Just don’t forget it, because with a growing resume that includes Drake (“Uptown”), Gucci Mane (“In My Business”), Big Sean (“My House”) and now two tracks on Rick Ross’s Rich Forever mixtape (“MMG Untouchable”, “Mine Games”)…this multi-talented producer/musician is definitely on the rise!
Missinfo.tv’s Mr. North catches up with Arthur McArthur to get his insight on working with Ross, how Lil’ Wayne came up with So Far Gone’s “Uptown” during a Dr. Dre Detox session, his relationship with Boi-1da, and, of course,…what’s up with that name of his?
Following the groundwork laid by fellow Toronto producers Boi-1da, Noah “40″ Shebib, T-Minus, Megaman, ILLANGELO, and Doc McKinney, meet Arthur McArthur, the latest beatsmith from the T-Dot…
After the jump….
Mr. North: You caught people’s attention during Toronto’s 2008 ‘Battle of the Beatmakers’ showcase, especially in a controversial battle against Boi-1da, whose name was buzzing here in the States. How did you guys become friends after that and become a team?
McArthur: We definitely met in the battle, but we had enough respect for each other to get in the studio and start creating. The first session we did together we made “Uptown” (off Drake’s gold-selling So Far Gone EP). We’ve been doing records ever since then. 1da’s great people, he put me onto a lot of stuff.
Mr. North: You mentioned “Uptown,” but how did you become a part of the Far Gone sessions?
McArthur: 1da hit me up around Christmas 4 years ago. The plan wasn’t even to work on Drake songs, we were in there to do some songs for Dr. Dre’s Detox. While we were in the studio, Lil’ Wayne said he wanted a song sampling “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel. We took the sample and built around it. 1da did the drums and I played the organ and instruments on it. We sent it to Drake and he killed that beat, took it to a next level… it was a wrap from there.
Mr. North: Fast forwarding a bit, Rick Ross released the tracklist to Rich Forever yesterday. We see you landed two placements on there (even though your name was spelled wrong) how did you connect with Ross?
McArthur: I’ve been building with DJ Khaled and MMG for a bit. I sent over some records, they were feeling them so I kept them coming and at this point I’ve got a bunch of music over there. I’m flying out to Miami in the next few weeks to build with them further.
Mr. North: When you created “MMG Untouchable” with Boi-1da, were you guys in studio with Ross or was it sent over to his camp?
McArthur: We made that at my studio in Toronto. A bunch of artists actually wanted that beat but it ended up with Ross, it may be on his album as well.
Mr. North: “Mine Games” features Kelly Rowland, did you know she’d be on the track? Did you have any singers in mind?
McArthur: No, that was a nice surprise. Kelly Rowland is really dope so I was happy to see he put her on it. That was great that he put her on it, I knew it needed a singer on it but I couldn’t put my finger on who would do it justice.
Mr. North: Can we expect more MMG collabs soon, possibly on Self Made 2?
McArthur: That’s the plan. I respect what they’re doing over there, I want to work on all the projects they have coming out.
Mr. North: While the average listener may not know the records you’ve worked on, which song in your career so far would you pinpoint as your big break?
McArthur: “Uptown” was the song that put me on the map. It got a great internet buzz and largely put my career in motion.
Mr. North: You’ve steadily been perfecting your craft. How would you describe your sound and where do you draw influences from?
McArthur: I describe my sound as “musical” and “cinematic”. I like to do more complex tracks that tell a story. Leaving room for the artist to breathe, but creating a deep and detailed background for them to say what they need to say. I draw inspiration from all the arts, from music and visual art to dance and books. Some of my musical influences are Timbaland, Beethoven, Jimi Hendrix, Jay-Z, Joni Mitchell, Just Blaze, Al Green, Dr. Dre and many others.
Mr. North: We know your history with Drake, we’ll be hearing your work in a few hours with Rick Ross. What other big projects do you have on the horizon in 2012?
McArthur: I’m also doing some stuff with YMCMB, I’ve got a bunch of tracks on Tyga’s album Careless World which drops January 23. I’m working on Wiz Khalifa’s album, T.I.’s album. I was in the studio recently working with Sean Garrett, I also just did a few sessions with T-Mills and Boi-1da. Other stuff I’m working on is Fabolous, R. Kelly, Alley Boy, DJ Khaled’s album, Busta Rhymes, and by the next time you talk to me…hopefully a lot more.
Mr. North: Before we leave you, we gotta ask….the first thing that stands out and always gets a good laugh is your stage name. How’d that come about?
Arthur: My real last name is McArthur. It took weeks of equations and complex mathematics to come up with the “Arthur” part.
Mr. North: Wasn’t it actually King Arthur McArthur at the start of your career?
McArthur: There was. Unfortunately I’m not as arrogant as I’d like to be so I decided to drop that and stick with “Arthur McArthur.”
For more on Arthur McArthur follow him on Twitter at @arthurmcarthur and Myspace.
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