Nottz Made 1700 Beats in 365 Days
Prolific creative output takes next-level dedication, focus, and resilience. It isn’t easy and it isn’t for the faint of heart. Creators with tireless work ethics and release schedules often risk social isolation and strained personal relationships during their quest to get all of their ideas into the world.
Those who manage to stick with the process, however, can achieve remarkable results. Stevie Wonder recorded 200 songs in two and a half years while making Songs In The Key of Life. Agatha Christie wrote 91 books during her lifetime between her pen names and her real name. Put at any artistic discipline under a magnifying glass and you’ll find someone with equally mind-boggling accomplishments. But make no mistake — this kind of dogged determination requires an obsessive level of commitment that few people are willing to apply to one specific task.
We’ve seen this kind of resilience and non-stop output in the world of producers as well. LA-based producer Knxwledge, for example, earned himself several releases on Stones Throw, a Kendrick Lamar album placement, and a collaborative album with Anderson.Paak by dropping 87 EPs and full-length projects on Bandcamp since 2011.
“Nobody wants to see you make it, so that keeps you pushing. If they don’t want to see me make it, then I’m going to do it on my own.”
And in a recent, now-deleted exchange on Twitter, producer Pete Rock shouted out collaborator and friend Nottz’s epic productivity in 2017 — crediting the Virginia based producer with making a ridiculous number of beats. Though Pete Rock was close in the number he cited in his deleted tweet, Nottz corrected him and said he made a total of 1700 beats in 2017.
1700. That’s an average of four to five beats a day for an entire year, a level of productivity that almost defies human comprehension.
Both floored and inspired by this exchange, I took to Twitter a few days later to remind people of Nott’s remarkable feat. The majority of responses were in awe of his achievement, but there were a few, “Yeah, that’s impressive, but quality is what really matters” replies. I understand the sentiment, but when Nottz is sharing beats like the one to your left on a regular basis, it’s hard to argue that quality is a concern.
“So many people rap and make beats, it’s amazing. So many people out there do that. You’ve got to grind, grind, grind.”
So how do we explain such relentless, consistent drive from a producer who already has album placements with Game, Busta Rhymes, Rakim, Rapsody, Snoop, Pusha T, and countless others? An interesting 2007 interview with Red Bull Music Academy provides some potential insight.
When asked by host Benji B how growing up in Virginia affected his approach to music, he indicated that Virginia artists were very cliquey and said, “Nobody wants to see you make it, so that keeps you pushing. If they don’t want to see me make it, then I’m going to do it on my own, you’ve got to grind hard to make it out there.”
And then, as he continued to make his point, he noted how the hyper-competitiveness of the industry further fed his drive for success. “There’s so much talent out there that nobody knows about,” he told RBMA. “You think you’ve heard the hottest MC, when he’s not. So many people rap and make beats, it’s amazing. So many people out there do that. You’ve got to grind, grind, grind.”
“There’s so much talent out there that nobody knows about.”
So it seems that a lack of support from his peers coupled with an awareness of how many incredibly talented people are vying for recognition in the music industry lit a fire for Nottz early on. This interview took place over a decade ago, so Nottz has spent considerable time in the 11 years since mastering his craft. Based on the videos he posts on social media, he’s operating at a level of mastery beyond many of his peers at this point in time— beatmaking appears as effortless as breathing for him. 2017 clearly represented a new level of peak performance as he cranked out quality beat after quality beat at breakneck speeds.
So what will Nottz do with his 100+ albums worth of instrumental music? Is he waiting for the right artists to pair up with? Are some of these beats already slated for use on upcoming albums? Or is he planning some kind of massive instrumental project? For the time being, the answer to these questions remains to be seen.
As a long-time fan of his work, I’d like to see Nottz release at least some of the 1700 instrumentals as solo projects or singles. How cool would it be if he put out a five song EP every single day for a month on Bandcamp and streaming? If he chose a 31 day month to do such an experiment, he’d release a total of 155 instrumentals and still have 1545 left in his arsenal.
Whatever Nottz decides to do, the 1700 compositions he made in 2017 will only further expand an already impressive body of work. As we wait for further updates on the fate of those beats, here’s an exclusive Micro-Chop playlist with some of our favorite Nottz productions.
Connect with Nottz on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, his website, and on Twitter @NottzRaw.
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