Last night, A$AP Rocky released his new single, “Multiply,” with little warning. It’s easily the best song he’s put out in years—in part because it’s the only song the Harlem rapper has put out in that time. In it, he takes shots at modern fashion brands, cementing his legacy in the long line of elite New York rappers who no longer agree with fashion trends, like when Jay Z proclaimed that he doesn’t wear jerseys because he’s 30-plus, opting instead to wear a “crisp pair of jeans, n—a, button up.” Rocky’s 2014 version of events has him blasting the very brands he helped make popular: Been Trill and Hood By Air, the latter of which he once walked the runway for. If this ends up leading to those brands’ demise in the world of streetwear, then this might be a bold career move. If it doesn’t, Rocky runs the risk of “Multiply” being his “Death of Autotune”.
Regardless, the reason “Multiply” is such a strong single is that it blends Rocky’s rapid-fire-to-codeine-dripped flow with a militant and commanding beat—one that was actually made two times, by 19-year old Long Beach producer Curtis Heron. Given the beat fits so well into Rocky’s aesthetic despite the fact that no member of A$AP Mob had ever worked with Curtis, I was curious to find out how he ended up producing the song and gave him a call to find out.
Previously known for his collaboration with acts like Spooky Black and Chris Travis and formerly a producer under the name SaavageBeatz, Curtis Heron was discovered on the internet by A$AP Yams. “Yams followed me on Twitter in 2012 and I sent him a variety of beats,” says the producer when we reached him by phone. “Around March of 2013, I get a DM from him and he tells me that Rocky rapped on one of the beats without Yams knowing, and he needed the stems so they could master it. But I deleted the beat and the project file from my computer, so I had to remake the entire beat by listening to the old version.”
Curtis Heron, picture courtesy of Curtis Heron
Though he can’t remember which sample he used to make “Multiply” or which of his past production work made A$AP Yams pay attention in the first place, Curtis Heron is happy with the finished product. Fortunately for him, Curtis doesn’t own any items of clothing from Hood By Air or Been Trill, avoiding a potentially awkward scenario.
Despite these interactions with Yams, Curtis has yet to actually meet anyone in A$AP Mob in person. In fact, his first time hearing his beat under Rocky’s raps was when he heard the poor quality recording from this year’s Coachella. “I heard it on the Coachella rip, but before that I never heard how he used the beat. I’m happy with how it turned out though,” he told me. Although there are no plans to record more songs in the near future, Curtis is hopeful that their eventual meeting in LA will lead to more collaboration.
For now, though, he's making music as part of the collective TeamSESH, which includes artists like Bones, and continuing to be trill as long as it's socially acceptable. Check out some of his other beats below:
Slava Pastuk has yet to be DMed by A$AP Yams - @SlavaP
Last night, A$AP Rocky released his new single, “Multiply,” with little warning. It’s easily the best song he’s put out in years—in part because it’s the only song the Harlem rapper has put out in that time. In it, he takes shots at modern fashion brands, cementing his legacy in the long line of elite New York rappers who no longer agree with fashion trends, like when Jay Z proclaimed that he doesn’t wear jerseys because he’s 30-plus, opting instead to wear a “crisp pair of jeans, n—a, button up.” Rocky’s 2014 version of events has him blasting the very brands he helped make popular: Been Trill and Hood By Air, the latter of which he once walked the runway for. If this ends up leading to those brands’ demise in the world of streetwear, then this might be a bold career move. If it doesn’t, Rocky runs the risk of “Multiply” being his “Death of Autotune”.
Regardless, the reason “Multiply” is such a strong single is that it blends Rocky’s rapid-fire-to-codeine-dripped flow with a militant and commanding beat—one that was actually made two times, by 19-year old Long Beach producer Curtis Heron. Given the beat fits so well into Rocky’s aesthetic despite the fact that no member of A$AP Mob had ever worked with Curtis, I was curious to find out how he ended up producing the song and gave him a call to find out.
Previously known for his collaboration with acts like Spooky Black and Chris Travis and formerly a producer under the name SaavageBeatz, Curtis Heron was discovered on the internet by A$AP Yams. “Yams followed me on Twitter in 2012 and I sent him a variety of beats,” says the producer when we reached him by phone. “Around March of 2013, I get a DM from him and he tells me that Rocky rapped on one of the beats without Yams knowing, and he needed the stems so they could master it. But I deleted the beat and the project file from my computer, so I had to remake the entire beat by listening to the old version.”
Curtis Heron, picture courtesy of Curtis Heron
Though he can’t remember which sample he used to make “Multiply” or which of his past production work made A$AP Yams pay attention in the first place, Curtis Heron is happy with the finished product. Fortunately for him, Curtis doesn’t own any items of clothing from Hood By Air or Been Trill, avoiding a potentially awkward scenario.
Despite these interactions with Yams, Curtis has yet to actually meet anyone in A$AP Mob in person. In fact, his first time hearing his beat under Rocky’s raps was when he heard the poor quality recording from this year’s Coachella. “I heard it on the Coachella rip, but before that I never heard how he used the beat. I’m happy with how it turned out though,” he told me. Although there are no plans to record more songs in the near future, Curtis is hopeful that their eventual meeting in LA will lead to more collaboration.
For now, though, he's making music as part of the collective TeamSESH, which includes artists like Bones, and continuing to be trill as long as it's socially acceptable. Check out some of his other beats below:
Slava Pastuk has yet to be DMed by A$AP Yams - @SlavaP