Ben Beal Presents Birdland
Ben Beal released his highly anticipated debut studio album this past Friday on Too Lost. We reached out with a couple of questions via email to learn more about Ben as an artist and his newest release.
Birdland is a 15 track Hip-Hop/Rap album with heavy Lofi and Jazz elements. It features a wide range of prolific collaborators, and was released worldwide on April 3rd, 2020. Full interview can be found below.
How long have you been making music, and how long was Birdland in production?
I started making music at an absurdly young age because I would’ve been an outcast in my family if I didn’t learn an instrument. My dad is an incredible singer and pianist, my Uncle Glenn is a professional producer and drummer, and my Uncle Danny is a wildly talented guitarist with perfect pitch. They showed me the ropes and introduced me to all my early influences like Steely Dan, Iron Maiden, Elton John, and Billy Joel. I started playing guitar at age 8 and wrote my first song that year. My fourth grade teacher, who is an incredible musician and magician, encouraged me to record my own music and would let me skip recess to record songs with him that I wrote on his MacBook. The second I got my own laptop, I used everything he taught me and started producing and recording by age 11. I fell in love with it and have been growing ever since, experimenting in every way that I can. The day I met J was the first time Birdland was conceptualized, and we’ve been working on it for two and a half years.
Why title your album Birdland?
My Dad always taught me to appreciate the beauty and simplicity in nature. I was out of my mind when I was younger, always on ADHD and anxiety pills. There was just something so tranquil and calming birdwatching with my dad and hiking at our local bird sanctuary. It was an escape from my mind, I felt at peace. My album is predominantly lofi music and I always felt that the lofi sound as a whole has this incredible power to bring you back in time with it’s nostalgic melodies and samples. Every time I listen to the songs such as Birdland or Feathers, it brings me back to when life was simple and the only thing I cared about was going to the audubon with my dad. Don’t get me wrong, I still love birds and nature, but life is just not simple anymore.
Birdland had tons of collaborators. Who was involved?
Damn. Lotta names. The album was executive produced by J (Jeremy Weinapple) and a number of songs were individually produced by him as well. J and I are obsessed with the producer Wun Two and were so starstruck when he sent us a beat pack. We got two of my favorite producers ever HM Surf and SwuM on a bunch of tracks which was a huge dream of mine, and we got legends from across the world like Yotaro sending us beats out in Japan. We also got one of the most talented producers I’ve ever heard in person, Dotan Bergman (aka Tane!), to lay down an incredible guitar solo on our joint Feathers.
I was so stoked to get some of these artists on board like Will Kobus, Dave Koda , and Rennie!, who absolutely bodied our tracks together. Two of my dream collaborations happened on this album, both produced by J. We got Chester Watson and Blu on Birdland, two artists I dreamed about working with for the last 6 years. I am so inspired by both of them and it was surreal to get their verses back. Obviously the album was brought to life by Too Lost & Gregory Ross, who produced & mixed a bunch of joints and handled every single important aspect of piecing this project together with J and I.
What was your favorite collaboration on the album, or most memorable?
Damn. Another hard ass question. I’d say my joint with Blu is the most memorable, for a number of reasons. J and I laid down the verse on the beat for Earth at his crib in Washington DC and absolutely hated it. I told J to scrap it and we’ll circle back. I had Blu’s info from when I was signed to Jakarta Records and I hit him up and sent him a whole pack of beats. He picked Earth out of the whole bundle. We got the verse back and were freaking out at how brilliant his execution was. I spent months writing verses and scrapping them because he absolutely murdered me with any potential verse I laid down. We went to Blast Off Studios one night in New York City, and the air conditioning was broken and we were literally dying sitting on the couch wondering if we should just dip. All of a sudden, I had the idea to contrast Blu’s positive verse about Earth’s beauty with how f*cking terrible the world is getting. I thought about the line “global warming starting wildfires in the Birdland” because I was sweating my ass off, it was probably 85 degrees in that small room.
How did you and J meet? What was the first song you made together?
Jeremy and I met at a studio session in DC that we planned after I opened a beat pack he emailed me two years beforehand. It was a beat tape entitled “04 Kanye Beats” because they all had the soul foundation of… 04 Kanye beats. I knew we’d kill some joints together so we got in the studio and started recording Birdland the first day we met. We recorded four songs we ultimately scrapped called “Quiet Hours,” “Beautiful,” “Gotta Have It,” and "Tequila". They were all fire but not fire enough for Birdland.
What does your typical recording session with J look like?
We get super drunk, make fun of all our enemies, and J plays me beats until he sees my head start nodding. I write my verse on the spot and we make hits. I take the College Park metro train 30 minutes twice a week from the University of Maryland, and head over to Mt. Vernon Plaza in DC to his apartment. We made every song I dropped this year in that apartment.
If you could pick one, what is your favorite track on the album?
My favorite track is the title track, Birdland. It actually is the most special song I ever recorded, and it’s even more special that one of my favorite artists hit that beat with me. I was also deathly sick at J’s crib when I recorded that, I had to leave right after because I thought I was going to pass out. This girl Tilly that came with me had to drag my ass out of there because I knew I had a fever and got so weak, I was having trouble walking. J still made me do my verse before leaving and I was so mad at him, but the raspiness my illness gave me and the attitude I had added something really unique to the track. I’ve been trying to get myself really sick again every day to match my energy when I recorded that.
Did any artists (not involved with Birdland) inspire you throughout the making of Birdland - if so, who?
Mac Miller passed away when I first started working on this album. I didn’t leave my room for two weeks. I was so depressed and lost because my favorite artist and one of the major reasons I started recording myself wasn’t around anymore. He was the most versatile, misunderstood artistic talent I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching become wildly successful, and I related to him more than any other artist because we came from the same exact environment. He’s the biggest musical inspiration I have, and will always be. A lot of people say we sound alike and its a great compliment to get. To everyone saying I’m trying to replicate him or bite his style, go f*ck yourself. I make music for the soul, and happen to have a similar inflection. I’m a lofi artist though.
What are three songs by three upcoming artists you are bumping right now?
Hazel Avenue by Cole Bauer, Pasadena by Hudi, and We Need to Talk by Rav
It's 2016 - you just released Smile with Nohidea and Sophie Meiers. What would you tell yourself then?
Get a f*cking lawyer you dumb idiot. You f*cking idiot, how could you not get a lawyer, you are so stupid Ben, you f*cked us. You f*cked us bad. I hate you so much. You should have listened to Aunt Jenny and got a lawyer you idiot.
You can pick any one artist and any one producer in the world - who are collaborating with, and what's that song gonna be called?
I would pick Freddie Gibbs and Madlib. I don’t think you understand how hard that song would be. It would be called Silence of the Lambs.
Anything we can expect from your next few releases? What's next for you?
EP with SwuM. And much more from J and I.
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Birdland is available now everywhere. Stream it on your preferred service today:
Click here to stream 'Birdland' on Spotify