Just Blaze on Shaping Roc-A-Fella’s Sound, Writing Hit Records & Disrupting the Video Game Industry

On this week’s episode of IDEA GENERATION, Just Blaze takes us on a journey from his early days as a math prodigy in Paterson, New Jersey, to becoming one of the premier beatmakers in music. From helping shape the sound of Roc-A-Fella records, to earning a reputation as one of the most sought after pens in the game, to scoring new worlds within video games, Just Blaze has built one of the most impressive resumes in music... and it all started with one idea. Act I 00:00 Intro 1:36 Family values 3:20 Getting started in programming 4:25 Stepping into the hip-hop DJ scene 5:18 Early days at Rutgers // “Fat Funky Wednesdays” 5:43 Meeting idols, playing his own beats 7:10 Role models 7:35 Graduating high school early 8:27 From college to internships 10:24 Holding onto your passion 10:50 Engineering at the Cutting Room 12:00 Meeting Mase, landing “Harlem” record Act II 13:42 Finding his voice 14:53 Understanding the business side of the industry 15:40 Two Way Branding, “ringtones before ringtones” 16:40 Origins of the name Just Blaze 17:45 “My biggest advantage” 18:18 Finding placements & new opportunities 20:16 Growing “the Rockefeller sound” 22:42 Girls Girls Girls (remix) 23:57 Life structure around success 25:23 The wind down, entering a new phase Act III 28:12 Opportunities after Roc-A-Fella 29:23 Saigon era 30:07 “I wasn’t looking to make a body of work” 30:34 Check your ego at the door 31:32 Shifts in his relationship to music, leveraging work outside of the studio 32:32 Transition into game scoring 34:12 “You can’t just do the one thing forever” 34:24 “Exhibit A” - Jay Electronica 35:38 What does money mean to you? 35:49 Seeking alternate revenue streams 37:35 Entrepreneurial pursuits, ramen business 38:40 Brass Lion Entertainment Subscribe to IDEA GENERATION for new episodes every Monday at 5pm EST: Check out more from IDEA GENERATION here: IG: TT: @... TW: Credits: Noah Callahan-Bever Creator & Host, Idea Generation Starring: Just Blaze Musical Director: A-Trak Animations by: Sang Bleu / IDEA GENERATION Executive Producers: Helena Ox, Tricia Clarke-Stone and John Walaszek Producer: Jack Erwin Creative Director Editor: Kyle Gaughan Produced by: 5 Towns Media House Director: Katie Paul DP: Alex Stikich Producer: Jagger Corcione Production Manager: Zena Khafagy Cam Ops: Sabrina Marki, Brian Dauphin Sound: Anthony Charles PAs: Sabrina Alvarez MUA: Tatiana Mendez Photography: Kai Tsehay Special thanks to: Juan Guerrero Sony Music Entertainment Universal Music Group MassAppeal