The release of God Did has music fans once again debating the role of producers. DJ Khaled’s star-studded album arrived in all of its glory at the top of the morning (August 26), and it has been on heavy rotation ever since. Hip Hop is dissecting each song with precision, especially Jay-Z’s stellar appearance on the title track that has blown fans out of the water.
Recently, Calvin Harris completed a similar feat with his Funk Wav Bounces Vol 2 release that may have settled into a different genre, but it still packed a punch with his list of hitmaker features.
Eamonn M. McCormack / Stringer / Getty Images
God Did reignited conversations about producers, and on Twitter, a user asked, “I always wonder how DJs like Khaled and Calvin Harris make bread. Like all of their songs are other artists. Just production revenue?”
Harris caught wind of the question and used it as a teachable moment as he explained that his money comes from doing just about everything behind the scenes.
“Because I write, produce, mix, play every instrument and sometimes vocal,” he said. “We found love, Summer, Feel so close for example 100% publishing because I did everything. Only reason I got Frank Ocean feature was he told me we found love was one of his favorite songs. I wrote that song.”
There’s much to learn about the ins and outs of producing, beat-making, publishing, and owning the rights to music. Revisit both God Did and Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 below.