Unveiling the Craft: An Interview with Hip-Hop Producer August Fanon

From the sunlit streets of Oakland to the vibrant boroughs of Brooklyn, August Fanon’s journey through the hip-hop landscape is as dynamic as his beats.

Initially immersing himself in the rich sounds of jazz and the burgeoning underground hip-hop scene of the early 2000s, initially, Fanon found inspiration in artists like MF DOOM, Little Brother, and People Under the Stairs. These influences ignited his passion for music production, leading him to create a distinctive sound that seamlessly blends soulful samples with intricate rhythms.

Over the years, Fanon has collaborated with many artists, including the likes of Mach-Hommy, Vic Spencer, and Navy Blue, to drop a few names dear to underground heads worldwide. His contribution to critically acclaimed projects is note-worthy, because of his remarkable and versatile style production methods. His work is characterized by a deep appreciation for musical history and a commitment to pushing the boundaries of hip-hop production.

His effortless sound delivery is as complex as you might expect when it comes to layering and juxtaposition of melodies and texture, creating atmospheric soundscapes for the modern beathead to vibe along. Dig through August’s Bandcamp and you’ll find plenty of cool things. Including obscure anti-capitalist modern commentaries. That’s always a plus and a sure shot on us.

In this exclusive interview, August delves into his creative process, the evolution of his sound, and the philosophies that drive his artistry. Join us as we explore the man’s mind behind the music and gain insight into the craft of one of hip-hop’s most innovative and fresh producers.

Ready, let’s go.

Hey August, and welcome to Production Specs. Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?

Peace, I’m August Fanon, a Hip-Hop producer originally from Oakland, California, but I’ve lived all over the country, including Arizona, Arlington, TX, Tuskegee Al, Philadelphia, and now Brooklyn, NYC.

I got into making beats around the age of 26, after spending a lot of time listening to music on some proto-Spotify-type apps, while in grad school. I was reconnecting with a lot of older music, jazz in particular, and the new burgeoning underground Hip-Hop scene in the early 2000s: DOOM, Lil’ Brother, Count Bass D, People Under the Stairs, etcetera.

You might recognize some of my work with Mach-Hommy, Armand Hammer, ELUCID, Vic Spencer, ANKHLEJOHN, Fly Anakin, Navy Blue, etcetera. I love music, history, culture, pan-africanism, and communism. I write and also do collage art.

When did you start making music, and what were your early inspirations?

I started making music in the summer of 2006. I got a DJ app on my laptop and started creating blends and mixtapes. Something I hadn’t done since I was a teen with cassette tapes and my boombox. It was so much fun.

Around the fall of that same year, I went with my sister and her good friend to a party, and I met these cats who were talkin’ hip-hop. One cat was just stuck on the idea that I made beats from the conversation, and kept imploring that I’d bring some beats by his place. My birthday is September 25th, and it must have been like a week, maybe two, after that I made my first beat.

I think I tried to loop up some Nina Simone. I remember I took the beats I made over the dude’s house, and he was kind. He didn’t tell me how much my beats sucked, lol.

Some of my early inspirations were People Under The Stairs, 9th Wonder, RZA, DJ Premiere, Madlib, and Dilla. Those were the group of cats whose beats I used to study the most.

What was the first beat you sold or placed commercially?

The first beat I sold was to a sista I met in Philadelphia. We never got to release that joint, but I’d say that was around 2008. I think my next major placement was the nine tracks I did for Mach Hommy’s H.B.O. that dropped in 2016. No…!!! My first placement commercially was “Dreams of Medina” for The God Fahim off his Dreams of Medina album. It’s the first track, and I believe that album dropped in 2015.

How long did it take you to create a track you were genuinely proud of?

I think within the first 3 months of making a beat, so maybe like early 2007, I made a beat that was dope, but I didn’t recognize it until my boy Peter came over and was like, “That shit is dope, you should take it to a studio and get it mixed.”

But honestly, I’ve been making dope shit for a while, but I didn’t feel like I arrived at making beats until recently. It was like I needed to understand in a technical sense what it was I was doing to make the beats sound the way they did. Like so it wasn’t a mystery to me. After I got a wide-scope insight into that, I felt a little more comfortable.

August Fanon’s latest beat-tape’s cover “Ho Ho Ho Muthafucka” (R) and “Otherwise a Blur” with blackchai (L)

What’s your favourite production setup or gear?

Do you prefer digging for vinyl, or do you use other sources for sampling?

For practicality and efficiency reasons, I do a lot of e-digging, but I employ vinyl, I can’t get down to the record stores as often as I’d like for the output level I have. Also, I do not have the space for vinyl in my apartment right now.

What’s the best piece of digging advice someone has given you?

I think the best advice someone gave me about digging – or at least a piece of info and I think what is most important – is when you find a record/sample you like, do the history on the artist and musicians involved. If you found one good sample from an artist, you should go through their whole catalogue. There will probably be some more shit you like from them on their other records.

If you had to share, what’s your biggest production mistake?

I think my biggest production mistake is not methodically backing every beat I ever made up and putting it somewhere safe for storage.

Can you share an essential mixing tip?

For Hip-Hop sample-based production, boost your low end of the sample every time and always eq your samples in general. That shit is a real game-changer. I know some cats that I’ve been chopping it up with who never thought or never knew to eq their samples, and it makes a world of difference.

What upcoming projects or releases can we look forward to?

I’m just happy to sit down and explain what I’m doing. I want to thank all the readers who have been supporting me, and also, if you’re new to me, I hope you check out the sounds. Gotta lotta shit out in the atmosphere to gravitate towards.