How Hunna G Turned “Take a Seat, Rap on the Beat” into a 150 View Platform

What happens when a beat-selling side hustle accidentally becomes a social media phenomenon? 

In this episode, music producer and content creator Hunna G  (@hunnagbeats) joins Dmitri to talk about building “Take a Seat, Rap on the Beat,” a series now sitting at over 150 million views and more than a million followers. 

Hunna G covers the origin story, the most memorable guests (like 2 Chainz and MGK to name a few), what the music creator economy actually looks like, and how independent artists and producers can build a brand online.  

The news

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• https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/soundcloud-launches-superfan-feature-that-lets-artists-release-music-exclusively-to-followers-before-wider-release/

• Rapper BigXThaPlug Sent Fans on a Scavenger Hunt — Here's What Happened.

• Instagram sets out its stall as a ‘music superfandom’ platform

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Episode Transcript

Machine transcribed

[00:00:00] Dmitri: Producer and content creator, Hunna G has broken through the digital noise with a visionary approach to music production and content creation, shining a spotlight on talented artists of all calibers. Starting his career producing EDM, Hunna quickly proved his versatility moving into hip hop, r and b, pop and beyond, while honing a sharp eye.

Social content creation From editing and shooting to conceptualizing viral campaigns, his creativity became the foundation of a groundbreaking idea the take a seat wrap on a beat series. You've probably seen it. This iconic content series originally shot in the heart of New York City's, Washington Square Park, where I spent my teenage years features.

Underground artists spitting raw, unfiltered talent. It's really fun to watch the series Struck a cultural chord, racking up over 150 million views and amassing more than 1 million plus followers across all platforms. Welcome to Music Tectonics, Hunna.

[00:00:54] Hunna G: Awesome. Thank you so much for having me. Appreciate it.

[00:00:57] Dmitri: Yeah, appreciate you taking the time. So how did you get started with Take a Seat, rap on the beat.

[00:01:02] Hunna G: It's quite the story. Um, so it. Really, it's kind of a story of how I got started, even in, uh, just social media in general. So, um, I worked with an artist named Johnny 2 Phones and I was actually, I was producing all of his music, making all of his beats, and I started to learn how to edit his videos as kind of a side job for myself.

But I was interested in it and I had always seen him making content. He needed somebody to kind of help him out. So. I was getting familiar with like Premiere Pro, how to edit fast, short form content, like what goes viral. So this is like my introduction into it. So a couple years down the road we ended up moving to New York together.

Uh, we had an apartment in Harlem and he was like, Hey man, you really should, you know, do some content. I think you could do it. You know, you're a great producer, you have a lot of beats. And I'm like, what do I do? What do I do? So. One of our other friends, Nick Mos Ello, from, uh, project Free Fall came in the picture.

And, uh, the three of us kind of conceptualized the whole idea of using a sign in public. Like we had seen other similar ideas where people are holding signs. and Johnny 2 phones himself actually did a series called Pick Up the Headphones, if You Could Dance in Times Square, which is

[00:02:20] Dmitri: Oh yeah,

[00:02:21] Hunna G: very adjacent to what I do, but with dancers.

 So after he had his little moment with that, I went out and just gave it a shot. I came up with a name the first day I filmed. The very first day I made the sign in the park. and it just rolled off the tongue, take a seat, wrap on the beat. and it went, it went amazing. I had about probably six or seven people sit down initially on the first day of filming, and that's when I kind of knew.

 I was like, yeah, this is gonna work. I, I think this is like the spot that's gonna make it happen. So, that's kind of how I got into it.

[00:02:54] Dmitri: Yeah. That's super cool. I love that. Still, you know, to this day, the big block letters on the poster board, it's like, it's so DIY looking, uh, I,

[00:03:02] Hunna G: I make them myself. I make all the signs myself.

[00:03:06] Dmitri: To me, it, it just has, you know, like that moment, it captures the spirit of that moment that you described when you first did it. You're like, oh, let me just write this down. Let me try this. See what happens. Like that authenticity lives through because you keep the sign exactly like that.

[00:03:18] Hunna G: Right. Well, another interesting point to that is, uh.

The first episode was shot on a camera. and I actually switched to iPhone because of that same, that same point where you want it to feel real. And I think having a camera doesn't quite feel the same as just an impromptu iPhone video. So to this day, I shoot on, every angle is an iPhone.

It's three angles. and it just captures the moment it's easier for me to film it. But yeah, to your point, it's not always about being perfect. Uh, when you're posting online, it's more about being, I think, just real and entertaining, you know?

[00:03:53] Dmitri: And so the use of the iPhone, are you saying the actual video footage feels more authentic or more how the guest responds to seeing a phone versus a camera?

[00:04:01] Hunna G: A little bit of both, I think. I think it's a different feeling and I think people are used to seeing, less. Tailored video online. So, you know, to me it's like if I see a camera like 4K, clean coloring, everything, I immediately may think of an ad or I might it, you know, it just feels a little more processed.

[00:04:21] Dmitri: Right.

[00:04:21] Hunna G: I think it really does have an effect when you're just, you know, here it is. I obviously still will edit and color the footage, the best, as best as I can, but I wouldn't say I'm a pro, you know?

[00:04:31] Dmitri: Do you do all that editing yourself still?

[00:04:33] Hunna G: Yeah.

[00:04:34] Dmitri: That's cool. That's awesome. So I'm curious, like what are some of your favorite guests and, what makes them favorites?

I mean, I'm sure you can't pick favorites, but let's just like bring up some cool, what are some cool guests that come to mind that, you could share with us and, and what you liked about 'em? Sure.

[00:04:47] Hunna G: Um, yeah, I mean, I've had a ton of artists sit down. Um, so it's hard to pick a favorite, but I think the coolest experiences were probably working with, uh, two chains.

 He was great. I mean, cool guy and, uh, he really just sat down and, and nailed it. Um, same thing with MGK. he was great and, uh, MGK was cool. We actually hung out a little bit after the shoot and, uh, just was talking about music. He's very involved in his career as well, so that was cool to see from someone who's made it so far that, you know, he's very, uh, into his stuff.

 and of course, ghost Face Killer, that was just like a classic. cool. Also cool guy. You know, I feel like all these bigger artists are just really cool people. I didn't know what to expect because it's like,

[00:05:30] Dmitri: yeah.

[00:05:30] Hunna G: You know, I don't know. Sometimes artists are a little weird with how they wanna move and stuff, but,

Everyone I've had on the show has just been super down to earth and great to work with. So,

[00:05:39] Dmitri: yeah, that's cool. I mean, when you get to meet an icon and you're like, oh, I think part of why they're successful is 'cause they're actually like cool people. Like people wanna be around them, not because solely because they're celebrities or they've reached a certain level of fame, but because they're actually like cool to talk to, cool to hang out with.

[00:05:55] Hunna G: Oh yeah.

[00:05:55] Dmitri: Have interesting things to say, et cetera. Which I think, you know, sometimes fans forget that like. That magnetism actually has role to play in success?

[00:06:04] Hunna G: Oh, definitely, definitely. Well, and, and the thing is like, these people are, they're not necessarily choosing their entire team, but I mean, they're putting their team together.

So they have to be good at, you know, socializing with people, finding good people that they want to back them in their career. Um, so that's a skill within itself. And, uh, yeah, it just goes to show, you know, that they know what they're doing. So.

[00:06:27] Dmitri: Cool. So let's flip it. What was the most unexpected thing that's happened to you at your, I don't know, outdoor studio table?

[00:06:33] Hunna G: This was, so, I think the whole thing is pretty unexpected, to be honest, because

[00:06:39] Dmitri: really

[00:06:39] Hunna G: I was not sure if this idea would work in the beginning. I was like, I don't know, it seems kind of crazy that someone would just come up and rap at a table, you know, for no reason. just for fun. But, yeah, I mean, I think New York City is like the.

The hub for this stuff. I mean, I've traveled around with the table and I think more unexpected things have happened in New York City than anywhere else. Um,

[00:07:02] Dmitri: I'll tell you about that, man.

[00:07:05] Hunna G: Yeah. Especially Washington Square Park. Um,

[00:07:07] Dmitri: yes,

[00:07:08] Hunna G: but I would say, I mean, yeah, nothing like super insane has happened like that I, I could mention, but I mean.

It just amazes me, like how many people I'll meet in a single day outside. and just the amount of different styles of music you hear, like different types of people. So I mean,

[00:07:26] Dmitri: I do love that about your channels, like you do hear a lot of different styles of music, which is cool.

[00:07:30] Hunna G: yeah, it's insane.

I mean, watching Square Park is like, I mean, you have NYU you have tourism to see the arch and just to see the park, and then you have the locals. So, I mean, it's like you're getting all this stuff. I've, I've met. I can't remember a long time ago I had a guy on who was, uh, German. He's from Germany, and uh, he was just a tourist that happened to be visiting the park and could rap, and he sat down and laid it out and it was great and I posted it.

 so stuff like that, I mean, it's like amazing that that's possible.

[00:08:00] Dmitri: Yeah, no, I get what you're saying about Washington Square Park too. It's like, it's New York, but then it's also Washington Square Park, which if people haven't been there, like, especially recently, like, 'cause I, I grew up, I spent my teenage years in New York and I would at like a, in high school at a friend's party and I'd always be the one to wake up early, like wake up the next day after an all night party and just go straight to Washington Square Park and watch the city wake up.

[00:08:23] Hunna G: Yeah.

[00:08:23] Dmitri: And watch like folk singers that were still hanging on from the sixties. To like capoiera uh, you know, Brazilian martial arts and music happening right there in the morning. And then eventually there was this, uh, street troupe called the Calypso tumblers, which was like an acrobat thing that would come and take over the fountain when there was no water and do all these crazy stuff.

And that now you come there and it. Packed. Washington Square Park is insane. And it is that mix that you're describing, it's like locals, students, tourists, whatever. It's like this crazy crossroads for so much diversity and so much different stuff happening. so I totally, totally get what you're talking about, about that spontaneity of what anything could happen in New York, but anything could really happening in Washington Square Park.

[00:09:05] Hunna G: Yeah. Oh yeah. And it's a, I mean, I feel like recently it's become a hub for even just content creation in general. I have a lot of friends that I'll see regularly, in the park and just everyone's making content, everyone's doing their own thing, not the same as what I'm doing, I guess, with the whole table and everything.

But, yeah, it's just cool to see. There's definitely a community, around that park. So.

[00:09:27] Dmitri: Yeah, it's interesting to see. There used to be, I mean, there's always been drug dealers there, but um, there,

[00:09:32] Hunna G: yeah, that's a whole other story.

[00:09:35] Dmitri: There used to be like these buskers like performers in the street for money, and now it's more like a lot more creators that are, that are cutting video right there.

Last time I was there I remember seeing some guy, I don't, this is guy that has the, like the bong that goes around his head and you can smoke from his hat bong or something.

[00:09:52] Hunna G: Oh yeah.

[00:09:52] Dmitri: Like really?

[00:09:54] Hunna G: Well, it, it's interesting they. Probably like a year ago, they had a little nine month stint where they were not allowing many people to set up anything in the park.

[00:10:06] Dmitri: Yeah.

[00:10:07] Hunna G: Um, and I actually had to start filming in other areas of the city.

[00:10:11] Dmitri: Yeah.

[00:10:11] Hunna G: but it seems like it's back to normal now. I don't know whether that was because of the drug dealers or, you know, I don't want to, I don't wanna speculate on that, but

[00:10:19] Dmitri: Yeah.

[00:10:19] Hunna G: yeah, it's been interesting. I, I think it almost kinda.

Ruined the culture of it in, in a sense,

[00:10:25] Dmitri: when they cut everything off.

[00:10:26] Hunna G: Yeah. Because a lot of people were, you know, artists would go set up and they would, the cops would come over and they'd say, you can't do this here. And it was interesting 'cause, I mean, I'd never seen something like that in, in Washington Square Park before.

'cause that's kind of the whole point. That's, it's like half the point of going to the park besides the arch. So, uh, yeah. But I'm glad to see that. They seem to be a little more relaxed now, especially with people doing content. Yeah. Obviously drug dealing is still not allowed, but uh, you know, I'm sure that's always gonna be around somewhere, so.

[00:10:55] Dmitri: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So you told us a little bit about how you got into this, you were producing with a friend. You got into the video from that. But I'm really curious, how has your career and your trajectory changed since this, this whole social video content creation thing took off for you?

[00:11:10] Hunna G: Yeah, so. Prior to, posting anything online, I was really just producing.

So, I mean, I'm a music producer at heart. I still want to be a music producer. but I would say it definitely shifted my thoughts about it and, and shifted my day to day. You know, I've, I'm definitely more focused on content now, first, however, it's nice because each video I post is a beat that I've made, so it still is heavily.

Involving my production. Um,

[00:11:40] Dmitri: yeah,

[00:11:41] Hunna G: funny enough, when I started this, my idea around it was gonna be to just promote my beats. Like I thought it would be a great way to just sell beats on beat stars or whatever. and I was like, yeah, I'll have someone rap over it and then people will wanna buy the beat and I'll just do it this way.

And it totally took a left turn into becoming a huge platform that has honestly helped a lot of artists grow. And have success on their own, which I was hoping for, but I wasn't, that wasn't really the goal of this, you know what I mean? I didn't, I didn't know exactly where it was gonna lead, but, I still work on production on the side.

I don't strictly do social media, so I'm still, you know, producing running sessions, sending beat packs out to artists that I like. So. and it, I, you know, it's helped me gain a lot of connections to further that side of my career as well.

[00:12:30] Dmitri: Yeah, it's really interesting. I think you, you represent this kind of growing field of creators that think about the social media content component alongside of, sometimes maybe even before the music creation, but it sounds like you've got a good, like, parallel balance now because the, the whole, it originated with you producing beats and then you're like,

 let's create an audience basically around my beats in doing this thing. but I, I mean, is that accurate to say that you think about the social media component alongside of, or even before the music creation piece?

[00:13:00] Hunna G: Well, here's the thing, I, I think nowadays, I lot of music is marketing, so it's all about your brand.

It's all about your image online. I mean, and that's not to say that someone can't make a great song and just go viral. You know, off of a song that still happens, I think you're going to benefit from having a social presence just because it, it helps you connect with people and you're putting your stuff out there so you know, the new resume is your Instagram account.

 and I mean, this has been going on since way before I started posting as well. and I know this my, not to keep bringing up Johnny 2 Phones here, but. We had a pretty big song when we were in college together. and that was my first experience with like virality in something I was involved in. Um, and even since then, it's changed, but it, it has always benefited us to post our music online and come up with ideas to help promote the music, because otherwise it's just on Spotify and unless you have a ton of friends that are gonna stream your music and help you, you know, promote it within social circles, the next best thing is social media.

It's generally pretty low, budget to be able to promote yourself. You know, you could, you could pick up your phone and post a video every day and have an equal chance of going viral, you know, to someone else. So, yeah. I think at this point it's kind of, I don't wanna say dumb, but it's dumb not to be posting if you're an artist, you know?

[00:14:26] Dmitri: Yeah. Yeah. I, I guess when we think about that kind of like social media being a driver and video content creation, being a driver for a career like yours, what, what would you say are some of the pros and what are the cons of thinking about music in that way?

[00:14:41] Hunna G: Yeah, I mean, the pros are that you know, it grows your connection.

It could, it helps you out. It'll get you streams. It'll, you know, the whole thing. But I guess the cons would be. That you have to focus on social media, which isn't always what you signed up for. Right,

[00:14:55] Dmitri: right.

[00:14:55] Hunna G: So, you know, there's definitely days where I'm like, okay, I gotta go film this TikTok, you know, whatever.

But, uh, I enjoy it. what I do is a somewhat unique, I think, to just being a Tiktoker per se. I think, you know, I get to meet people in person. I get to work with the artist right there on the spot. I get to, you know, talk to them, see, see what their story is all about. Um. It's different than like, I'm gonna go do a TikTok dance, I guess.

So there's, there's different levels to it, you know, but I would say it's just, you just gotta do it, you know?

[00:15:27] Dmitri: Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. Alright, well we gotta take a quick break and when we come back I want to ask a little bit about what a day in the life of Hunna G looks like. We'll be right back.

All right, we're back. Hunna G this has been fun to hear about, like how you got this started, kind of what's happening in kind of the music video creation world, what the impact is on your career and in general, what that's like. I'm really curious what's like, what's the day in the life of a, music slash content creator like Hunna G?

Like how many days a week are you shooting videos? What else are you up to during the day? stuff like that. I'm really curious.

[00:16:02] Hunna G: Sure. So I probably film about twice a week, regularly. Uh, obviously when it is below freezing in New York City, I'm not always outside, but I try to be, and I have filmed in the snow, so that's, that's not a deterrent for me.

 but yeah, I try to, you know, I try not to have every day of the week focused on content. I mean, it's just impossible to, to keep that up. And it's not what any musician wants to be doing. For their entire week. So I like to have a balance where, you know, I'm preparing to film or, you know, I'm making beats, uh, to, to bring to the park.

 and the rest of my week is really just networking with artists, running sessions, making beats for specific artists or just for myself. And yeah, it's, it's, it's great though. I mean, it's all centered around music. I consider myself pretty lucky that I can wake up every day and, and work on my music.

 and I have great people that I live with. I live with a bunch of videographers, so it's all, you know, we have a little community going here and uh, it's just keeps you pushing forward, keeps you moving, and yeah, you have to balance it out for sure.

[00:17:09] Dmitri: So are your housemates also doing social video content?

[00:17:12] Hunna G: Yeah, so Nick from Project Freefall that I mentioned, I actually live with him now. and then my other two roommates are also, uh, videographers. So, they all do their own things well, one of 'em is a photographer and another one is pursuing YouTube on his own. So he is, he's had some pretty big success recently with one of his Instagram posts, which is great to hear.

 but we're always trying to encourage each other to. To keep it going. And, and you need people to talk to that are doing this every day because it does get confusing and it's constantly changing. So you need to be, you know, innovating or you know, oh, this guy is doing this and this is working. You know, we're always looking for

[00:17:50] Dmitri: comparing notes.

[00:17:51] Hunna G: Yeah, exactly. So,

[00:17:52] Dmitri: yeah. That's cool.

[00:17:53] Hunna G: Um, yeah.

[00:17:53] Dmitri: I'm curious how many of the videos you shoot never make it online?

[00:17:57] Hunna G: Oh, man. Uh, more than I would like to admit, but uh, yeah, I've probably done thousands. Like, and I have all the raw footage, still to this day, but I definitely have to be somewhat selective.

And in reality, not everyone is great at rapping or singing, so it's, it's tough. I don't like saying though, but you know, it's like, hey, there has to be some sort of quality control going on.

[00:18:23] Dmitri: Absolutely.

[00:18:24] Hunna G: Yeah. But, you know, hey, if someone's great and I've enjoyed it, you know, I'll go home and edit that video and post it.

So.

[00:18:30] Dmitri: Yeah. Cool. I'm curious, what's shifted for your career since things have really taken off and I, I especially like as an independent artist, how do you structure your team? Where do creators like you make a living? I mean, you talked a little bit about like you expected to sell beats, online and now you, you know, the social media thing is a whole other thing.

I'm curious how that all works together.

[00:18:51] Hunna G: Sure. Yeah. So my team is pretty small. It's just me and my manager. Then obviously I have friends that are also doing this, which I would consider to be on my team.

[00:19:00] Dmitri: Part of the family.

[00:19:01] Hunna G: Yeah, they're part of the family. but yeah, I mean, you definitely need people around you that are gonna help.

 you know, I tried to keep a lot of it to myself. Like I still edit all my videos. Um, I still make all the beats, I do all the mixing of the audio. but. Realistically, there probably would be a point where I would have to outsource this as well. Just, you know, there's certain weeks where I wish I did outsource it, but I don't mind.

I like to be involved, you know, I like to be able to change it. I like to see what's going on. I was there so it's easier for me to edit the video. 'cause I was witnessing what was going on. So, there's that aspect, you know, you have to trust your team. You have to be able to, you know. If you have to send a video to an editor, but you have to give 'em a thousand notes, it may not be worth it to you then just to do it yourself.

 that being said, uh, sorry, what was the second half of the question?

[00:19:51] Dmitri: Oh, also just kind of like, where do creators like you make a living?

[00:19:54] Hunna G: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's, I mean, music is interesting because there's many sources going on here. So you have like streaming, you know, revenue off of Spotify.

 and we've dropped a lot of the, songs that we've done on the show are, you know, usually after the fact if the video goes up, the artist is like, Hey, can we release this,

[00:20:14] Dmitri: release that,

[00:20:14] Hunna G: and I'll give 'em the audio, or they'll go, you know, rerecord it in the studio somewhere. so there's that. I mean, brands are great.

That's like, probably number one I would say is, is brand deals, for social media content. and that's where having a manager comes into play. Um,

[00:20:29] Dmitri: I see.

[00:20:30] Hunna G: So I don't have to be sending out all these emails every day. Right. but yeah, that's a, that's a great source. And brands, you know, like, it's a pretty synergistic relationship.

I think if you find the right brands, like we're not targeting, like, people that I know wouldn't, brands I wouldn't wanna work with. Like, I try to stick within like music related stuff and, Products that I would want to actually use. So that's also key. You don't want to get too crazy with it and, turn down your audience.

You know,

[00:20:57] Dmitri: I, I gotta be honest, Hunna, I, I've looked at so many of your videos and I've never even thought about, you know, I've seen some drinks on the table or something like that, but I haven't seen

[00:21:06] Hunna G: That's a big one. That's a big one.

[00:21:07] Dmitri: Yeah. I haven't seen a lot of. Promotion. You know, like to me, I'm, I'm not, I don't look at him like, this dude is always selling something to me.

[00:21:14] Hunna G: No

[00:21:14] Dmitri: Well's, very

organic's.

[00:21:15] Hunna G: How that's how it should be, because you don't want to be seen as the guy who's just selling stuff at a table, right?

[00:21:20] Dmitri: Yeah.

[00:21:20] Hunna G: Um, but yeah, I mean, monster's great. they've treated me well. This is my second year with them. So like longer term relationships is great. and then at the end of the day it's, I mean, you can get paid for the views themselves.

So like TikTok has a creator program. Instagram has a. A bonus program where you can sign up and get, get some cash. It's not gonna be life changing, but it'll, you know, every, I feel like the music industry is all about diversifying your income. Like you need many sources. It's not gonna be just Spotify, it's not gonna be just your publishing.

Like it's gonna be everything together. So, you know, my hope is that as this keeps growing in the future, maybe I could branch out into shows. I know how to DJ slightly, so that could be another avenue that I could, you know, dab

[00:22:06] Dmitri: slightly,

[00:22:07] Hunna G: slightly. I'm definitely more of a producer, but I mean, at heart I want a hit song.

Like that's my goal in, in life, I think is just to, to have a billboard hit. and I think this is definitely leading me down the right path for that. Um,

[00:22:21] Dmitri: Yeah, I can imagine you're like keeping notes about all these people who sit down at the table in Washington Square, wherever you are. Someday we're gonna produce something together for this one and like you

[00:22:28] Hunna G: Oh yeah.

[00:22:29] Dmitri: You get like a special star system for who, who you're gonna make your hit with. Well, like, these are auditions, man. These are like weekly auditions.

[00:22:36] Hunna G: Well, that's the thing, it's, it's an interesting thing because it's kind of a cheat code you get to meet the artists. So I'm actually sitting with them and that's, there's something.

Much different about that compared to just trying to contact people online.

[00:22:51] Dmitri: Yeah.

[00:22:51] Hunna G: Um, and they, you know, it's like you, you meet somebody and you remember them a lot more than just an email. So that's, you know, I've been leveraging that myself and, uh, just being able to reach out to artists and have them, you know, answer because you're doing something cool is also, is, you know, kind of a cheat code.

And that's why I would, I would say to every producer. Make some content because as a producer, I mean, a lot of producers are just behind the scenes, dudes. And unless you have a strong network that you've built behind the scenes, you're gonna have a trouble, you know, sending packs out. You're basically just sending stuff into the dark, you know, so it's like.

If you work on your brand, you give the artist a reason to want to work with you more than maybe just your beats. Unless your beats are just super fire and they wanna work with you. But, uh, it's just tough nowadays. There's so many producers, there's so many people making music. You have to stand out somehow, you know?

[00:23:45] Dmitri: Yeah.

[00:23:45] Hunna G: And in a creative way. It doesn't have to be doing TikTok dances. Yeah.

[00:23:49] Dmitri: It's funny when you were talking about, kind of like how the different revenue streams for, for artists and, and how diversified that has to be. you talk to old music industry people or if you're on Music Row in Nashville, you hear somebody, you hear people refer to mailbox money.

 and they're talking about like songwriters. That, you know, their stuff is getting featured in various ways. Like producers are those songwriters.

[00:24:10] Hunna G: Mm-hmm.

[00:24:11] Dmitri: You know, in, in, in a lot of ways. And, um, it's interesting to think about that old mailbox money that might be your, your publishing related revenues versus, say the TikTok Creator program or the Instagram bonus program that becomes your, it's like you can't count on it necessarily, but it's nice when it shows up.

[00:24:26] Hunna G: Exactly. Exactly. Yeah.

[00:24:28] Dmitri: Yeah. You know, since this is a music tech podcast. What are some of your favorite music tech products?

[00:24:34] Hunna G: Man, there's a ton. I would say honestly Tembo. I know, I know we had talked about it, but Tembo is one of my favorites. I have it over here somewhere. Um, one of my favorites recently.

I have not seen something like that. Um, I also love the OP one by teenage engineering. I would say that's probably what I would go to the most for production, just because it is a synth, so it's super easy to, to jot down ideas. Also, love that thing on a plane. Great for,

[00:25:03] Dmitri: oh, it's so small

[00:25:03] Hunna G: for portability.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:25:06] Dmitri: And for anyone that doesn't know the Tembo 'cause that we haven't promoted on the podcast, uh, at Rock Paper Scissors, we're working with musical beings on this new wooden instrument. If you were at Music Tectonics, you got to play with it and see it. Or if you were at NAMM, we had some of them floating around as well.

But actually it, they just. Are in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign that's blowing up. It's over a million dollars in the first 24 hours, but it's, it's a, uh, kind of a beat sequencer. It's wooden, it has these magnets on it. You move 'em around, uh, to create the beats and it's, it's fun to, it's just fun to play with.

And as soon as you touch it, you, you, like, you can become a beat maker very easily, which is cool. just in case anybody doesn't know what Hunna was talking about there.

[00:25:42] Hunna G: Yeah.

[00:25:42] Dmitri: Well, that's cool. Um, what about if we widen out, Hunna. What trends are you keeping an eye on in music tech and innovation beyond just a specific product or anything like that?

[00:25:52] Hunna G: That's a good one. I, uh, definitely been keeping an eye on AI because, and of course I know no one wants to hear about AI right now. I know, I know. I get it. I get it. I, I hear it all the time, but it's definitely going to change the industry. It already is. Um, and I am keeping a close eye on it because I think there's a lot of room.

For it to grow into the ecosystem, like besides Suno or, you know, any of the song generators? uh, the way I see it is that we will eventually have it built into our daws. So I think as a producer, uh, instead of just saying, Hey, make me a pop song, and then it just sings you a pop song, I'll have. Tools available to me that are built into my software that will enhance my ability to make music without completely stripping it of all the fun and creativity.

Um, I think right now it's in kind of a weird limbo where we don't really know what to do with it. We're having copyright issues, we're having all these, you know, we're having ethical arguments over it. but I think when the sea is calm again, it will be. A good relationship. I'm hoping, and I hope, you know, I don't know, I, I can't predict the future of ai, but I will say I'm keeping a very close eye on it.

And I'm always looking for new stuff that's coming out that people are making. and especially just integration, I think it just needs to be integrated a little bit better into our workflow. 'cause I don't want to talk to a robot and have it make me a beat, you know? It's just not fun and it's not, it just doesn't feel good, you know?

But. I think if I had a tool where it was helping me to make music, you know, within the, within the current architecture that we use, I think that's where the, the sauce is gonna be. and I think people will change their minds about it, uh, if they're against it, when that comes out. But, yeah, it's, yeah.

[00:27:47] Dmitri: Makes sense.

[00:27:48] Hunna G: It's interesting. It's interesting where things are going right now.

[00:27:51] Dmitri: Yeah. Yeah. Are there any other trends that, Maybe if that wasn't happening, you'd be paying attention to more, or

[00:27:57] Hunna G: I would say, uh, I mean, I've noticed that many more artists are choosing to be independent over signing deals.

Um,

[00:28:06] Dmitri: yeah,

[00:28:06] Hunna G: I think this is, I mean, I have a ton of opinions on this, but I think that at the end of the day, the labels don't necessarily help a ton in the beginning stages of your career. So I just feel like. People are seeing that. It's like, okay, you, you know, if you're lucky enough to be offered a deal before you're viral or making a ton of money, I mean, you're still gonna have to put the work in yourself.

You still have to go do it. They're gonna expect you to go, you know, demo your songs on TikTok, which one's working? We should go with this one. You know, it's like the same thing that everyone already knows. So I think artists are often choosing to just do that themselves. And then perhaps. Speak to a label when they've already done the, groundwork to, to build themselves up.

 it just gives you more leverage when you go talk to 'em. and I also think on the other side, I think labels are shifting to figure out how to integrate themselves into this ecosystem more and actually be more helpful for the artist. So it's kind of like this little switch where it's like the artists are like, Hey, we could just do this with Distro Kid and TikTok, but.

On the other hand, the labels are like, Hey, we have to switch our model to fit this new world that we're, that we're living in. You know? So, and I'm sure that it will change again probably within the next couple years. So it's not, you know, it's, it's ever evolving. But, yeah, I've noticed that from a lot of different people I've talked to.

[00:29:28] Dmitri: Yeah. Yeah, it makes sense. There's, there's definitely when so many things are shifting, then those, those deals start to look differently. You know, you start to say, wait, does this add up the way it used to? I mean, if everybody's struggling to figure out how to make stuff work or how to get exposure or blow up or make money or whatever, then you start to say, well, maybe I know as much as everyone else now, because what everyone knew before is kind of not really the same as it was.

[00:29:53] Hunna G: Right,

[00:29:54] Dmitri: right. Yeah. Well, this has been an absolute blast. I wanna ask you one more thing. What's next for Hunna G? How do you take this brand, this series that you've built and grow it from here? what can we hope for? Do we know?

[00:30:06] Hunna G: Man, I have a lot of ideas. A lot of ideas cooking. I mean, recently I've been, like I said, I've been doing a lot of sessions, so, you know, I've been contacting artists that I like, or even people I've been at my show in the past.

Having them actually come over to my, my studio that we're sitting in right now. And, uh, trying to just make songs instead of in the context of a freestyle or an in the moment, type of thing, which is great for entertainment value, but it's not good for, you know, music takes time. Like everyone knows that it's not, you know, you can get lucky and make great things quickly, but.

I like to be able to sit with it and kind of develop as well. So, you know, I've been doing a lot of that. I've been, you know, toying with the idea of making beats live outside at the table. So perhaps this summer when it gets a little nicer out and I can withstand a couple hours outside, I will, uh, begin to partake in that.

Um, that's

[00:31:01] Dmitri: cool.

[00:31:02] Hunna G: But yeah, I think, you know, I think everyone knows what I do. Content-wise, I think it's time to, to get more songs out there and just get more, show more of my, uh, my art, I guess. You know, outside of the, the table context, so.

[00:31:18] Dmitri: Yeah. Perfect. Well, you've built it up, so, um, it'll be really fun to keep an eye on you.

Hunna G. Hunna G Beats. You can find them on all the, on the platforms. H-U-N-N-A, take a seat wrap on the beat. Maybe some of our listeners will get to come and sit down and rap for you sometime.

[00:31:33] Hunna G: You never know.

[00:31:34] Dmitri: Hunna, this has been great. Thanks so much for taking the time. Appreciate you being here at Music Tectonics.

[00:31:38] Hunna G: Awesome. Thank you so much for having me.

Let us know what you think! Find us on LinkedIn, and Instagram, or connect with podcast host Dmitri Vietze on LinkedIn.

The Music Tectonics podcast goes beneath the surface of the music industry to explore how technology is changing the way business gets done. Weekly episodes include interviews with music tech movers & shakers, deep dives into seismic shifts, and more.