One-half West Coast and other half East Coast, merge the two together and you get the dynamic pop/hip-hop/electronic duo PRTTY BOYS. Spaaadez (rapper & producer) and Johnie B (vocalist& producer) came together to release songs that will remind you of your own wild nights. With their recent release, “Cop Car” and “BAE”, the two are ready to drop their debut album The Juice Factory this Friday. Perfect timing since this is the summer jams you’ll need for those blurry nights that need a soundtrack. Check out our interview with the two where we find out how they kicked it off, juggling their own solo projects, and their ultimate celebrity BAE.
The Young Folks: First off, how did your two worlds eventually collide?
Spadez: To keep it simple, we met in class at the Clive Davis Institute and roomed up sophomore year. We’ve been rocking ever since then.
Johnie B: Word. And we would always be working on separate projects, but ask each other for advice on what we could tweak or add. We finally realized we should try collaborating.
TYF: When was the moment you two realized it’s time for you two to make music together as PRTTY BOYS?
Spadez: Once we got a spot together in LA we said let’s make it happen!
Johnie B: Captin’!
TYF: With ½ from the Bay and the other half from Kentucky, what did you guys learn from one another that you never would have known before?
Spadez: JB is a million times better at mixing than me so I’ve definitely been learning a lot there. Usually I finish a song then it’s on to the next so I’ve been spending more time figuring out how to get the sound right recently.
Johnie B: When we were in college I learned a ton of production tricks from my dude, especially how to accentuate a transition with little fills and cymbals and air sweeps. We’re still learning things from each other. We both like to checkout new plugins and compare notes. Oh and to really answer your question, I taught him all about Kentucky basketball. #CatsBy90
TYF: You both have solo projects along with juggling PRTTY BOYS. How do you balance your time for either project?
Spadez: THIS IS ALL I DO. [laughs] I mean, I have a job too, but other than that I’m making music. Writing, producing, mixing, exercising, studying, etc. I’m on it.
Johnie B: We just space it out. Spadez is a beast at production so that helps, but my thang was wrapped up beforehand and I was able to put all my energy into finishing off The Juice Factory.
TYF: Your roles in the past are closely related to what you’re doing now. What are some things you learned in your previous roles in the music industry that helped with your career today?
Spadez: I thought I knew this, but once I started working at a studio here in LA I really saw first-hand how some of the biggest artists out right now are the best for a reason. There were nights I’d be there from 10pm to 6am, and I would just soak up game the whole time. Also, collaboration is key. If you don’t have a team or some people you can call on for certain things, you’re creating a lot more work for yourself and slowing down the process.
Johnie B: I interned for Downtown and worked briefly for Chimera Music in New York. Those experiences showed me just how much work goes into building and sustaining a record label.
TYF: What can you tell us so far about your debut album The Juice Factory?
Spadez: SLAPS. I’ve put out a lot of music and this album is, in my opinion, my best work so far—production-wise and FOR SURE performance-wise. I’m not really out there like that with my vocals so I wanted to make sure every single line was memorable from a lyrical and melodic standpoint. I feel like verses usually don’t get remembered so my goal was to treat every verse like a hook—meaning it had to be catchy and had to be something you could say on the regular.
Johnie B: And they definitely get stuck in my head. I would tell you to expect some Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B flavors. The kind of music that makes sense when you’re cruising down the coast line.
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TYF: What’s it like to be in the studio with you two? How do songs normally come to life? Spadez: Nonchalant. And a vibe. Except when it comes to mixing—having people around when you’re mixing is kind of pointless because it’s tedious and gets pretty repetitive.
Johnie B: We come together at the beginning until we land on a concept and start on a melody we’re both really feeling. Then I’ll finish off the hook in my studio AKA room, pass that back to Spadez, he finishes the instrumental and he writes his verses to that almost finished product. He mixes, I mix, at the end of all that back and forth I polish it up with some mastering.
TYF: So far you have three songs out. Can you tell our readers who haven’t heard your songs yet the story behind each one?
Spadez: “Lose Your Mind” is basically what my life was like in New York. A 24/7 lituation. [laughs] I won’t get too much into details. I think I fall in love a little too easily but “Bae” is how I feel a lot. A wise man once said, “I’m not a player, I just crush a lot.”
Johnie B: Wow, I don’t know how to follow that [laughs]. “Cop Car” was the first song we did together. We definitely draw from our experiences in college where we would sometimes get a little “Johnie Too Turnt.”
TYF: With your latest release “Bae”, who is your celebrity bae that you hope to one day meet?
Spadez: Rachel DeMita. That’s BAE for real for real.
Johnie B: Rachel Maddow. BAEsically all the Rachels.
TYF: What are your goals for PRTTY BOYS? Individually, what are your goals in your personal careers?
Spadez: Household name status. I just wanna be successfuuuuul *drake voice*.
Johnie B: Grow our audience. Build out the label. Ideally play some Gilbert Arenas one day. I would also love to contribute to the industry through my business pursuits as well. To be continued.
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