For Turbo, Timing Is Everything

Hypebeast is conducting a series of conversations with producers to learn more about the oftentimes overlooked musicians behind the mixers.

What’s the most important part of a beat to Turbo, the producer responsible for "YOSEMITE," "neck on a yacht" and "WUNNA"? “Tempo,” he says immediately. “Even without any music, if a beat has the right drums, it’ll still make people move.”

It’s a fitting answer from the experienced producer, who attributes his success to his ability to discern the “right place, right time.”

Shared College Park, Atlanta roots officially connected him and Gunna in the studio in 2017, when the producer was working with T.I. and the rapper with YSL. Turbo contributed significantly to the rapper’s Drip Season 3 in 2018 — despite Gunna losing his hard drive in the process — which the duo followed up with “Drip Too Hard.”

“I told Gunna and Lil Baby that they needed to drop a collab album,” Turbo recalls, reminiscing on the internet craze after the aforementioned Grammy-nominated single in September 2018. Less than a month later, Turbo executive produced Gunna and Lil Baby’s Drip Harder, which put the duo on the map as a collaborative unit.

It’s the comfortably consistent, yet still evolving, soundscape that Turbo has created alongside Gunna that stamps his credibility, with the duo remaining aligned through all of the rapper’s studio albums, with high points on Drip or Drown 2 (2019), WUNNA (2020), and, most recently, this year’s one of wun. Turbo’s other collaborations are intentional and nearly all fall within his Atlanta network: Young Thug, Shad Da God and Lil Gotit included.

Turbo only has one solo studio single – “Quarantine Clean” with Gunna and Young Thug – though he confirms a solo album is on the way. That is, when the tempo is right.

What was your first introduction to music?

Through the church. I had a few family members who played the drums as well. My mom was always blasting neo-soul like Jill Scott and India Arie through the house. My grandma had a piano in her garage and it was all old and rickety and out of key. It just went from place to place – whether it was her house, my aunt’s house, or my house, it was always somewhere because my grandma wanted to keep it in the family. I was always tapping the keys wherever it would be, with the dust on it and everything.

When did you get into production, specifically?

In my teens – and I was hooked immediately. At first, though, I was rapping. In high school, my friends and I created our own little group. We’d rap, sing, and record all our own stuff and perform at all the local talent shows.

When did you land your first placement?

My first placement was when I was 19 with T.I., on a Bankroll Mafia collab album that T.I. was doing with a bunch of Atlanta guys – Young Thug, Young Dro, Shad Da God. Bankroll Mafia’s “Smoke Tree” was the first time I saw a big-budget video done for one of my beats. There’s another early song I did with T.I. and Kap G called “Mi Familia,” which transpired because I went to high school with Kap.

How did you and Gunna first connect?

We’re both from College Park. My mom’s house was five minutes away from Gunna’s family’s house, so we sort of always knew of each other just from being in the same neighborhood. We didn’t start working until he got connected with Thug and YSL, which was when I was running around with T.I. We’d always meet in the studio and started to grow a friendship from there.

Any memorable anecdotes that come to mind when thinking of those early studio sessions?

People don’t know this, but Gunna used to be terrible with his hard drive – and I mean absolutely terrible. It would always be falling apart, and I would always get on him like “What is wrong with you, you gotta do better.” I remember specifically one time he lost his hard drive. I was so frustrated with him. It was when we were working on Drip Season 3. I remember yelling at him like “Bro, this is your life, you’re being irresponsible with it.”

I told him to give me $100 and I’d buy him a brand new hard drive – but I’d be the one to carry it. He wasn’t carrying that sh*t anywhere. We rerecorded everything for Drip Season 3 and that’s when we wound up with “Oh Okay.” We spent a month or two rerecording new songs thinking we were gonna have to start over entirely. And then he got his hard drive back.

When did Lil Baby come into the picture?

At that same time, Baby was starting to bubble on his own. “Sold Out Dates” leaked and that was another one of those moments when I was like “F*ck.” I put both of them in a group chat and I was like “What the f*ck are y’all doing? How did this song leak?” I mixed and mastered “Sold Out Dates” and put it on streaming and people loved it. That’s when the whole “Baby and Gunna” moment started. The whole internet was going crazy over the two of them as a unit. I told them they needed to drop an album now. I said “Look, I’ll produce the whole thing. You guys just have to rap.” “Drip Too Hard” was the last song we made and that’s how I knew the project was done. It was like lighting a match.

How do you know when a song is done?

It just feels good. I learned to stop staring at the computer screen, just close my eyes and listen to it. When it sounds right, I leave it alone and I ride around to it and if it makes it past the car test, it’s going on streaming.

Why do you think you and Gunna collaborate so well?

We’re brothers. Making music is the easy part.

If you had to describe your sound, how would you do so?

It’s modern music. I’m not looking to make music for the club or for any specific situation. I want to make music that anyone can listen to at any moment in their life.

What’s something signature to a Turbo beat?

I think something specifically I brought back was acoustic guitars in rap. No one was putting them on a trap beat in 2018. I have been drawn to acoustic sounds ever since my childhood, so it just goes to show that I’m tapping into my authentic tastes and making the music that I like to make.

"Right place, right time."

What’s the most important factor you consider when dropping a track?

Right place, right time.

Any examples of that you can think of?

The first thing that comes to mind is “Quarantine Clean.” It dropped at the perfect time. We were in quarantine and I wanted to drop something fun. Another one is Travis Scott and Gunna’s “YOSEMITE.” The first night we landed in Hawaii we made that song. Travis had the studio set up in the living room of a house, and the house was so big he had to record under a blanket so you didn’t hear an echo.

How do you decide who to collaborate with?

I work with my friends. I also reach out to people who I’m genuinely fans of, already knowing what I want to hear from them.

What’s one of the more random places you’ve found inspiration?

Roddy Ricch’s “Survivor’s Remorse” started from a Kelly Clarkson sample. I found a video of her singing in a coffee shop on TikTok and grabbed it.

What makes a good beat?

Tempo. Good drums. That’s the most important thing because even without any music if a beat has the right drums, it’ll still make people move.

What can we expect from your debut album?

The unexpected. Be ready to embrace a new sound. I’m gonna put my point up for the producer community.

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For Turbo, Timing Is Everything

For Turbo, Timing Is Everything

For Turbo, Timing Is Everything

For Turbo, Timing Is Everything

For Turbo, Timing Is Everything