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Audio By Carbonatix
Two years ago, the producer, engineer and studio owner Mac D approached hip-hop artist DNA Picasso about a collaborative project, pitching an album with maybe 12 to 15 songs. But DNA overdelivered, gathering nearly 50 local artists and producers for a weekend-long marathon of writing and recording at The Lab Studios in Denver last December.
“In that entire time since we had that first conversation up to when we recorded, he was the one masterminding it all,” says Mac D, who founded The Lab in 2014. “It ended up being way more extravagant than just a small little project.”
Four days of studio time were distilled into two albums totaling 26 songs: the R&B-focused “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL: DISC 1: DEPARTURES” and the hip-hop-forward “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL: DISC 2: ARRIVALS.” Both albums will be released on Friday, July 17, via DNA’s label Aero Music Group, which he launched in February. We spoke with Mac D, DNA, and some of the featured artists to get the scoop on how this massive undertaking happened, how it reflects the values of the local music community, and what it could mean for Colorado’s urban music scene.
Colorado’s wake-up call
Mac D says he was “first and foremost” interested in working with DNA, who had been recording at The Lab for years with their engineer/producer Deuce. “But once it started to turn into what it is,” he says, “I was, like, ‘This would be a great way to show the talent that can come out of this whole state, and mesh together people that have been in the scene for a long time with people who haven’t.’”
Being deeply immersed in Colorado’s music industry, they were both tired of seeing social-media comments from people shocked that top-notch R&B and hip-hop artists exist in Colorado. “They don’t know that there’s an actual music scene here? To me, that’s crazy,” Mac D says.
Now, the two-disc compilation project provides a crash course for the unaware. “I don’t see it as a bunch of artists coming together because Colorado needs saving, or because we’re trying to prove we belong,” DNA says. “I want this project to be a reminder that there’s a lot for this city to be proud of. And if it’s not a reminder, it’s a wake-up call.”
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Drafting “an all-star lineup”
The “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL” projects feature a stacked lineup of Colorado’s best R&B and hip-hop artists, from buzzy new faces to seasoned industry talents. “As much as I’m showcasing new artists, I also handpicked an all-star lineup,” DNA says of the dream team he assembled.
The Denver music veteran always had a knack for discovering and nurturing fresh talent, and has built up an extensive network of artists through years of working in the scene, booking shows and seeking referrals from other industry professionals. “I can’t act like it’s just been my own independent research,” he admits. “I ask for a lot of recommendations, whether it’s from studio owners, managers, other artists or talent buyers. Some of these are deep-rooted relationships from 10 years ago, and some [are people] I met this year.”
When DNA started putting out feelers to artists he wanted on the project, nearly everyone he contacted jumped at the chance. “There was no way I was going to deny it. I instantly pulled out my notebook,” says JMAT, a rapper from Fountain, Colo.
“I didn’t even think about or really process what he asked me, I just said yes,” adds Lokana, a singer who grew up in Littleton.
DNA amassed a collection of beats from some of his favorite local producers, and sent each artist a selection of instrumentals that he thought would fit their vibe. While they were preparing material for the studio sessions, he worked behind the scenes to plan which combination of artists would appear on each track, culminating in unexpected pairings of people who probably would have never met, let alone worked together.
Some artists were purposely matched together by DNA, like R&B singer Spinks and rapper Trev Rich on the funky, Deuce-produced “Hard 2 Focus.” Others requested to be on a certain song after listening to someone else recording.
Lokana, for example, had been trying to collaborate with TheyCallHimAP since they met a couple years ago, so she made a beeline for him during the studio sessions. The two worked so well together during the making of catchy summer bop “Losing Your Mind,” that they decided to do a second song together, “If It Feels Right,” on which DNA contributed a verse to after hearing the demo.
“DISC 1- DEPARTURES” is mainly R&B, but has dance and pop influences as well as several rap features from hip-hop artists like Trayce Chapman, Old Man Saxon and Osha Renee. “DISC 2- ARRIVALS” appeals more directly to hip-hop heads, but has some twists, too, like Sidmfkid and DNA rapping over an alternative rock-inspired instrumental by ErikTheProducer on “I Wonder.”
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Meeting of the minds
Putting so many different artists in a room could easily turn into pandemonium, but Mac D was surprised by how well everyone worked together: “It went extremely smoothly, I have to say. It could’ve been chaos, or a huge party, but it was all business. Everyone took it very professionally.”
Surrounded by their industry peers and leaders, people wanted to put their best foot forward. “Everyone really put their whole entire heart and soul into this project,” says Lokana. “People really felt the pressure. DNA is looked at as a community leader. He seriously is like everyone’s big bro, and we don’t want to disappoint him.”
Navigating egos, clashing artistic processes and competing visions is a logistical minefield, but Mac D and DNA made it happen, says multidisciplinary artist Dominique Christina. “Getting all those minds and all those people onto a track, and having them feel like they all got what they wanted from it, is some difficult shit,” she says. “They really did allow artists to have their actual process, even when it complicated things for them. So I think artists will talk about this experience as being singular.”
Perhaps the most difficult track to record was “I See Who Sees Me,” the only song built entirely from scratch in real time at the studio. Christina, producers/instrumentalists Wicjones and don, and vocalists Iyanla and Halle Tomlinson (who are also credited as producers on the track) spent hours workshopping and refining the stunning, soulful ballad — as DNA and Mac D looked on wearily.
“We were really enamored with the fact that we were allowed to do a ground-up thing,” Christina recalls. “That was frustrating for both of them, but we were allowed to do it.”
The Denver difference
The project was created without the usual financial constraints, thanks to Mac D generously offering free use of The Lab Studios. “I could talk about all the shit that this took, and all the relationships that were poured into it, but none of that would have been possible if he hadn’t opened his doors to the possibility,” DNA says. “Because often, artists will be like, ‘I would collaborate with this artist, but who’s going to pay for studio time? How much is it going to cost?’ And the artists didn’t have to worry about that at all.”
For Mac D, that’s what owning a studio is all about: “At the end of the day, I feel like a place like this should be doing stuff like that, especially for the sake of the music.”
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It’s a perfect example of how Denver operates a little differently than other music communities, according to Christina, who grew up in Denver.
“This project is a reflection of not just the talent in the city, but the generous spirits. Not everybody is gatekeeping,” she explains. “Are they doing it like that in L.A., without asking for a whole bunch of shit up front? I don’t think so.”
In some ways, an increasingly digitalized world gives creatives unprecedented access to one another, but parasocial relationships formed online are a poor substitute for face-to-face connections. “My biggest advice is always to go out to community events,” Lokana says. “People are going to remember actually shaking your hand and seeing your face. A DM on Instagram is going to get lost.”
Recording all together at The Lab was complicated, but it was an intentional choice. As an antidote to the artifice of social media, Denver artists like DNA are turning to events that encourage in-person networking, such as artist meet-ups, industry conferences, open studio hours and free community shows.
“Social media has given everyone these perceptions of what success is supposed to look like as an independent artist, and to me it’s completely different,” JMAT says. “Success is getting more community outreach and tapping in with different artists. The best thing that we’re doing right now is what DNA is doing: making music more community-related, and not just on social media.”
Addressing Denver music’s identity crisis
Both volumes of “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL” demonstrate that the Denver music scene already has an identity; it just needs an attitude shift. “The unfortunate bit of business, to me, is the ways in which people here clamor for an identity as if they don’t have one,” Christina says.
One reason Denver isn’t viewed as a music hotspot like Nashville, New York or L.A. is that there’s no easily identifiable “Denver sound.” Located in the heart of the country with an ever-growing population of transplants, Colorado music can’t be neatly pigeonholed – but it shouldn’t have to be. “If we had a distinct sound, there would be more people doing just that. But we have a wide variety of artists here,” says Mac D, calling the debate a “loaded question.”
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“Denver has many sounds,” DNA agrees. “These projects provide a snapshot of what Denver’s hip-hop and R&B scenes are like at a high level right now.”
“I don’t know how we would have a sound when we’re sort of an organ that stretches out in every direction,” Christina adds. “We would have what we have: an amalgamation of different cities, bringing with them their experiences and their practices, and landing here a mile above everybody else, collaborating.”
The communal process of creating the “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL” albums has since given birth to further collaborations, just as DNA and Mac D intended. “This entire process opened up a lot of doors for me,” reflects JMAT. “It gave me the chance to be around people that I don’t know if I ever would have been around otherwise.”
Some of the artists immediately started working on more music together. Seven of them, including JMAT and DNA, formed a new hip-hop collective called 4KKRASHOUT. Twenty-one of them will play this year’s Underground Music Showcase, which will also feature an Aero Music Group pop-up event celebrating the albums.
“You become this resource, and now there’s talent everywhere being amplified and cultivated,” Christina says of the project’s impact. “If there’s an identity that we want to form, I would think it’s that.”
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From Denver to the world
While the artists of “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL” aren’t relying on external approval from a national audience, they still hope the releases will raise the profile of Colorado’s urban music. “I’m hoping that this is a bridge between hip-hop and R&B artists and the people who love hip-hop and R&B, connecting the artist to the consumer. I don’t think we as a collective have cracked the code on that yet,” DNA says.
These releases have lined up a potential “Watershed moment” for Colorado music, Christina predicts: “The project, sonically, stands up to absolutely everything on the radio. It’s not good with an asterisk– good for Denver artists, good for The Lab, good for a rap dude that came up with some R&B. It is objectively a great project.”
“With a project like what we’ve put together,” Mac D concludes, “if we’re able to put it in the right eyes, it could change the whole outlook.”
“DENVER, INTERNATIONAL: DISC 1: DEPARTURES” and “DENVER, INTERNATIONAL: DISC 2: ARRIVALS” will be released on all streaming platforms Friday, July 17. Aero Music Group will be hosting a listening experience for both projects during the Underground Music Showcase on Sunday, July 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Beacon Denver, 2854 Larimer Street.
