Today we’d like to introduce you to Startin5.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
JB: I’m from Detroit and Spiff is from New Orleans so we both have music in our dna. We met at Norfolk State University, and formed a friendship through playing in the Spartan Legion band together. He’s a trumpet player, and I play sax.
Those were some of the best times of our lives, and has proven to be quite relevant to what we do now as producers, from the traditional musical training and exposure to different genres and ideas, to etiquette and respect in dealing with people and building relationships. Our greatest bond was our group of friends called “Startin5”. We named our production team the same as homage to them. After we graduated college we both went home to work. I worked in retail, and Spiff, in sales. I was developing artists locally in Detroit, and Spiff found himself in the studio with some friends of his, known as Da Goonz. They had a buzz in New Orleans. He reached out to me because we were friends and he knew I made beats. I sent tracks to them and they used a couple of them, which was dope for me to get some more exposure outside of the city. This was the beginning of our relationship as business partners. Shortly thereafter, we took a trip back to Virginia to kick it with the homies, and ended up getting in the studio with our good friend B Foreman, another super talented producer. This was the first time Spiff made beats, and he was a natural. We cooked up a little heat that weekend! From there we bounced around on the Megabus to a few cities, before ending up in Atlanta, at Spiff’s mom’s crib. It was then that we decided to just drop everything and move down here with her. Within 2 weeks we were both in the A and making music together. We went to a lot of events, worked with a bunch of rappers, and logged a lot of miles and hours to get where we are today. Since our arrival, we’ve done work with The J.U.ST.I.C.E League, Vedo, Black Boe Flau’jae, Nesby Phipps, as well as many more up and coming talents that we’re extremely proud of! This is not even including the mixing work that Spiff has done. We’ve traveled the country playing our instruments in corporate bands, for movies, and anywhere else we can spread the gift of music. We have a deep passion for not only production and performance, but music education. We have both been classroom teachers, and have seen firsthand, the joy that music brings to kids and adults alike. We approach creating with that in mind. How can we get a reaction out of people? What’s going to make them move, celebrate, and just be happy? We hope to be an inspiration to the next generation of musicians. There is room for us in this industry. The industry starts and ends with MUSIC!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course not. We’ve dealt with a lot of rejection We’ve had arguments, stopped speaking to each other, and who knows what else. All things that make us stronger. We’ve been completely torn down in a studio before by a few cats. But once you realize that there’s always something for you to improve on, and not everybody’s opinion matters, you build tougher skin. In addition to that is timing. Everything is not going to work on your schedule, but when it’s time and schedules align, great things happen. As long as you maintain relationships, you set yourself up for divine timing to do it’s thing. I’ve learned that from Spiff. Up to this point, we’ve struggled together, been let down so many times, due to not understanding timing and patience, and I’m sure we’ve let each other down in the process, but the win is in how you come back. We’re doing this interview seven years later, so we’re still here and making our best music yet. We’re excited to see what the future holds.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Thank you for that! We’re a multifaceted music production team. We show up in many forms. Sometimes we work alone, sometimes we have an eight piece band with us, or a five piece string section. If you ever have the chance to lock in with us, you’d understand. It’s always been about the music. We’ll try any type of music that has feeling in it, but we’ve done some great things with r&b this year, and have some dope rap joints as well. Like I said before, music is in our DNA. And that’s what people should come to us for. We put a lot of energy into creating moments through song. Artists tend to come to us when they feel like nobody is hearing them, and their music is not speaking to them and their audience. We hear it all the time. “YouTube beats won’t cut it anymore”, and neither will producers that only speak one language. We speak the artist’s language, and strive to give them records they can be proud of, with no reservations. It’s all about feeling and getting a reaction. We love working with the artist and bringing their vision to life. When that perfect marriage happens, it’s a magical thing.
We’re most proud of the fact that we’re still here, together, making great music. It hasn’t perfect, but we know cats from school that don’t make beats anymore. We’re still going for them. A lot is on our back, so the goal is to not quit! More music, more creating, all the time! Spiff dropped his single “Intentions” this year, so go check that out wherever you listen to music. We produced Jailen Josey’s debut project “Illustrations”, which is also streaming everywhere, and fingers crossed, we have a HUGE record on the horizon to be released next year, so stay tuned for that announcement. We also just finished up our first live horns sample pack and we’re really excited about it. Please check our Instagram for updates on its release.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Spiff and I both taught music at the same school, and our classrooms were next door to each other! He taught band and choir and I taught general music. We turnt that school up. Shoutout to Kennesaw Charter, We miss y’all!
Contact Info:
- Email: Direct:Startin5wbm@
gmail.com Management: Startin5booking@gmail.com - Instagram: @Startin5wbm, @TheBrownBrand, @SpiffSinatra
- Spiff Sinatra-“intentions”- https://
music.apple.com/us/album/ intentions/1532176371?i= 1532176374 - Angel White- “Bedwarmer” https://youtu.be/
3c0Jnzp5Kk4 - Jailen Josey “Illustrations” https://music.apple.com/us/album/illustrations-ep/1531532879
- Chancer Smith. “Photoshop”- https://music.
apple.com/us/album/ illustrations-ep/1531532879
Image Credits
All pics except black and white pics: @keyunahj Black and white pics : Patrick Wilson
