New Orleans has been cooking up creole-inspired food since before the colonies went on their first date. The Big Easy is also the birthplace of Jazz and some of the most beloved tunes of our time. The city provides the soundtrack to the most fun times in the kitchen that is our daily lives. Every wedding attendee in America knows the opening violin notes of Juvenile’s Back That Azz Up for example.
Pick a genre and a generation. It does not matter; tunes coming out of New Orleans become timeless. “I Wish I Was In New Orleans” (Tom Waits), “House of the Rising Sun” (The Animals), “Born on the Bayou” (Credence Clearwater Revival), “Right Place Wrong Time” (Dr. John), “Walking To New Orleans” (Fats Domino), “When the Saints Go Marching In” (Louis Armstrong), “Bourbon and Lacs” (Master P). They all fit together, woven in the fabric that is this city’s voice transcending language barriers.
The Beat Battles at BooKoo Lounge are cooking up the next creative wave out of the Crescent City. Infamous La’ RixkieGod’s The Mind of Art collective debuted the new venture on the last Friday before Good Friday. It was free to get in and came with a $600 prize package for the top three producers.
French Augustine, like his beats, got right to the point when asked about the event. His in-your-face bass-laden jams came up just short of the semifinals, but I’d bet he’d be back with something better soon. Winning was only the financial part of the equation. The opportunity to learn and networking is what will help get the next hit out of New Orleans on national airwaves.
“This platform is a step to be able to showcase the unlimited talent that we have in New Orleans not just producers but artists as well,” French Augustine noted. “We have so much untapped potential and we need to put our egos aside and work together.”
It’s also a space to expand boundaries, add to the tool bag, and get honest feedback from a crowd slowly getting tipsy thanks to O.G. Barkeep Rasha G. However, “You definitely need to learn how to read a room to know what to play,” French Augustine added.
Kendal Banks (IG: realkendalbanks) got started with rap. “I’m a rapper first but I always wanted to make beats. I think we all beat on a desk or a lunch table at some point in grade school lol. But I mostly got my inspiration for production from artists like Kanye, The Alchemist, Mannie Fresh, plenty producers. I’m always finding inspiration from new producers because the world evolves and naturally you have to evolve with it. But creatively that just makes for a bigger bag of styles to pull from. I never wanna be a one-sound producer.”
“Just being able to have a space to come together and get real feedback from other creatives that are putting in the work everyday is a blessing,” Banks bellowed over the bass-booming loops. “Like, the judges from the event are like hands down the top dawgs in the city and to hear them tell me ‘Bro, why is you hiding all this smoke?!’ is just really reassuring and motivational. Really gives me a confidence boost to keep going and know I’m on the right track.”
Marleaux agreed.
“It felt really good and honestly refreshing to have a space like this to showcase our art, and to connect with our peers in our creative fields, especially in the heart of New Orleans, Marleaux explained. “There aren’t many events like this if any, in the city. The energy was great and everyone I talked to made the space that much better with the good energy. This was the first step in building something and I think that this is truly something special.”
“I hope they never stop doing events like this,” continued Marleaux. “I got started try to make a meme beat for my friends and honestly after learning the program I fell in love with it. My influences as a producer are Lucki (his beat selection), Future (beat selection), Metro, Scott Storch, and South Side.”
Marleaux “learned from other producers that what type of beats you play and when you play them MATTERS. Just like an artist may be looking for a certain type of vibe the crowd will too.”
That was something Casada Jones had to learn the hard way, but hey, there is the first time for everything. Humble but with head held high, Jones was confident after putting the work out into the world.
“I think it meant a great deal, especially for a producer like myself who come from a different sound and music culture,” Jones told me after the show. “I am a heavy sample-based No I.D, and Kanye influenced producer so it gave me a chance to see how my production translates to a different audience. Also, I learned a lot about beat selection and timing from the battles and other producers. For anybody who take music serious, I think these type of events are more than necessary to have.”
Mon (IG: jsealsp) pocketed $300 for first place. Perhaps the youngest entrant, Mon “started around four years ago trying little things like recreating my favorite songs and posting beats to YouTube, doing little beat battles.”
Influenced by Pierre Bourn, atl Jacob, 9th Wonder, and the judges Mon appreciated having “a space for producers to interact and get feedback from some of our influences from the city that have produced big records.”
This was third-place winner Laverne’s “first beat battle, so having the opportunity to not only showcase my talent, but also meet other musicians and hear what else New Orleans has to offer was a blessing. I honestly feel like I should have won, but every opportunity to sharpen my sword is a blessing.”
Laverne has been at it a while too, “since the 5th grade, which was around 2007 and I started making beats in FL Studio in 2016. As far as music production, my influences are Wondagurl, Kanye West, Metro Boomin, Hit Boy, Boi-1da, Quincy Jones. In reality, I pull inspiration from everything around me, not just music. And I really appreciated the sound selection and drum patterns that some of the producers displayed. There were some snare placements from Guapo that I would never have fathomed prior to this battle.”
The final four was close but I agreed with the judges Casbangz, Cam Beemer, KC Da Producer, and Audio Hittaz on all but two rounds. Guapo had a close call early. Kendal Banks had the hits throughout the night. Sure, going by crowd yells is one way to judge but go back and look at the tape. Do some film study.
Banks had people really moving to the mixes before the first bottle of whiskey was finished off. His use of Spanish guitars and Scottish bagpipes got the most animated reactions from a crowd taking in just a bit more of New Orleans culture to start the last weekend before Easter.
So let’s call it a tie. Mon earned bragging rights, Banks earned several new fans.
Or, better yet, let’s stage a rematch.
Between cooking up beats everyone has to eat. This feature was brought to you in part by Ladle and The Whisk on Magazine St.
