MEGA MAN

[MEGA]When the base kicks in on the beats created by Mega Man it’s obvious that in the near future this 21-year-old will go down as a revolutionary producer.

Born Orville McWhinney, Mega was raised by a songstress mother and a father who was a local reggae star in the family’s native country, Jamaica. With the musical tradition, young Mega turned to artists like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston for creative inspiration. But, it wasn’t exactly what the performers were saying rather what they were saying it over.

“I never actually listened to the tracks,” Mega explains. “It was always the beats that attracted me first.”

Because he didn’t have the equipment to make beats, production remained a dream until 2000 when Mega’s friends formed a rap group. The only problem was that the trio, who called themselves MST, already had a producer. Knowing that talent would speak louder than words Mega began to practice the art of beat making on a friend’s computer.

“After I got better I let them hear one beat. Everyone came back and was like, ‘This is the best track that we have,’” Mega says of his introduction to producing.

Three years later the aspiring producer hooked up with North Star Inc., becoming the recording label’s in-house producer. To date, his beats have been featured on street compilations like The Full Metal Jacket Mixtapes Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Speedy Recovery and North Star’s latest release, The Market Mixtape Vol. 1. This year Mega’s unique beats will also play a central role on Stocks and Bonds soon to be released debut album.

Aside from cooking up hot beats, the producer is also interested in the business aspect of the craft. In 2005, he invested in a production company called Wild Runners. Although the venture is quite new Mega hopes to see it expand as it becomes more well known in the months to come.

With so many projects, how does Mega stay on top of his game? He best tells the answer.

“I never get frustrated, I just keep trying. If I make a beat and I feel like scrapping it, I try to fix it up and make it hot. I usually have many different ideas in my head, if it happens that I’m stuck I jump onto the next beat.”

This positive state of mind is also the reason why in his 5000 beats there is not a single duplicate.

Not wanting to follow trends is a vital facet of his versatility and as Mega jokingly points out, “I prefer not to have a signature sound.’cause ink wears off.”

Currently Mega is perfecting his piano playing and learning to use keyboards for production. His ever-evolving creative genius, emotion filled beats and love for hip-hop make it clear that Mega didn’t choose the game. The game chose him.



Written by: Izabela Szydlo



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JERSEY!



BREAK EM OFF PROD. BY MEGAMAN