June 24, 2021

S2 E8: The Magnificent Taaj

By

My Partner Taaj

On this special episode we take some time to talk to our very own Sound Engineer/Producer, the one and only Taaj Ameer.

Originally from Maryland, Taaj later made his home in Raleigh and then Charlotte. Taaj prides himself in being a creator whether it's music, art, and beyond. On top of all of that, he is full of pride of his relationships and how far the podcast as gotten.

Gi also lets the fans know that Taaj is indeed her partner in life. Our very own TBV Couple, is 2/3 of the brains behind our show, now in its second season. The two go on to tell the cute story of how they met, ironically while Taaj was creating music at a friends place.

The two reminisce on how the attraction was almost instant because Gi yearned to be around creative individuals while Taaj was deep in his creating mode when they met. Later when Taaj had a minor setback, Gi was there pushing him to get back to being his super duper producer himself.

Mr. Super Duper Producer

Taaj cites Lil Wayne and Kanye as his early influencers to take up music, especially making beats. Eventually he convinced his Father to take him to the local Guitar Center to get his first set up, and the rest is history. A big concept that resonated with Taaj and Gi was simply following passions or doing what you want to do. Taaj remembers doing a rap topic for his senior project, while Gi did a creative project as well.

Taaj recalls the different stages in his music development, starting with his first group, Whoopie Cushion, back in his college days at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte. "I definitely learned how to record and the basics got tuned up..." when remembering his time with his first group.

Later, Whoopie Cushion gained buzz on campus, and the group would even freestyle at parties.

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Still Bread

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Taaj and Gi touch on the Still Bread brand and how it originated as a joke but then evolved into a serious commitment. Still Bread become a record label with Taaj and a group of artists.

"Anyone that was my homie and really wanted to record, we got it!..I was really on my Kanye shit...DJ Khaled type..." - Taaj

As someone who has seen Taaj in action, Gi refers to him as an "architect" when producing music. From building the beat, to vocalizing like potential artists he would want on his beats. Taaj explains that a crucial part of his work is having an in-home studio, which allows for no excuses for him to stay on his work. Gi parallels this to an artist who should have a home studio so that when passion strikes you can go in, and when you have to break you can go back to just living in your home. Taaj points out that self-teaching is a good way to develop passion for your craft without spending money on things like a studio can help keep your passions alive and in a way, livable.

Fun fact: within 3 months of meeting each other Gi was collaborating with Taaj on his tape "Freshly Baked." That connection served as a catalyst for their friendship that later grew into their love as partners now.

Taaj and Gi wrap up their convo recapping some recent projects where he executive produced "How We Got Here" x Bax and "The Hustle Way" x Jay Black.

We thank you so much Taaj!!! Yerr!

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