My name is Quentin Thomas better known these days as simply "Q" or "MusiQhead." I've been at this music for quite a while now and truth be told, for as long as I can remember. Growing up a "church boy" all of us young shorties wanted to be the drummer. We would turn anything into a drum set. I can vividly remember playing a set of hymn books on my lap pretending to beast out. Fast forward some years (as not to waste you guys time) I eventually got my shot as a drummer and then moved on to the bass guitar (for about a week) and then to piano and organ. My love for all those instruments individually and collectively are what I believe helped shape my role as a "basement boy".
At this point I don't even remember exactly how Portis presented the idea of "tracking", but I do recall our first session. We had no prior experience and if you know us at all, you'll know we weren't asking for help. We figured: "how hard could it be"? Hours later (at the expense of one of our good friends Cedrick Ketton) we had come up with our first beat. It was interesting to say the least...not quite a masterpiece. From that point we went
through different phases of learning by imitation. One week we'd study Timbaland and try and create our version, the next maybe Dr. Dre and many others. I think I still have a copy of a cd full of just Timbaland track snippets. It was like 50 songs long and I played it non-stop for like a month "doing my homework."
Over the couple years it took to get to this point, a few artists/producers have greatly shaped our sound and creative state of mind. Timbaland was the first and by far the biggest influence on our sound. Portis and myself modeled his style while tracking in the early stages. From Timberland we adopted the punch behind our drum tracks. That has been our signature, along with the crazy switch-ups and turn arounds. Then Drake dropped "So far Gone". The vibe on that mixtape was incredible! I listened to it like every night for months. Much of our tracks from those times have a similar vibe. Then...we discover Ryan Leslie. For me personally, the way he creates music is my biggest influence. I've watched hours of youtube footage of him in the lab. I also studied both Ryan Leslie albums front to back. Consequently, I have adopted many of his tactics in my own sound.
Music for me is an extension of who I am as a person. I've always prided myself on being a very versatile person and I think no different of our music. We want to be able to make music not only that we ourselves enjoy and are proud of, but also make something that can be for everybody. As a team I believe we encompass the entire spectrum of hip-hop music. Individually we all bring separate aspects to the table but never value one over the other. It's an in-house movement and we plan to keep that as our foundation. From the time we open the first session, to the mixing, artwork, credits, and whatever else. Between the three of us, we can get it done and in good quality. Make no mistake we haven't arrived but we are well on our way! Be looking out for the "Basement Boyz!"
