Often referred to as the dangerous man who can speak with his hands, the Dilated Junkie known as Babu is one of the hungriest artists in the game right now. While he is best known as being the man behind the turntables for the Dilated Peoples, he has also had a string of successful Duck Season albums, which he is served as executive producer. However, his passion for production goes beyond his work with these familiar outlets. Like an artist looking for his first major break, Babu is driven by a passionate hunger rare for someone who could easily consider himself a vet. With the release of his second instrumental album The Beat Tape Vol 2 (Feb. 23), Babu is determined to show that his beats are just as hefty as his scratch.  URB caught up with Babu to find out a little more about his mindset as a producer, the status of the Dilated Peoples, and a potential super-group that should make hip-hop heads drool.

URB: You are dropping your next instrumental album (Beat Tape Vol. 2), and one of the things that you have been stressing is that these beats are produced from a DJ mentality. What does it mean to produce from a DJ mentality?
BABU: For me, I grew up being influenced by people DJ Premier, 45 King, Pete Rock, Marley Marl, and I could go on and on and on. They were all DJs who were producers or became producers and even if they weren’t, it was the approach that they had towards making music–a very hand-me-down way of making music–the art of making records out of records. I compare it to mosaic art. I think of kids in the late ’70s with creative energy, not having music programs or art programs in school, who were forced to create their own instruments and subculture. At the end of the day, my production starts with a turntable and a record and ends with a turntable and a record.

URB: Does working on a project like this allow you to be more experimental than say if you were working on another Duck Season project or a Dilated album?
BABU: Yes. With the beat tape, I am a lot freer. I am not dependent on an MC. I am not trying to convince anyone that there is a beat that they need to rap on. It is just me and my music in a room, and it is all on me. In this landscape, trying to brand your sound as a producer is difficult. I am blessed that I have outlets like Likwit Junkies, Dilated, and Duck Season, but even with something like Dilated, I am in group with Evidence and invisible members Alchemist and Joey Chavez.  Ninety percent of the time, I am lucky if I get two to three tracks competing with these guys. The Beat Tape allows me to spread my wings. Like, on this volume I give people 39 tracks, and I try to show them my range, show them that I can do an R&B beat, show them I can do a beat that does not have a sample, show them that I can do my bread and butter sample with drums. It is hard with listeners because you get judged off of your last release. For me, the last thing fans might have heard is “Dearly Departed” by M.O.P. For most people, the last thing they hear from you is what they are going to judge you on. I am blessed to have my crews and this Beat Tape project as a way to get my music out there.

URB: Speaking of your range. On “Philip The Track” you recreate the “Liquid Swords” beat. What made you decide to revisit/recreate that track?
BABU: Well it is a different sample. It is very reminiscent of “Liquid Swords.” I guess that is why I scratched that record for the little intro part of it.  I don’t do cocaine, but if I ever had a chance to kick it with RZA and for some reason he offered a line of cocaine, I would snort it in two seconds. I am that big of a fan.

URB:  Since you have been producing more over the years through the Duck Season projects and other projects, can fans expect to see more of your production on future Dilated projects?
BABU: I would love too, but the thing that is hard with Dilated is we know we are going to work with Alchemist, Ev is going to make a contribution, I am going to make a contribution, and we still leave room to make us stretch to do something new because Dilated has always been a group that has looked outside the circle and allowed other producers to come in. Me and EV know what we bring to the table. The last couple of albums, whether it says produced by me, Ev, or Rak, we take great pride in being a self-produced group. Even if someone else produced a track, the three of us are going to lock ourselves in a room and bang our heads on the wall until we come up with a great song that represents the group well. I think we are a throwback to A Tribe Called Quest and EPMD–groups who were very self-sufficient. We love to collaborate outside our camp, but it isn’t farfetched that me and Evidence could handle the majority of the production at some point. I came into the group and learned a lot from being around these guys, and it made me step my game up really quick. I am [a] student and it is a work in progress. One of the biggest things I took advantage of when we were signed to Capitol was every time we needed to be in the studio, I was the first one there and the last one to leave. I am the one who picked the engineers’ brains. One of the things that I took on this year was more engineer duty; I recently mixed the Stoney Jackson LP (Madlib and Strong Arm Steady), which is another notch on my belt. I need to wake up in the morning and be excited about doing something creative. It makes a world of difference. The second I get bored and I lose that love, I will go get a square job. At the end of the day, I do have a lot of responsibilities, and this is what pays the bills and take care of my family. I truly enjoy this. Even if I had to get a day job, I would just make music for myself. I am blessed to call it my career.