Q&A - Mr. Green Live from the Streets

Live from the Streets is an original series on Noisey featuring producer Mr. Green who records street sounds, chops them up, and then collaborates with hip hop's finest artists to create the freshest beats around. Ariel DJ Misschief from CJLO's Greedy Graffiti (Thursday 2 PM) catches up with Mr. Green to find out more about the project, staying positive, and the best place to chill in Brooklyn.

When did you start producing tracks and when did you make the first you were truly proud of?

I always made beats but didn't start actually making songs until 2007. The first real song I made was "Childhood with Matisyahu" feat. C Rayz and Kosha Dillz. I wasn't even that proud of that one when it came out but I'm proud of it now. Another one would be "Children Sing" or "Hip Hop with Pace". Those came out bangin' and I was just getting started when I made them.

Tell us about Live from the Streets with Vice. What's the idea behind the project and how did you get started?

It's a show about travelling and sampling sounds from unexpected people and places then making songs out of the sounds. We basically just try to capture magic street moments then take them back to the studio and remix them. It started in 2011 with my friend Sam Lipman-Stern. About a year later Vice picked it up and put it on their music channel Noisey. Vice is cool, they help us craft the show and get seen by a lot of people but they still let us produced everything and keep creative control which is great.

Hip-hop artists can have a severe influence on the youth and communities they serve. Some should be more mindful of the harmful effects of glamorizing drug culture and violence. What would be some suggested solutions to some of the problems facing the hip-hop industry?

In general, I think we (hip hop artists) all should focus more on being positive, being good people and putting those characteristics into our music. Pretty much everything you see portrayed in the media is negative and money driven. Hip hop is no different. From the outside looking in it looks like a bunch of people bragging about being rich and about being better than everyone else. It's crazy but that's actually the norm and we try to go against that as much as possible. We also don't like to censor the rappers we work with to much so we try to keep a balance.

Best collaboration?

Too many to list. Recently maybe "Dangerous Three" with Ra the Rugged Man, Brother Ali, and Masta Ace. I'm proud of that one and the video is one of my favorites too. From that song I got a lot cooler with Masta Ace and we will probably be working together again. I also was able to build a relationship with Ali, Rhymesayers, and the Atmosphere family. I just filmed one of the RSE artists the other day for LFTS and have plans to film another one soon.

What's your most embarrassing music moment?

Embarrassing? Man I'm not really embarrassed about anything. Recently I did a song with Waka Flock and people were hating on it and saying I should be embarrassed... but nah I'm not embarrassed, I think it's dope. Waka is a good dude, I would work with him again.

Fav. Brooklyn bar spot to perform in/chill?

I used to like a spot called Brooklyn Stable but it has been shut down for a few months. I hope they open it back up.

What is your ultimate goal at the end of your career?

To be remembered.