1.Whats good fam, Id like to thank you for blessing me with this interview. Now we go back quite a bit and im a big fan of your work, So why dont you go ahead and introduce yourself to the readers. Who Are You? Where Are You from? And What is your given craft?
What’s good my brother from another. Yes yes, it’s been quite a while since we’ve been chopping it up man. You’ve been a great inspiration to me myself in more ways than one.
2.Your Producer Name is Dope as well as unique, So how did it come about and what is the science behind it?
So yeah, momma named me Aaron Charles Cook. My producer name is kingCameelioSalamandar. It’s a mouth full but I like it. Haha. I wish I could explain to you where it came from but it’s too much to type lol. I’m now a resident of Charlotte North Carolina but Baltimore will always be home. I’m definitely a true Baltimorean at heart in the south. As fair as my crafts go, I have a few. I’m a God gifted visual artist (pencil, paper, paint, ink and tattoos etc.) I’m an educated graphic designer but you MUST be talking about these beats lol. (Can you tell I’m super sarcastic lol?) I’m a beat maker, crate digger, loop digger, sample dicer, writer and producer. I love music! Though I’ve drawn for as long as I can remember, art was always accompanied by music!
3.What is your earliest recollection of music? And How did hearing music make you feel?
I’ve always loved music. I almost can’t tell you what my first recollections of music were but I’ll tell you one of my fondest memories of both music and family. Around 88-89, my grandmother had the fresh box Ford Crown Vic. It was silver with blood red velvet seats and leather interior. I can almost still smell what the car smelled like. She’d ride around with me in the back seat while listening to 88.9FM which was Morgan State University’s Jazz station in Baltimore during the day. Music is like a time machine that way. I can remember riding down Pennsylvania Avenue in the back seat with like Roy Ayers on the radio. That’s my foundation of how good music was supposed to sound. That’s probably why a lot of my beats are more on the jazzy side now days.
4.Not to show age, but when did you start producing?
It’s been a little while now. I think it was like 2009-2010 when I started learning FL Studios so I’m coming up on a decade now. But I’ve gone from working the keyboard and mouse in FL, to the MPD24 and 32 as my midi controllers. Then I switched from PC to Apple so I ended up learning Logic Pro. Now I’m using Maschine inside of Logic Pro X.
5.Which process do you enjoy more Producing On Emceeing?
At this point in my life, I personally enjoy producing more because I’m creating and in most cases using my hands to do so. Just like art, music has layers, moods and colors. I still LOVE to hear a dope emcee but I just don’t feel like enough people appreciate lyricism the way we used to so I feel like I’ll just stick to beats lol.
6.What is your creative process consists of as an Emcee and Producer? And how does the process differ between the two?
I’m strictly a mood emcee and producer. I generally wrote what was on my heart at the time and that made it organic and easy to do.
As far as production, it’s the same kinda. I can’t force myself to sit and make beats. Well I can but the beat usually sounds forced or I ended up deleting it lol. I have to hear a sample that moves me and I’ll save it for later or Shazam something that catches my ear and save that until I can sit down. Then once I’m in a vibe, I’ll pull those sample out and go to work. Then I gotta FEEL the beat. It’s gotta make me feel like I’m in my grandmother’s car again. It’s gotta have that vibe. My partner Jerome and I call it “That Feel Good Music!”
7.How do you feel about the age old Analogue vs. Digital Debate as far as music production equipment?
I’m more of a “It’s the man behind the machine” type of thinker. If it sounds dope then that’s all that matters. I love the genuine sound quality that you get from most analogue hardware, especially the vintage ones but now days they have VSTs that give you close to the same sound qualities and textures so again, it’s more of what you can do with what you have.
8.How do you feel about the crate digging vs edigging debate?
This is almost the same as the previous question. I prefer the sound and textures of vinyl of course but can I make a digital sample sound like it’s off of vinyl? Yes absolutely! Plus ediggjng is super convenient especially me being a mood producer like I am.
9.What is the local music scene like where you live?
I actually don’t know. I’m currently in the south so there isn’t a huge market here for boombap or soulful hiphop music but I will say that the south is thriving in the mainstream rap area. There’s a big underground hiphop scene in Atlanta full of dope beat makers and events but I don’t get down there from Charlotte too often.
10.Does the local music scene where you live affect how and what you create?
I will say it did at first because coming from Baltimore to the south with the intentions of working with southern artists caused for me to make a slight shift in what I was doing but then that goes back to me being a mood producer. I couldn’t force myself to make southern sounding or trap tracks so that stopped quickly and I went back to what I knew. It’s never steered me wrong and it’d be crazy to switch up now. But the beauty of it all is that most of the super trappy artists LOVE my sound and are real hiphop lovers. Many are just trying to get in where they fit in for the bag so they make what sells but that vintage hiphop sound still gets mad love and respect in the south. You just never hear about that.
12.How would you define the difference between being a beat maker vs being a producer?
I think beatmakers simply make beats and leaves everything else up to the artist, the engineer, the writers and producers. A producer on the other hand makes the music with arrangements, vocals, and the mixing all in mind while generally knowing what content would sound good on that track. A good producer can and should guide the artist. Even in the context of a music producer for film, that producer should be able to convey the feeling and or sales point of that film or commercial when scoring that music. There’s definitely a big difference.
13.If You could be liked in the studio with one artist or group of artist to produce a complete album for them, Who would you choose?
That’s tough because there are so many. I’d definitely love to do a project with Black Thought for obvious reasons. Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) would be a dope collab because he’d give me hiphop with some jazz on the side, crazy lyricism and then might put some melodic vocals in there as well. I’d also love to work with and pick Kanye’s brain. I know he isn’t everybody’s favorite tight now but somewhere inside of all his madness is a genius. I’m an original Kanye fan from day one so.....
15.How do you define you sound?
Always a vibe. Feel good music! Soul mixed with hiphop. It’s always going to be soulful even if I don’t sample a soul track.
16.What separates you from the million other producers and emcees?
I separate me. I have many producer fathers but there’s only one me. I am the beat at what I do. I’ll declare to the heavens that nobody can chop a sample like I do. Nobody can chop a drum loop and then program a drum cadence like I do. I am the master at what I do. I am king of what I do and there isn’t a person on this earth right now or ever who’ll ever do it the way I do it.
This is not to seem cocky or to put down my brothers behind the boards. In fact it is to encourage. God created one you. You are here with purpose because of you had no purpose, you wouldn’t exist. We do ourselves a great disservice trying to fit molds that other people make. So it’s in this spirit that I say that not even 9th, Dilla or Pete Rock can chop a sample like me just like I’ll NEVER be able to chop a sample like NateOG Detroit. You are the king of your own lane, hence the title “king” I’m front of my name. God is the big King who’s gifted me so I’m the little king.
17.What are some of your current projects and where can we find them?
I am currently working on and releasing the 3rd installment of my beat tapes “ The Peanut Gallery “. This will be volume III. I was going to release it in November but I decided to save it for first quarter of 2020. I also have a discography of work at www.charlie1.bandcamp.com. You can find the first 2 beat tapes there as well as a few solo projects by myself.
18.What are some of your future projects and which ones are you looking forward to most?
The only thing I’m gearing up for besides my next beat tape will be film and tv placements for my music. It’s really a thriving market right now for both beatmakers and producers and it’s really untapped. (A little gem for y’all) I’ll be getting my feet wet for the first time with that early 2020 so I’m super excited about that.
19. Not to give away any sector 7 secrets but what does your lab consists of and how has your set up changed over the years?
Lol
....no secrets here bro. Just running Logic Pro X with Maschine 2 as a VST in logic all on my old school iMac. I keep a turntable of course but my setup is digital. I have an old keyboard I’m using as a midi and I have a Maschine MKII as my controller.
I’ve come a long way from the mouse and keypad Fruity Loop days.
20.Who are some of your influences and how have each influenced you?
Man bro, I’ve been influenced by everyone from Stevie Wonders and Issac Hayes’ and Quincy Jones’ to Dilla, Ski Beats, Wyclef and Nottz Raw. I can’t tell you what exactly I get from them all but they all make feel good music to me lol. I love the way some score and actually write music and then I’ll like the way one chops their samples but then I’ll love the way the other plays their bass lines. My style is like a music history melting pot.
21.Do you represent and companies or labels? If so who are they and how long fave you been affiliated?
Nope. I represent One life Productions and kingCameelio. I represent the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. I wanna be seen as a representation of God’s gifts manifested through man. That’s all.
22.Any advice for aspiring artist and producers that you learned along the way that you would like top pass along?
I can’t stress being yourself enough. Trying to fit the mold of what the mainstream says is “hot” will place you in a box and in most cases cause a block because you aren’t creating from a genuine place. We don’t need any more Dillas. We don’t need any more Dr Dre’s. We need more originality. Just be yourself and create what makes you feel good.
23.Do you have any special shout outs or thankz? .if so feel free to do so here.
yeah man! Absolutely just wanna continue to thank the Creator for the gift of music both in the earth and in me. I gotta thank my brother and production partner Jerome Mitchener. He’s my Mr. Miyagi lol. Lastly but not least, I wanna thank you my brother, NateOG for all of your personal support, for being and inspiration and most definitely for the opportunity of this interview. 
🏾
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Instagram: @kingCameelioSalamandar
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Be on the look out for music being available this year on all of your streaming platforms.
Get familiar haha. Much love. Gods grace and peace be with everyone reading this.
