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There are a lot of producers who basically have their sound, and if the artist works with them, you almost know what the record's going to sound like before it comes out.

It's like whether you're in a huge movie or you've just recorded an incredible album you've got to do the next thing, and that's part of being an artist.

The way I work on music is that I go into my studio, and I start playing music, and I see what happens, and... I never think about it.

I always feel like there's something magic in recording studios. There's a reason good music continues to be made in them. It's just some mojo element.

It's a weird thing when you make records. You try to hear it before you make it, so you walk into the studio with this idea of what you expect to happen, and that usually changes. That usually turns into something else, and that's a good thing.

Artists don't always know. Almost every song I ever recorded that was a hit at the majors that the promotional people picked I didn't think it would be a hit. I was wrong every time!

You don't just go to the studio and say, 'I'm going to write a hit.' It becomes a hit when people like your compositions.

Sometimes, I make 50 songs and pick out the best 10. I've been in the studio all day, all night, making the beat, writing the raps. You never know what's gonna be a hit.

Everything I do, whether it's producing or signing an artist, always starts with the songs. When I'm listening, I'm looking for a balance that you could see in anything. Whether it's a great painting or a building or a sunset.

At the end of the day, you sign a record deal and you understand where it could go if you had the right song.