The creation of a track, particularly in the aspects of production, is rarely a straight line from A to B. There are multiple pit stops- from revisions, redirection, adjustments and more- and occasionally, you even run into a track that has to be entirely rebuilt from the ground up. “Keep it 100”, the most recent hit single from Alex Catrambone and Jgriff (featuring a stand-out hook from Tory Lanez) was a shining
example of this and beautiful execution by producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist Wes Yee.
The origin of the single dates back three years, with collaborators Alex
Catrambone and Jgriff knowing they had a hit melodically and lyrically- in tandem an incredible feature from Tory Lanez- but could not quite make their vision come to life.
Wanting to do the track justice, it was reworked countless times to continually come up short of their dream for it- until they recruited Boston based producer Wes Yee.
Connected by mutual friend and fellow artist HunnaV in 2021, Wes and Jgriff already had a solid foundation. Both avid skateboarders and artists, they shared similar tastes and dedication to perfection. Wes had blown production out of the water for him
in the past, cooking up contest-winning beats and bouncing off of each other seamlessly to reach a final product.
As for how their “Keep it 100” connection came to be, in 2022 Wes hit a stride that saw him creating at least one, but often up to three or four beats a day, sometimes more. He recalls the exact night the opportunity came across his table, stating “On this particular day, I had made four beats and felt very satisfied with that day’s work. I was chilling and watching a movie when Jgriff called me. He said he had a song with Alex Catrambone and Tory Lanez that had been done for three years, but they didn’t like the
original beat and they wanted to have it remade. I’ve never agreed to a project so fast in my life.”
He immediately hit the ground running that second, and by 3:00 AM he already had two versions knocked out with more ideas still circulating. With his mind understandably racing, and six beats already under his belt that day alone, Wes consulted with his roommate on the two versions he’d created. He commended both versions, but insisted the stand-outs were the drums from the first version and
instrumentals from the second. Wes returned to the drawing board, lamenting that he tried to force one more brand-new version but it simply was not coming together.
Ultimately, Wes threw it all to the wind and revisited the advice he’d received earlier- cooking up a third version which combined the elements of the first two. That night- or truly, early morning- he sent all 3 finals for Jgriff and Alex Catrambone to review. Within only a few hours, he got the green light that the third version- the intricate combination of the first two- was the one they’d been looking for all this time.
After a few months of experimenting with effects and speed, “Keep it 100” had finally come to be the vision that they’d all hoped for and more. Though it was a long time coming, the group’s grit, resilience and incredible addition from Wes paid off, with Wes himself stating it best- “I’m proud to say we ended up with an amazing record that we’re all happy with.”
