And in these three service offerings, he seems to have all points covered. Between creating music, continuously growing his skillsets and his daytime job, he's still got time to look out for emerging artists.
He does this through his Facebook page, website and a dedicated public WhatsApp line.
We threw a few questions his way and he threw us back some gems. Find them below:
How would you describe the state of HipHop in SA in the last 3 years?
I'd describe them as a bit of a plateau. We've enjoyed a really good run since 2014, but things seem stagnant of late. We've definitely taken our foot off the pedal in terms of hunting for new sponsors, looking for new opportunities and releasing GOOD music as often as we should. This coupled with Gqom and amapiano coming to the forefront has resulted in a shift in focus of the everyday South African Hip Hop listener to those genres.
We really need to take stock of our selves as a genre and find that hunger we once had. I like what the younger generation is doing. They've been forced to find new avenues to break through.
How are youkeeping busy during this lockdown?
Which artist/s did you have the most fun or the most productive session with?
Do you believe producers are underrated?
In short, yes. Everyone who isn't in the foreground is inevitably underrated. The creation of a song needs everyone from the songwriter to the tracking engineer to the radio plugger. We all have a part to play and we rarely get compensated the way we require to develop our various crafts.
I know so many producers who have built illustrious catalogs on free beats. I've even seen some producers that get tossed between artists just so that all the homies also get free beats. I'm not blaming anyone for this though. We need to take a stand and change the complexion of things.
Do you appreciate being put under the underrated cap and do you believe you are?
I don't mind what people call me. If that's the general consensus and I don't like it then whats the point in getting annoyed? I might not like the term, but If that's what it is then there's no use getting upset about another person's viewpoint. What I'd need to do is to take strides to break out of that and that is what I'm trying to do.
You have a WhatsApp line that you've publictly. What is it about and are people making the most of the opportunity?
I'm a keen Ryan Leslie fan and once I saw the concept of the Super phone I was sold. I don't have the software, but whatsapp allows me to do the same thing on a smaller scale. I take an hour or two each day to connect with my audience in a way I know that no one else has the patience to. At first I thought I was crazy, but over time that converted into lifelong clients and fans that have kept the brand going for all these years.
I have a few groups geared at various members of the entertainment industry where we share ideas and concepts as well as help one another with the music business side of things. Your favorite artists might be able to tell you a little bit about that one time they got a royalty payment, but we go deep into the reasons why it came when it did and why it was that amount.
There's also a group for music producers where we share information, opportunities and general concepts to improve our craft.
Who features on your ultimate collabo song that runs for 15 minutes on a silasbeats production?
Ultimate? Kendrick, Eminem, J. Cole, Nas, G Eazy and logic T-pain, Tory Lanez and Chris Brown each get a hook.
What do you think emerging are doing wrong on their come up and how would you advise them, especially during a period like this?
I don't think they're doing enough to learn about the inner workings of the music industry. I think this is partly because the people that are teaching them don't know about it either. I've seen industry veterans mention contracts, royalties and ownership not knowing a thing about entertainment law or something as simple as the difference between the multiple types of royalties. This leads to artists not planning for the future and getting screwed over. Now is the best time to sit with a journal and write down everything that there is to know about the industry. We won't get a chance to pause and evaluate like this for a very long time.
Another thing would be lack of patience. This holds true in all industries, but it would seem new musicians believe a few songs is all it takes to forge an illustrious career. They mount this unreasonable pressure on themselves and get disheartened when things don't go the way they want. We loose a lot of up and coming artists this way.
Who do you look up to the most in your field?
At this point I look up to people like Curtiss King, DJ Pain1 and Gummybeatz. These music producers have all forged an unconventional path and they're living off their craft because they are trailblazers. I generally enjoy anything that's brand new and innovative.
How are youkeeping busy during this lockdown?
Loads of beats, mixing and mastering, networking online and shooting videos for my Youtube channel. I'm also trying to learn a stack of new skills I can make use of when we're allowed to travel around freely again. During the day I'm a healthcare worker so my music hours are limited, but I'm trying to make them count.
Which artist/s did you have the most fun or the most productive session with?
It would have to be between DilizaTheMD or PdotO. We know how to keep busy while keeping the atmosphere fun.
What do you hope to ultimately achieve in your career?
Impact through education. I want more artists to make a living doing what they love for a long time. Making money can eventually get easy as we've seen many times before, but in most instances that wealth doesn't seem to last. We aren't thinking long term enough.
Personally, I'd like to sit in studio with an international legend like Timbaland, Pharrell or Ryan Leslie and exchange ideas with them.
Silasbeats is more than just about the music and that's a page that many need to screengrab and keep close for reference. Underrated or unexposed, he surely is noticeable. Check him out on all social platforms @silasbeats or his website here www.silasbeats.com
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