Me and Uzi had a convo.
We was on FaceTime for like a hour and forty minutes just talking about the industry and
just regular shit.
And then he was like, "Bro.
We gotta make the most epic shit in the world.
We gotta find this vibe.
We gotta find this zone."
I didn't have none of my equipment.
I just had the Beats Pill.
Of course, I made it on...
People really don't believe that I did it.
I sat down, I was like, “Man, I'ma cook a 20 pack for Uzi and just send him all 20
beats.”
And it's kind of weird, because everybody saying Uzi Lucifer and this shit now.
But, the beat was number 6.
That's what's so crazy, number 6.
"XO" really came from a older beat that I had.
A three year-old beat.
I made it with my producer JW Lucas.
And that's what JW sent me.
That part right there.
So, that's the main melody of the track.
It's cool, but it's not XO, you know what I mean?
That was the original.
The beat ended up not traveling nowhere. You know what I'm saying?
It was one of them ones where I didn't send it out, and I'm pretty sure he was sending
it out, but it didn't reach. But,
I was sitting there and I was like “Man, let me sample myself.”
I heard the beat and I was like, “Damn.
It's slow as shit."
It feel R&Bish.
And I'm like, "Man fuck!"
'Cause the slower beats don't go to the clubs.
Know what I'm saying?
And I know Uzi wanna go to the clubs.
So I was like, “Let me make a pack of uptempo 148 to 155.”
I wanted to change the note, the pitch, just the whole feeling of the sample.
It's this thing on FL called Gross Beat, which all of the fans know we use.
I took it and I half timed it.
Half time means slow it down.
But, it's slowed down, but it's the same tempo as the...
It's dividing it, really.
Which, music is all math.
As you can see the Gross Beat is working.
I don't know how to explain how exactly it's working, but it slows it down.
And it half times it.
That was the first part that you heard.
And then, this is the second.
With the click,
Everybody wanna know what the click is.
They think it's a Minecraft door.
In reality, I think it's some sound effect out of some drum kit.
You know what I'm saying?
Maybe they sampled a Mine, I don't know.
I came to the drums.
I'm tryna cut the Beats Pill up.
I started with the 808.
Came in with the snares and the claps and the high hats.
And that's where you get your rhythm from.
That's what a lot of producers don't understand.
They keep their...they keep...
Their percussion be under the drums and under the sounds, when your percussion needs to
be on top of everything, because...
I mean, just go back in history.
From Arabians to Africans.
When they did their music all you heard was percussions.
And that's what moves the music.
Once you figure that out...you know what i'm saying?
Then I added, I came in with the kick.
I never show my 808 patterns, you know what I'm saying?
Here it go, right here.
Really ain't that much to it.
I didn't use no compression.
You know, a lot of producers think they gotta to mix their beats.
I just level them.
The better levels you got, the better your sound.
I didn't have headphones.
I didn't have my interface.
So I couldn't use my speakers.
I had my speakers, but I couldn't use them, 'cause I didn't have the hook ups.
So, I remember getting this Beats Pill from...
I forgot.
From the fucking airport or some shit.
On being bored.
And I was like, “Man.
Let me try to use this shit.”
So, I hook it up and at first I wasn't getting the sound that I wanted, but then I had to
remember like, “Bro just level everything as if you had regular speakers.”
So, you just kind a gotta get your... turn the Beats Pill all the way up, but not have
all your levels loud on here.
The vibe I get from "XO Tour Llif3" with the vocals and the beat, I feel like it's going
to be a song that going to be played for the next 15, 20 years.
That's how I feel.
And it gives me the feeling of, just the partying feel, it make you feel like a rockstar.
Everybody else say it makes them feel like their friends are dead, but I know the concept.
At first I was like, "'Bro.
This nigga crazy."
I was like, "Whatever.
But It's hard."
And then they was like, "Nah, bruh.
I think he talking about dead presidents."
You know what I'm saying?
And "XO" was really like...
I just figured it was a regular beat, you know what I'm saying?
Just regular.
Uzi made it... epic.