Why are these touches so important?ĭJ Muggs: Those imperfections and little details are what give each section of a song its own unique identity and personality. The sound of the pager going off in the “Insane In The Membrane” beat or how the rippling water effect on “Hits From The Bong” sounds like it’s beatboxing somehow. Thomas Hobbs: What I love about DJ Muggs’ beats is those little details buried in the background.

The interview below has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Photo courtesy of Soul Assassins Records. To celebrate the release of Soul Assassins 3: Death Valley and yet another vintage year for DJ Muggs, Okayplayer spoke to the producer about bong sound effects, being raised on guitar music, a hatred for cruel critics, and being one of the innovators behind cannabis becoming so mainstream within hip-hop culture. You can never shun something and be like: ‘Nah, we used to do it like this!’ Being an innovator is about changing with the tide.

Hip-hop culture might change, but I’m always going to take notes and embrace everything that’s new. “Why can’t I win an Oscar for doing a film score?” Muggs explains further, with one eye clearly on his future. His beats are just like movies and it’s therefore not surprising Muggs has spent 2023 making more concrete moves into Hollywood: he’s scored the Steven Soderbergh-produced sci-fi, Divinity an upcoming Mel Gibson cop thriller called Confidential Informant and even turned Soul Assassins 3: Death Valley into its own trippy short film. These are just three moments of producer brilliance across a career filled with examples, but they capture how Muggs is able to build dread and create the kind of tension you usually find in golden-era crime noir murder mysteries. All I care about is inspiring the next generation and all those motherfuckers who maybe think they’re too old to still be rapping! If you’re in your 50s then you’re still a kid, trust me.” I’m inspired by artists like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, who did some of their best work when they were in their 70s. “I’m still a baby, bro!” agrees the 55-year-old during our late-night phone interview, speaking with a woozy passion I rarely see from artists even in their twenties.

Despite the advancing years of some of its guests (which include Ghostface Killah, Ice Cube, Slick Rick, and Scarface), each artist sounds completely re-energized under Muggs’ auteur-like direction, with NWA veteran MC Ren’s bar about being “still hungry like I’m fasting” on closer “Dump On Em” emblematic of how the record’s creator also feels. Over recent years, Muggs has evolved far beyond his role as the architect of the sticky, blitzed-out Cypress Hill (which includes members B-Real, Sen Dog and Eric Bobo) sound, acting instead as a conduit for contemporary underground rap via memorable production credits for the likes of Jay Worthy, Roc Marciano, Flee Lord, Rome Streetz, The God Fahim, Mach-Hommy, and Mayhem Lauren.īack in August, he released the third chapter of the celebrated Soul Assassins series, with its 19 tracks playing out like an ode to tripping on mushrooms (just check out “Check In”) while channeling the funk innovators from the 1970s.

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