Studio Sessions | Reazy Renegade talks K. Camp giving Renegade Dance creator Jalaiah Harmon credit, helping Antonio Brown’s rap career and more

For “Studios Sessions,” we delve into the stories behind the long hours in the studio and all that goes into making an album by talking with artists, producers, engineers, photographers, and more who are intimately connected to the recording process with some of the biggest artists in the world. These are the stories that rarely leave the booth.

You know the song, you’ve done the dance, and now it’s time to meet Reazy Renegade. He’s the producer behind K. Camp’s viral hit “Lottery,” which blew up because of 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon’s Renegade Dance. The 33-year-old producer from Miami, Florida has been getting his beats placed since he was 18 years old. But, it was the viral phenomenon that changed his entire view on releasing music.

“It blowing up on TikTok was a revelation. It showed you don’t have to do it the normal way to blow up a song,” Renegade told REVOLT. “We didn’t put anything into that. There was no marketing put into it blowing up on TikTok. That happened organically.”

In this installment of “Studio Sessions,” Renegade explains how K. Camp connected with Harmon, how serious Antonio Brown is about his rap career, and how Kendrick Lamar blew him away on a song that’s yet to be released. Read the convo below!

When did you make the ‘Lottery’ beat?

I made that beat back in April. I was in the studio with K. Camp. We were working in New York while he was on tour. We made the song and beat the same day. It took two days. In the first session, I finished the beat, Camp had the hook, he took it back to the hotel that night and wrote the verses. We went to Alicia Keys’ studio the next day — Jungle Studios — and he recorded it. We mixed it that day, it was mastered the day after, and then it went out the week after.

What about that beat did you think would fit him?

When we were in the studio, I kept hearing him say, ‘Go! Go!’ So, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s it right there.’ It’s all about the bounce and he understands the bounce. He knows what to do on a bounce to get people going.

When did you know the song had taken off on TikTok?

I found out in November. My little cousins were texting me, ‘Wasn’t this you? It’s called the Renegade Dance.’ I was like, ‘What? The Renegade Dance? That’s crazy.’ At that point, Camp and I didn’t know who started it, we just knew it was from our song. From then on, we thought, ‘Why not use another outlet to push the song?’

It organically blowing up on TikTok influenced you and Camp to use the platform more?

Yeah, it blowing up on TikTok was a revelation. It showed you don’t have to do it the normal way to blow up a song. We didn’t put anything into that. There was no marketing put into it blowing up on TikTok. That happened organically.

Did you two talk about the controversy around Jalaiah Harmon not being credited while white TikTok influencers were?

Yeah, we talked about it. Camp is a good-hearted dude. The first thing he said to me was, ‘I’m going to find her, and figure out how we can do this and bring her to light.’ He called me one day and said he was going to bring her to the studio. He told me, ‘We got to make sure they get seen.’ That’s what he did when he did that video. It’s not a controversy to us. For us, it’s another stepping stone for the record.

Has this song opened up any doors for you?

I’m the producer, so it’s a little slower. I have some big opportunities. I just signed a new label deal in partnership with Charlie Walk. That happened two days ago (from Feb. 19) and stemmed from this. I’m grateful for that stuff. I’m grateful for the fact this is the first time a producer’s tag has become the name of a dance. That’s an accolade for me, personally.

What is Camp like in the studio?

It’s like a family setting. I feel like I’m in there with my brother. As brothers, we’re in there trying to make the best. It’s never forced. It’s never too dramatic.

You also produced music for Antonio Brown.

Yeah (laughs). A.B. is my dog. We were in the studio together. We’re both from Miami. He’s passionate about music and you can never take that from anybody. He wants to be big and wants to be a rapper, seriously. Anybody who takes it seriously, I’ll support.

How did you two link up?

In the first session, we created ‘Whole Lotta Money.’ That’s his single right now. He really sat down and was like, ‘I want to make a song.’ He didn’t ask anybody to write for him or anything. He stood up, went behind the mind, and projected what he wanted to do. That’s how it happened. It took one night to make the song. We recorded that song the week before Christmas around Dec. 15.

You didn’t have any problems working with him even though he was going through his controversy?

This is how I’m thinking: ‘What if whatever we’re doing takes his mind off of that?’ He passionately wanted to do music. This was us having fun. But, now, it turns into something serious because we’re like, ‘Wow. We can really make a move.’ I feel like working with him is not different than working with anybody else. I think the music is its own thing. We’re not sitting there talking about what’s going on. We’re just talking music.

Did you record in his home studio?

He has a full-on recording studio. He has the best mic. He has great speakers, a computer, and that’s it. I bring my computer there and make beats on the speakers. When he’s ready to record, we turn off the speakers, and he goes record. We have the engineer in there who is mixing. It’s really run like a real studio. This is not play-play. There’s no partying going on. This is serious work. A.B. is a competitor, so he’s focused in the studio. He knows he’s going to always be underrated when he wants to do something else. So, he’s going to attack it the way he knows how to attack it in order to be good. He’s in there really coming up with ideas, shoot videos, brainstorming.

When was the last time you two were in the studio?

One or two weeks ago. Most of his music is on my beats. He just dropped his first project, Himothy. It’s on SoundCloud. I produced nine songs on there. We made those songs between December and January.

You’re also working on a project.

Yeah, I can announce that my first single has K. Camp and Tory Lanez. It’s about to be crazy. We’re going to have a million Renegade dances (laughs).

What’s the most impressive thing you’ve seen done in the studio?

When I saw Kendrick Lamar in Cool & Dre studio in 2013 freestyle on a beat, [I] remember his freestyle, and then recorded it (laughs). That’s crazy to me. That song never came out. He was just starting in the industry. It was so new. At that point, everyone knew in the studio that he was going to be a problem.