We recently connected with Timothy Waller and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Timothy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have been surrounded by music since I was a toddler. My parents and grandparents had a massive collection of albums. These albums included a variety of genres from Jazz, Gospel, Soft Rock, R&B, Blues, Pop, and Hip-Hop. I would often visit my grandma’s house and listen to albums in her vinyl record collection. I got to be the resident DJ for Sunday dinners and holiday celebrations while my family would eat and dance. I would be captivated by the albums cover art. Decades ago album covers were highly creative and would blow my mind. I would study each album as I listened. I would learn about the producers, musicians, and audio engineers of each album. While reading the liner notes I realized that there were so many different people involved in the process of making an album.

As a teen, my cousins and I would rap and record ourselves on a karaoke machine using instrumentals from popular artists. One day I decided to produce my own instrumentals. I received a demo version of a music production software program from my cousin Melvin called “FL Studio 3”. I fell in love with creating my own music at that moment. Sometimes I would sample some of those albums from my grandma’s vinyl collection. When I started to put my own music production online, I began to meet different recording artist across the world. These artists were interested in creating songs to my music. That’s when I knew I wanted to pursue the path of production.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is, “A Producer Named 2” formerly known as “2MINDZ.” I am music producer from Muskegon, Michigan. I’ve been in doing music for 20 years. I provide music production for mostly hip-hop artists, but I’ve also produced for singers and brands. I’m always seeking new sounds to expand my production. Online platforms have enabled me to make connections and showcase my work from coast to coast and all across the globe. I have done production for Bizarre of D12, Benny The Butcher, Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother to name a few. One of my proudest moments? I have a couple proud moments. One proud moment was having the opportunity to produce a Christian self-titled project, “Content In Love” with my wife in 2020. My wife handled all the singing and arrangements while I focused on the production. Another proud moment was producing the theme song “F.L.Y.” written by my friend and long time collaborator, “AJ The Big Fella,” which was used at New York Fashion Week for a showcase and debut of the brand “FLY Earrings by Toya.” I thought to myself “Wow, our music just opened up a fashion week showcase.” What sets me apart is my commitment to delivering high-quality production without breaking the bank. I keep things simple and efficient, so my clients get what they need without the stress. One of the things I’m most proud of is being able to produce for artists while making sure I prioritize family.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that you’re built different. When most hear good music, they’ll just sit back and enjoy it for what it is. When I hear a song, it’s like a chef tasting a new dish, my brain starts deconstructing the instrumental ingredients. I also get to collab with people I may have otherwise never met. It used to be that if you were from a small town you were limited to working with the artists in your area, but social media has changed the course of that. I’ve remixed songs for artists that I grew up listening to, it’s surreal to have someone considered famous to email, share a post, or DM me to say, “I love your production!” One of the absolute most rewarding parts is the freedom to set my own terms. I get to negotiate contracts and agreements in a way that helps me maintain balance with my schedule so I can spend quality time with my wife and children.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think society can best support creatives such as myself by going a step beyond listening and actually purchasing our music. Buying music directly from the artist empowers artists to release more music independently. As a hip hop producer, I think society can really step up for artists by buying music directly from us instead of just streaming. I also think it’s important for people to give credit when credit is due. It’s not uncommon for people to get so excited about a finished product, post or reel that they forget all about the producer. It’s just those extra few seconds of tagging or shouting out your producer in a post or song can lead to their next project. Local shows build community and showcases talent, which is nice, but I think we need more workshops on production and marketing so artists can learn the ropes. Sometimes creatives are good at their craft but not always skilled in the areas of writer production splits, and publishing. There should be education on contracts and advocacy for fair pay to make sure everybody gets what they deserve now and long term.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aproducernamed2.com
• Instagram: 2milliii
• Facebook: TwothaProducer Waller
• Twitter: AProducerNamed2
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@aproducernamed2
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/aproducernamed2
• Other: https://aproducernamed2.bandcamp.com

Image Credits

AJ The Big Fella
Toya Poplar
CEO Dime