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LargeUp Exclusive: Meet The Wizard--Jamaica's Only Female Producer

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY.MK_170512_TheWizard_MG_3108

Words by Jesse Serwer, photos by Martei Korley.

In case you haven't noticed it, LargeUp has been killing it this week. Among other notable exclusives they sat down with Jamaica's only female producer AKA The Wizard for an in-depth interview. Get the intro and a short excerpt below and hit the link at bottom to read more:

The word “wizard” tends to conjure images of old, bearded Gandalf types casting spells in Middle Earth or some other fantasy land. The Wizard we’re about to introduce you to, though, is the beautiful daughter of Beres Hammond, and, as far as we know, Jamaica’s only working female music producer. Just a few years removed from her first production credit, for the title track on her father’s A Moment in Time album, she’s already got a sound of her own (think Timbaland meets dancehall) and a growing resume that includes the entirety of Mr. Lexx’supcoming Lexxicon album, and her cousin Courtney John’s latest effort, The Courtney John Experiment. She’s also produced remixes for Nelly Furtado. Our Martei Korley visited The Wizard at her sonic lair—her father’s Harmony House Studio—for her first ever photo shoot, after which I spoke with her about her unusual name, her unique position in the Jamaican music world, and life with Beres.

LargeUp: Tell us how you got started producing and making beats…

The Wizard: I started actually making beats when I was 10. I don’t know, it’s just something that’s in me. At five, I used to hear songs on the radio and I’d sing and count the melodies. I found out I actually had a knack for music, it’s something fun to get into and I’ve been doing it ever since.

LU: Your father is Beres Hammond. How did him being an artist get you started in music?

>>>Read More (via LargeUp)