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We had the pleasure to catch up with Texas’ The ARE and ask him a couple of questions, everything from how long has he been making beats to what he does on his free time to his thoughts on the hip hop scene. So make sure you read & get a little better insight on who The ARE is.

Grafwurks: Where did the name The ARE come from?
The ARE: The ARE is my first initial. I just spelled the letter.

Grafwurks: How long have you been making beats?
The ARE: I started making beats around 1993. I had just moved back from NY and finally got some equipment. It was an ensoniq EPS, alisis drum machine and a tascam 4 track.

Grafwurks: Did you know or at least always knew that you wanted to make beats, or was it something you kinda feel into?
The ARE: My life involved a lot of music. I was always buying records and trying to record my voice on things (reel to reel etc). Later I moved into learning more instrumentals. My main instrument was the drums.

Grafwurks: I usually ask this question & you may get this often, but when you’re making beats, are you in a specific state of mind?
The ARE: Sometimes I am. It’s more so inspiration. Certain music or sounds can spark this desire to be creative. Madness can also do this. Being broke or sad.

Grafwurks: If you could reach out to any artist to work with, who would that be?
The ARE: The first group that comes to mind is M.O.P. I’ve always wanted to get them on a joint or even do a full project with them, there’s a lot more but M.O.P. is my first.

Grafwurks: What has been your favorite record or project to work on?
The ARE: I really enjoyed doing the Marauders & the Jackson’s project. Because of the concept, it was a lot of fun. When it came to those, there were so many resources to pull from it kept me focused.

Grafwurks: I personally like all the work you put out, but here lately I’ve been hooked on your album; Dem Damb Jackson’s. What brought on to do this album?
The ARE: First, I’m a huge Jackson’s fan. I love just about everything. At the time I had 2 tracks on my beat cd’s that had a Michael Jackson chop in it and it worked so well. After listening to them a few times, I thought that it would be a great concept. Most people could identify with the project since everyone knows who the Jackson’s are. Also, the Jackson’s melodies are just so right for an instrumental project.

Grafwurks: When you’re not making beats, what do you do on your free time?
The ARE: I hang with my daughter, she’s amazing and I can honestly say that a lot of my drive these days comes from her.

Grafwurks: Overall, what do you think about the hip hop scene?
The ARE: The scene is wacky right now. Hip hop is so big that alot of artist really don’t know what the hell they want to do.I was in NY recently and alot of the artist that would come through the studio would have no clue of what kind of album they wanted to make.They all want to break into the pop scene because of what timbaland and a few others are doing.I think artist need to get a grip of reality and what they are capible of doing and make the best of that.Stop trying to follow the next artist. It’s ok to be influenced by others but take that and apply it to you and your style. Not apply you to someone else. Thats crazy. At the end of the day, they get nothing done because they really have no clue of what to do.

Grafwurks: What equipment/software do you use to make your beats?
The ARE: I use an ASR-10. I’ve been on the ensoniq since day 1. Over the past few years I’ve added things like a microkorg and more recently a Roland Fantom just to add a little bit more to the samples if need be.
I believe in minimal equipment. I don’t think you need a whole lotta shit to make a good joint.

Grafwurks: What artist(s) are you diggin at the moment?
The ARE: I just heard a Busta Rhymes mixtape. Wow. If his album is anything like that, all I can say is CRAZY. I was just with Busta in NY a few months back. Hopefully I’ll have something on his next album as well. We’ll see.
You know, now that I think about it, there aren’t too many artists that are blowing me away right now.
I often get impressed by an artist’ work ethics and hustle more so these days. For example: I like Kanye’s template.
I’m always impressed how he seems to reach a little further outside the box than a lot of others. I like Kweli’s work ethic; He’s always on the road and getting press.
I’m also impressed by an artist consistency. Even if I’m not a fan, I can still look up to an artist for that.

Grafwurks: What are your thoughts on this new wave of “beats” that are produced & become this one huge; one hit wonder but has no content behind it?
The ARE: You know as new generations of rap fans come around, things are gonna forever change in this direction. It’s kinda like a snowball effect. When you think about it,  this has been going on for along time. Just not as much in the beginning. It’s gotten bigger with each generation. The only solution to this is to keep making great music to try and create balance. Most of the kids that like the newer watered down hip hop will like the Kweli’s, Mos Def, and others like them if they just have a chance to hear it in a positive light. The kids are so influenced by what others tell them and show them. Imagine if we had a platform that told the kids that J Dilla and Madlib are the truth and that if you listen to them, you will get lots of girls and you will be considered a badass if you bump pete rock or Bue & Exile in your walkman on the way to school. Or, that you will have a ton of friends that look up to you if you wear a shirt with A Tribe Called Quest or De La Soul Logo on the front.

Grafwurks: Are your beats available for sale to anybody or do you take on certain people?
The ARE: I have beats for sale all the time. It’s a little trickier these days because I’m part of Trackmasters now so I have to make sure certain things aren’t already being placed or shopped to other artist through poke and tone. I do keep certain joints to the side to shop myself. Even though I’m with Trackmasters, I do still hustle on my own.

Grafwurks: What can we expect from The ARE this year?
The ARE: I just spent 3 months in battery studios in NY with Poke and tone. During that time We made a gang of joints for artist such as Busta, Shareefa, Keisha Cole, Lil Kim, and many many more. Hopefully alot of these joinys will start to break out this year. I got 2 joints on lil Kims album for sure. One of them was leaked as a street single called “Chillin Tonight”. Aside from the commercial side of the game. I have a few side projects in the works that I’ll be releasing, a couple of beat projects, The EMC (Masta Ace, Puncline,Wordsworth & Stricklin) album is out now, I did 2 joints on it, a project with Baba Zumbi (Zion i) and a handful of other things as well.

Grafwurks: Any shout outs or anything you wanna tell our readers?
The ARE: Thanks for all the people who reach out to me and tell me they love the music. It’s so appreciated and I always try and respond to everyone who reaches out. I have my myspace page which is www.myspace.com/theare1 or TheARE.com and I just started a blog (wwwtheare.wordpress.com/) where I will be talking about a lot of experiences in the business. I’m gonna talk about the ups and downs, working with certain artist, inside stories and working with Poke & Tone.

A couple more pictures of The ARE