As a journalist for The Fleet Mag, I have the privilege and the honor to write about this year’s 14th Annual Fleet DJ Music Conference — specifically, the Producer’s Division, which I am happy to say I am also a part of. This article reflects on the experiences and insights of the producers and artists who participated in this year’s events.
Bottom (l to R), B-Money, DJ Baby G, Vegas (Rockboyz), Top (l to R) Weepurr, Bill Biggz, Born P, Laybeats, Nitty Beatz, James Worthy, Drumma Boy, Dr/Period, and Dutch Hoffa.
Day 1
I arrived at the hotel Thursday afternoon. The parking lot was starting to fill up quickly — license plates from all over packed the area. People wearing Fleet DJ shirts were making their way to the hotel lobby. There were people promoting music outside the hotel early. I recognized my producer brother, Wee-Purr, who was out front, and we exchanged greetings before proceeding to check in. After checking in, we made our way to the meet and greet. There were a lot of familiar faces from our Zoom meetings in attendance. We packed out a bar and grill called Dave’s. This was our chance to really meet our Fleet counterparts face to face. For most of us, it was our first time meeting in person. Once the salutations were over, the pre-party began, and in true Fleet fashion, the DJs took over the set. Knowing we had the Producer/Writers Café the next day, the crew decided to get some rest early. Me being a night owl, I’m usually up at 2:00 a.m. So I went downstairs to the lobby, and lo and behold, it was like a party was going on. You could feel the energy in the air. This kept me up for the rest of the night into the morning.
Days 2–3
This year was the first time the majority of the Fleet Producers attended the conference, including myself. So the anticipation and energy were high-level for most of us. I wanted to make a good impression on the Division. We had been speaking regularly, preparing for how we would make our impact on this year’s conference. Fortunately, the Producer’s Café and the Artist Writers Camp were a success. We took home valuable information about business and how to maximize our potential as producers and writers. Ms. Janie Jennings, a veteran music executive, dropped gems during the camp, breaking down splits, mixing, mastering, and more. She also encouraged us to keep in contact with the artists we worked with so that we can collaborate on future projects.
These two events were major for the Producers, despite early scheduling. BMoney and Born P hosted the two events and did an incredible job keeping everything moving smoothly with the short amount of time that we were allocated. The most positive thing about these two events is that all the producers who came linked up together. From that time until the end of the conference, we stayed close together, forming our brother/sisterhood into an unbreakable bond.
Following these two events was the Producer Panel. Calling it legendary would be an understatement. The panel was blessed with the presence of DR/Period, who is the producer of M.O.P.’s “Ante Up” and “How About Some Hardcore,” Drumma Boy, who produced songs for Jeezy, Yo Gotti, and Gucci Mane to name a few, Mil Ticket, who has produced hit records for Sean Paul and Shaggy, and Nitty Beatz, who has produced hits for Young Dro. They gave us jewels on AI and the future of music, and gems that we as producers could take and implement in our own ethics. The icing on the cake for this moment was DR/Period signing both Born P’s and my MPC drum machine, which was complimented by the statement, “No one has ever asked me for an autograph before.” So not only was DR/Period happy, he made us extremely happy as well.
Day 4
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the conference had a 90’s party where major celebrities and artists popped out to party with us. Some of the amazing people we got to rub elbows with were Big Gipp from Goodie Mob, Eastside Boyz, and my favorite, Bodie from The Wire. While the Eastside Boyz put on a mini concert, that still was not the best part. They interrupted the performances to announce state and division awards. They began with the state awards, and then Ms. Kim, whom we all love to life, said something that was music to my ears. She announced the Producer Division as the Division on the Rise. Following her was B-Money, who made the announcement for “Rookie of the Year,” and in slow motion, my name was said. That’s right — Bill Biggz, me — I got Rookie of the Year. And at that moment, I was on cloud nine and extremely proud of the hard work paying off and being noticed by my peers. Alongside me getting that award was P-Money with “Producer of the Year,” and Wee Purr and DJ Baby G receiving certificates of acknowledgment.
Still think it can’t get any better? Wrong. It’s the last day of the conference. Everyone is slowing up. Some people are starting to leave to go back home early. The remaining members of The Fleet DJs are just enjoying the last few moments together. DJ Baby G tells all the producers to go and get their setups to take over the lobby. We all comply, and before you know it, we have 4 to 5 studio setups for artists to come and vibe with us. Me, myself, I brought a Bluetooth speaker and started playing beats out loud while everyone else was using headphones. This drew some attention, and Dutch Hoffa said, “Biggz, go upstairs and get your camera.” When I left the lobby, it was about 7 people. When I returned, the lobby was packed, and everyone was vibing to my beat. We started working on the track right then and there, which led to splits being done on the spot and a potential placement. For a lot of the producers, this was their first time seeing something like this happen in real time.
Now that the conference is over and we all have returned home, there is a newfound energy in the Producer Division, which is shared by all the producers. We are building a family bond that goes beyond production and music. It’s time to get back to the beats so we can be the number one division next year. That’s the plan, and I’m sticking to it.
