GRAMMY-nominated producers Mike & Keys might be on top of the game, but they haven't forgotten where they came from. Boasting credits with everyone from Nipsey Hussle to BJ The Chicago Kid, Snoop Dogg to Faith Evans, the duo, formerly known as The Futureistiks have built a name for themselves in hip-hop and beyond.
Since the beginning, the duo felt they had something to say with their music, and that they belonged at the table with the great producers and artists of their time.
"We were confident," said Keys. "We could do this, we could make music for a Jay-Z, to that caliber. I think it was his Blueprint 3 concert, we went there. Seeing a live band play the beats, it just sounded dope live, so that really inpired us to keep forth and making music."
From early in their career, Mike & Keys worked with Nipsey extensively, becoming close to the late GRAMMY-nominated rapper both in the studio and in life.
"We were more than just music producers to him," said Mike. "We were friends, we did everything together."
"With Nipsey, it was pretty much all the mixtapes that we were a part of" added Keys. "He was like, 'You guys are my sound.'"
The duo's sound is sought out because it comes through as authentic and timeless.
"People feel what really came out your heart," said Mike. "That's why some of the best songs is what came out of someone's heart, what they was really feeling at that time... that's always the goal, to make a song that's forever."
"We just want to give quality to the people, because they deserve it," Keys added. "That's what music is about, is to make people feel good."
Watch their full Behind The Board in the video above to hear what Mike & Keys learned from working on Gladys Knight's last album, plus their plans to release music of their own very soon.
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