Skizzy Mars officially released his highly anticipated LP “Pace” only a couple of months ago. The project propelled Skizzy into the spotlight as one of the top up and coming rappers currently in the game. The free LP included features from Jon Waltz and Ms. Jones, as well as some nasty beats and production. Our TapSongz Team had the chance to speak with Michael Keenan, the main production force behind the popular 12-track set. While 6ix, a well-respected producer who if known for his work with hip-hop artist Logic, was also involved in the LP, it was Michael Keenan who pushed the project into the spotlight.
Keenan is originally from Massachusetts and had a passion for music growing up. He played the drums starting in the third grade and traveled to Albany to be apart of the Empire State Youth Orchestra. Eventually, he did not want to do classical drumming and moved his interests into producing music. He began messing around with music production with his friend and really enjoyed it. “I eventually attended SUNY at Purchase, which has a great production program. The school has an entire music conservatory and I really learned a lot,” Keenan told our TapSongz Team.
The school has two programs that are geared towards writing songs. The “Studio Composition Program” is mainly directed at singers and songwriters and is very popular on campus. The “Studio Production Program” focuses on theory of music, engineering production and craft of audio. Keenan chose this program due to his interest in creating and producing music. “The program was really helpful, but it’s also what you make of it. There is a lot of freedom to apply your own skills,” Keenan said. After school he moved to Brooklyn and then Manhattan shortly after to work on music and has been there for four years. Once out of school, Keenan focused all of his efforts on music production and creating beats that artists would want. “I was introduced to artists through a manager I met in college. He showed me pieces that were good and bad and really helped guide me,” Keenan said.
There is no doubt that Keenan struck gold with his production in Skizzy Mars’ “Pace”. He produced some of the top songs off of the LP including “Summer 11”, “Numb”, “All Say”, and “Make Sense”. “All Say” has gained nearly 800,000 plays on SoundCloud and “Summer 11” is already over half a million. Keenan’s personal favorite from the project is “Drink and Dance”, which features Jon Waltz.
Since “Pace” was released, Keenan has been keeping busy with new opportunities. He just recently made a trip to Los Angeles with Skizzy Mars. Keenan is currently working with some new artists, whose names he must keep under wraps for now. “I want to be a part of as much as possible and I hope to build my network with sounds going forward,” Keenan said. We encourage all of our viewers to follow Michael Keenan’s social media linked below to keep up-to-date with his latest production projects! We have also linked the LP “Pace” below so be sure to give it a listen! Here at TapSongz, we thank you for reading this feature article as we continue finding tomorrow’s greatest music today!
Keenan is originally from Massachusetts and had a passion for music growing up. He played the drums starting in the third grade and traveled to Albany to be apart of the Empire State Youth Orchestra. Eventually, he did not want to do classical drumming and moved his interests into producing music. He began messing around with music production with his friend and really enjoyed it. “I eventually attended SUNY at Purchase, which has a great production program. The school has an entire music conservatory and I really learned a lot,” Keenan told our TapSongz Team.
The school has two programs that are geared towards writing songs. The “Studio Composition Program” is mainly directed at singers and songwriters and is very popular on campus. The “Studio Production Program” focuses on theory of music, engineering production and craft of audio. Keenan chose this program due to his interest in creating and producing music. “The program was really helpful, but it’s also what you make of it. There is a lot of freedom to apply your own skills,” Keenan said. After school he moved to Brooklyn and then Manhattan shortly after to work on music and has been there for four years. Once out of school, Keenan focused all of his efforts on music production and creating beats that artists would want. “I was introduced to artists through a manager I met in college. He showed me pieces that were good and bad and really helped guide me,” Keenan said.
There is no doubt that Keenan struck gold with his production in Skizzy Mars’ “Pace”. He produced some of the top songs off of the LP including “Summer 11”, “Numb”, “All Say”, and “Make Sense”. “All Say” has gained nearly 800,000 plays on SoundCloud and “Summer 11” is already over half a million. Keenan’s personal favorite from the project is “Drink and Dance”, which features Jon Waltz.
Since “Pace” was released, Keenan has been keeping busy with new opportunities. He just recently made a trip to Los Angeles with Skizzy Mars. Keenan is currently working with some new artists, whose names he must keep under wraps for now. “I want to be a part of as much as possible and I hope to build my network with sounds going forward,” Keenan said. We encourage all of our viewers to follow Michael Keenan’s social media linked below to keep up-to-date with his latest production projects! We have also linked the LP “Pace” below so be sure to give it a listen! Here at TapSongz, we thank you for reading this feature article as we continue finding tomorrow’s greatest music today!