Laila Wayans
Laila Wayans makes music.
Good music, sure, of course, otherwise why would we bother to feature her, but most importantly, interesting music. Music that challenges and intrigues us. It’s not always our cup of tea, but also not not our cup of tea, so much as it is challenging; exciting. Laila exists in a musical world in which she is renowned for her talents of production and musicianship; a world populated by artists who make music that is a branch of our taste that we rarely get to explore, and we are appreciative of the opportunity to endeavor into new melodic realms. Apart from that, she’s charmingly weird. For example, we asked her to send us photos from her camera roll that are representative of her, and she sent us an ‘I <3 DUBSTEP’ banner. We stand behind her in that position if only because we support the essential right of a person to have personal taste. We are fans. Love you, Laila. If this is the interesting and talented and beautiful person that you are today, we can’t wait to see all of the wonderful things you do tomorrow.
Who are you?
My name is LAILA.
What do you do?
I'm a producer.
How long have you been doing that?
I started producing in 2021 during the pandemic.
Where is home for you?
I currently go back and forth between Los Angeles and New York.
If you weren’t producing music, what would you be doing?
Playing the drums.
“I feel like most of the challenges I’ve faced have been within myself rather than with the industry. ”
What do you think about the current state of the hip-hop/rap culture that you’re engaged in?
I really love the underground scene. I think it gets more and more exciting each day. I feel like the artists get younger and younger and with that comes new ideas. I feel like these kids are really constantly pushing the sound and trying different stuff which I really love. There’s no right or wrong. It's super free and the sound is evolving so quickly it’s really cool.
What do you do outside of music and how does that thing influence or affect your craft?
I like to watch movies, get/give tattoos, and make clothes. I feel like all those things go hand in hand as they all inspire me and help me feel creative. Sometimes I watch movies that I think are pretty on silent and make beats to them. I think it's really important to look to other things outside of music to draw inspiration.
The best/worst thing about the music industry as you see it?
The best thing about the industry is that it exists. The fact that there is a way in which people can have the ability to just do what they love everyday and be able to live off of that is amazing. With that being said there are a lot of downsides. One of my least favorite things about the industry is how easy it is to fall into the pressures put on you when you’re an artist. Music can go from being super fun and the best thing ever to really anxiety inducing and stressful very quickly. I think the industry puts a lot of pressure on artists to always be the greatest thing ever and I think that can really stunt an artists creativity.
Something you’re most proud of?
I think my proudest moment as a producer has yet to come. I feel like I only just really started but I am proud of how far I have come since my start. I first taught myself how to make beats off of YouTube videos so I am very proud of all the things I have been able to learn/achieve over the years.
Biggest lesson you’ve learnt in life so far?
Focus on yourself.
Something anyone can do today to make the world a better place?
Give others grace because life is hard.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome so far in your industry?
I feel like most of the challenges I’ve faced have been within myself rather than with the industry.
What is something people might not know about you?
I used to have a clothing line called 1321bleach that I started during lockdown with my best friend Westy. It was short lived but sometimes I see people still wearing the hoodie and it makes me smile.
Who do you think is doing it the best/coolest in your industry right now?
I love what Goxan and Lazer dim are doing. I feel like they are really pushing the sound in a new direction.
What do you think the biggest issue young people are facing today?
Being distracted and comparing themselves to other people because of social media.
To what do you owe your success so far?
My parents for always supporting me and for telling me at a very young age to never give up on my dreams.
What draws you to this niche in music and how has your perception of it changed over time?
I think what draws me to this kind of music is how free it is. Anything can be a beat these days. Even white noise haha as long as you add some drums. To me that’s super inspiring because there is no right or wrong so it pushes me to constantly be trying new things without being afraid that it’s too out of the box.
When you begin your process, how do you start? What is step one?
Open the computer.
How collaborative is your process and what do you think you bring to the table creatively?
It depends. Sometimes it’s not collaborative at all and it’s just me in my room making beats. Other times I’ll work with other producers I like, which is always really fun for me because I feel like I learn a lot by watching people I look up to. My favorite way to create is with the artist in session because I feel like that’s when the most authentic collaboration happens. I always like to know what the artist is listening to at the moment and what they are inspired by so that the beat can feel connected to them in some way. I think creatively I have many different types of beats I can make. There are some producers who have a very specific sound which I think is super cool but I've never really been that way. I have always been interested in many different genres so I think my music is reflective of that. I want people to be surprised that I made a beat rather than know right off the bat it was me.