Hayward Ivy, better known as DJ Squeeky to the music industry, is a pioneer in the Memphis rap scene. A native of Orange Mound, he grew up immersed in the same musical culture that bred such hometown legends as 8ball & MJG, DJ Zirk, Three 6 Mafia, Playa Fly and Kingpin Skinny Pimp.
Most notable for his trunk-rattling production, DJ Squeeky’s signature sound has filled the ears of more than a million listeners across the country. His extensive music catalog includes production credits on the albums (or mixtapes) of Pastor Troy, Young Jeezy, Young Dolph, Criminal Manne, 2 Chainz, Yo Gotti, 8ball & MJG, and a long list of others.
He’s also released several albums independently under his record label, Mo Cheda Records. Among these, albums such as DJ Squeeky & The Family’s On a Mission, Tom Skeemask’s 2 Wild for the World, and Project Playaz’s Til We Die remain Southern rap classics.
Stepping away from the drum machine and Pro tools, DJ Squeeky took time out to speak with me about how he got into producing, his involvement in creating the “signature” Memphis rap sound, having his style mimicked by Platinum producers and Three 6 Mafia’s remaining members DJ Paul & Juicy J, who he wants to work with in the future, and much more.
Follow DJ Squeeky on Twitter: @Djsqueeky4Eva
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How did you get into music?
I have a lot of family members that go to church. Some sing. Some play instruments. I used to play drums at my church, so that really gave me a lot of good interest for the music game. Everyone was a fan of music back then. Either you were rapping or you were beat-boxing or you were DJing. You were doing some form of hip-hop. I started off being a DJ, but being a fan of hip-hop, I didn’t just want to play the music. I wanted to be involved with making the music.
What inspired you to primarily focus on the production aspect of hip-hop?
I think production came when I started doing mixtapes. I was DJing at the clubs but I wanted to start doing the mixtapes too. I really got inspired by DJ Spanish Fly (legendary Memphis DJ and rapper). He used to be on the radio at 12. Club Expo. If you were a young cat, you were waiting to hear the Spanish Fly mix. You knew it was fixing to go down. I used to be like, ‘I want to do that too.’ I was still more curious with producing, because everybody was involved with the rapping part. [That’s] what everybody got into, but you had to have music to rap.
How old were you when you first started producing? And who were some of the first artists you produced for?
I was probably about 15 [or] 16 years old. I did some work with 8ball & MJG, Criminal Manne, Project Playaz and Tom Skeemask. We all kinda grew up together in the same neighborhood. My house was the place that we came and put it down at. I had [Kingpin] Skinny Pimp, Al Kapone. Anybody that had a little name back then was at my house.
Did you have a studio setup in your house?
Yeah, it was in my bedroom. The mic and everything was in there. We were young cats, you know. We didn’t know nothing about mic booths and all that stuff. We had the mic booth, all the equipment, and everything all in one room. We had the microphone standing in the middle of the room. You just come in and you drop.
I noticed you haven’t done a collaboration with Three 6 Mafia. . Why was this? Were you guys in competition with each other?
It really wasn’t a competition, it was an issue with them re-making my music. They were really on the ‘stealing people’s music thing back then.’ Their whole style, their beats, hooks, everything were based on shit I did. All the hooks that you heard from them [earlier on] were samples they took off my mixtapes. They were making their own songs off them. That’s how they got started.
Did that cause an issue between you guys?
I had a real big problem with it back then. I felt like, I’m just a dude over here in the ‘hood trying to do my own thing with my music, and I see another guy trying to jump in on what I’m doing, sample what I’m doing, and steal the style of what I’m doing. Then you want to make beats like I’m making and everything. It was like they weren’t sticking to their own shit, which is what they should’ve been sticking to instead of trying to be a DJ Squeeky fan. I know they couldn’t help but be a DJ Squeeky fan, because I was the only thing around back then. But the thing about it was instead of sampling me, [they] should have been apart of what I was doing.
Are you referring to DJ Paul and Juicy J in particular?
I’m referring to both of them. I just look at them like they took what another man worked hard on doing. You want to be like him. You want to sound like him. You want to work your music like he works his music. And try to be me. Every album by Three 6 Mafia that’s came out to date got some DJ Squeeky on it. It’s got a DJ Squeeky hook, a DJ Squeeky sample, a DJ Squeeky beat pattern. It’s got something on that record concerning me.
Would you say that you helped establish the early Memphis sound production-wise?
Fasho, I did. Back then, everybody was doing it, but I took it to the streets. I was doing the mixtapes, putting them in the stores. Nobody was putting rap mixtapes into stores. Everybody was trying to get into record stores. I was going to Mr. Z’s, the stereo shops, and all that.
At what point did you decide to take your music career seriously?
I had left Memphis for about a year and a half. I was staying with 8Ball & MJG down in [Houston], Texas. They were doing real good. They were like in their second album and going into their third album. I was on their third album, On Top of The World. When I went down there, they really motivated me on what I really need to be doing in life. If I wanted to do the music, I needed to really get focused on doing the music.
[DJ Squeeky left Houston to come back to Memphis and raise his newborn daughter. He would later reconnect with Criminal Manne, Thugsta, Yo Lynch, and Tom Skeemask. The group would come together and create the album, On a Mission—DJ Squeeky’s national debut.]
How did people respond to On a Mission?
I sold 10,000 records the first week independently. We had a deal a couple months later. That’s when Relativity Records came down and signed me (and his record label Mo Cheda) and they signed Three 6 Mafia. We were on the label with Bone, Thugz-n-Harmony, 8ball & MJG, the Dayton Family, and a lot of other people.
[Relativity Records ended up folding, and the contracts of its signees were sold to Loud Records. Frustrated with waiting on the sideline for a release date, DJ Squeeky to his imprint elsewhere. Mo Cheda would have a short stint with Warlock Records before deciding to pursue the independent route once again. The label has been releasing music independently ever since.]
Who were some of your musical influences from a production standpoint?
We were more or less listening to Dr. Dre and them. 8Ball & MJG with T-mix and them making the music. M.J.G. taught me how to start working the keyboards and stuff. I didn’t know anything about the keyboard. I had a drum machine back then. MJG used to come back to Memphis [with his] Sonic keyboard. He used to show me a lot of tricks.
With my music, I wasn’t trying to sound like [my influences]. Their drive and the love for the music that they have, that’s how I looked upon them. I wanted to be that person to have that same drive to really, really make it happen.
What are some of the machines that you use to produce?
I’ve used the SP-1200 [drum machine]. I had a Boss Dr-660. I had an old Roland keyboard before Mini came out. My music back then was more like a sample thing. I was sampling things that I heard and was putting beats to it. I’m still using the drum machine to make beats. The MPC-3000. I’ve been dealing with Fruity Loops too.
How long does it take you to produce a song?
A few minutes. It all depends on what level I’m on. If I’m on a good level and got some good cheeba, it’s going to be a couple seconds. I know a few musical notes, but my music is based off feel, how I’m feeling at that moment, what I’m on at that moment.
Do you feel like you’re underrated?
Hell yeah. It’s like I know all the stars, but they slick want to fuck with me. But they slick don’t want to fuck with me. Some do and some don’t, but they know that I’ve got talent. It’s not like I’m some new cat that just started a few years ago. I look at it like they’re sleeping on me.
Who’s some of your favorite artists to work with?
I like working with Pastor Troy, Criminal Manne, Young Dolph, Playa Fly, I dd some stuff with [Young] Jeezy. He’s cool. I’m just naming people on work ethics. Not just people who’re saying they rap. I like to work with 2 Chainz. That’s my homie. He’s a good dude.
Are there any artists that you want to work with in the future?
I want to work with Young Money (a record label founded by Lil Wayne). That’s the camp I’m trying to get into right now. Young Money and Rick Ross. I’ve kinda touched base with everybody else that’s doing something.
You have a massive catalog of production credits. Is there a favorite song that you’ve produced?
I’m going to have to say “Lookin for da Chewin.” [A song off of DJ Squeeky’s album In Da Beginning: The Underground Volume One, which features Kingpin Skinny Pimp, 8Ball & MJG, DJ Zirk and Kilo G]. A lot of people don’t know that I made that song, because that’s another episode of DJ Paul and them trying to sound like me, trying to be like me.
What advice would you give for up and coming artists and producers?
All I can tell you is that you’ve got to believe in what you’re doing, and the best thing that you can do is to try to keep loyalty with the people that you’re dealing with. It’s hard trying to keep people in a group or a situation when you’re trying to make a dream come true. You have to really be focused on what you’re doing. I’ve had a lot different distractions from people who just tried to get me out of my direction in life. You just have to stay focused. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody’s going to believe in you.
What’s up next for DJ Squeeky?
I’m in the process of putting a mixtape together. I’m getting ready to come back out in 2013. I’m fixing to kill the game. They haven’t heard anything new from me in a minute. I haven’t dropped a record since 2004 [or] 2005. I’m going to come back with the mixtape and get it back going again.
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