We were lucky to catch up with Snipe Young recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Snipe with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Well, as a kid I witness my father go to work on rotating shifts at a plant. Early on, I noticed that no matter when his shift changed he was always up and ready to get to it. My job just happens to be my passion so I enjoy working and I can outwork some of the best! The way I think of it if I’m not working somebody else is and they are getting steps ahead.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am Snipe Young a Grammy-Award Winning Engineer, Multi-Platinum Producer born in Birmingham Alabama currently residing in Los Angeles California. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some world-renowned artists such as Beyonce, Chris Brown, YG, Sofia Reyes, Kendrick Lamar, Eamon, and Flo Rida. As a sound designer, I create Expansions and Instruments for two of the largest music production companies Native Instruments and Akai. Stepping on the other side of the wall I am also the owner of The Nine22 Music Group an independent record label distributed through Sony Orchard home of Josephine Clarke, Rej Archi, Dani, Sly Slim, and Code Newton! Right now, I’m focused on creating some timeless pieces of work and aiming towards a certain number of #1 records this year. Growing up I’ve always wanted to be considered among the greats in my field so every day I’m striving to fulfill that vision. I have some huge records coming up this year and of course, I can’t tell haha, also I have some new sound design pieces for Native Instruments and Akai as well as Launching my own line this year.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I would have to say three of my most important qualities would be Compassion, Ambition, and Diligence. As far as skills and areas of knowledge I will say the ability to adapt and learn would be one. The second one would have to be bending, identifying, and understanding sound, as a producer I honed this skill and used that knowledge to venture over to the sound-design space. Lastly, is my ability to imagine (my Imagination) with imagination you can experiment and explore different worlds of melody and sound.
If you are early in your journey I encourage you to study the people before you and broaden your audio landscape feel free to imagine and try things that may not be of the norm. Think about the imagination of a child and how they will become whatever element they feel whether it’s a superhero or a boat! Just be free and always remember to apply the principles of your craft then you can See it, Believe it and Be It!
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents allowed me to BE! They never doubted me or pushed me toward anything other than my passion they believed in me from the very start. I started playing drums in the church around 4 or so and they made me feel like I was a touring musician from that point forward. My mother (Myra) and Father (Lawrence) are a class act and I strive to be to my son what they are to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.snipeyoung.com/
- Instagram: @snipeyoung
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snipeyoung
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/snipeyoung
- Other: https://www.thenine22.com/
