Meet TJ $uavé

We were lucky to catch up with TJ $uavé recently and have shared our conversation below.

TJ , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Keeping your creativity alive is probably one of the hardest things to do today. So many imitations and artificial ways to achieve a goal or success are being pushed. I try to stay away from that and always have something different that I bring to the table than other producers. I love it when an artist says, “that beat different” or “I gotta think how I’m a rap on this”. This shows me they’re so use to the same ole loops and ways about creating music. You must be open to new ideas and concepts to constantly be creative. The best in our industry continue to reinvent themselves, some finding success and others struggling immensely. The best way I keep my creatively alive is by exposing myself to new art and different cultures/experiences. I draw constant inspiration from movies, tv shows, and even being out watching live events and people just out in public. I got a sample for my song “Give It Up” on my project GEMINI because someone I followed on snapchat had posted a funny story and I thought it would be perfect in this song. This had to have been posted in 2016/2017 and that song didn’t release until 2023, you never know when an idea or event will bring about new creativity.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is TJ $uavé and I am a 26-year-old Music Producer born in Miami, FL, and raised in Palm Beach County.

After completing high school, I started college at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL, and graduated in 2021 with a degree in Business Administration, majoring in Integrated Business. At the end of 2017, I first started honing in on my production skills and began producing in Garage Band, then moving into Logic. While working on my first few beats, I began associating with an Orlando-native Hip-Hop collective known as Hat$zn. After two years of crafting my sound and working on different songs and projects, I released my solo debut Beat Tape titled “Calico” on Nov. 11th, 2019. I originally intended for it to be a full vocal project with rapping and singing, but the music industry, even in a smaller capacity, doesn’t always align with your vision.

During the Spring and Summer of 2020, I started collaborating with many local Orlando artists to produce my second series in the beat tape trilogy, “Calico II”. I released this project on Oct. 10th, 2020, with both releases having a release party the day before dropping. I was fortunate enough to be able to showcase and display my beats in Miami and Charlotte through open mic nights and performances throughout 2020 as well. As 2020 ended, I began working closely with a frequent collaborator, Thewizardsprogram, and we were able to travel around Florida and create two EPs within a year, North Pine I & II. Also, during the Summer of 2021, I released my third and final beat tape of the series, “Calico III”, on June 6th, first on Soundcloud, then on various platforms afterward, one day after my birthday.

I wanted to release an EP the Summer of 2022 under my Zodiac sign, Gemini, but decided to extend the project and take more time to craft it. In the Summer of 2023, I released my next project series, titled “GEMINI”, with the intro track formatting as a roll call for all Geminis. I’m currently looking to work with local artists and produce beats, and I’m currently Executive Producing a Mixtape with HITMKR, Inc which is releasing exclusively on HITMKR.com on January 29th, 2024.

In 2024, I will also be working on a 5-year anniversary Calico project and a few surprise drops that will occur throughout the year.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I would say without a doubt, the 3 most impactful were: Perseverance, Networking, and Loyalty. Perseverance because this industry is not your friend, and it will take everything you have to give. You must be willing to keep pushing through, without compromising yourself or your morals. Networking is an important skill because there are so many people who could be your ticket to the next level that you might walk past every single day. I attended an event in Atlanta with my mother and got introduced to a woman who was managing over 7 different Rap/R&B artists throughout the Southeast US. Had I not spoken up about my musical talent or who I was looking to connect with to help elevate my music and brand, I might have never made this connection. Lastly, I listed Loyalty, because you need to have those select people you can trust with a lot of important matters. I observe every person I encounter and can largely base how you will interact or treat me based on how you treat others. I’m a very loyal person, so I expect the same out of anyone who wants to surround themselves with me. You can improve upon all of these, but you must be willing to put yourself out there to experience situations where these different skills and qualities are necessary.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Collaboration is one of the biggest ways you can take off in this industry. The biggest issue is no one wants to share the spotlight or success in most situations. I have always tried to model after those successful projects I have seen when the Producer locks in with the Artist: Ye and Common on Be, Madlib and DOOM on Madvillainy, or even 21 and Metro on SM 2. These projects were all cooked by the same producers throughout, but the artist grows throughout the tracks, and you can feel the body of work come alive. I am constantly looking for some artist to entrust in me the executive production or even close collaborative efforts of their work because that essentially helps both of us grow. We can feed off each other and it makes promotions and branding that much easier. Unfortunately, people hardly have that mindset and only want to focus on the next viral single or don’t want to PAY their producers.

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