This month we are excited to bring the talented Clinton Bentley aka Baccyard onboard for our February artwork. Born in Wellington and raised in Samoa, the 19-year-old music producer and artist has been popping up regularly on our radar. The self-taught artist started dabbling in photoshop, before modding various PC games like Grand Theft Auto and Fifa before eventually getting fully immersed in graphic design. This explains why when you look at his work you feel like you're inside a video game. As a producer he works locally with Omni Potent and MELODOWNZ, as well as playing his own live sets.
Let’s start off by talking about your work as a producer. When did you get into music and making beats?
I've always been into music, 90s-00s R&B and Hip Hop mostly, since I was a kid, but I got into making beats around early 2013. I was a huge fan of Joey Badass's 1999 mixtape, mostly because of the instrumentals he had on there. I loved the beats so much it made me want to start producing my own.
You described yourself to me the other day as a "19-year-old music producer from akl, who is handy with photoshop”. Have you always pursued music and art? Or which came first?
It was definitely art! I loved music, but I was really into Photoshop when I was in intermediate. I use to do real geek shit, like mod textures on pc games, you know like adding a Supreme hoodie on GTA: San Andreas. My PC at the time was old as fuck and one day photoshop just wouldn't work anymore, so I started doing more music.
You are currently working closely with Omni on both music, artwork and merch. You are steadily shaping their poster artwork and branding. When did you start working with Ti-Maya, Franko & Jordan?
I actually met the boys through a mutual friend in 2016, at a local house party. We knew about each other through social media and SoundCloud, they were looking for an in-house producer and i seemed to have the perfect beats for them at the time. Since then, the boys have adopted me into the family.
Above: Artwork for Omni Potent
Producing Melowdownz & Bailey Wiley’s track ‘The Anthem’ is one of your highlights to date, tell us how that came about?
Melo and me had done a few tracks beforehand, but Melo messaged me one morning asking for some smooth 90's R&B sort type beats. I had nothing ready at the time, so I just browsed through a ton of old-school R&B artists I liked, and came across a few samples to use. The instrumental for the song was the first beat I made, and I was close to deleting it because it felt too simple haha I sent him a snippet anyways and he loved it. Glad that worked well.
Above: "The Anthem" by MELODOWNZ ft. Bailey Wiley, produced by Baccyard.
You are highly influenced by 70s and 80s Horror movies, which films would you highly recommend?
I recommend The Exorcist and Dawn of the Dead! Straight classics.
Being a producer and artist, do you find your creative processes for both mediums similar or very different?
I find music creativity to come to me easier than graphics/art, but they're relatively similar in a way. There's more planning on the artist part.
Locally and internationally, what artists, designers and creatives do you admire?
There's a ton! I admire designers like AKL local Naik2G, he's got a really tight style and the dude is really good with his art. Also DBRUZE; he does like tour merch design for FUTURE and designs his own stuff. He has such a dope 90s nostalgic style, shit that I like to dwell into myself.
Dream Client?
Young Thug or TRAVIS SCOTT.
Best thing you have seen on the internet this week?
A talking dog doing cocaine was quite interesting.
Top five tracks to draw to?
Biggie - 10 crack commandments
Big L - MVP (smooth summer remix)
Three artists you would give anything to see perform live?
Young Thug, Travis Scott and Kanye West
