By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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It doesn’t take much time to create something timeless.
That’s the praise for hip hop producer H-Wood, a Rockford native whose industry connections has him working with artists from Charlotte to Los Angeles. The 35-year-old producer, whose real name is Roy Gregg, can take just 10 minutes to go from melody to finished track.
“Almost every producer I’ve been around takes at least an hour, and it’s still not perfect,” said King Rahj, an LA-based rapper who is managed by H-Wood. “We call him the 10-minute man. He produces a hit in 10 minutes.”
But don’t confuse the quick turnaround for something disposable, Rahj says.
“The songs he makes, they’re going to last generations,” said Rahj, a 22-year-old Rockford native who first worked with H-Wood at age 8 on a track for the producer’s former Rockford-based group The Bridge.
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Today, H-Wood is working up beats for up-and-coming artists such as Toosii and chart-toppers like DaBaby. He’s also managing musicians like Rahj and Vibetonova, writing songs and performing.
“His music is worldwide, it’s for everybody,” said Rahj, whose given name is George Miller. “He can do it all: He can do country, rock, pop.”
Last fall, a compilation rap album H-Wood largely produced called “Full House” from Social Currency Enterprises hit No. 1 on Amazon music, briefly topping industry giants like Drake.
“A lot of people make music only for the time, for right now, or for what’s poppin’ at the time,” Gregg said in a phone interview with the Rock River Current. “My music is more or less timeless. I try to make music that’s going to last forever.”
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‘You can really make it’
Gregg, who grew up on Rockford’s west side and graduated from Auburn High School in 2005, moved to Charlotte in 2013 in part to pursue music. There he met Daud “King” Carter, the CEO of Social Currency and former manager of DaBaby, and started building connections in the studio.
“I really want to show my people from Rockford that you can really make it,” he said. “Don’t let your circumstances determine your outcome. I want them to know that you can really make it out, if you really apply yourself and put the work in.”
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Now, he says, he wants to use his platform to create opportunities for others.
On Saturday, he’s hosting an artist and producer showcase at Penthouse Recording Studios in Los Angeles. It will be part music showcase, with live performances and producer battles, and part networking event for people looking to make connections in the industry.
“He wants nothing but the best for everybody, and you can see it,” Rahj said.
In studio, Rahj says H-Wood commands the room, quickly building beats to match an artist’s style.
“He controls the room,” Rahj said. “Every session I’ve been in he controls the session, just off his beats.”
His fast pace sometimes means he’ll be finalizing another beat while the engineer is still recording the vocals from the last one, Rahj said.
“He can sense what the vibe is in the room,” Rahj said. “He’s an O.G. He’s been doing this for awhile, so he can really feed off the artist’s energy, and while I’m hitting one track be like, OK, we going to need something like this next.”
Working together, often from Rahj’s home studio in LA, the pair can quickly knock out tracks because the rapper freestyles all his lyrics.
“I find my hardest lyrics come out whenever I just throw the headphones on and start going,” he said. “The words are more genuine. In this industry, a lot of people cap about what they do. I feel like you come up with that time to cap if you sit there and you’re writing.”
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Next up
Gregg is now working on completing H-Wood Did It Vol. 2, a follow-up to his 10-track release in 2021. He’s also putting together a project called “The Life of a God,” a play off a personal slogan “God Life” that he says refers to walking in the path God created for you.
“It’s a really big, epic sound but it still hits pretty hard,” he said.
Gregg, who is based in Charlotte but spends much of his time in LA, hopes his work will inspire other Rockfordians to chase their dreams.
“I just want to show people it’s possible.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.