Hip-Hop Wired Presents: Beatmakers – Larrance Dopson of 1500 or Nothin’ [PHOTOS]

Name: Larrance Dobson of 1500 or Nothin’

Location: L.A.

Credits: Snoop, Drake, T.I., Jay Z, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Elijah Blake, Game, etc.

Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, Website

If you don’t know about 1500 or Nothin’ by now, it’s time to get schooled. Headed by Larrance Dopson, the Los Angeles-based collective of musicians/producers/writers have worked with big names from rap, R&B, and more.

They’re a band too, touring with the likes of Nas, Lupe Fiasco,  and most recently Rick Ross.

Dopson constructing the Grammy-nominated crew as a self-described “movement” comprised of a “family of individuals.” Among the day-one family members are James Fauntleroy known most notably for writing credits on Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience releases, Drake’s “Girls Love Beyoncé” and Beyoncé’s newly-released fifth effort.

2013 has already been a good year for the 1500 or Nothin’ but expansion is the name of the game. For the latest edition of our “Beatmakers” feature series, Hip-Hop Wired spoke with the CEO about the growing brand, how he got started and why  they’re unlike anyone else in the world.

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Photos: Facebook

Hip-Hop Wired: How did you get started?

Larrance Dopson: I started off in my band, they’re from Chicago. I was in a singing group back in the day, they moved out here [Los Angeles] pursuing their dream. I was raised in church in the hood [and] dealing with that. [I] started playing drums…drummers didn’t get paid as much as I liked to get paid so I moved to the keys, cuz they got way more money. That helped me to start producing and stuff like that. Being in church, I met a lot of talented people [that’s now ] my 1500 family members. Our first major song that we did as a band was [Jay-Z’s] “Show Me What You Got.”

Hip-Hop Wired: How did you transition from being a musician to producer?

Larrance Dopson: I was about 16 years old and I was kickin’ it wit my homie Terrace Martin and he did a beat for $15,000. He showed me that at church, and from there I said ‘I quit!’ I took all the money I had, bought equipment and started making beats. Maybe two or three months after that I got my $15,000 and I never stopped.

Hip-Hop Wired: Has your career always been so fluid, or have their been times when things didn’t go as planned?

Larrance Dopson: Yeah, because I was also dealing with like — I had good parents but I was always around certain gangs and certain types of people. Sometimes I was in situations where I had to beat a few people up, and I really didn’t want to [laughs]. I mean I’m from L.A., I’m really from L.A…. anyone that from L.A. understands that it’s real gang-banging out here. Growing up it’s either you gang, go to church, or you’re a square. I wanted to do a little bit of both [but] I changed my life and now all my friends that gang banged are doing music.

Hip-Hop Wired: How did you start touring Snoop?

Larrance Dopson: My homie Terrace, I was like his driver, he didn’t have a license at the time. So then he told me the keyboard player might not show up [for Snoop’s show]. He told me ‘If you take me to this gig, you might [be able to] get on this gig.’ I didn’t believe him so I just took him anyway. It was like 30 minutes to showtime and he [the keyboard players] didn’t show up. He [Snoop] walked right past me, shook my hand, and we played “Next Episode.” From there he told me to go on tour with him for six months.

Hip-Hop Wired: Who are some of the musicians/producers you look up to?

Larrance Dopson: A couple of my favorite producers are like Quincy Jones, Gamble & Huff, Frank Sinatra…all different types of music. Just geniuses. I like people that created a sound. Teddy Riley, Dr. Dre, J Dillah, David Foster.”

Hip-Hop Wired: What is the next step for 1500 or Nothin’ ?

Larrance Dopson: We started as a band, grew into a production company, now we’re a label…we’re about to have a clothing line. We have a non-profit where we help kids, to teach them how to perform. We’re doing this thing with the Grammys at SXSW where we’ll actually be on stage, 1500 or Nothin’, James Fauntleroy and Hit-Boy.

It ain’t just [about] us playing instruments, we’re going to teach them [that] you have to have the right state of mind, we’re gonna teach them about positivity and how all that can affect your music. Then we’re gonna make three hits from scratch with no rehearsal.

Hip-Hop Wired: Interesting that you want to teach them about having a good mindset. Why is that important?

Larrance Dopson: I mean I’ve been doing music for a long time. I didn’t really start making real money until I changed my state of mind. I had to get away from negativity. I started reading books about quantum physics and just how the mind works, and God, and the Bible, you just gotta know yourself. A lot of people get distracted. Our minds are so powerful.

Hip-Hop Wired: Can you elaborate on how James Fauntleroy’s joined 1500 or Nothin’?

Larrance Dopson: I met James at church and he was battling somebody in free styling. Killing ’em. People don’t know that he’s the best rapper ever, on some Jay Z type sh*t. He really can freestyle and he really just know how to sing. It’s super easy for him.

We actually started hanging out during after we were in a shootout together. We went to a party in the Valley [near L.A.], some friends started a fight…they arrested everybody in the party and we just told each other, like ‘look we gotta’ stop playin.’

Hip-Hop Wired: You guys are unlike any other crew that I know of in L.A.

Larrance Dopson: I don’t know any other crew like us in the world [laughs]. Not to be like that, only because we’ve been all around the world. It could be a lot of crews [around] but usually people like that don’t stick together, but either they broke up, or money f*cked them over. We’ve been through all the sh*t that we’ve been through. When we make music together it’s a whole other language and we all understand it.

Hip-Hop Wired: Can you talk about producing “17” on Dom Kennedy’s Get Home Safely ?

Larrance Dopson: That’s just a sample I made. Like people would sample from the ’50s, ’60d, ’70s, and ’80s, and we take the drums out and let our friends make beats, or we make our own beats to our own samples so we can pay ourselves. That’s what happened with Dom Kennedy, it was a sample I just made.

Hip-Hop Wired: Congrats on the Grammy nod, how many have you ever won?

Larrance Dopson: None.  I’ve been nominated for nine Grammys as a whole we’ve been nominated for 21 now… it’s all good. We’re just getting started, so I’m not trippin’. I want all my Grammys at once. I want like five at a time so, I’ll wait a couple years. I want it to be with us, and our artists.