Ness is a multi-platinum producer known for shaping records across modern hip-hop and R&B. Emerging from Rochester, New York, he first broke through producing records for artists like A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie before landing major placements with artists including Drake, Kodak Black, and Young Thug.
Recognized by his tag “Ness on the beat,” his production credits have appeared on chart-impacting records like “KMT” by Drake and “Say A’” by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, helping push his catalog to hundreds of millions of streams.
Originally building beats from his laptop while in college, Ness quickly developed a reputation for melodic yet hard-hitting production that bridges street records with cinematic textures. Today he continues expanding his role beyond production into songwriting, artist development, and building his own creative catalog.
What release are you the most proud of, and why?
Eye am most proud of the release of my self-titled EP called Divinellis, which dropped December 18, 2022.
What role does spirituality play in your creativity?
Spirituality is creativity, in my opinion. Creativity comes from the spiritual plane, so tapping into yourself spiritually will just heighten your creative abilities.
What’s the story on how your placement “KMT” by Drake & Giggs came together?
So at the time, eye was signed to Highbridge The Label and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was making a lot of noise during his come up. We made a few notable songs together, which then led the producer Chef Pasquale, aka Squale, to reach out about an opportunity to send beats to Drake.
Eye didn’t believe him at the time because eye had heard that sentence before, but eye gave the opportunity a chance. We sent a pack of beats to OVO and they selected the KMT beat.
For someone who is looking for clues, how would you simplify what intuition feels like?
That’s a great question. Intuition feels comforting, even if the information you are receiving makes no sense logically. Eye’d describe it as an internal whisper. It has to be developed though, because most people make logical or emotional decisions. Intuition is like the combination of both, but specifically for your journey.
Name a few of your key collaborators and tell us something that makes them special.
Some key collaborators include creatives from the HighVibeTribe such as DEZ JAI and $tar$eed.
DEZ JAI is a lyrical guru and master networker. $tar$eed is a producer/artist with an original sound that eye have never heard before.
What are some daily habits that help you show up for yourself and the ones you love?
Some daily habits that help me show up for myself and others are meditation, eating plant-based, and yoga. These practices help me cultivate my energy and disperse them in harmonious ways.
Melodies seem to shape how you approach a production. Has it always been this way? If so, what are some elements of your upbringing that allowed you to discover this love of melodies?
Melodies have always caught my attention. My parents always played music in the car and/or would sing songs that were in their head.
My dad introduced me to a lot of ’90s R&B, which is very melodic and full of expression. The radio also played a lot of hits during the early 2000s that were very catchy and inspired me to create.
How has your relationship with chasing placements evolved since you first started?
Eye don’t chase placements anymore. That’s a tiring game. Eye used to get so disappointed after sending many packs of beats to labels that wanted my sound, but they wouldn’t even use the beats.
Now eye am the artist, producer, and engineer and don’t rely on placements anymore.
You played a key role in A Boogie Wit da Hoodie’s come up. What feels different about being involved early? And what are subtle things you notice about other creatives that make you feel they will go far?
Eye don’t feel there was a difference for being involved early other than experiencing the notoriety and hype with him.
Some subtle things eye notice about other creatives that make me feel they will go far is the love for creating. A genuine love for what you are doing will always propel you to where you want to be.
Who’s a key person that helped you get to where you are in the music industry, and how did they change your path?
Big shout out to Lamont Graves who helps producers/songwriters get paid. At one point in time, eye was not receiving barely any of my royalties and he helped me get things started.
What’s something most creatives or executives misunderstand about your role?
That’s a great question. Never thought about this, but eye’d say most creatives/executives misunderstand that eye am just a reflection of them.
So how they treat me is a representation of how they treat themselves. My role as a creative is to express my internal world and reflect what is going on in the world.
How has your ego evolved in how much space it takes up in your life?
My ego has evolved a lot, mostly in the way of not needing anything outside of myself to validate my worth or potential.
A lot of things that eye had been attached to, such as chasing placements or collaborating with the biggest producers/artists, is no longer a desire. Eye feel like eye am already the biggest and the world has to catch up to see that.
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?
Eye don’t think it’s really possible to fail unless you give up on what you love, and that’s something eye would never do. What eye love motivates me to keep thriving in life.
Apparent failure or something not working out to me is really just future protection.
If you could put one sentence on a billboard for every young creative starting out, what would it say?
“The destination is destined. Enjoy the journey.”