Matt Miggz makes things that stick. The drums hit right. The ideas feel finished, but not overcooked. He has a sense for when to push and when to leave space – probably because he’s done it all: band projects, solo production, collabs, even jumping on the mic now and then. His musical journey, and this is a quote, is “a constant push and pull between self awareness and delusion”. That’s bars right there to be honest. Matt is someone who’s been in the game long enough to know what works, and curious enough to keep trying new angles. Whether it’s a beat, a sample, or even content, Matt Miggz does it with his authentic self and persona at the forefront. No need to overthink it. Just make it good and make it yours.
Matt Miggz
Q: Who is Matt Miggz, and what has your musical journey been like so far?
Matt Miggz: I’m an artist/producer/songwriter whose beats have been described as “a Murphy Lee outfit” & every song on the top 10 on TRL. My musical journey is one that “goes with the flow” both positively and negatively. The constant push and pull between self awareness and delusion. As corny as this sounds, the things that remain constant are my deep passion for the creation of music, while making sure I’m laughing the entire time.
Q: Your drum breaks have gained a lot of traction on WAVS, they’re incredibly distinct and high-quality. How did your love for drums develop, and why have drums become such a signature element of your sound?
Matt Miggz: The day I saw the movie “Drumline” with my Mom, is the day my head exploded. This is around the time I was becoming fully addicted to hip-hop, as well as “jamming” with my Dad (if you can call it that, I was in 3rd grade) who is an artist himself. Seeing a marching band with real instruments playing the music I was now obsessed with, made something click for me. As my mom and I walked to the car after the movie, I begged to start taking drum lessons, long story short here we are. I personally believe that drums are the most important part of any song. Drums are able to make a face scrunch up, and an ass shake at the same time. They have always been the first thing I listen for, and react to. Over time I realized my taste and appreciation for drums was my strongest skill when it came to production, and I ran with it.
Miggz is renowned for his Drums! series on WAVS; his latest 3 releases from the series in order: Drums! Vol. IV; Drums! Vol. V; Drums! Vol. VI
Q: You’ve had quite a diverse musical career, especially with your own band/project Yes Please. What’s the story behind the whole project? Are there possibly any new releases for Yes Please on the horizon?
Matt Miggz: So Yes Please was a duo that me and my best friend at the time started. We both started making beats in 2009, and eventually formed YP around 2016-2017. It was my first real attempt at taking music seriously, as well as my first time being an artist, making full songs with lyrics as opposed to just beats to freestyle over, and first time experiencing the back end of the industry trying to get your shit out there. For what it was, we saw a significant amount of success. Yes Please ending was a pivotal moment for me, as it forced me to learn every aspect of my craft, and implemented the start of a work ethic that I was previously too lazy to put in motion. Unfortunately, I do not see any possibility of any Yes Please music coming out anytime soon.
Matt Miggz and Aaron O’Brien a.k.a. Yes Please
Bikini Bottom by Yes Please. They’ve garnered 7m+ streams across the band’s catalog
Q: You’ve collaborated with Noah Guy a lot through the years, I assume we won’t be wrong to say you’ve played a significant role in shaping his sound. A big surprise (since the WAVS audience is mostly familiar with your production prowess) was hearing you sing the hook and appear in the music video for “Stop Bangin’ My Line”. How have you grown musically through the work you’ve done with Noah and are there any standout production moments, maybe a track in particular that you feel is notable enough to single out? Were there any specific techniques you brought into the sessions with Noah that became a key part of his music?
Matt Miggz: Noah is far too talented and creative on his own for me to claim a “significant role in shaping his sound”. But I was definitely collaborating with Noah on some of his first songs that started to pick up some traction (and others later) and whatnot. I’m beyond proud of the songs we have created. What really brought me and Noah together, was how obsessed & sick in the head we both are about creating music. While I do love collaborating with damn near anybody, some special happens when you come across someone else who truly eats, breathes & sleeps music. “Stop Bangin My Line” was an awesome moment for me, because it was the first time someone not only used the beat I sent, but improved the concept I came up with & even kept some of my original vocals from the demo on the song. I love that song dearly, it sounds like a fucking parade. With that being said, I think my favorite song I worked on with him & Choob (one of his main producers) is “Big Boys Don’t Cry”. It’s a sexy ass vulnerable banger. Every aspect of that song works perfectly, 11 out of 10 no changes.
STOP BANGIN’ MY LINE has Matt Miggz singing the hook alongside being featured in the music video
Matt Miggz’s work with Noah Guy is currently blowing up and has amassed a total of 20m+ streams so far
Q: We recently did a WAVS sample challenge with you and TY on our YouTube channel. You guys fit very well into the concept both as musicians as well as personalities. You definitely have a knack for content and that is displayed through your own short-form content you’ve been creating on Instagram and Tik-Tok. What are your content plans moving forward if any, or do you just make them up as you go? Has social media impacted your career positively or negatively overall?
Matt Miggz: Unpopular opinion: I love the fact that musicians are required to create content. As somebody who has been aggressively online since I can remember, translating my real life personality onto the internet is something that comes easy to me. I view “content” as a way to blend my loud, silly, opinionated personality with the thing I love most. The WAVS sample challenge was super fun and I’m so grateful for Ty for inviting me to do it with him. He’s obviously incredibly talented, but he also fully understands my humor so becoming pals with him was obvious. As far as my content plan, I have no idea. However I try not to speak unless I have something interesting to say, and to make sure my content can never be compared to an “album cut”.
The Sample Challenge by WAVS: featuring Matt Miggz & TY
Q: Is there any drum/production sauce you can share that you feel would instantly improve a producer’s sound?
Matt Miggz: Outside of downloading every single drum loop I’ve ever uploaded to WAVS, the only piece of advice I like to give to beat makers is to rap/sing along to the beat while you are making it. If your goal is to place beats with artists, this helps you identify how much shit you should add to a beat, where you should start removing things from a beat etc. Understanding the balance between a beat sounding full enough on it’s own, while still having room for an artist’s vocals, is the most important thing to do.
Q: If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing about navigating the music industry, what would it be?
Matt Miggz: Trust your gut.
A young Matt Miggz
Q: Producers often find it challenging to branch out creatively. You’ve done it consistently. What advice do you have for other producers who want to explore new creative avenues but might be hesitant or unsure how to begin?
Matt Miggz: This is going to sound more negative than I mean it to be, but understand the fact that no one REALLY cares, or is thinking about you like that. Everyone is so up their own ass that fear of judgement from others should not really hinder you from releasing any form of content. Just try shit, and have fun.
Drums! by Matt Miggz: Drums! Vol. I; Drums! Vol. II; Drums! Vol. III
Q: What’s next for Matt Miggz? What do the next 3 to 5 (or more) years look like?
Matt Miggz: Bro I have no idea.
BREAKS R US; a Matt Miggz and The Vault Sounds collaborative drum library
