Mr. Bangladesh has made quite a name for himself in the music industry with his hard hitting beats. After starting out producing on Ludacris’ debut album, he has shown no signs of stopping as he’s been able to create hits with Lil’ Wayne, Beyonce and more recently Rihanna. YouKnowIGotSoul had a chance to speak with him about his success, his new label and some of the current artists he’s working with.

YouKnowIGotSoul: I want to take it back to your first major placement on the Ludacris’ debut album. You had the hit “What’s Your Fantasy?” and a few others. How did you originally get the opportunity to get the placement?

Bangladesh: It wasn’t really a placement. We knew each other before we became who we are now. We were just kids and tried to achieve our goals. We started working on his independent album and “What’s Your Fantasy?” was made out of that. It wasn’t a placement like I was shopping the beat or anything. It just worked out from word of mouth. I knew somebody who knew him and everybody was friends so that’s how it worked out.

YouKnowIGotSoul: Another hit you had was “Bossy” by Kelis. Take me through the creation of that song.

Bangladesh: It really isn’t a specific thing. It was just creating music. I just made it and after I made it, there were a few others that really liked the beat and wanted it. Mark Pitts who at the time was at Jive, he played the beat for Kelis and Sean Garrett wrote the hook. Some other people wrote the verses and that’s how that came about.

YouKnowIGotSoul: I noticed on some of your biggest hits like “Diva” by Beyonce, “A Milli” by Lil Wayne and “Break Up” by Mario, there’s a similar sound used in the beats. Do you feel that artists come to you for a certain type of sound?

Bangladesh: They really just want a hit record. Some would like the same beat or similar style, but really they’re just looking for a hit.

YouKnowIGotSoul: One of your recent placements was “Cockiness” by Rihanna. How did that song come about?

Bangladesh: I just made it man *laughs*. There aren’t really any stories to them, I’m just creating. My artist and writer/producer wrote the song and I just made the beat. We let Rihanna hear it and that’s about it.

YouKnowIGotSoul: I read that you’ve been currently working with Brandy on her new album? Give us some details about that album.

Bangladesh: It’s going to be groundbreaking music. It’s going to bring her career back to life. I honestly don’t think the career was ever dead. I just think she was not focusing on working with the people that gave her the right music. The music is dope. It’s definitely a different sound for her. Her vocals are the same, but the song content is a little different. The beats are harder. It’s just going to be something refreshing.

YouKnowIGotSoul: When you work with an established artist like Brandy, do you feel like it’s important to tailor your music to them or is it more important to get them into your zone and get your sound in with them?

Bangladesh: That’s the whole point of producing. The artist coming through the way the producer takes it. The whole point of her reaching out to me and working with me is doing my stuff, doing my style. We producers and writers are like the motor on the boat. We kind of know what we’re doing as far as what’s hot and what’s not.

YouKnowIGotSoul: Talk to me about Bangladesh Records. I know you recently launched that.

Bangladesh: Just really trying to break artists. Just working on albums. I’ve been constantly producing for artists and now I think the next stepping stone for me is to break my own artists and produce the album.

YouKnowIGotSoul: Do you currently have any others that you have working under you?

Bangladesh: I have an artist named Candice Pillay. She wrote the “Cockiness” song. That’s my artist. She has record. We’re going to be shopping her top of the year to a major. I’m working on my album. It’s going to be dope records with various artists on there. All types of artists. It’s just dope beats and dope songs. It’s going to be basically twelve “Cockiness” or “Diva” or “Breakup” or “A Millie”.

YouKnowIGotSoul: What other artists are you currently working with?

Bangladesh: I’m working with Far East Movement. I’m working on Nelly, Ludacris, Justin Bieber and Brandy of course. I might be about to sign Diamond the rapper. Just a lot of new artists like Kevin Cossom.

YouKnowIGotSoul: As you’ve had more success over the years, do you find yourself being more selective with who you work with. If so, what are the qualities you look for in who to work with?

Bangladesh: I fucks with anybody that fucks with me really. After that, it’s about what you’re doing in the booth and the common goals to making the record and the artist successful. It’s truly about the plan and the dream and what you’re doing. I could think you’re dope, but if you’re not taking it seriously and you just hang out in the hood, that’s not going to motivate me to work with you. But if you have a team behind you and you got the movement going and you got the work out there, that’s what producers really looking for. If the artist is really putting in the work on their own or if somebody is doing it for them or if they have that team behind them. That’s your major artist. You got a situation to look for creativity like, “What makes you special?” I really look for people that have their own lane, style and sound. I don’t want nobody rapping just because or sounds like everybody else like “I need a song like this”. I like for you to be defined as an artist.