The upcoming launch of Creator Studio will celebrate the projects and creators who define growth and progress in web3. 

Before we hand the keys to the Studio to the public, Metaplex Studios has partnered with several projects to highlight the possibilities of Creator Studio for both new and experienced creators.

Let’s introduce you to Beat Boys.This fully generative project is truly one-of-a-kind. Beat Boys splices the world of web3 art with music in a hip-hop-influenced lo-fi style to bridge what is the future of beat-making.

Defined by a unique artistic approach and a community-focused perspective on what it takes to succeed, Beat Boys is sure to hit all the right notes. Let’s explore!

Industry Experience Meets Web3

No stranger to the music business, Yessam is a 25-year industry veteran and co-founder of Indie-Pop, a music management company propelling artists’ careers since 2008. Simply put, he understands what it takes to create a successful career in music.

Yessam and his team have developed numerous artists (KSHMR, Superduper Kyle, Yuna, and the Martinez Bros., to name a few), and they have all gone on to have very successful careers. With this experience in tow, he set his sights on web3.

Upon entering the space, Yessam describes his first reaction. He remarks, “I quickly saw a lot of parallels in building artists' communities and thought it would be great to build something in web3.”

But curiosity can only get you so far. At some point, motivation and imagination need to spark the fire that lights your web3 adventure. During the first wave of COVID-19 in early 2020, Yessam’s love for beat-making reignited, so he started the lo-fi project called Yessam Beats. It’s the kind of music that gets your head nodding - plenty of sampling, bright keys, and lo-fi vocal cuts. 

After releasing some successful singles and an EP called ”Emotional,” the NFT gears started turning. During a conversation with a friend already in web3, they said, “someone should make a true generative art/music NFT.” The light went off, and Beat Boys was born.

What Does it Take to be a Beat Boy?

Beat Boys is more than just beats and art. For Yessam and the team, NFTs and digital assets are the foundation for the future of the music industry. He argues, “building NFTs/digital assets allow us to create a revenue stream on art that may just honestly sit in a hard drive.”

Like many artists and musicians, Yessam says, “I have hundreds of beats lying around, and now I can create something truly special and monetize it.” For him, “ It's another extension of expression.” 

Making beats is one thing, but creating a project is another. Yessam explains the motivation behind Beat Boys: "I thought the challenge of creating this project was interesting.” He expresses, “music is an outlet for me, and it brings me so much joy.” Beat Boys is the next chapter of that creative journey. One that combines his past and passion with a new medium for artistic expression.

On Art and Code

Music aside, Beat Boys' unique artistic style is the first thing you’ll notice. This comes from artist Jayme Lemperle. Yessam recounts how the two came together. “A few years back, I met Jayme as we hired him to do our client Superduper Kyle’s animated video “iSpy” which has garnered half a billion streams and led to Kyle’s album “Light of Mine” to going platinum,” Yessam says’ "I loved his style and overall vibe.” Fun fact, he also animated Gucci Mane's video "All My Children."

The art behind his lo-fi project, Yessam Beats, also comes from the mind of Jayme. Yessam describes Jayme’s art style as “incredible.” Not only are the two creative collaborators, but they’re also good friends. “As far as the visual style, that's all, Jayme,” Yessam tells us.

But, a clear path forward is rarely the case for web3 creators. Yessam is the first to remark on the obstacles of building in this space. He argues, “the biggest challenge was getting the code written for the actual audio generation.” Fortunately for Yessam and the Beat Boys, they had a great developer, Arshad Wala. He adds, “without him, I'm not sure this would have been a reality.”

Of course, building is more than just code. Yessam explains, “getting all the puzzle pieces together with the art and the music” was another challenge. He follows by saying, “making sure I made enough music to match the attributes of the art took a lot of work.”

That hard work is paying off. Beat Boys is set to shake up the world of NFTs and the music industry with its first-of-its-kind generative drop. But web3 lessons still need a place in this narrative, and Beat Boys is listening keenly to what the community wants from a collection. 

Community First - The Beat Boys' Ethos

Hearing Yessam talk about the Beat Boys and their vision, you sense that this is a project built for the community. While he thinks “pairing unique art and unique music and mixing it all up to see what comes out is a novel idea,” he quickly follows by saying, “hearing what the community thinks is what excites me the most.”

This idea of the community first drives Beat Boys. Yessam says, “we are not releasing a roadmap in the beginning.” The plan, instead, is to “hear what our community thinks and go from there.” “We are tapped in with the biggest music producers in the industry,” Yessam tells us, “connecting up-and-coming producers and successful producers is something we strive to do.”

That isn’t to say the Beat Boys team isn’t cooking up some awesome stuff, but instead, they want “to see what matters most,” as he puts it. “The thing you will initially get from Beat Boys is banging beats and amazing art,” says Yessam.

Beat Boys, though, is a much more ambitious project than the lo-fi styling might lead you to believe. NFTs are only part of the equation. Yessam has created a class/course to help people learn how to make music samples. As beat makers, the Beat Boys have “sampled it all,” says Yessam. 

He tells us this empowers a new generation of beat makers, arguing that “musicians are creating music samples that sound vintage and that you’ve heard before.” That skill set is “very unique, and we want to share that with our community.” With all the knowledge and experience the Beat Boys team has combined, Yessam confides that “being able to share that knowledge will help push the beat-making culture forward.”

Final Thoughts

Nothing is more exciting than starting something new. Something that doesn’t have an analog. Something fresh and unique. Beat Boys is doing that, and Metaplex Studios’ new no-code Creator Studio is part of that story.

Yessam and the Beat Boys team think that when it comes to Creator Studio, ​​”Metaplex has created something special.” “To be a part of that,” Yessam remarks, “we are truly honored.” 

Beat Boys is launching this fall with Creator Studio, one of the first projects to do so. Follow Beat Boys to stay updated on their Creator Studio journey. We’ll announce more partners in the coming weeks, so keep tabs on the progress by following the Metaplex Twitter account and signing up for our Metaplex Ecosystem Newsletter.