Many producers base their style off of what is currently attractive in pop culture today. Instead of properly training, studying, and perfecting their own craft, many mimic their favorite producer’s style and wonder why they never will be that of a great. This afternoon we were privileged to go inside the creative mind of Khacki a.k.a. BeatzonPhi, the talented producer who has decided not to go with the “in crowd” and become an industry name by staying true to what brought him the fame: “original sounds”. With the musical background his family possessed it was destined for the producer, born Karl Griffin, to excel in the gift that heals the soul. At an early age it was said that he took a special likening to music as he watched his mother play the piano and direct the church choir and his father, the Pastor, play the drums in their small congregation. Khacki explains, “I guess I just got tired of my Dad going from the pulpit to the drums, sweatier than ever trying to preach after playing for like three to four songs straight with no air conditioning in a Savannah, GA! He looked like he needed a “Savior” of his own, so I decided to learn the craft and save him!” By age five, he took over the position as the percussionist for the church and his talent grew from there. Raised in Southside Atlanta, he made it clear in his mind what he wanted to do the rest of his life, which was to produce music. In 9th grade, his family relocated to a newer home where his parents then gave him the biggest room in the house. “My folks knew that I needed the space for my drum set, keyboards and equipment. It was either that or I was going to have to set up in the living room and they ain’t want that!” He began taking piano lessons, paid for with his own money; to set himself up for what he knew would no longer be a dream. “I hated the fact that when I first starting producing music, I had these crazy melodies that went along with the beats in my head but when it came time to produce it, I couldn’t put it down. So I decided to invest in myself.” At the age of 14, his older brother gave him the name Khacki. “My brother Kege would be the first to hear my tracks I produced and he would always say yo, them joints clean, that’s crisp and when I was a freshmen, I stayed with a pair of Dickies on, so he just put two and two together and blessed me with the name.” Throughout high school, a buzz began about Khacki’s talents as he was the go-to producer for local talent shows and pep rallies, which led to the start of producing for up and coming artist throughout the city. “I could remember in high school, whenever there was a group project or something, I always had to produce a theme song or background music for it, I guess to show off and give it a creative edge!” Now at 24 years old, Khacki has produced tracks for unsigned, indie and major artist, from genres of Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B, Gospel and Pop. His creative style has caught the attention of many managers of top notch artists. His musical influences derive from his musical background, growing up listening to all genres of music most producers don’t get the chance to study. “Growing up at my folk’s house, if we weren’t listening to Gospel, we weren’t playing it on our sound systems! That’s just how it was! But because I did indeed grow up in a Christian home, my musical plethora was abnormal. Not only did Gospel cover r&b but it took on the aspects of jazz, blues and soul and because of where I grew up, my style of music was influenced by the streets of Atlanta.” With his style, the use of vintage drums, organs, brass, and string instruments demonstrate the accuracy of Khacki’s knowledge on genres outside of hip hop and rap. The soulful producer sites producers Quincy Jones, Rick Rubin and Timberland as his inspirations as they can take a step outside the norm and try new things, in which he is constantly demonstrating. A true businessman, who has taken his music and professionalism to another level, is currently majoring in Music Production, attending Berklee College of Music, the same college Quincy Jones attended and is also working towards his MBA at American Military University. “I’m just blessed to have been given the opportunity to higher my education and attend the same, prestigious college of a man I’ve looked up to for many years now.” Khacki founded Enlisted Entertainment in 2008, forming a strong alliance of artist, songwriters, engineers and A&R’s as ambitious and diverse as he is. “Yeah, I think the biggest thing for me was knowing what I wanted to do in life. My Mom once told me “Do what you love doing in life and get paid for it, and you’ll never have to work again.” “I took that in stride and never looked back.” With Khacki’s arrival in the industry as one of the premier new hit-men of music, he began setting standards for diversified producers as he continues to gain exposure from L.A. to his hometown of Atl. straight up to Brooklyn.