Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Tubbs.
Tubbs, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m an artist, producer, and engineer of Kugi Recording Studio based in Dallas, Tx. Kugi Recording Studio is the brand/business I launched in 2014 for artists, producers, photographers, videographers, models, comedians, etc. around the city can come to a specific hub for a quality product… or as I like to say, a “Kugi” product. I started in my apartment at River Bend in Lancaster, Tx building my brand/business along with a couple of homies and family who have successfully built their own crafts and fulfilling their purposes to this day.
I made music my whole life because it’s in my blood. My mama uses to give me journals to write in, that soon turned into raps over the beats to any kind of music I had at the time, which was mostly Paul Wall & Nelly. One of the first beats I wrote to as “Grillz” because I always wanted one with my name in it.
One of my producer homies from North Carolina, GradeA (its grade A) influenced me early on to rapping and it came easy to me so I stuck with it. Not too long after that, I started recording music with my homie 1500 Chance and he gave me a program that changed my life. Acid Pro. If you know, you know. I never released the music I was making at the time because it was just for fun and I just wanted to record.
At 13, I was the CD man like the dude who busts in the barbershop with a big zip case full of CD’s selling the new CDs and DVDs. People shopped with me for years because I was the hustler who always had something for sale. Times ain’t like they are today where you have an artist dropping a new album every week. So, when the new Ludacris wasn’t dropping, I burned and sold my own CD’s to keep the money coming in. That’s when my peers and teachers found out I did music and bought it… because I always need something to sell.
At 18, I had my baby girl Destiny and since then she’s been my main motivating force in everything, decision, move I make in life to this day.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s never a smooth road. It’s been a long journey from building my rap career and building my team for the brand to expand and grow, and just dealing with everyday life. Of course, you gonna have your moments when it seems like nobody paying attention until you see results, reactions, or opportunities manifest. Building a team is a struggle within itself sometimes, of course, you’re gonna have your people who don’t stay down with you, abandonment, being by ya self sometimes and seeing what it really is. I took a break from music when I went to PV. After two semesters, I dropped out in realizing college wasn’t for me. I struggled in between trying to find a job or some way to get paid for a long time to the point I was getting desperate with the little money I was getting by with. I had a few side hustles until I found a job at the Post Office and saved a great amount til I was able to buy my equipment. After a few months, my mama told me I couldn’t come back home anymore due to.. I’ll just say ‘disagreements’, and I moved into my apartment and started recording other artists just to make extra money and keep all my expenses paid. Last year, I bought a program called FL Studio to learn how to make beats so I could have beats I could rap on because I didn’t either have the money producers wanted from me or I just didn’t know any to my liking. Plus, I can learn the program easy on YouTube. I was in and out of apartments, and my mama house, and studio couches due to debt or just complaints for the music. But the quality was so good the studio spread word of mouth through-out the years, by the time of August last year, I rented out the spot I’m at now, for the time being, The Music Box.
In four months of renting out the spot, I quit my job and went full time pursuing music. Taking everything I learned over the years and translating it into income between rapping, producing, and engineering, I still built a hub to where everybody in the city from artists, videographers, producers, podcasters, etc. can still come to connect, make money, and grow for their own endeavors too. So far, multiple artists have linked up all the time from Dallas, Ft. Worth, Oklahoma, Louisiana, California and counting just thru word of mouth or my Instagram Story; and come back together and make songs, or whole EP’s together. It’s a whole Universe building up slowly but surely with a lot of talented people in the city being able to have a spot to be represented, collab, connect, market, etc. with great, highly invested, and skilled quality. I still feel like I’m just starting tho and it’s still more to come for the city.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Kugi Recording Studio is a label with me as an artist, producer, and engineer. That’s how I connected with most of the people I know to this day thru music I’ve released thru SoundCloud, youtube, live mixtapes, datpiff, a mixtape with Ari Tha Homie, engineering and linking up some of the livest sessions for some of the most talented rappers in the city on the come up like $lim Jimmy of Dallas University, Hitman Kash, Rodo, BFG, DUCHE$$, Cold Cutz Bino, and a whole lot more to even name. I’m still looking for more producers, and cameramen to lock in, capture and package this whole experience to the world with. Like I said before, I’m building the hub everybody can come and connect and build a legacy with each other instead of being divided like Dallas is known to be. This is a place where you can find the next talent and even new talent sounding like professionals with highly invested, and skilled quality and marketing at affordable rates you won’t get anywhere else. I also have 2 songs on All Streaming platforms “Get Right”, and “Throwed” feat. Mesha 2 Hell (@mesha2hell), both tracks produced by Dizzy Made This (@dizzymadethis), and a video to “Get Right – jtubbs” on YouTube.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Dallas is the PERFECT place for music… I tell people that all the time who think they have to move out of the city just to get on or make some money that we have the perfect industry here within itself. All the resources right here if everybody knows how to put them together it can make for a bigger picture. We have as much, if not the most interesting, diverse talent, creatives, art, business, swag, dances, culture, etc. It just needs to come together more and be represented more and supported more and we will see will the results we looking for. But from what I’m seeing, I like what’s going on and I think Dallas is gonna have a spot at the majors and when we do, we gonna be there for a long time. I just hope Kugi Recording Studio can be apart of everything that’s going on out here and contribute to it as much as possible with the sound, work, and services provided.
Pricing:
- $30/Hour (Mix included)
- $30/song for [Mastered]
- $30/Beat
Contact Info:
- Website: http://hyperurl.co/laai8u
- Phone: 4692680415
- Email: jordantubbs1@gmail.com
- Instagram: bigboytubbs
- Facebook: bigboytubbs
- Twitter: bigboytubbs
Image Credit:
@jaylin6k, @bawberrie
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