Metro Boomin Covers The Fader’s Inaugural ‘Producers’ Issue

Metro Boomin trusts The Fader. The in-demand hitmaker is featured on the cover of the magazine’s inaugural “Producers” issue (April/May 2016).

In the cover story, The Fader details the 22-year-old producer’s rise from a struggling beatmaker in Atlanta to now producing infectious, anthemic beats for Future, Drake, Kanye West and Young Thug.

Out of all of the rappers he's worked with Metro feels closest to Future and Young Thug. Both rappers have been very influential in the producer's career.

“Future’s like an older brother to me, and Thug’s more like a brother my age,” he explains. He hopes to one day reunite F. Hendrix and Thugger in the studio again before they went their separate ways. "I wanna bring that together,” he says. “The songs we were doing, they’re so great. They’re still great. It could be so much better.”

Although Future and Thug are now competitors, Metro remains neutral in their rap rivalry.

"Atlanta, man...there’s a lot of ego," he says. "Somebody gotta be number one. Neither one of them are the type to settle for number two. I feel like they both motivate each other, and it’s good for the culture and the music - just as long as it stay at that.”

Elsewhere in the interview, he details the working process behind Drake and Future's collaborative project, What a Time to be Alive, which he executive produced.

“I remember, it was like six in the morning,” Metro recalls a hectic session for What a Time. “I had been up in the studio all night mixing beats. And [Drake] come in in the middle of the night to f--- with ‘Jumpman.’”

“[Drake] was playing a new verse,” he adds. “And I heard ‘Jumpman, jumpman / Metro Boomin on production, wow.’” Drizzy turns to Meto for approval and the young studio maverick replies back, "OK. OK. I f--- with that! I f--- with you!”

Now that he's a recognizable figure in the ATL, Metro is cautious about his moves and he's not letting the fame go to his head.

I’m only 22,” he states. “At the same time that I’m learning how to move properly this way - as an artist and a public person - I’m still trying to learn how to move in the world, period. As a son, as a brother, as an anything. It’s both at once. And those things conflict sometime. What do you do?”

The Fader's "Producers" Issue, featuring Metro Boomin on the cover, hits newsstands on May 10.