Enter the Chamber: Double Dragon
Loud. Shock. Cruz. Just a few of the many productions of a duo taking the Hip Hop community captive. From their Vancouver, Canada studios, Double Dragon Productions is collaborating with some of the hottest names in music from around the world! Check out their views on education, the state of Hip Hop around the globe, and what they look for in a, “Miss Dragon”.

Sep: Ok, ok... let's get the basics out of the way, so we can get to the meat of Double Dragon...
ROY: Whoa… Whoa… no one said anything about getting to our meat… what kind of interview is this?

Sep (giggles): Names?
ROY: Roy Chong
ELMO: Elmo Chong

Sep: Ages?
ROY: 26
ELMO: 25

Sep: Hometown?
ELMO: Vancouver, Canada

Sep: When did you first dream of making beats and producing Hip Hop?
ROY: When we were in high school, my brother got into this composition class, where they showed you how to compose music with a computer. They had a Korg 01W, and an old 486 computer with Cakewalk 5.0… ha ha, flashback. Elmo came home one day and explained the process to me, and I remember that night I couldn’t sleep. I stayed up all night working out in my head, how we could use that to compose the music we liked. Anyways, we started messing around putting together a group, composing and writing songs then going into talent shows. We’d skip classes just to go into the music room to experiment. Our teachers were always really supportive, but it was then that we realized how happy we were, and started asking ourselves whether or not we could do this for a career.

Sep: I know both of you are college grads with degrees in business. Where did you go to college, and do you think your degrees gave you an advantage in this business??
ELMO: We both went to BCIT and graduated in Business & Marketing. Yeah, no question. School gave us the professionalism that you need on the business tip, to make sure you can sell your musical ideas. There’s no point in being a basement producer with a gang of hot beats, waiting for someone to discover you. We needed to have that entrepreneurial spirit to go out there and hustle.

ROY: We were also realistic about the fact that we needed to have something to fall back on, just in case. The entertainment industry is tough, so getting an education was very important to us.

Sep: I know you've worked with DJ Kemo (Canada), The Rascalz (Canada), Killa Kela (UK), and Korean hip-hop group Drunken Tiger and Tasha... tell us about the differences when working with each...
ROY: Well we’ve been blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with a lot of talented individuals. Each one brings their own unique sound. So the fun part is creating something hot for each artist, and tailoring our sound to fit their individual personalities. Kemo is a fellow Vancity producer, so it’s always dope to exchange ideas. Red1 from the Rascalz, is a laid back cat who always comes with a hyped dance hall energy. Killa Kela and his crazy sounds always force you to think outside the box. And Drunken Tiger, they’re legends in Korea, but they always bring a very positive humble vibe.

Sep: Who else have you worked with?
ROY: We just finished producing 4 tracks for the next “Swollen Members” album. It was really cool working with that camp. We’re all connected on a spiritual note; which has become a pre-requisite for us now, when we work with artists. Mad Child has an intense comedic presence, so it’s always good times in the studio. We did 2 joints for Truths (Cross Movement) next album.

ELMO: We felt connected to this project spiritually as well. The way Truth approaches his music is really inspiring. One of our main goals is to try to connect with listeners on a level that hits you in the heart. We want you to get those tingles, every time you hear a new Double Dragon joint. So it’s important for us to make faith inspired choices musically and lyrically.

Sep: With your business taking you all over the world in the name of Hip Hop, what have you found to be the overall state of our beloved music? Tell our readers some of the places you've been...
ROY: Hip Hop is no doubt, Global. You can walk down the street right now in Korea, and catch a guy rocking a Sean John coat, with some Timbos’, and camouflaged pants. Now whether all that gear is real or fake, is another question, ha ha. But the influence is deep. Hip Hop in Asia is still relatively new, but with cats like Drunken Tiger doing their thing, educating cats on the art form, hopefully a new generation will emerge.

ELMO: To add to that, I think Hip Hop is in a great state right now. A lot of people might think differently, because Hip Hop is now commercial and a world wide cultural phenomenon that has brought a lot of monotony to the game. But I think that leaves a big challenge to producers like us to be innovative, and constantly stretching the boundaries in order to find that new sound that makes people nod their heads. That’s what I love about doing what we do, it's a constant creative process.

Sep: If you weren't doing this, what would you be doing?
ROY: Probably something to do with music and business. If not that then clinically depressed… kidding.
ELMO: Yeah, I think if I wasn’t making music, I would still be involved in the music industry on the entrepreneurial level. Whether I owned a record label, record store, or managed artists.

Sep: Let me get this out of the way... I know our female readers would love to know - ARE YOU GUYS SINGLE? What would it take to catch one of the Double Dragon boyz?
ROY: Look out now; September’s on a mission. Yeah I’m single. Hmmmm… I usually gravitate towards intelligent people with a childish sense of humor. If you’re passionate about something, then we can kick it. I like hearing about other people's passions even if it’s knitting. If she’s humble, and inspired by faith, she just might nab herself a dragon. ha ha

ELMO: Ha ha…oh man…yes I am single! To put it real simply Sep, my ideal woman is a woman who can make me laugh, smile, and cry with just the presence of her in my mind. ?R&B Line of the day*** Specifically though, I love a good sense of humor and a great spirit. As well, I like an edgy personality that challenges me, but has a chill side, as well. Holla if you’re out there!

Sep: How would your family and friends describe you?
ROY: Without tooting my own horn? I guess, passionate for my music, sarcastic, humble, and laid back.
ELMO: I think they would say that I possess a humbled confidence, exuding a positive ambitious energy, and fun to be around.

Sep: Now, back to business - How much time do you put in at the studio? What's a typical day like for Double Dragon?
ROY: In the mornings, we’re up early at around 8 or 9am, taking care of emails & phone calls. We usually get in a workout during the day to clear our heads. We have our own setup in our crib, so we do all our pre-production there. It’s hard to say how many hours. We’re always working. If we’re not working on music, we’re usually thinking about it. When we actually sit down to create, we usually work better in the day when we have the most energy.

Sep: Who is your biggest influence as far as hip-hop?
ELMO: Oh gosh there’s so many. Obviously the Biggie’s, Nas & Jay-Z influences. But on the musical & entrepreneurial tip, I would have to say guys like Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Bobby Womack, Russell Simmons, Sean Combs, James Brown, Miles Davis. I’m sorry, I could go on forever because Hip Hop music is all music; and we're influenced by it all.

Sep: What's the most memorable track you've ever produced and why?
ROY: Probably this new joint we did with Swollen called “Brothers”. The statement of the song and how it all came together was just a constant flow of creativity. On this one, we got to flex our string skills a little. Elmo plays the cello and I play the violin, so the strings you hear in the song, we’ve played live. It was so much fun.

Sep: What is it that you love most about your work?
ROY: Being able to express what I’m feeling in a medium that I can share with other people. There’s nothing more satisfying than to see people bugging out to one of our tracks. It’s like dropping a 3 in that clutch situation, you get addicted to it. We’re still grinding. We’ve only achieved around 5% of what we’d like to accomplish. There’s much more to come from us. So as we grow, we’re just going to keep falling in love with new aspects of music.

ELMO: The thing that I love most about our work, is that it is 100% our work, and its our own visions that we make a reality. I’ve learned early on that working for someone else in the 9 to 5 work mode, was like trying to get O.J.’s hand into that glove. It’s just never fit for me. I found the toughest part about working the 9 to 5 grind was trying to get motivated and excited about somebody else's vision, when I have all these ideas about stuff that I want to do with our own company.

Sep: To what (or who) do you attribute your success?
ROY: God
ELMO: I would have to say my parents. The biggest reason why is because I’ve seen first hand my parents laying aside their own personal dreams to raise us right, and try their best to give us the things that would give us a great foundation for our futures. My mom’s dream was to be a concert pianist, but when she had us, the direction and priorities of her whole life had to shift, because she had to raise us on her own for the most part. I don't really want to get into too many details, but the bottom line is she sacrificed her own dream to raise us right, and giving back to her serves as the biggest piece of inspiration for my success.

Sep: Any final thoughts or shout-outs??
ROY: Yeah I have a final thought. I saw this old school cat wearing a “Five Heartbeats” jacket one day and thought, “that guy knows what’s up”.
ELMO: Keep watching out for us everyone, we won’t let you down! Check us out online www.DoubleDragonProductions.com

Sep: I want to thank you so much for the opportunity to chat with you. I wish you continued success... Keep doin' your thang!!!