Manny Marroquin calls Kanye West a “studio genius”: “He’s not technical… He’s an emotional guy”
“I always called him a genius in the studio, because he was.”
Manny Marroquin says Kanye West is a “studio genius”.
Manny Marroquin has called Kanye West a genius after working with him on projects including his debut, The College Dropout.
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Marroquin, who’s won 17 Grammys, also worked on 808s & Heartbreak which was West’s fourth studio album.
Chatting to drummer Elmo Lovano on YouTube channel Go with Elmo Lovano, the mixing engineer said: “He’s not technical. He’s not someone who can tell you what to do or how to do it. He’s just, like, an emotional guy.
“Going through that journey of picking his brain and getting into his head – that was incredible for me. And seeing his mind work right in front of me and him guiding me – almost like he’s the puppet master and he’s just utilising me to get what he wants and needs, you know?
Marroquin continued: “He did it many times and I’m like, ‘This is never gonna work, never gonna work’… And next thing you know, he goes, ‘That’s it.’ Boom. And you snap out of it, play it back and you’re like, ‘Fuck.’”
The American engineer most recently won a Grammy Award for Kendrick Lamar’s latest album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which won Best Rap Album at the 2023 ceremony. He’s just three Grammys away from his “idol”, Al Schmidt, who has 20.
He also found success working on Lizzo’s About Damn Time, which won Record of the Year during the 2023 Grammys.
Marroquin has extensive experience working elsewhere too, including for the likes of Rihanna, DJ Khaled, Maroon 5 and Rosalia.
Watch the chat with Manny Marroquin on YouTube.
