Bijan Amir is a fascinating multi-platinum music producer from Toronto, Canada. He has produced for major artists such as Offset, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and many more. Furthermore, he also hosts Thoughts In Stereo, a podcast discussing producing, songwriting, and more.
If you heard Offset’s “Ric Flair Drip” or Playboi Carti’s viral leak “Bouldercrest,” chances are you’ve heard a record produced by Bijan Amir. His presence is globally recognized throughout the beatmaker community, working with several well-known creatives like Metro Boomin’ and Nes to name a few.
Having worked with several R&B and hip-hop legends as well as newcomers, Bijan Amir stops by Raydar Magazine to break down his production on records with Lil Wayne, Sainvil, Bryson Tiller, and more. Read our conversation with Bijan Amir below.
Bryson Tiller – “I’m Ready For You”
“This was an interesting one. Early in 2020, I had been working on some fire melodies my friend Jacob had sent me. One of the beats I had made was this uptempo, summery, West Coast vibe that included a vocal sample by Chris LaRocca that Jacob had chopped and flipped into his melody.
Eventually, a producer by the name of NES, who produces for Bryson, was signed to the same publishing company as me, Ultra Publishing. Our A&R Andreas connected us and I sent over some beats that I thought could fit Bryson’s vibe, that being one of them. NES took the beat and flipped it entirely into the ‘I’m Ready For You’ beat. A few days after I heard his version, he basically told me Bryson was using it on the album, and that was that. It was the first time that has ever happened for me and it was pretty cool.”
Sainvil – “Kiss & Tell”
“I love this record. This one came about in 2019 at Ultra Music’s writing camp held at Westlake Studios. I was just running through some samples I had found on Splice and getting some quick ideas off before my session with Sainvil. I had never met him before but he had worked with Mike Hector, who I consider to be a friend and reliable opinion.
So when Mike suggested we work, I definitely jumped at the opportunity. Sainvil and I did three songs that day, one of which was this one. He heard the beat I had started and instantly loaded it up and jumped in the booth. He’s fire like that, catches a vibe quickly, and then jumps in and freestyles melodies. It helps a lot that the melodies he freestyles are awesome.”
Lil Wayne – “Bing James”
“‘Bing James’ is the result of a fantastic A&R, Josh Berkman. I met with him in LA in 2019, and he asked me for packs for artists that he was working with, including Wayne. I had sent over a bunch of beats, and the ‘Bing James’ beat was included, but not in the Wayne pack. Josh heard the beat, figured it would be fire for Wayne, forwarded it to him, and Wayne jumped on it.
I remember when he called Malcolm, my manager, to tell us the good news in November of 2019, it was a great day as I have been a Wayne fan since I started making beats. The beat itself is quite simple really, I had found a melody on Splice, made by Rare Percussion, and I thought that although it was weird and almost atonal, I could discern an 808 pattern that could fit it. After the 808 sounded decent I added a few more sounds and that was it. Nothing too exciting in the creation process but it ended up being something cool.”
Offset & Metro Boomin – “Ric Flair Drip”
“I had met Metro in 2014, and slowly maintained and built a relationship with him. In 2017 I figured I’d finally send him some melodies, something I had not done before, as I wanted to build our personal relationship more than anything. That man was going absolutely crazy in 2016 through 2017 and I didn’t want to be another voice in an endless sea of them begging for a collab.
However, I believe he asked me to send some stuff, so I sat down in my parents’ basement and did four melodies. The last one I did that I kind of pushed myself into doing was the one that became RFD. I found out that the song was coming out a week before it dropped and heard it the day before. I truly did not expect it to go as crazy as it did and I am forever grateful for having been given the opportunity to do that. “
Suspect – “No Gimmicks”
“‘No Gimmicks’ came about the first time I went to London as a producer, not as a tourist. Ultra had brought me out as they have a steady foothold in the UK scene, including some producers signed to the pub label out there. One of the sessions I had was with another Ultra producer, Flyo, who works closely with Suspect.
We made two beats that weren’t particularly hitting with Suspect, and on the third one we tried to do the more uptempo, semi-west coast inspired beat that turned into No Gimmicks. Sus immediately perked up hearing that beat being made and cut it as soon as it was done. He actually performed the song the next day at Wireless, which was super cool.”
If you enoyed our breakdown with Bijan Amir, check out our interview with producer Dem Jointz.
