There aren’t many people who can say 2020 has been remotely OK, let alone one of the best years of their career. Much-loved hip-hop producer, DJ and hype man A.B. Eastwood, however, has had a banner year for his work, and he tells the Scene via phone that he’s grateful to say so during a time that has been so difficult and frightening for so many other people.
“I have more time than I’ve ever had,” Eastwood says. “I’m really getting to explore and to enjoy music again. It’s really fun now. I have time to do it or not do it, and I can do things at my own pace.”
If you’ve listened to Nashville hip-hop or R&B in the past few years, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the work of Eastwood, who’s typically credited simply as A.B. He’s a frequent collaborator with artists like Tim Gent, Bryant Taylorr, Lauren McClinton and Petty, helming projects in the studio and joining them onstage (and these days, on screen) for live performances.
Eastwood’s recently released projects as producer include the track “Dishonor” on Gent’s In Every Fall EP, Taylorr’s recent single “Pretty Women” and Chuck Indigo’s “Bad to the Bone.” Rather than offering a signature style or sound with his work like some producers do, Eastwood’s production varies in service of each project. “Pretty Women,” for example, is spacey and ethereal, while “Bad to the Bone” layers warped, icy keys with thick bass and swirling vocals.
Two weeks before catching up with the Scene, Eastwood traveled to Los Angeles to work in the studio with up-and-coming rapper Bobby Gonz. Gonz was incarcerated at California’s Valley State Prison before meeting hip-hop artist and activist Common, who visited the facility as part of his prison-reform work.
“At 16, he was arrested and sentenced to life in prison,” Eastwood says of Gonz. “Then in 2018 and 2019, Common was doing a lot of work in prisons and he met Bobby. Bobby rapped for him and he thought it was dope. That night, Common performed for the inmates and brought Bobby onstage to perform with him. That next morning, Common called the governor of California and asked him to look at Bobby’s case. Four months later, Bobby was out of jail.”
Eastwood worked on Gonz’s debut project alongside fellow Nashvillians Case Arnold and Ron Gilmore Jr. at Los Angeles’ Jim Henson Studios. Common is funding Gonz’s studio sessions with help from pop-rock juggernauts Coldplay, the latter of whom had Gonz open for them at a January benefit for the grassroots movement Reform L.A. Jails.
Eastwood has also taken advantage of the extra time afforded by the pandemic to hone his live performance skills and to find creative ways to make future live shows tighter, more musically varied experiences. One new element he’s played with during lockdown is an effects box that allows him to change the pitch of his voice, which he finds especially useful for COVID-era shows that may not allow many people onstage at one time.
“I miss the stage,” he says. “I get better every time I’m onstage. So I miss that aspect of it all. But it’s given [the artists I work with] a lot of time to re-up the show and really rehearse it, really put together shows that we honestly should have been doing. We know we’re good, but it’s a next level we wouldn’t be able to take it up to if we didn’t have the time.”
Eastwood sees his work as a producer and his work as a hype man as two sides of the same coin. Both roles find him using his musical chops and intuition to help artists deliver their best possible performances. His finesse behind the boards feeds his intuition onstage, and vice versa.
“With live performing, it’s more about support,” he says. “I monitor my people’s breath and their energy and see what they need as far as support. Sometimes they won’t need it, so I won’t force it, but other times they may need a little help keeping it going. It’s kind of similar to producing, where it’s like, ‘Hey, I hear you rapping over this part, but something needs to change because your voice changed.’ “
This has been a big year for Eastwood, but 2021 is already poised to be bigger. In the coming months, he has new projects on the way with Taylorr, Indigo, Gent, McClinton and more. He always has a lot on his plate, but his passion for his work and his love for his friends in Nashville and beyond keep him motivated.
“I don’t work with everybody,” Eastwood says. “I only work with people I truly want to invest in, who I think are dope. For everybody I work with, I’m a legit fan. If I wasn’t behind them onstage, I’d be fangirling front row at the show. If I ever get too busy, I’m always too busy working with people I love to work with.”
