Valley of the Beats Hands Producers the Mic

You probably don’t think twice about how your hotel room got all clean and pretty by the time you arrive, but it wasn’t by magic, and songs don’t come together by magic, either. Production is just as important as vocals when it comes to music, and yet, the work behind the scenes doesn’t get the same recognition as the lead singer does on the same track. Jamaal the RX and his podcast, however, are on a mission to rewrite the music industry rulebook to instead put producers, instrumentalists, and beat makers at the forefront instead of in the background. 

Valley of the Beats was originally started as a platform to amplify producers and encourage candid conversation about the under-appreciation of music production. After nearly 40 guests, though, the podcast has expanded past the studio and has grown into a diverse community of local talent, inclusive shows, and unforgettable memories. Jamaal and co-host, Mylez Taylor, have chatted with everyone from household names like Destiny Rose the Scorpio and DJ Nonsense, to more up-and-coming musicians like Cristian Jeffries and Spooki Sauce. Each interview becomes not only a videotaped time capsule of their conversation, but an important and entertaining memory that will be woven into the show’s history forever. 

“Both of those people had brought something interesting [to the episode],” Jamaal says, remembering his segment with Alexandria Music, Ben Sheps, and Charlie-San in 2024. 

The episode begins with a genuine conversation with Alexandria about using music as a means of connection, her later showcasing her skills with an a capella rap and a soulful play of her saxophone. 

“[Taye and I] were just mesmerized because we never had anyone play a live instrument on the podcast,” Jamaal says. “That was pretty dope.”

Charlie-San, on the other hand, spoke about his background in rap and producing out of necessity, eventually freestyling on one of his beats, his personal struggles influencing his words and creating a shocking moment. 

“Charlie freestyled something, and he said something crazy about a real life situation. And [Taye and I] just looked at each other like, ‘Ooh, we can’t believe he said that on the podcast!’,” Jamaal says. “It was great because we were not expecting it.”

Jamaal’s on-air presence is a little more reserved than most of his guests’, but his introverted nature matched with Taye’s explicit outspokenness compliment each other like peanut butter and chocolate: The presence of one only makes the other better.

“Having him do the podcast with me not only helps me [with the podcast itself], but I also realized I shouldn’t be as reserved and that it’s okay to actually speak out on what you’re feeling,” Jamaal says.

16 episodes and nearly 1.8k Instagram followers later, Valley of the Beats has become not only a beacon of inclusion and outreach for producers and music makers all across the Valley, but also a platform of learning and exploration for Jamaal himself. The podcast has allowed him to form meaningful connections with his peers, the decision to start it in the first place an important reminder to prioritize the present while you can.

“[At the time], I was like, ‘I don’t want to wait to do this podcast. I shouldn’t be waiting to do things or make sure things are perfect before I start. I just need to do it now because you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future or anything like that’,” Jamaal says. “You just got to really focus on the present.”

The future for Valley of the Beats also deserves some focus, with their “Open Aux” events happening monthly and a new podcast episode dropping on YouTube sometime soon, Jamaal and the Valley of the Beats team stopping at nothing to get producers the exposure and awareness they so greatly deserve. Nobody buys an a capella CD after all…