01 — The Story
Like his idol Quincy Jones, Nate Fox would rather help other people make something that lasts than chase a hit.
Fox first broke through when his soulful production became a defining part of Chance The Rapper’s 2013 breakout, Acid Rap. He joined Chance’s first touring band soon after, and the conversations on the road — with Chance and the Chicago musicians who’d become The Social Experiment — cracked something open. “That was the start of my enlightenment about music,” he says.
He realized there’s greater value in music that lasts ten years than music that makes a million dollars in one. Building off the chemistry the group refined on stage, he’s worked on every Chance project since, the collaborative album Surf, Peter Cottontale’s Catch, and Intellexual with trumpeter Nico Segal.
He’s produced for established stars like Lil Wayne and J. Cole, but he’s proudest of the artists he met early — Kehlani, DRAM, Jamila Woods. Whoever he’s in the room with, the job is the same: serve the vision. “At the end of the day, it’s about what the artist wants.” He keeps the spirits up, too: “If people want me to go get cookies from the store, then I’m gonna get cookies from the store — and I’m gonna pick up the milk because I know that might turn it up even more.”
“If you’re a rapper, you don’t have to rap. We can make beats right now — I can show you how, if you want.”
On freedom in the studio