Rvssian Talks Linking Up With Future, Lil Baby On New Song ‘M&M’

Jamaican producer Rvssian says he played his cards right when he invited American rappers Future and Lil Baby on his new track M&M.

“When I made the beat, I think it was pretty unique, because the synth was kind of like retro-ish, and I made it with the track, and I said, ‘Lil Baby, I think Lil Baby would kill it.’ I reached out to him, he loved the beat,” Rvssian told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1.

“It’s recorded a few months back when it was more heavy on lockdown, and recorded at his house, and he FaceTimed me, let me hear it, and I thought it was fire. And then, I wanted to put somebody else on, so I reached out to Future, and he loved it, and he killed it,” he added.

The track was released yesterday (December 15) and already over 200,000 plays on YouTube for its official visualizer.

Working on this particular project was different due to Future’s unique personality.

“He definitely knows what to say to catch people’s ears. Some people call him a very talkative person, but I think that’s what makes his music unique and different. People just love it, especially with his melodies. For sure. I think that’s what he’s mastered over the years, really,” the producer said.

The recording process might have been seamless, but Rvssian, whose given name is Tarik Johnston, added that he often encounters difficulty with conceptualizing songs.

“For me, coming up with songs and stuff, that to me is the hardest part, because I like to find the most unique stuff. I’d rather come up with five unique beats than 30 that sound normal,” he said.

Rvssian is the principal of Head Concussion Records and Rich Immigrants, a label in partnership with Interscope Records. He rose to prominence in 2008 after the release of the Liberty riddim which featured Dancehall artists Shane O, Konshens, and Vybz Kartel, whose voice is heard on M&M’s producer tag.

Rvssian collaborated with Kartel on Straight Jeans and Fitted, as well as producing Shenseea‘s Blessed and most recently You Are The One I Love.

He also recently collaborated with Chris Brown and Rauw Alejandro on the track Nostálgico, which is No. 148 on the Billboard Global 200 chart and No. 11 on the Hot Latin Songs chart this week.

The producer lost his father Michael Johnston, and niece Stephanie “Steffie” Gregg to COVID-19 complications just days apart. Despite the challenges, he described this as a successful year for his career.

“It definitely was a rough year for me, because I lost my father. I lost my niece, who was like my little sister. I learned a lot this year about not taking loved ones or people for granted. I’ll admit that the music has been good, everything has been good. But yeah, it definitely taught me a lot.”

With the new year approaching, the producer has his eyes set on bigger successes.

“I’m just trying to come kicking down doors, in terms of all genres. Because I do the trap, and I do the Latin music, the dancehall, everything. I’m definitely going to be dropping different styles of music. I just want to hit people from every angle.”