Marcus Noel - Michael Noel Production & Artistry Conversation Summary

Date: August 9, 2025
Participants: Marcus Noel, Michael Noel (father)
Context: Wisdom recording session at Michael's recovery location

Meeting Context

• Setting: Recording session for wisdom preservation project, with medical staff occasionally checking on Michael
• Health Context: Michael recovering from mouth cancer surgery at Johns Hopkins, maintaining strong voice despite challenges
• Purpose: Capturing Michael's decades of production expertise and philosophical insights about creativity
• Tone: Deep father-son dialogue mixing technical expertise with life wisdom

Major Topics Discussed

1. Production vs Artistry - Core Philosophy

Michael's Foundational Teaching on Producer Role:

"Producing is the technology, it's the discipline. It's not just a title... You see actors going to be directors. You see artists moving and graduating to production. That's where y'all gotta twist it... A coach don't go become a player. Right? It's a graduation."

Artist to Producer Graduation:

"You earned your stripes to be a director. Because you've been in so many films. Yeah, you can direct... If you're somebody like Jimi Hendrix, he's got full vision of what it sounds like. He knows what he wants it to sound like. And he'll tell you, step back, son. I got this."

Producer's Invisible Role:

"That's what a good producer does. He puts the artist up. He ain't trying to steal the life from the artist... And the producer has his kind of trademark on it... It's a signature."

2. Technology Evolution and Accessibility

Early Technology Barriers:

"Recording equipment wasn't available like it was today. I couldn't go get a 16-track recorder, you know, a one-inch track recorder. It wasn't even available. Mixers were very expensive. So, you just didn't have accessibility to the technology."

Michael's Early Innovation:

"I bought my first PA when I was in 11th grade. When I got my first job, my first track, that's what I bought, was a PA system... That was before we even had record mixers, you know, for DJing. Even though DJ mixers, you used a regular PA."

Resourcefulness Philosophy:

"So I was just resourceful. Because I didn't live in New York. There ain't no record industry here. This ain't L.A. But wherever it was, I came to my vicinity. I found it."

Current Production Advantages:

"You got every goddamn platform in the universe to get it out... Most people are independent now... production costs is coming down."

3. Hip-Hop's Revolutionary Impact

Hip-Hop as Production Revolution:

"Hip-hop is basically the merging of older forms of music put in a more, like, revolutionary texture. Sampling became extremely popular. So, producers were a huge, valuable asset to hip-hop versus other genres."

Accessibility Through Sampling:

"I think what it does is it just makes production more accessible. Okay, not everybody has the bankroll to take a full band to a studio and record every track."

Resourcefulness Origins:

"Hip-hop was born out of that... lack of resources, lack of assets... I didn't have access to lights, so I made my own lights. I made my own flash pans. You know? Pyrotechnics on stage."

4. Industry vs Pure Art - Critical Analysis

Algorithm-Driven Consumption: Marcus: "They have the numbers under there. YouTube has the numbers how many people viewed it. That influences the place... versus if it didn't have that data shown and you had to go through you're going to use other centuries to make your decisions."

Industry Validation vs Artistic Purity:

Michael: "Before algorithms, you just had genres and boxing you in... Everything you're talking about is always been here. It's just on a degree... It's always been."

Grammy System Critique:

Michael: "It's just a bogus bullshit. I know it's the game of the elite. I don't give a fuck about no Grammy."

Pure Artist Philosophy:

Michael: "When you play the catalog of Sylvester Stone, Sly Stone... As much pressure as he was to put out hits. Do you think he'd give a damn? No... He just created. If he did, would he have been put out the catalog if he did? No."

5. Creative Flow and Financial Constraints

Marcus's Creative Challenge:

"My creative flow gets blocked by money. By feeling like I don't have enough of the vision. So then until I have enough money to progress what I actually see in my mind as the art piece that I want to create, if the budget isn't there to fully do it right then, it's like it's not time to do it."

Michael's Solution - Reverse Approach:

"You should be able to create anyways... And then the next thing, if there's a budget to help you scale it or whatever, take it on tour or whatever, right?... And then I just take it, how did I scale it, and take it out."

Always Be Creating Philosophy:

"You get a workflow that you always create. You always create. Always... ABC. Always be producing, always be creating."

6. Producer vs Artist Internal Conflict

Marcus's Dual Role Struggle:

"I oftentimes get stuck between artists and producers... But sometimes if I get, if I'm confused on which one to play at the right time."

Producer Perfectionism vs Artist Release:

"My artist has to release the perfectionism. My producer has to keep it... And that's your producer hat. It should be that. Because that's also the curse of a producer is everybody can't do great."

Studio Session Wisdom Example: Marcus described a recent studio session where industry pressure (adding "Red Bull" for sponsorship) conflicted with artistic integrity, leading him to write separately rather than interfere inappropriately with the creative process.

7. Educational Background and Influence

Michael's Self-Directed Learning:

"I took recording engineering at Omega Studios, because that was the only studio available. I took video production at Howard Community College and PG... I was one of the first producers to get on there and produce stuff on cable access."

Cross-Disciplinary Approach:

"I had to go to the library. I checked out everything from theatrics to theater lighting and key lighting and all this stuff. There just wasn't much available."

George Clinton as Influence:

"Where'd I get that shit from? George Clinton... But I didn't know what I was doing. I was just improvising, but that was my influence."

8. Modern Technology Integration

Michael's Continued Innovation:

"And still do. We can go into any of the music stores and I can wrap circles around them. Everything is technology in here. My studio has compressed to a one room studio where I can produce anything."

Sample Libraries and Stems:

"I may make it a Microdot version and spin on it when I finish it. But I don't mind licensing it because I don't want to pay the money to go in the studio and do it all from scratch... I'm more interested in the end product than how I got there."

Platform Evolution: Discussion of Splice, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and emerging platforms like Metalabel as tools for independent artists.

9. Legacy and Catalog Philosophy

True Success Metrics:

Michael: "I want to be a ego. Oh, yeah. Whatever. Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony. Like, that's why you're working now. I'm working to, like you said, have the best, have the best catalog. Right. That's legacy."

Create Despite Industry Pressure:

"The industry will take care of itself. And if you got good management, that's what they should do... it will block your creative flow if you let it."

Vault Philosophy:

"I got a vault full of music and video content... You can go mobile with it."

10. Current Collaborations and Network

Industry Connections:

• Working with top producer who has worked with Beyoncé and Rihanna
• Korean collaboration bringing cultural diversity to projects
• Connection to Babyface (Brian Edmond) through J-Rap and John Mainframe
• Reference to Bernard Arnault's (LVMH owner) property in Saint-Tropez through Marcus's photo

Cross-Cultural Elements: Discussion of incorporating Korean language and global perspectives into music production, reflecting Marcus's international vision.

Key Philosophical Insights

Producer as Architect

Michael consistently framed production as the invisible architecture that enables artistry to flourish, emphasizing that the best producers elevate artists rather than competing with them.

Technology as Democratization

Both father and son see technology evolution as lowering barriers to entry while requiring greater sophistication to stand out in an oversaturated market.

Purity vs Industry Pressure

The conversation reveals ongoing tension between artistic integrity and industry demands, with Michael advocating for pure creation regardless of external pressures.

Generational Wisdom Transfer

This session exemplifies the GODWAVE mission of preserving elder wisdom, capturing Michael's decades of industry experience and philosophical approach to creativity.

Personal Development Moments

Marcus's Growth Recognition: The conversation shows Marcus maturing in his understanding of when to operate as producer vs artist, learning to navigate industry relationships while maintaining creative integrity.

Father's Recovery Strength: Despite health challenges, Michael demonstrates remarkable intellectual vitality and continued passion for his craft, embodying resilience and dedication to sharing knowledge.

Cross-Generational Bridge: The dialogue bridges old-school production wisdom with new-age platform strategies, showing how fundamental principles remain constant while tools evolve.

Future Implications

This wisdom recording session provides crucial foundation for:

• Marcus's development as both artist and producer
• GODWAVE's approach to balancing industry success with spiritual/artistic integrity
• Preservation of early Black technology and music production history
• Strategic approach to modern platform utilization while maintaining creative purity

The conversation demonstrates the profound value of the elder wisdom preservation project, capturing not just technical knowledge but philosophical frameworks that inform creative decision-making across generations.