— Story by Brandon Campbell
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— Story by Brandon Campbell |
| He burned the rhythms from his head onto a CD. Now he’s got game...again.
Mr. Tack of Iowa City is a hip-hop producer who has game.
No, not the kind that could get him in trouble with the ladies.
Tack, 30, is a former basketball player who traded in his sneakers to start his own music production company, Tack-Fu Productions.
“The rhythm that I had on the court came from the beats that were going through in my head. When I gave up on the sport, I wanted to get those beats to come out of my head,” Tack said. After playing ball for Clinton Community College, he transferred to the University of Iowa to play for the Hawkeyes. The summer before coming to UI, he was declared ineligible by the NCAA, he said. Combining his love for hip-hop and a desire to get the music out of his head and onto a CD, Tack bought a cheap four-track and sampler equipment. In a span of a year, he spent countless hours researching the industry, networking and setting up a Web site before dropping his first CD in 1998. “There are a lot of people out there who are doing this that are not doing their research. I’m not in this to make money quick. I’m in it because I like it. I’m not ripping anybody off,” he said. Tack sold 700 copies of his first CD out of the trunk of his car. He went through a period of losing artists and not finding work. Through networking, he got back on his feet. Tack now heads the production entity of his company, a team called The 85 decibel Monks that has become recognized on the local hip-hop scene. He has worked with various local artists including the Bad Fathers, a local five-piece alternative hip-hop band. “It’s something about putting together music. You can tell deep down in your soul that it’s something you like. When it’s finished, it’s a job well done,” he said. |  |