Today we’d like to introduce you to Sly Beats.
Hi Sly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Producer, songwriter, engineer and singer, Sly Beats is a one man stop shop for all your musical needs. An Electrical Engineer by day, he built a $150K recording studio with state-of-the-art recording equipment. Sly recently bought a house in Spring valley, it’s a sight to behold. Sly is a big fan and supporter of the San Diego music scene, he has opened up his studio to other local artists. Sly’s also one half of the super duo Supreme Confidence, a collaboration with Riston Diggs. An award-winning group boasting 3 awards in 2 years; 2018 Best Independent Music Video, 2019 Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards and Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the 2020 San Diego Music Awards for their self-titled full-length debut ‘Supreme Confidence’. He also collaborates and produces for acts such as Riston Diggs, Mike Holmes and iLL Nicky. You might’ve heard or seen them gracing the stages at the San Diego County Fair, Palomar College, The Music Box, House of Blues, 91.1FM (91X). Sly recently recorded and engineered a song that won Bets Hip Hop Song at the SDMAs in 2025 for the band “The Gravities”.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
San Diego is absolutely stuffed with amazing talent covering every aspect of art. You dont need to look outside this city to find it. I learned through my own journey that we all need to support local 100%. It usually costs nothing to watch your friend perform at a local dive bar. Buy their merch, share there stories. And in return, they will support your en-devours. Most big acts come through the city to collect a bag, not to plant seeds. So grow your own city and support local however possible.
When i started attending local events and even performing i realized right away that the sound sucks at pretty much every venue. The equipment is bad and even the large venues don’t value hip hop artists. They don’t put the time into the sound checks like they do for bands. One bar told us, that if we performed hip hop, we would empty out all of the patrons. Of course, that didn’t happen because immediately they could see the time and preparation we put forward in our shows. Quickly after, i started running my own sound, bringing my own equipment to improve the sound for local hip hop events. Ive ran sound for numerous events in Balboa Park during the Pandemic when all the venues were closed, including events by promoters, Primo Dirty, South Bay Nino, Black Cat Bar, and Dollar and a Dream Foundation to name a few. When local artists show up to perform at one of the events i run sound for, they immediately smile and light up with energy to give an even better performance. Artists work hard on there craft and when the sound sucks, its a total let down to everyone. Its not easy to be a promoter by any means, but please make sure the sound is decent. And most DJ’s dont wanna be responsible for sound, they wanna DJ.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an Electrical Engineer for the Department of the Navy with 17-patents to match and 3-awards from The Pentagon. My group manufactures antenna systems for the Navy from Concept to Production with Cradle to Grave support. We have multiple antenna systems aboard nearly every surface ship in the Navy. Ive been working there since college and plan to retire there. The antenna field will always be in demand since everything is going wireless. Im blessed to work with incredible coworkers who share the same passion and work ethic required to support the fleet. This job has provided security to support my musical en-devours and the fulfillment of entrepreneurship, so i consider myself blessed and i don’t take it for granted.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I re-wired my entire house with a Span Smart panel which is an electrical panel with a motherboard behind it. This allows me to see what every appliance in the house is drawing and i can start or stop it from an app on my phone. My house is truly smart from the bottom up. Ive installed my own solar array on my new house, equipped with whole house backup batteries, hybrid inverters and gateways. Its a true off grid system that will allow self-sufficiency from the sun even on a cloudy day. I use the grid as a backup but i don’t plan on using it any time soon.
Pricing:
- Free, i work on Collaborations and Splits, support Local!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theblvdexperience.com/recording-studio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sly_beats?igsh=eG1qZnc5dXdrZ2k=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slyblvdbeats
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoundsSly
Image Credits
Sly Beats, Riston Diggs, Angel Slaughter (photographer) and The San Diego Music Awards
