It's 2 o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon, and Metro Boomin's manager has to pull him away from his home studio for our phone interview. He's been working on his new LP since he rolled out of bed. And if the day goes like most do for Metro, he'll be laying new tracks well into the night.

Metro Boomin's Highlights and Influences

Not that any of this is surprising. Metro is already winning 2017. Just ten days into the new year, the 23-year-old producer landed his first No. 1 song, "Bad and Boujee," alongside Migos; he went platinum with another, and has fans eagerly awaiting his next release. Metro has been on a winning streak since "Karate Chop" with Future in 2013, working with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Future, Young Thug, Wiz Khalifa, The Weeknd, and Gucci Mane (among many, many others), and last year saw the Atlanta-based beatmaker's signature 808s grace some of the year's best rap records.

He's a thoughtful speaker, often taking a few moments in silence to meticulously craft his answers. Though his voice lights up as he talks his passion for music, it's at his most excited as he talks about where it'll take him next. Like his role models Dr. Dre, Pharrell, and Kanye West (among others), Metro has his sights set on much more than just making hit records.

What are you up to right now?

I'm at home. I was just making beats. I'm about to go back to making beats in a second after this.

Are you working on any projects in particular?

I'm really just working on my album. That's the main focus.

What Migos Did on Grammys Night Instead of Going to the Grammys "I love dogs. I love tigers. I love lions. I love monkeys."

Were there any musicians outside of hip hop that had an impact on your sound?

Michael Jackson. He was always inventing shit and reinventing himself and his style. Green Day, just because, when I started making beats back then, they had that shit out, American Idiot. Just the sonics of that shit—that whole dark, moody vibe. I naturally, when I make beats, aim for a darker tone just because I've always preferred those types of feelings. More than any artist, I feel like horror-movie music influenced my music more than all that shit.

How it builds a mood?

Exactly. When you're playing that shit, you feel like you're somewhere.

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How long have you been DJing?

I always try to answer this question. I would say a year and half. I guess it's been two years now. It feels new to me, compared to making beats.

Gucci Mane first inviting you to the studio was a big moment early on in your career. Gucci's proven to be one music's biggest tastemakers. Is that a role you aim to take on yourself?

That's always been something I want to do. I'm heavily influenced by a lot of people like Dre, Pharrell, and Kanye. They're all big time tastemakers and trendsetters, just for culture, period. So I strive to do that as well. I'm starting my label up, so of course I'm going to keep bringing new things to the table: new artists, new sounds, and new vibes for people to love and live with.

You've designed shirts, sneakers, and tour merch**—all of which sold out immediately. Do you plan on doing more of that this year? **

I'm always going to be heavy in producing. It's always going to come first. It never can't come first. But last year, 2016, I focused on DJing. Now that it's 2017, I'm gonna gravitate towards fashion. Like we just had with the Alexander Wang campaign and things like that.