Senior Wesley Wells has produced hip-hop beats for more than four years, and while doing so this young Atlanta beat-maker has made a big impact on the North Atlanta hip-hop scene. With more than 40 beats at his disposal, the competition doesn’t quite stack against this Garage Band prodigy.

Making beats for well-known names around school such as Trendsetta and other local solo artists, Wells hopes to one day work side by side with high-watt hip-hop stars Kevin Gates, J.Cole or Andre 3000.

Wells goes by the stage name Wes Lee Beats and his work can be found on Soundcloud by searching the keyword “Wes Lee.” He said the most important step to producing beats is confidence. “You can’t just wake up and start pressing keys,” he said. “It all starts with an idea and flows through self-assurance.”

When making his very first beat as a freshman, Wells struggled with melodic creativity and had a hard time perfecting rhythms. But like many other learned skills, he said it all comes together with time. Around the time he created “Trap 101,” Wells said he began to find his own inner melodic voice. He also started garnering the approval of others, including his first listener, an enthusiastic sibling. “The feedback I got from my brother was overwhelming,” he said. “It was his remarks that made it that much easier to continue producing in the time when I didn’t have many fans.”

There’s a thriving music scene at North Atlanta and Wells is now very much a part of this cross-school musical and producing community. Wells, who plays tuba, has been in musical bands at his schools since he was 11. “Believe it or not, playing tuba helped me greatly in making beats,” he said.

Wells, in his Wes Lee Beats persona, has become a major public face as one of the premier beat plugs in our 11-story artistic coliseum. With many years ahead of him, high hopes and artistic aspirations drive the 18-year-old producer toward bigger venues and loftier applications of his musical craft.