Many, many years ago trying to get into the rap music industry was a task that could be described as being close to impossible if you
did not have the money or the resources to pull of such a move. You could have
written the most poetic lyrics to ever come out of your mind, but if you lacked
the right kind of recording equipment though, then your lyrics would be nothing
more than words etched out on a piece of paper. Nowadays, it is much easier to
become involved in the rap business because of beat making software like FL
Studio (formerly Fruity Loops) and Reason being introduced.
People who have the skill to both write lyrics and produce
their own hip hop beats can make their dreams of entering the rap music
industry come true through the use of beat making software. Those who are only
good at creating lyrics, however, can still get their beats by way of third
party sites that sell downloadable rap and hip hop beats. Some sites even have
beats that you can download for free, although the quality of these beats may
not be up to par with your standards.
You can also try selling your created beats
online as well if you want to have an extra source of income. It is amazing how
far technology has come and how it has made it easier for many aspiring rappers
and music producers to realize their dreams. I just wish that we had this sort
of technology back in the 90’s though because I would have taken full advantage
of it. Oh well, there is nothing I can do about that because it’s in the past,
but at least I can be happy knowing that my nephew will have an easy path
towards his dream of becoming a rapper.
I have a nephew who has been influenced by me somewhat in
terms of his taste in rap music. He’s currently 13 years old and about to enter
junior high and he is one of the smartest kids I have ever known. Now I didn’t force him to listen to the rap
music that I love. He just decided on his own that he actually likes old school
rap better compared to today’s rap music. I let him borrow some of my old rap albums and
told him to give them a listen, and I also warned him about the lyrics being
overly explicit, but he didn’t mind because he wasn’t going to take them to
heart anyway. That’s a smart kid right there, folks.
A week after listening to Tupac’s “Me Against the World”
album, my nephew came up to me and said that he was truly moved by some of the
songs, especially because of the messages that they had in them. He said that
most of today’s rappers can even hold a candle to Tupac’s artistry, which to me
was beyond beautiful. He also told me that he was so inspired that he wanted to
become a rapper himself, or at the very least, become involved with the rap
music industry.
I am happy for my nephew because he has found something to
believe in and now has a dream he wants to chase, but I also want him to finish
his education first. I told him that there is nothing wrong in wanting to be a
rapper, but he has to get his diploma first because getting an education is one
of the most important steps to take in reaching your goals.
Being the smart kid that he is, he immediately
understood where I was getting at and told me not to worry because he knew how
important his education is and that he had no plans of quitting school. Damn,
how in the world did I ever get such a smart nephew? I do hope one day he can
become a rapper because this kid has the skills to make a legend like Tupac
proud.
Pardon the rather obvious message that the title of this
post gives, but I thought that I’d point out a little something here. Earlier
today I was talking with one of my friends at work who feels that rap beats are
nothing compared to the music being composed by people playing in bands. I know
that the guy has a very narrow minded view of things, especially with his
latest statement, but I respected his opinion and politely disagreed with him.
I also listen to metal music every once in a while and I am aware of the talent
that these guys have in terms of being able to compose their own music with
their instruments. However, the people who make rap beats and instrumentals
aren’t slouches either because creating the perfect rap beat requires a ton of
skill.
Anyone can mix up random bass lines, drum lines, and other
sound effects only to come up with a jumbled mixture of sounds that don’t even complement
each other that well, but only the truly skilled music producers can come up
with a beat that is not only catchy, but goes hand in hand with the lyrics of a
specific rap song.
I don’t hate my friend for saying what he did earlier today,
but I just wish he’d try to do a little more research next time before he says
such dumb things.I respect anyone who
can make beats from scratch and I think that they deserve just as much credit
for their beats the way that rappers get credit for their rhymes.
In short, give respect where and when it is due
because all musicians deserve them at one point or another.
If you read my first post about why I think rappers from the
past were far more gifted than today’s artists, then you probably already know
that I am an old school hip hop fan. I still have a hefty collection of albums
from Pac, the NWA, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, and Biggy Smalls just to name a few,
and I still put these nasty boys on blast whenever I feel like taking a cruise
down memory lane. As far as this new generation of rap artists go, I am just
not feeling them that much. I like listening to a bit of Chris Brown and The
Game from time to time, but I just can’t hold their music in the same standards
of the rappers from the 90’s.
Tupac Shakur - Greatest Rapper of All Time
Nowadays, rap music is all about money, bling, cars, and who
has the biggest house. It’s no longer about stories of how they struggled when
they were young, how they dealt with racism, and other issues plaguing society.
Even though some of their lyrics were
very explicit (gangsta rap in particular), they still had a message hidden in
them. I don’t want to say that today’s generation of rappers suck because that
would be straight up dissing them. Instead, I’m going to be civil here by just
saying they are not as good as people make them out to be. In other words, they
are overrated.
I am an old school rap fan for life and there is nothing that’s
going to make me change my views on the subject. Leave me some comments below
and give me your take on today’s generation of rap artists.
Over the last decade, the
world of hip hop music has seen a lot of big names come and go. Some of them
have gone on to continue having awesome careers while others seem to have just
faded away into obscurity. In this article though, we will be focusing on the
top beat makers from 2011. There are a ton of names to choose from, but instead
I will be narrowing down the choices to the 5 people who really made quite a
splash in the world of hip hop music during 2011.
Okay, so let us get right
down to business now, shall we? Here are the 5 best hip hop beat makers that
made a huge splash in the year 2011. By the way, this list is in no particular
order because I think all of these guys deserve an equal amount of respect from
the hip hop music community.
Boi-1da
Matthew James Samuels (his real name) has been producing for
a lot of stars over the years. Some of his most famous clients include the
likes of Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Das Racist, and Eminem. So as you can see,
the guy’s clients are nothing special (sarcasm).In 2011, Boi-1da helped produced Drake’s
second album “Take Care”. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200
charts. The single “Headlines” was produced by Boi-1da and Noah “40” Shebib. It
reached number one on the Billboard 200 rap charts and has been certified
platinum. I guess this goes to show that Boi-1da has a lot of magic in his bag
of tricks when it comes to producing songs.
Timbaland
Timbaland is no stranger to success as a producer and as a
beat maker seeing as he has had a hand in producing some pretty successful
albums in the past. Worthy examples would include Justin Timberlake’s “FutureSex/LoveSounds
and Nelly Furtado’s “Loose”. Both of these albums would go on to sell 10
million copies each. So what did Timothy Zachary Mosley do in 2011 that’s
earned him a spot on this list? For one thing, he started Timbaland Thursdays which was a weekly free music initiative that
ran from January 10, 2011 up to May 20, 2011.
Most of the tracks from the Timbaland Thursday’s initiative
came from Timbaland’s “vault” and also included the single “See You Again”
which was dedicated to Aaliyah.
Dr. Dre
This guy apparently needs no introduction since he is one of
the most well-known and most respected figures in the hip hop community. Not
only has Dr. Dre established himself as an icon in the world of rap, but he’s
also helped other artists reach success as well. Dre, really didn’t do much by
his standards in 2011, but he did a couple of things that are definitely worth
mentioning. First he helped produced Slim the Mobster’s album, “War Music”
which was well received by critics. The other thing that he did was produce
Kendrick Lamar’s debut album “Section.80. The album got good reviews from
contemporary music critics even though it did not get enough mainstream
promotion.
Now even if Dre was just “lying low” in terms of production
in 2011, he still managed to help guys get a couple of pretty good albums out.
Now that right there is legendary, ladies and gentlemen and still proves that
Dre still has his touch when it comes to creating beats for other artists.
Statik Selektah
Okay, now in case you don’t know who this guy is, DJ Statik
Selektah is the CEO of Showoff Records and has been known to produce some very
wicked beats. In 2011, Statik released his album “Population Control”. Now even
though the album wasn’t really that popular outside of the underground hip hop
music circle, it is still worth nothing because DJ Statik’s authenticity and
innovative skills can be felt and heard throughout the album.
Whether you like Statik Selektah or not, this guy definitely
deserves some respect for what he has contributed to the music world with his wide array of hip hop beats.
Drumma Boy
This guy has been around since 2002 and ever since he burst
into the hip hop music scene, he has captured both our hearts and our ears.
Drumma Boy is a multi-platinum award winning rapper and producer, so by those
accolades alone you can pretty much see how much of a star he is. In August of
2011, Drumma Boy released his mixtape album entitled “The Birth of D-Boy
Fresh”. Like Statik Selektah’s
“Population Control” album, The Birth of D-Boy Fresh was not that well-known
outside of the hip hop circle.
However, it has some sick beats which further
prove how much of an awesome beat producer Drumma truly is. Even though his
mixtape release didn’t get that much media attention, it is still worthy enough
to have Drumma Boy on this list simply because of the sick beats that album
has.
Any person who wants to know how to become a singer or a rapper can definitely learn a thing or two from the guys on this list.
I first started listening to rap music back when I was about
6 years old. At first, I didn’t try to fully understand the lyrics that much
because I found myself being more attracted to the beats. As time went on
though, I became more and more appreciative of the lyrics of some of my
favorite rappers. Tupac Shakur comes into mind with his song “Dear Mama”, a
tribute that he made for his mother. I still consider this to be the greatest
rap song ever made and the lyrics truly touch my heart every time I listen to
it.
It was then that I finally realized how truly gifted rappers
are. People that casually listen to their songs have no idea just how difficult
it is to come up with lyrics that are not only catchy, but also deep and convey
a powerful message. This is something that I just don’t find in
most of today’s rap artists because their lyrics just don’t solicit the same
kind of message as the ones in the past. Call me an old timer or whatever, but
I don’t think that I am the only one feels the same way about this.
To be more precise, I think that the rappers
from the past were far more gifted than most of the ones that we have today. I’m
not saying that today’s rappers are untalented, but if you were to compare them
to the ones that came before them from the 80’s and 90’s, the gap is just too
big.
