Bass Lines and Synth melodies ( hip hop/ dancehall)

Greetings,
I recently purchased a MPC 2000xl and wish to produce hip hop & dancehall tracks I have the akai cd sampler which comes with the MPC and I have been busting out drum tracks, no problem.

However, as a newbie with no formal musical training what would you guys reccomend for creating bass lines and melodies.

I am considering purchasing a Korg Elactribe Ea 1 which has a simple i6 step sequencer . Any thoughts

i dont understand why u would want to buy another sequencer when you have already purchased one of the best...my advice would be to get a midi controller in order to construct melodies on keys as opposed to on pads

I"d reccommed that you get a sound module something like the Mo' Phatt. Why because it comes packed with a ton of sounds. Sounds that you can alter and customize. A gang of bass lines/instruments. Drum shots, keys, effects etc. As for the melodies/rhythym parts no offense but you have to feel your way thru that. DO YOU!!! Play what comes natural. Using a MPC doesn't make you a tight producer, passion and creativity does !! This combination should keep you going for months or better. One more thing screw that other sampler/sequencer the MPC is all that and some!!![/u]

I got a question for you guys, I have an MPC as well and use a midi controller for my basslines. My question is how would I save my bassline and choose another bassline or synth track to play at the same time? Do I need a program like Cubase? I currently use FM7 for my synths.