How to make a Beat! - Hip Hop - Laziness vs Creativity

Wise words.

man years back there was this kid "young atlanta" who came here and posted some youtube vids of him making beats on the mpc, bragging about his 5 minute beats. "it's that easy."

he took it down unfortunately and from his latest video it looks like he's worked a little harder
but boy, that mentality that it shouldn't take long is poison
it should take forever. if you can make a song in a day, you've either sold the song short or you've struck a geyser of inspiration...that sh!t shouldn't take 5 minutes

Nym wrote:if you can make a song in a day, you've either sold the song short or you've struck a geyser of inspiration...that sh!t shouldn't take 5 minutes

i agree with you about making a "song", but you can definitely make a dope hiphop instrumental for someone to rap over in an hour or less. hardware, or software. after you have vocals, more time can go into it of course.. but when it comes to hiphop beats, i believe you can make a dope track in a short amount of time. but you're right, thats a little different than making a song.. thats why (for example) your beats take everything to a whole 'nother level and they turn into crazy songs that take you places. a hiphop beat is more about inspiring a certain type of flow in a quick matter of seconds with the groove and the sound of the track i think

This guy has the finger on the pulse.Creativity.If you do not sound like yourself you are not there or unhappy..Never sub to youtube but may join to support this guy for the wisdom and incredible equipment he reviews.Thanks for the link TYPO

he saying some real shit

but the disclaimer is u have to have some skills first if u make some wack shiut u can prolly justify it and say its original and maybe it is is some original wackness but that aint the desired effect.

be dope b4 u be original

again ill re-itterate bruce lee did not invent jeet kune do on day one he mastered exsisting arts then when he saw their shortfalls he innovated his own style from that.


if ur beats r garbage there is no use u tryna be original cos ur shit aint up to par yet.

"It shouldn't take long, get your sounds in there fast, get some drums chopped up and then make something.
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/vide ... _the_beats
Madlib. 15 minutes. Fast forward to 7:00."

I agree, and disagree with this. It shouldn't take long if your doing a process that has already been proven. Example: If your hero is Dj Premier and you want to make Premier style beats, then after a few years of using the MPC, it shouldn't take long to make a beat just like this. If your trying to find YOURSELF..your own unique style, the process is never-ending. You can't put a limit on the time it takes to push yourself to a next level.
I think so many people are caught up on being the same, which is the #1 reason why Hip-Hop today sounds so much alike. 20 years ago, EVERYONE sounded different. Rappers, Producers, even R&B producers sounded different. Today, everyone copies what is hot. I remember when Mannie Fresh said he makes a beat in 5 minutes and all of a sudden, it was cool to crank out some BS quickly. Everyone was proud to say "I make 15 beats a day!" 14 of these fast food beats sucked anus! Ask someone how many beats they have and you may hear "I got 1500 beats!" maybe 10 are worth listening to. Am I lying?
Do yourself (everyone) a favor, and try to do something different. Forget about the Youtube Pete rock technique of chopping your sample up and placing them in order (like everyone does)... DO YOU! Sound like yourself. I guarantee this process alone will take at least 5-10 years! Create unique sounds..use your microphone...go outside and sample the elements and tell me you made your beat up in 15 minutes. I have all the respect for Madlib, he's one of my favorite producers, but this is the same guy that tells people he makes a whole album on his SP-303 in a motel in a day...half of the beats are straight loops, maybe some with a kick drum added. I'm not hating, I'm just tellin' it like it is.

i got a buddy that makes like 3 a day in fruity loops, (mainstream rap type beats)

he's got a couple hundred beats he's trying to sell to rappers, and i've heard pretty much everyone of them and i honestly can say, MAYBE a handful i could see someone using and it be listenable. not hatin, just sayin

his beats would not be nothing without the same bass drums he uses and the roll/fills he has. whether this falls under laziness or creativity, i dont know

i think some people maybe be able to make something in under 15 minutes and it be hot, but a VERY FEW.

its QUALITY over quantity in most cases.

I don't know how you could have an emotional connection with a track if you'd knocked it up in 15 minutes.

i can do a song idea in a couple of hours if am manic (melody or bassline)

comeback a few months later whilst high mood again and finish it in 2 days ,3 maybe

if i had better production skills then maybe it would take longer ...who knows

most of this "song in ten minutes" videos are like cooking shows - they have the drums sounds already preprepared and most often they skip the digging and the cutting of the samples and jump right into the first step of making a beat.

it is possible to create a masterpiece in a freestyle session, if you are talented and manage to produce five minutes of music in one step. this was called "making music" in former days and sometimes there would even be a whole group of people, e.g "a band", to make music right on the spot with no overdubbing or pre/post production!

peace, jo

"most of this "song in ten minutes" videos are like cooking shows"

Exactly, and how many of these guys sound original: NONE!
Cooking and production are very much alike. You have ingredients (sounds) that need to be cooked. If you give 10 different people some beef (a record) to make a burger (beat) with individual spices (gear) you will have 10 completely different burgers! Today in music, everyone tries to emulate someone else without taking the risk of adding their own element! "Dilla has a 3000...I have to have a 3000" "Premier likes the MPC-60, it has to be the best!" Its like all the Burgers tastes like McDonalds (Dilla), or Wendys (Premier)...with a few people claiming to be experimental by using Atari/Nintendo sounds (Samiyam.) Everything sounds the same, but everyone expects support ($) when they put an album on Itunes. The people ain't going for this anymore. Digital media is FREE. We can't do the old tricks (like put out a 21 track album with 1 or 2 nice songs) and getting t-shirts/mugs, etc made isn't going to help either if the music isn't unique.
Sure, some beats we make may sound similar to someone else, but most of your music should sound like you. Don't be afraid of what the people think. When you start making music to please the masses, you will have to make music they will accept, or something close to what they already know. DO YOU! The market is wide open now.

Jakeone is dope, Madlib is dope, and anyone with some musical experience can make a beat up in 15 minutes, but how many of these quick beats really sound innovative? Most people focus on the sample more than the process. Its like, a unique sample = how deep the producer is. There is no way anyone can make anything that they are proud of in 15 minutes which probably explains why Madlib comes out with 20 albums a year! "Get the sounds in there fast?" How do you know what sounds the beat is going to need?
I think, IMO, the process is far more important than the music. I probably represent a really small sector of the music world, but its just too easy to simply make a "dope beat." We've all heard great songs the were nothing more than a software preset. Isn't that disappointing..or fuggit...dope is dope??? I remember buying drum machines just to sample them and sell them again to buy another one to sample. Today, you can download them ALL for free off google. I remember when dudes used to work s#1t jobs just to get enough credit to buy an MPC kit from the back of Source Magazine, and have payments for 2+ YEARS..today, you can download an app on your phone for free. You can now be a star without ever rockin' a stage. You can sing without being able to sing. I need to hear a story..a struggle, at the very least hear something brand new that has never been duplicated.