Hip Hop Instrumentals: How To Find Same Beats As The Pros

Once an MC really starts to flow, there’s one thing you can be sure of – he’s going to have an unstoppable appetite for hip hop instrumentals. As an a pro rapper, you need to be constantly be collecting, building your instrumental library and stacking them up for future use. So, before you start running around the internet like a wild squirrel storing up your nuts – there is a bunch of essential knowledge that you’re going to need if you wanna get your hip hop instrumentals right.

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What’s an Instrumental… And What Isn’t?

First off, what is an instrumental. The term comes from back in the day, when 12-inch singles were the main format for radio stations. The A-side had the radio version of the track with the vocals on it and the B-side would have an instrumental version for the DJ’s to talk over. Of course hip hop was born out of that B-side, when DJs starting scratching and mixing and MC’s started rapping over it.

Fast forward to 2009, MCs are still looking for their instrumentals, but now we get them created specifically with the purpose for rapping over them. Today’s instrumentals can take many forms:

The Loop – Sometimes It’s Just Not Enough

Sometimes an instrumental can be a simple 4-bar loop and its up to you to turn it into a full song – breaking it down and building it up again. If you’re buying loops, keeping mind that you’re going to need to put some more work into it – one loop gets pretty boring after you’ve heard it over and over for 5 minutes or so…

When You Need The Full Song

This is where the song has been completely arranged for you – you’ve got verses, choruses, and breakdowns all mapped out. If you don’t have any time (or ability!) to mess with writing your own instrumentals – this is where I suggest you start. When you‘re buying your instrumentals, make sure you know whether you’re getting the full song or just a loop.

WARNING: Using The Sample Can Get Tricky

Sometimes the sickest beats can just be a single sample, but again you’re running into the same issues as the loop – will it hold people’s attention long enough? Another warning to consider is whether the you actually have the rights to that loop or not. It’s not a big deal if you’re just showcasing your MCing abilities or trying to get on mix tapes, but if you want a radio hit – stay away from illegal samples. Nothing’s worse than those lawyers coming knocking on your door after you’ve hit the big time!

The Three Types of MC’s Who Need Hip Hop Instrumentals

There are many varieties of MC’s who should think about buying HHI. First would be the MC who wants to focus on Lyrics, not production. There’s enough to think about with getting your lyrics right – you don’t need to be thinking about tweaking knobs and going to school for Studio Engineering. Just grab your beats and flow!

Also, MCs who are in the flow, should definitely be stacking up on the instrumentals for future use. The instrumentals inspire the lyrics, so the more you have – the more ideas you’re gonna get. The last thing you want is to have lyrics but, no beats to rap over. Think boyscouts – Be Prepared!

Also, MCs who want their lyrics to be heard in the best possible light. If you’re just trying to get people so see your skills – you still need to have the best instrumentals to put the right foot forward. If you’re making a demo – you’re gonna need to keep people’s ears focused on your flow, not your janky-ass overused beats.

Two Things To Watch Out For When Buying Beats Online

When you’re surfing the web, looking for your beats, there are a couple of things to pay attention to. First is the sound quality. You need studio quality, so downloading loops off of free sites is probably not the way to go. Make sure that the sites you’re looking for offer Studio Quality beats.

Also, you need to make sure that when you buy the instrumentals, you’re getting full rights to rerelease them and not “for personal use only” beats. Again, the last thing you want is to have a huge hit and then have someone come and tell you that you can’t use that beat until you pay for it… Ughh…

The Ultimate Guide to Finding Hip Hop Instrumentals Today

Last but not least, you’re going to need to know where to find instrumentals. Of course, the obvious answer is on the internet – or is it?

Random Internet Sites

When you’re looking for beats on the internet, you’re going to get a lot of scammers offering reused beats that they don’t even have the rights to. There is a whole world of underground, bootleg beats out there. Whether or not to use them, again, depends all on what you’re going to do with them. If you want to get signed, have a hit, or sell the song – you’re gonna need that beat to free and clear – and the free beats are really not the way to go.

Soundclick

Then there’s the opposite spectrum – Soundclick. On soundlick, there are thousands and thousands of beats for sale from serious pro musicians. The only problem is you’re going to have to pay for that. The beats on soundclick can go anywhere from $150 a track to $1000! A great option if you have the dough.

Beat Membership Clubs

If you’re looking for lots of high-quality beats at a reasonable price – you might want to look at some beat membership sites. These sites offer you an ever expanding library of serious beats, for a low monthly price. My two recommended sites are:

Beats 365 - 100k Beats, New Beats Daily

Beats2Rap2 – The Hottest Beats On The Net

These places both have a ton of sick, high quality beats and a super affordable price.

D.I.Y. – Do It Yourself

And then last but not least, you can make your own hip hop instrumentals. This is definitely the hardest way to go, but it may also be the best. As an artist, you want your beats to represent where you came from and where you’re going. If you produce your own beats, they’re going to be completely original and represent your creative vision. Where would Kayne today be if he used someone else’s beats?

Supposedly, Kayne has over 4,000 beats stored up and the Neptunes have over 10,000! No matter where you get your instrumentals from, what style they are, or what kind of MC you are you’re going to need a lot of instrumentals to get you going. The best idea is to spend a little time each day choosing your beats and storing them up so that when inspiration hits you – you always have something in your back pocket to spit to.

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A bassline, some treble, a little hi-hat, and variations of strings, horns, tom-toms and a sample or two and you are in business.

Bring on the loops

Samples are snippets of songs previously recorded by other artists that producers use to create a new track. A sample used over and over again is called a loop. Basically, a loop can start the track, while the producer can add a separate drum track to take the sample in a whole new direction, thus bringing to life a new song.

Many producers use effects to change the tempo or broaden the scope of a sample causing an even greater variation on the original song. Echo effects and the addition of harmonies can flavor the sample to the degree that it doesn’t even sound like the original.

Where do all the samples come from?

The Isley Brothers and Parliament Funkadelic are two bands that have become the most sampled artists in hip-hop history. ‘Every Breath You Take’ by The Police is an example of a popular loop that was used by Diddy to create the outstanding tribute song ‘Missing You’ that flooded the airwaves after the untimely demise of the Notorious B.I.G., and still gets airplay across the globe some 15 years later.

If you’ve got an itch, scratch it

The old-school DJ style is still on point: two turntables and a mixer, because in hip-hop, ‘scratching’ will never get old. Many producers today still implement a little ‘scratching’ into their tracks. Most often, club DJ’s are good for this, but if you listen closely to some of the tracks on the airwaves, a scratch or two can be found in the mix.

Some of the dopest tracks in hip-hop are based on a looped sample of another artists’ song. Timbaland is famous for using loops that are unusual, with baby cries and African rhythms blended in to create a unique sound. A Tribe Called Quest was eloquent with jazz samples, lacing their tracks with everything from bebop style to acid jazz notes.

The possibilities are endless for a hip-hop instrumental. From the classic boom-boom-bap drum track with original musical notes to the ever-popular use of sample loops. Most of the upper-echelon beat-making software programs offer some type of sampling elements. Many are loaded with sample loops built-in, so that all you have to do is add the drums, mix and let marinate.

Find inspiration outside the boom-box

If you are an aspiring musical producer, I would suggest familiarizing yourself with as many different artists and genres as possible. Listen to some reggae, alternative rock cuts and country music. Blues music and jazz, disco and classic rock. The more types of music you fill your head with, the easier it will be for you to compose new material and refrain from using the same style in each new track you create.

Make it funky now

One thing to remember when creating your hip-hop instrumental, is you gotta make it funky. If you play your new track and it don’t make you wanna get your groove on, then start over. Go back to the drawing board.

Hip-hop music, after all is said and done, is dance music. When you play your hip-hop instrumental, feelings of the break dance should overwhelm your body and your head should bob up and down to the beat, whether you want it to, or not, yo.

Use the force

All I’m sayin is use ‘the force’ when composing your track. Call upon every memory of Jedi training that you can recall to propel you forward into the stratosphere of instrumental royalty. Feel your track as you create it and your track will love you for it.