Rap Instrumental Beats: From Old School to Present
The early days of hip hop
Way back in the early days of hip-hop, like in the late 80s, when I first got into the groove, we used to stay at the local record store, combing through the stacks of vinyl that lined the aisles. Looking for new stuff that we didn’t have in the crates already.
Back then, the only musical options available were vinyl albums or cassette tapes. I’m tellin’ on myself now (my age) but don’t get it twisted. Jay Z said it perfectly in “30’s the new 20”, representin’ for the older generation of hip-hop fans.
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DJ’s today still make use of those classic elements of hip-hop, especially in the club, when they get all nostalgic and start cuttin’ and scratchin’. I gotta admit every now and then I‘ll hook up the two turntables with the mixer and get my scratch game goin’ on, for real.
The A-side or the B-side
Hip-hop vinyl was famous for its rap instrumentals. Depending on the artist, the vinyl album would have the hit single on the A-side, and either another cut on the B-side or the artist would include the instrumental version of the song.
Those were the days when I still thought I could flow. We used to play the instrumental and take turns making up those fresh verses!
Now everything’s all digital. I spend most of my time in front of the computer composing beats that can be seen on the digital display. Ah, the good ole days………
Vinyl VS. CD
A few years ago, I was at a college party chillin’ out in the DJ booth watching my homie do his thing and I noticed that he was spinning CD’s. He proudly explained the way his CD mix-table worked. It was actually pretty tight……
Except he couldn’t really scratch, he could only pause the CD and make it make the frog sound. You know, when the DJ applies his hand to the record playing and slides the record back and forth and it sounds like ‘rivet, rivet, rivet……..Homie was very proud of his CD mixer, but he still said that he preferred to do party sets with vinyl. Most DJ’s prefer vinyl. Ask one the next time you’re at a party set.
Vinyl will NEVER go out of style, yo
Because vinyl is tha shiznit, yo, I believe that vinyl will never go out of style. You just can’t beat the warmth of an analog recording. There is a loop sample on the program that I use to compose beats that sounds how a record sounds when you first put the needle to the groove. You know what I’m sayin?
Rap instrumentals are a definite staple of hip-hop, especially for producers. I can’t even tell you how many new songs I have created by trying to duplicate what I was hearing on an instrumental.
Here’s Your Rap Instrumental Homework
Basically, a rap instrumental can be used to study the beat-making process of a particular producer. As you listen to the instrumental, pay attention to the little intricacies in the beat: where the producer places his or her breakdowns and how the beat builds before the hook.
If you are gonna really get tight at producing, pay attention to the songs that you hear on the radio. These are the big sellers. The guys that produce the hits on the airwaves are the cats that you want to learn from.
Finding That Signature Sound
After studying a producer’s beats for awhile, you will begin to recognize certain effects that the producer has grown fond of. This is called a signature sound. Once you have developed your signature sound, any time your beats are played, people will recognize the beat as yours. This is what you want to happen. You want to single yourself out as a producer, by creating a method to ‘sign’ your beats.
My final word of advice for the day: When you find yourself with writer’s block and you just can’t seem to come up with any new material, dust off the old school vinyl and let the instrumental play…………