Hip Hop War Report

It’s All About The Bass Line

Have you ever been in a club, all sweaty and hot, and heard that one track that makes everyone jump to their feet and run to the floor? Did you ever wonder exactly what was it that made it stand out? It’s all about the bass line.

Hip-hop songs are usually driven by the bass line. Slow and rhythmic, or fast and thumping, hip-hop beats can be created by starting with a good 4 bar bass line. Add a hand clap every half bar and you’re in business. Of course, you will want to throw in some hi-hat cymbal and a good melody created on your keyboard. If you want to get all fancy, you might consider an arrangement of horns and/or strings. Personally, I don’t like my beats all cluttered up with a bunch of meaningless propaganda.

Short and sweet is the way I program my beats, but I always start with the bass line. You can also overlay the bass track by using 2 or 3 tracks of the same bass sound to really create a thumping sound that will shake your speakers. This process is called overdubbing.

The 808 bass is the deepest most heart-pounding bass you can find and if you use it in your track, the honeys are sure to shake what their mama gave ‘em. The hand clap or the finger snap is always a safe option when creating a hip-hop beat. Blend it in with the track, but don’t overdo it. Something like boom, boom ,boom, clap, and so on. You could also use variations of the bass line to fatten up the track.

Flow-ability

After every 4 bars, you want to include a breakdown in the beat, where the beat goes in a slightly different direction.

I’m not really a rapper, but I like to flow a little bit on the track to make sure that the delivery matches the beat. That is what your clientele will be looking for: smooth, flow-able beats that they gotta have to flow on.

Next you want to create a hook, or chorus for the song. This part of your track can be similar to the breakdown or it can be altogether different from the rest of the beat. It’s entirely up to you.

The important thing to remember is that your track must be a cohesive unit. The beat can’t be jumping from one path to another recklessly, there has to be a pattern, and the more bass you add, the better.

When you create a hip-hop beat, keep flow-ability in mind. The track should not be so cluttered up that you can’t fit some tight ‘spit’ within the bars. Bust a few fresh lines to put the finishing touches on your new creation. If you find that you cannot flow with it, then the track is probably garbage.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Finally, the most important element in creating a hip-hop beat is practice, practice and mo’ practice. Jordan could never have shot a free throw (and made it, yo) with his eyes closed during a game if he had not practiced religiously, shooting 1,000 free throws a day.

You should always consider your future objectives,and goals as a producer before deciding to sell or lease your beats. You may produce tracks that you feel are “throw-away” beats and are probably more willing to sell these tracks to new artists. Naturally, you probably want to hold on to those beats that you feel are “hot” for an established artist or a more talented new artist.

However, that “throw-away” beat may just fall into the right hands and become a hit, while your “hot” tracks might not make the album cut because the label decides to add some veteran producers to the roster to “beef-up” the album. For that reason, the decision of whether to sell or lease your beats requires you to consider several important issues – no matter how hot the beat is.

In general, when selling a beat to an artist or record label, a producer may seek to take advantage of the following income sources:

(1) Producer fees – compensation for the value of your physical work and time spent creating the beat

(2) Master purchase or “buy-out” (for ownership of your portion of the master recording containing your beat) – compensation for the right to control the use of fine master

(3) Producer royalties (paid in advance and on the back-end) – compensation for your services rendered in performing and or creating the beat, in an amount determined by the number of copies of the beat (or records that contain songs that contain the beat) that the record label sells; and

(4) Publishing – compensation for the use of your copyrighted material, including

(a) the reproduction of your beat on individual records (mechanical royalties) and (b) the public performance of your beat (i.e., air play performance royalties).

Although we will discuss these income sources in further details, at this point it is only necessary to understand them_ as -either up-front payments or back-end payments.

UP-FRONT PAYMENTS

The producer fee, amounts paid for the ownership or use of the masters, and advances against royalties are monies that a producer receives before the record label begins manufacturing and selling records/units. We call these amounts up-front payments.

SACK-END PAYMENTS

The balance of producer royalties (minus advances) and amounts representing publishing royalties are residual payments, which are made to the producer over time, following the manufacture, distribution and sale of units by a record label, on a per-unit and/or per-performance basis. In that regard, we consider royalty payments to be “back-end” compensation to the producer for his or her services in producing the beat.

With that said, when merely leasing a beat “on spec” – allowing the beat to be used by an artist without a guarantee that the beat will actually be used on an album manufactured, distributed and sold by a record company, a producer typically receives an upfront payment in the form of a production fee and/or an advance against producer royalties, but the producer still owns” or retains his rights in the beat (the master).

In leasing a beat “on spec,” the artist initially pays the producer only a fraction of the production fee or advance, and the balance of the agreed fee and/or advance is paid once the artist is signed to a record deal. In other words, when leasing or selling a beat on spec, a producer is paid a portion of his up-front money in exchange for the artists Limited use of the beat.

THE “QUASI-SALE”

When agreeing what we call at-”quasi-sale” of the beat, the producer is paid his or her entire production fee* and/or other up-front-monies. The producer also sells his interest in the ‘ master recording of the song containing the beat to the artist or record label, and his up-front payment should include compensation for that sale. In exchange for these up-front monies, the producer will relinquish his or her right to collect back-end producer royalties, so the amount paid should reflect compensation for relinquishment of those rights as well. However, the producer will retain his or her publishing rights.

THE OUTRIGHT SALE

When a producer sells a beat “outright,” the producer receives a purchase price consisting of the producer fee, the value of the masters, the current value of the producer’s back-end producer royalties (including possible advances on that amount), and an additional amount for his publishing rights in the underlying composition – i.e., the producer sells his rights in the masters and the underlying compositions. While this purchase formula may look impressive, in actuality, beats are often sold outright for as little as $500.

Men are hot in Hip-Hop wear: Fashion 2010

This is the time for men to look cool, carefree and hot at the same time, hip hop clothing for men is the rage for 2010.

Hip-Hop Clothing for men

Hip Hop clothing can be the best bet of making a fashion statement for or men this year. Gurus of the fashion industry have well predicted that hip hop clothing will rule wardrobes. Men can choose from a variety of scarves, sweaters, blazers and slacks in a wide range of textures and colors. urban clothing this season will see some very stylish knit patters as well. Recognizing the need there are many well known brands such as Dereon, Sean Jones, Baby Phat etc coming up with exclusive range of clothing for the season. There are many individual designers also contributing to the variety.

What’s hot in clothing?

The best aspect about urban clothing is the flexibility it provides to swing between extreme funk and classic! One can pair up these clothes with leather gloves and boots too. Dark and rich colors such as red, black and brown are in, grey goes well too. As far as scarves go, they are in with stripes to add glamour and style. The culture infused into clothing makes it urban, funky and stylish at the same time! The hot items include denim jeans, jackets and casual slacks. Clothes such as sneakers and jersey are still in vogue. Stripes are in and they can be seen across shirts for both office wear as well as casuals. Black leather jacket can be an absolute essential this year. Track suits and heat transfer T-shirts are a rage for summer.

Heat Transfer Clothing

Heat transfer clothing is not just restricted to T-shirts, under the hip hop genre of clothing it also ranges across jackets, sweatshirts, shorts etc. Even transparent clothing, which of course will be rage this year. The heat transfer clothing have made a huge impact with their innovative designs and prints that range from funny to inspiring. The fame of Barack Obama print still lingers on across the globe! Heat transfer clothing and other urban clothing will also see embroidery.

Vintage Hip-Hop wear:

Vintage holds a special charm, a special appeal to the lovers of hip hop clothing. And many designers are coming up with some innovative designs catering to the vintage section. This can prove to be a special pick for men as they will stand out against any crowd. One designer says, ” It also provides a look of authenticity to the clothing”. Its got a bit of history in it combined with thrifty prices and easy availability on the internet.

Completing the statement!

Hip hop clothing can make a complete statement with various accessories. Cool belts, boots, scarves and even pouches for men make great accessories, teamed up with which the hip hop clothes look even better. So this year go out and get yourself some great hip hop clothes for all seasons and make your very own fashion statement!