Simon & Garfunkel, and Frederic Chopin meet hip-hop

[AlphaMale]

http://www.myspace.com/douglasthebassist

This the first hip-hop beat I've composed.

I sampled two songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvZHNBOkNA8

They aren't truly sampled, I played them in Midi put them in the song.

The next sample is Frederic Chopin's prelude No. 4 in E minor,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef-4Bv5Ng0w

but this song also isn't truly sampled, I put this song also in midi but for guitar.


I used.

Audacity
Beatcraft Acoustica
Guitar pro

Haha I know super cheap right?

[AlphaMale]

Bump

[Deluge Of Sound]

Its a decent effort, but it fails both as an instrumental and as a potential background for a freestyle. It's hard to really get into the way you can get into screw music, for instance-the MIDI doesn't help, you're better off using straight samples at this level-and it lacks the "headphone factor" of something like Flying Lotus, DJ Shadow, or Prefuse 73.


As painful as this is going to sound, take a listen to a lot of Lil Wayne "freestyles" on youtube. Most of them are just aspiring producers putting his verses over beats they've come up with. You might not be able to stand the guy's rapping "talent," but you'll learn a massive amount about what makes a beat work.

I notice you've got Del listed among your influences on the myspace... Del's a great rapper, but his beats have always been a little weak, because the focus is on the lyrics and how he's able to dance around his beats with his voice, rather than their actual instrumental merit.

If possible, try and find some instrumental versions of classic hip-hop albums. Check out J Dilla's Donuts for an excellent primer on how to make non-traditional instrumental hip-hop, and spend more time with all the different styles within hip-hop.

[AlphaMale]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

Its a decent effort, but it fails both as an instrumental and as a potential background for a freestyle. It's hard to really get into the way you can get into screw music, for instance-the MIDI doesn't help, you're better off using straight samples at this level-and it lacks the "headphone factor" of something like Flying Lotus, DJ Shadow, or Prefuse 73.


As painful as this is going to sound, take a listen to a lot of Lil Wayne "freestyles" on youtube. Most of them are just aspiring producers putting his verses over beats they've come up with. You might not be able to stand the guy's rapping "talent," but you'll learn a massive amount about what makes a beat work.

I notice you've got Del listed among your influences on the myspace... Del's a great rapper, but his beats have always been a little weak, because the focus is on the lyrics and how he's able to dance around his beats with his voice, rather than their actual instrumental merit.

If possible, try and find some instrumental versions of classic hip-hop albums. Check out J Dilla's Donuts for an excellent primer on how to make non-traditional instrumental hip-hop, and spend more time with all the different styles within hip-hop.

I'd hate to argue but I'd have to disagree on some points. I don't like the kind of beats that Lil' Wayne would freestyle over. I don't think Lil' Wayne would freestyle over Distant Land by Madlib. I take a different approach to Hip-hop. Lady Brown by Nujabes. And definitely not El-P's beats off of Funcrusher Plus. But I don't think my beats are on that level yet, of course, I don't even have a sampler yet. And I definitely would not want to go towards skrew music. I think maybe I do need to add one more line of music to embellish it. This takes a serious melancholic tone. Not a more modern sound or tone where music is about dancing and being cocky. I like this beat because if an MC (and not a rapper) were to go over this beat, it would sound right unless he came with something serious and purposeful. I don't want to regress especially not into the modern mainstream hip-hop style. I really like where underground hip-hop is going. I want to move forward. I want to make Art. I hope you understand what I mean. I don't think you're wrong, I just think you're giving it the wrong function. I would have to agree this would not be a great beat for someone like Lil' Wayne to Freestyle over.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

I'd hate to argue but I'd have to disagree on some points. I don't like the kind of beats that Lil' Wayne would freestyle over. I don't think Lil' Wayne would freestyle over Distant Land by Madlib. I take a different approach to Hip-hop. Lady Brown by Nujabes. And definitely not El-P's beats off of Funcrusher Plus. But I don't think my beats are on that level yet, of course, I don't even have a sampler yet. And I definitely would not want to go towards skrew music. I think maybe I do need to add one more line of music to embellish it. This takes a serious melancholic tone. Not a more modern sound or tone where music is about dancing and being cocky. I like this beat because if an MC (and not a rapper) were to go over this beat, it would sound right unless he came with something serious and purposeful. I don't want to regress especially not into the modern mainstream hip-hop style. I really like where underground hip-hop is going. I want to move forward. I want to make Art. I hope you understand what I mean. I don't think you're wrong, I just think you're giving it the wrong function. I would have to agree this would not be a great beat for someone like Lil' Wayne to Freestyle over.

Oh, I agree with you, but you totally misread my bit about Lil Wayne. I was just suggesting that you check out all the different beats people put under his rhymes under in order to get a real sense of what works in terms of beat making.

I still think that anyone, from Lil Wayne to KRS-One to Buck 65 to 2Pac to Sage Francis would have a hard time turning your track into a stellar piece.

I still think you should pick up a copy of Donuts, and probably Flying Lotus's new record, too.

[AlphaMale]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

Oh, I agree with you, but you totally misread my bit about Lil Wayne. I was just suggesting that you check out all the different beats people put under his rhymes under in order to get a real sense of what works in terms of beat making.

I still think that anyone, from Lil Wayne to KRS-One to Buck 65 to 2Pac to Sage Francis would have a hard time turning your track into a stellar piece.

I still think you should pick up a copy of Donuts, and probably Flying Lotus's new record, too.

I wouldn't really want any of them too either. They have a their styles don't really fit. I think KRS-One and 2pac's sound are two aggressive. I'm not trying to go for the "indie rap" thing either. I don't think making art or progressing is about make things fit to what has been done. I definitely don't want to box music up. It would really hard to find someone to rhyme over some of the tracks on Madlib's Funky Blue note album. But I really think that whole album is pure art. I showed this to of people who are music students too, they've seen to authentically enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vET-sG1McCE

I think this instrumental doesn't stand alone either. And also doesn't make a good beat for any of the guys you mentioned to rhyme over, but I think it turned out well.

I just don't think that it shouldn't be a bad beat to rhyme over because it doesn't fit in.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Its funny that you keep bringing up Madlib--That J Dilla album I told you to check out, he and Madlib collaborated together (as Jaylib).

It has nothing to do with fitting in, and I'm not trying to box you into rehashing what's been done before... But you have to know your history, so throw yourself headlong into all sorts of hip-hop before you start sampling tracks, and long before you decide "I'm going to do something different!" Different for the sake of different isn't art, its pretension.

I've heard your bass playing, its great stuff. But you don't seem to inhabit the headspace of a beat-maker yet. Keep in mind, I'm just trying to be constructive here.

Once again, check out some Flying Lotus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXULecvImpw&fmt=18

And some J Dilla:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z2vMBuOxFM

Hopefully these can provide some inspiration and some pointers that some dude on talkbass can't.

[AlphaMale]

I know my history, I was born listening to hip-hop. I am being different just to be different sake, I never said I was. I just wrote something I'd like to hear.