A lot of beginning rap producers think that making hip hop beats is all about having the right equipment or samples. The fact of the matter is that some of the greatest beats of all time have been made with just 3 drum sounds and a lot of creativity. It’s better to start learning beat production with the basis before focusing on collecting samples and buying equipment. Here are 5 basic tips to keep in mind when programming your beats:

1. Roll Up Your Sleeves And Get Your Hands Into It
I highly recommend starting your beat by actually playing it into either a keyboard or a drum pad. If you start with step programming or visually writing them into a computer, you’re writing your beat from the left side of the brain instead of the right. Dig in by pounding the beat out with your hands – you’ll notice the difference.

2. Don’t Be Afraid to Get Messy
Don’t quantize your beats right away. Embrace your human-ness by keeping your mistakes and building the beat around them. Some of the most original beats were build around glitches or mistakes. This is why Pharrel starts all of his beats on a real live drum kit.

3. If You’re Going to Quantize – Less is More
Try starting with just quantizing the kicks – try to keep as much of the human groove as possible. If you’re going to quantize the snares, try dragging them behind the beat a little bit so they have a bit of shuffle. Try a swing quantize on the hats. All in all try to be as creative as you can with the quantize – less is more.

4. Don’t Tweak Your Sounds Until You’re Pattern Is Finished
Its very tempting to go in right away and start testing different snares or EQing the kick for that perfect boom – but if the beat isn’t written, you’re wasting your time. While you’re doing your building, you want your sounds clean so you can focus on the writing and the performance. Once the beat is banging, then you can go and mess with the sounds.

5. Try Layering Sounds For Originality
If you want your beats to stand out, you’re going to need an original sound. The best way to break out of the standard kits and sounds is by layering them on top of each other. Take two different snares (or kicks), put them on top of each other to create a brand new sound. This is a great way to mix the boom from certain kicks with a sharp attack of others.

All in all, originality in Hip Hop is key. If you can create original drum patterns and original sounds – you’re way ahead of the game. Encourage and embrace your mistakes – capture them and build entire beats around them – they’re what creativity is all about. Experiment with sounds – layer and tweak them to perfection and your hip hop instrumentals will be rocking hard in no time.

For more detailed breakdown of how to download beats and even how to create original beats yourself, check out http://www.cuthiphopbeats.com

1. How to Become an Expert Hip Hop Beat Producer
2. How to Make Rap Beats
3. Hip Hop Beat Production Software – Sonic Producer
4. Rap Beats And Hip Hop – How To Set Yourself Apart From The Rest Of The Aspiring Rappers And Singers
5. A Free Rap Beats Site

Some might say it’s a rapper’s speed and flow, others will say “rhythm”, while some will point to a rapper’s lyrics, while another group will say that freestyle rap skills are the most defining characteristics of a great rapper.

They all have their valid points. Great freestyle rap skills, for instance, are a delight to listen to. But freestyle rap skills seldom translate to huge record sales, or eternal lyrics that generations listen to. Despite their superlative freestyle skills, MCs like Eyedea and Supernatural haven’t had the kind of success that the likes of Tupac or Eminem have got.

The first thing that an MC can add to his arsenal if he wants to be a great rapper is to have a very unique, trademark voice. Your audience should immediately know who the rapper is when they hear your voice without any need for visual feedback. The best selling, most popular rappers have had a unique voice – think Tupac, Jay-Z, Eminem, or Lil Wayne. You can recognize their voices from among a crowd.

A strong rapper’s voice should be able to convey a host of emotions through just words. Can you, as an MC, convey hate, anger, love, sarcasm, confidence, vulnerability and more through just your voice? An MC whose voice can rap in just one vocal/emotional range is an MC who will always remain a one trick pony.

Moreover, you must be able to convey the emotion that you are singing about with complete honesty. Think of all the angry Eminem songs. Do you believe that he was really waving a gun, cock-eyed, while singing those songs? Of course he wasn’t! He, like an actor, was able to get himself into that mode where he could rap about being angry completely convincingly. This is an essential quality of a rapper: to sound believable, no matter what you say.

While MCs can get away with poor vocal range as compared to R&B stars or classically trained musicians, you must have a resonating singing voice, nevertheless. Practice singing or talking through your chest. A poor voice comes from the throat (hence the term “throaty” to describe a weak voice), while a strong voice comes from deep within the chest. Practicing resonance will really give you the edge when it comes to becoming a great rapper, and lend your voice that unique touch that will help you stand out from a crowd of MCs.

1. How To Rap Like Lil Wayne
2. Tips for Rappers – The Case Against Rap Dictionaries
3. Learn to Rap with The Complete MC
4. A Guide to Freestyling, Writing Rhymes and Battling
5. Why New Musicians (Rappers) Fail: Three Reasons and Solutions

This article appeared in eZineArticles.com. I thought I’d share it with you, given that so many of you are either rappers, or want to get into the rap game.

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By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Carter_Dean]Carter Dean

How To Get a Record Deal Booklet#1 is the very first of it’s kind solely dedicated to unestablished Rappers & Producers looking for a Record Deal.

Features exclusive tips from some of the top Hiphop industry executives. A business plan reference designed for both new and established Rappers & Producers.

The separate strategy section enables Rappers & Producers to maneuver the various outlets of promotion successfully. The industry trade of leasing & selling beats gives Producers information about pricing and music placement.

Includes professional advice for unsigned Rappers to secure radio play. Easy to read recording contracts / types of record deal examples. How to use cross marketing tools to build streams of income from social networking websites, digital downloads and video sharing websites. practical career-building and money-saving answers for both Rappers and Producers, but it is also a “must have” deal-making reference guide.

This booklet also features artist management, an exclusive and detailed template for an artist career plan, and samples of major contract sections for artist management and record deals. an insiders look that reflects recent changes in the music industry.

Changes in the music business including new deal numbers, new copyright laws and the internet. How to properly protect your songs from being stolen, who the best people are to send your demos to, what pitfalls to avoid when negotiating a record contract or publishing deal, and much more.

A brand new outlook on the Hiphop industry, up to the minute guide for any unsigned talent pursuing a career in Hiphop.

Available through the HHIN & Paper2Chase publishing via P2CNetwork.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carter_Dean http://EzineArticles.com/?Review—How-to-Get-a-Record-Deal-For-Rappers-and-Producers&id=2511646

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Would the book be worth the money? Maybe. I don’t have the spare cash to check it out myself (I’m broke ), but when I do, I’ll post a review myself.

1. Rap Beats And Hip Hop – How To Set Yourself Apart From The Rest Of The Aspiring Rappers And Singers
2. Rapper Eugene Tsverov close to a deal with Sony
3. Why New Musicians (Rappers) Fail: Three Reasons and Solutions
4. A closer look at Jay-Z’s US$150 million Live Nation Deal in 2008
5. Hip Hop Beat Production Software – Rappers.org Weighs Your Options