Presented through the prism of hip hop/rap music’s beatmaking tradition, The BeatTips Hip Hop Archive is the largest research archive of hip hop-related interviews, stories, and other commentary.
Here's a very important point: No song "comes with" a loop in the way that most people think. Instead, whatever you sample can then be looped. (If you haven't…
Sample Flips: Screwball – “Who Shot Rudy?” (Prod. by K. Jones)
The hip hop Queensbridge tradition is well-documented. From Marley Marl, to Nas, Cormega and Mobb Deep, Queensbridge (a housing project in Queens, New York),…
Excerpts from The BeatTips Manual: How DJ Premier Sees Himself As a Producer
"I’m always a consumer first. Then I’m a DJ. Then I’m a producer. And then I’m
an artist!"
What The Music Taught Me: John Klemmer – “Free Soul” and Jazz Fusion
John Klemmer’s “Free Soul” was one of the first records I ever hunted down and bought at a record convention. I first heard the song when I was 19 years old,…
Excerpt from The BeatTips Manual: Composing Bass Lines Using the Anchor Technique
How to Create Bass Lines Using the Anchor Technique
The following article is an excerpt from The BeatTips Manual, 6th Edition by Amir Said.
…
Excerpt from The BeatTips Manual: Escaping The Tempo Trap
When it comes to making beats, setting the right tempo (BPM) isn't as easy as it might seem. Some beatmakers prefer to "tap out the tempo of a beat in real…
Excerpt from The BeatTips Manual: The Relationship Between Composition and Programming
"I’m always a consumer first. Then I’m a DJ. Then I’m a producer. And then I’m
an artist!"
One of The Best Yet: The State of the Gang Starr Legacy Remains Strong
This interview was carried out in November 2019 when DJ Premier visited London.
Minnesota: It’s The Frequency That Counts the Most
Understanding. It’s one of the primary keys to crafting quality beats. Understanding is something South Bronx-bred beatmaker Minnesota has plenty of. He…
Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…: A 25th Anniversary Retrospective
The year was 1994. We were in the midst of a Golden Era, but we had no idea at the time. Within it, a new musical continuum began. It started with Nas’s…
How Black British Music Survives Through Collective Memory
The lineage of Black music in Britain exists in the collective memories of all the sounds that enrich our lives. We’d watch older cousins and siblings pose in…
Should Millennials Skip the Canon of Hip Hop/Rap Because There’s Too Much Music?
As the number of new hip hop artists has grown drastically in the past decade, resulting in the explosion of new hip hop releases, the opinion that millennials…
The Soul of Curtis Mayfield
In the discussion of music, numerous names are tossed around. Sure, there are many recording artists who are worthy of some level of research. But then there…
Who is the Greatest Beatmaker (Hip Hop Producer) of All Time?
Just as numbers don’t lie in baseball, I believe that they don't (or at least shouldn’t) lie in hip hop/rap music either. Take for instance the greatest…
Wiley vs. Stormzy: The Long Awaited Clash
Nobody wins when the family feuds, except for all of us on the outside who need a bit of entertainment to get through the day. For those unaware, Wiley and…
Who is the Greatest Beatmaker (Hip Hop Producer) of All Time?
Just as numbers don’t lie in baseball, I believe that they don't (or at least shouldn’t) lie in hip hop/rap music either. Take for instance the greatest…
Why Vinyl Reissues Are a Good Thing
Every Friday, I used to spend a brief part of the afternoon digging through vinyl records at a shop over on St. Marks Place, down in the East Village. New York…
Today’s Fun Hip Hop Is Good, But It Needs A Deeper Message (Sometimes)
Trap music, modern-day “R&B”, and drill music are cool. I listen to it. Whether I’m at a party, out with friends, or at home alone, it gets regular spins. I…
Kanye West Fliped “Strange Fruit” For “Blood On The Leaves;” And There’s Nothing Wrong With That
First, it was “Blood on the Leaves.” Outrage from everywhere for how Kanye West used a sample of Nina Simone’s heart-wrenching rendition of “Strange Fruit,” a…
Madlib Made All the Beats for ‘Bandana’ On His iPad
Madlib shook up the beatmaking community Saturday when he announced that he'd made all of the beats for Bandana, the stellar collaborative album with Freddie…
Fair Use Sampling Project • Names On The Marquee • Reviews • What The Music Taught Me
What The Music Taught Me: John Klemmer – “Free Soul” and Jazz Fusion
John Klemmer’s “Free Soul” was one of the first records I ever hunted down and bought at a record convention. I first heard the song when I was 19 years old,…
Timeless Music: Isaac Hayes – “Soulsville”
"Soulsville," from the movie Shaft. This is my favorite Isaac Hayes joint. The scene in Shaft where this song plays is so appropriate. The images — which are…
What The Music Taught Me: John Klemmer – “Free Soul” and Jazz Fusion
John Klemmer’s “Free Soul” was one of the very first records I ever hunted down and bought at a record convention. I first heard the song when I was 19 years…
Fair Use Sampling Project: Sa’id – “Break Light Off”
Fair use, a doctrine codified in U.S. copyright law, acknowledges that there are some forms of borrowing that do not require permission of the copyright holder…
What The Music Taught Me: Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers Taught Me How To Shuffle
Listening To One Of Jazz's Most Prolific Groups, I Learned How To Add Natural Shuffle To My Beats
The Jazz Messengers are one of the richest sources of…
Names on the Marquee: The Knight Brothers – “Tried So Hard to Please Her”
Slow soul songs fill the bill.
Years of diggin' in the crates and studying different kinds of records have taught me a number of different things. And when…
Sa’id Music: “Shin Bone”
My song “Shin Bone” was one of those cases where everything was just already there in the sample. As a rapper, not…
Beatmaking Themes, Theories & Concepts • Beatmaking Tutorials • Beat Breakdowns
What’s a Loop Really About?
Here's a very important point: No song "comes with" a loop in the way that most people think. Instead, whatever you sample can then be looped. (If you haven't…
Can You Beat The Clock? How Long Does it Take to Develop a Skill For Beatmaking?
How long did it take me to develop a real skill for beatmaking? The beatmaking know-how? That took me about six months. But the knowledge, the understanding,…
Sa’id Music: “Shin Bone”
My song “Shin Bone” was one of those cases where everything was just already there in the sample. As a rapper, not just a beatmaker (producer), I never force…
BeatTips MusicStudy: Three Times Dope – “Funky Dividends”
Three Times Dope - “Funky Dividends”
One of the best flips of the Skull Snaps - “It’s A New Day” drum break. A perfect blend with the primary sample that forms…
Albums that stand the test of time and remain stable & fresh.
Stable & Fresh: Bronze Nazareth’s ‘School for the Blindman’ — One of the Best…
Soulfully Hard and Authentic, Loaded with Dope Beats and Edgy Rhymes, School for the Blindman Confirms…
Stable & Fresh: Statik Selektah and Termanology’s ‘1982’
Duo Soars with Broadly Complete Album
By AMIR SAID (SA'ID)
BeatTips Rating: 5/5
The…
Fresh Ears & Classics: Black Moon – ‘Enta Da Stage’
About “Fresh Ears & Classics”
I’m a strong advocate for music that stands the test of time. But I…
Beatmaking Themes, Theories, and Concepts
What’s a Loop Really About?
Here's a very important point: No song "comes with" a loop in the way that most people think. Instead,…
What’s a Loop Really About?
Here's a very important point: No song "comes with" a loop in the way that most people think. Instead, whatever you sample can then be looped. (If you haven't…
Can You Beat The Clock? How Long Does it Take to Develop a Skill For Beatmaking?
How long did it take me to develop a real skill for beatmaking? The beatmaking know-how? That took me about six months. But the knowledge, the understanding,…
BeatTips MusicStudy and Source Material: Gwen McCrae – “90% Of Me Is You”
I learned more about how to create drums and drum patterns from this song than I did listening to any hip hop/rap song.
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