Hey I always like to learn about new companies, weather they are new entirely or just new to me!
Today I had a chance to checkout some urban/hip hop samples from Renegade Media.
I hadn’t heard of them before so I was a little leary…especially when someone claims to have urban music in mind.
I’ve ran into many who have tried and failed…so let’s take a look at this one.
I’m checking out their product called Blast Vol 1
What is Blast Volume 1?
It’s basically a construction kit collection dedicated to modern urban productions.
It has loops, kits, drums, single shots, music loops, etc….
According to the website
” With so many wack libraries flooding the market, our goal was to provide you with street certified Construction Kits, Single drum shots and Drum and Keyboard Loop idea starters/building blocks”
That’s a pretty bold statement huh? Especially when you say you have hip hop, rnb, southern, crunk AND urban/tribal music covered.
Quick Specs
- content: over 500 sounds, 13 construction kits, 1.18gb wave
- format: acid, apple, rex, refill
- price: $79.99
How does it sound?
Of course all we care about is the sound…is it corny? Is it usable, is it wack…or can we find something to inspire?
This collection has a nice sound, very contemporary and more on the urban pop side of things in my opinion.
That’s not a bad thing though, as the productions are recorded well AND they included single shot drums, you know I love that.
They also have some extra sounds not in construction kits, a few musical loops, drum loops, percussion loops, etc.
Everything has a clear sound too it, sometimes it can get almost “too clean” if that’s possible
But overall to style fits, the production has variety, and there’s enough to play with.
So what’s the bottom line?
For my first experience with this company, it’s pretty good.
I liked the samples, I liked the fact that they included “musical ideas” or music loops that were pretty much full samples ready to chop.
I also liked some of the extra loops and riffs they included.
It has a definite modern/pop vibe to it but still has a hard urban feel as well…a nice mixture
Overall I give this a 4 out of 5 subs…it was good for sure, but the price to content ratio held it back from a higher rating in my opinion. For the price you would expect a few more kits and samples for sure.
that aside, it’s definitely something to look at, if you’re like me and always looking for fresh sounds then this won’t disappoint you at all.
Check them out over on their website, and see what else they have: Renegade Media Group
let me know what you think
some pretty decent sounds but for the price they could offer a little bit more thats just my opinion …gettin picky in my old age..lol
@E-GOLDS, I agree, I said the same thing 🙂
I like the synth sounds it has
@TeeBlack, yeah they have some nice synths in there, that’s the majority of the sounds it seems, but they are cool.
These sound pretty good I’ll def check em out but they look kinda expensive compared to similar libraries plus I like having the key signatures.
@Mike, agree with everything you said, the quality and content isn’t blasting away stuff that comes with more and costs less, but it’s a good kit, I liked it so…it’s all good. But I would hope in the future they put more content in for that price.
Wut up Joe.. I was just checkin out this vid when it hit me.
It seems like there is a constant flood of these so called “Construction Kits” from several companies.. some new some old, some good some really not so good. But overall, I just have a hard time with the idea of construction kits in general..
It’s like.. Some cats sit in a lab making mediocre beats.. then take the individual tracks that make up the song, stick em in a folder and call it a construction kit. I mean, to me(and its just my opinion) 90% of everything I hear in these construction kits is just ehhh.. nothing new, nothing original, nothing that makes you go WOW!
And ANY cat can just come along and just take one of these construction kits, edit a part or two, IF ANY, and call it a track?
That is the most unoriginal fake fake records type sh!t I can think of. I mean sampling is one thing.. At least you gotta dig for samples.. not to mention the work that goes into chopping, creating programs and creatively playing your samples..
But even sound quality aside, the creative quality of most these construction kits is just so wack to me. It paints a picture of where the current state of Hip-Hop is in my opinion. Like dudes can’t get placements with their music, so lets put in in a construction kit and sell it for a 100 bucks?
I dunno, maybe I’m missing something. I mean yeah I know you can take any of the several elements from each kit and maybe go a different way with it. But its like once I hear the demo version of a particular constr-kit, it just ruins it for me, so using one of the parts is like.. wacker than ever. I’ve actually seen dudes take a construction kit, yank a part or two out, and call it THEIR track. A couple of which even got used as RADIO DROPS on 95.5 here in ATL.
Its a JOKE to me. I liken it to buying a puzzle, putting it together and then saying you painted it yourself.
Again, maybe its just me.. but I figure since you review so many of these construction kits, and have heard way more of them than me.. I’m curious of your take on the whole idea. And when and how you use them in your music.
As always, love the site.. and thanks for all you do yo.
PEACE
xXx
@Triple-X, I got over the “purist” side of music a long time ago, to me, this is no different then digging for samples, you just don’t have to pay clearance. I’m not one for taking the kits and using them as is…and I usually just break them out into bass, strings, synths, etc…so it’s just a bunch of sounds for me.
But at the end of the day, unless you playing every instrument yourself, you’re using someone elses works, it’s all about what you do with it. As far as construction kits, these things aren’t new lol, they’ve been around for years…you’d be surprised how many of your favorite songs in the past could have come from something like this lol…all it takes is a riff or a loop to spark an idea then someone just runs with it.
Do I think you should just take these as they come and just “place” the tracks together in the same kits they come with? No…but, for folks that don’t make beats, it’s another tool. Maybe they need it for their movie, or media, website, etc…maybe they are a rapper who can’t afford to buy beats so they buy a sample library and try to piece something together, it’s all good.
At the end of the day, the truth is, you, nor I can know what someone did, if we weren’t beatmakers and didn’t look at this stuff on a daily, it wouldn’t matter, we wouldn’t care…and there’s stuff out here we haven’t heard, so we wouldn’t even know it came from a construction kit or sample library.
I look at them as just another tool, I never use the kits as they come, usually just grab a guitar, or synth or something, then run with that. It’s like having your own session players basically.
I also play out my own stuff alot, so to me, music has no rules, all that matters is the end result, if it sounds good, it’s all good lol.
I’m not big on construction kits, I’d rather just have a dvd full of various sounds and loops, not premade kits, etc…that’s why I like to break my kits up before I even listen to the demo tracks or anything…but that’s just me, I know other people use them differently and I think it’s all a personal choice.
To me a person can’t be against any form of sample library if they use samples themselves, if they aren’t playing every instrument, drum, and sound in every track they make, they are using samples in one way or another lol.
make music…period, that’s how I feel about it 🙂
Think of a loop library as a fellow musician you are collaboration with, who’s throwing out ideas for you to feed off of
@Mike, that’s how I look at it, many can’t afford session musicians, maybe they just make beats but can’t play keys, etc…that’s how I look at it.
Honestly I really don’t care as long as it sounds dope lol, if I need a sexy rhodes progression and I can’t figure out how to play it, I’m gonna look in my library and see if something is there lol.
The sounds in the kit are bangin’! What really impresses me is how quickly you chop em’ up make a quick beat! There’s always somethin’ to learn when it comes to makin’ music; Thanks!
@Verse Original, word fam, thanks for watching man!
Yo Saint. some of the sounds ,sound familiar say from ol days,60,s,but like some of the other stuff,it,s got a difference sounds great an clean others way out,gets this ol brain of mine working. Keep Happy.
@Jock, yeah some of them old synth sounds in there probably what you’re hearing, synths never go out of style 🙂
@joe&Mike
Word I can dig that. I guess my experience with them, especially having seen someone take a few and call him HIS when someone else made them just stained my view of them. That and, Honestly I have listened to a bunch of them lately and just have a hard time finding anything I would want to use.. or rather.. anything that INSPIRES me.
Back in the day (been producing since 1997) we just had sample cd’s where you would get random instruments and riffs and no real order. It was harder to find something, but felt more spontaneous to me, and more original I guess. WHere as now, to me it seems alot of what I hear in these kits I could just play on the keys myself, but wouldn’t use the riffs I’m hearing as they lack originality. Again, thats just me.
And in regards to what Mike said.. If I had a fellow musician I was collabing with throw out idea’s like alot of the ones I hear on some of these companies construction kits, forget throwing out ideas, I would just throw him out the studio. LOL.
Anyway, I was just curious what someone else thought about em. In all honesty I have used 2 files recently from construction kits in a recent track I produced, both of which actually came from Orchestral Avenue. But It’s really rare that I find something that inspires me enough to light that spark. My boy and I actually joke around all the time like.. “Construction kits… so easy a caveman could do it”.
At the end of the day though, when you look at the cost to usability ratio… I guess Im just not feeling these CK’s that much. If I pay 100 bucks and get 1 or 2 files I can actually use? that don’t sound like everything else we hear all the time?
I dunno.. I get your point.. I guess I’m just not feeling em all that much. Or just havn’t found any yet that really seem dope to me.
I have a really critical ear tho. lol
PEACE
@Triple-X, bro I’m wit you lol, I like the random sound libraries myself, with just folders of keys, bass, strings, etc lol, that’s why I break construction kits into sound folders lol. But I realize not everyone is like me and that’s cool too lol
yeah I follow u.. I should do that.. It just seems so time consuming file management wise. I have SO many sounds and folders already its hard enough to keep what I have organized without mixing sounds from a,b and c up with x,y and z. Its a great idea tho. makes alot of sense. No different than banks of sounds on a synth or workstation being categorized. My stuff is all just categorized currently by who and what. I even have a separate folder labeled SOUNDS&GEAR for all the demo stuff you send out. lol.
@Triple-X, nah I do it by product, so if I have a specific sample cd, when I load it to my hard drive, I break it all down into sound folders instead of construction kits, I only use the demo’s when doing the review videos to give folks an idea of what the sounds can do lol
@saintjoe,
ok so your saying you take the indivudual product, and then rather than keeping the kits together, you take all the guitars, basses, keys, drums, etc and put them in their own folders, on a per product basis?
rather then all the guitars from every construction kit, from every company all in one folder. I thought thats what you meant at first.
In theory it would be dope as hell tho. To have one big folder of guitars, one big folder of bass, and so on regardless of what company they came from. Would certainly be easier to find something specific.
With that in mind I recently found this SW app called Sample Tagger. It allows you to build specific SAMPLE LIBRARY’S comprised of folders that you pick and choose on your hard drive, and pull them up separately. Then you can Tag the sounds however you see fit, so you can easily search for something specific based on Tags the YOU create. Think Native Instruments and the way their stuff works.
Sample Tagger is pretty cool. If you ain’t checked it out, I recommend it. And its free. Maybe review worthy actually.
http://azertopia.free.fr/sampletagger.html
oh and one thing I forgot to mention.. I originally found it cause I was looking for something that could act like windows explorer for organizing my samples and sounds, but allow me to simply click on it and auto-play a wave file without having to double click it and open a mediaplayer, or use the preview pane in windows, etc.
You just point and highlight a sound and it plays. once a sound in the explorer window is highlighted, you can just hit the down/up arrows on your KB so cycle thru and autoplay each sound.
SUPER convenient for me.
@Triple-X, sounds good, but I rarely listen to samples outside of my software, so I just have my folders organized already on my HD, so when in my software I can find them quickly 🙂
@saintjoe,
and your using Maschine right?
See I’m still an MPC guy. So its similar but currently alot of what im doing would be considered “outside the box” so to speak. I like having organized folder that I can quickly search within for sounds, and either sample directly to the mpc, or sometimes just dump the sounds to CF if they are already trimmed and such.
Theres just something about an MPC that I love and gravitate to. I have been wanting to check out maschine tho more in depth.
@Triple-X, ahh yess, then that app would be perfect, would have loved to have it when i was rocking the 4k lol. MPC aint bad, I just needed a lot more flexibility which is what I get from Maschine, for how I work, it’s perfect.
@saintjoe,
yeah I can dig that. I’m using a 2500 with JJOSXL which adds a LOT more flexibility that Akais meager OS does.
Anything else I need to accomplish I can be done in Cubase which has been my main daw for over a decade!
I really DONT like PT at all. If I were on a mac I would probably use Logic, as my friend has showed me that several time, and I love what I see! I also use reason, but more so as a sound module rather than stand alone.
But I have really been wanting to check out Ableton.
Mostly just to weigh and compare the workflow to what I’m used to with Cubase.
but yeah as far as JJOSXL in the mpc.. it is unbelievable what it does for the workflow man.
I’m not sure I could deal with the mpc if not for that.
@Triple-X, word, well I had the 4k, no jjos, actually the os wasn’t bad for me really, I just needed more flexibility. Access to my entire library at once, no “loading into ram” limits, etc. No tracking out lol, for me it was just that time…I fought it for a long time though. Ableton is dope, I don’t really like using daws for production, never got into anything other than ableton on that end. Maschine is my main joint at this point.
@saintjoe,
yeah see with JJOSXL on the 2500 I can do alot more than before mpc wise. If I lay a beat down and start playing the keys, I can direct record an audio track to ANY track just by changing the track type from drum to audio and hitting record and playing. Try doing that quickly in a 5000. lol its a joke. even with the akai os your limited to tracks 61-64. not with JJ.. any track is GO. that not even the tip of the iceberg..
its got no destructive chop features now.
I can chop a sample up with the chops in ANY order.
Not like autochop like you see on youtube, where someone takes a sample , autochops it and plays the pieces in order. This you take the sample, turn chop mode on, and the pads kinda revert to a program mode(so you dont have to select the region your trimming) and then for each pad you select ANY region of the sample you want. Then rather than having to create a program consisting of extracting regions and 16-32 NEW samples in wave memory, you just create a prgm(automatically) which consists of the every pad having the main sample you chopped, with a corresponding chop number(region) in the program mode. And you can now reverse the samples right from the main program window WHILE in chop mode. The amount of wave memory this saves is unbelievable as compared to just autochoping a sample where it keeps the original and created a new audio sample for each region in the autochop. and again that is JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
JJOSXL is THE BEES KNEES Joe. Im telling you bro
@Triple-X, yeah man, lol I’ve heard about it, it’s definitely the saving grace of the mpc at this point, without JJOS mpc would be dead in my opinon lol…dope stuff for sure man.
@Triple-X, yeah, I have my stuff organized like this:
two main folders, sample libraries and sample packs
sample packs are smaller libraries, organized by manufacturer, then inside each I organize by series, sound, etc
sample libraries are first organized by style, rap-hiphop-pop, rnb-soul-jazz, etc… then by library, THEN each library is categorized into sounds like synth, strings, bass, etc. Works really good for me lol, breaks down construction kits and leaves me with style specific sounds/riffs that I can pull from.
@saintjoe,
Yeah thats similar to how I do it, However its getting harder these days when some sample packs come with all the sounds in one WAVE folder, then a duplicate set of the same sounds in another folder along with programs files for different sw apps the sounds can be loaded in, like reason or NI stuff, etc.
It just gets so messy to me. but Im like OCD or something when it comes to file organization. Its like, it urks me that I dont have just WAVES in a given folder. And I haven’t wanted to take for example all the reason files a sample kit may come with and make one folder comprised of all the sample kits that have reason rack versions with said sounds included.
see what Im saying?
@Triple-X, sounds like we are very similar, I NEED my stuff organized properly lol. I don’t like just random folders of sounds, I need to know I can go exactly where I want to grab something lol. It takes time, but it’s worth it for me and my workflow!
peep this: https://soundsandgear.com/organizing-your-samples-and-sound-libraries-for-better-workflow/
@saintjoe,
yeah I just watched it. and your right.. we are very similar there. And you hit the nail on the head about the demo’s pushing you in a specific direction. That’s pretty much one of my qualms about construction kits in general that I was saying last night.
WHile it still appears a bit time consuming to go thru each kit and sort em out like you did in that video, aftewards its a huge time saver, and big benefit to shake that pre-influenced vibe they give off being grouped by kit, rather than the way you do.
good stuff man.
@Triple-X, yeah lol, I think it’s worth it though, better for me at least. I like my stuff organized man lol. That’s why I love stuff like fatlouds xl series, because they do it exactly like this now 🙂
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I like it something different I’m always looking for new & different sounds that would make me think outside of the box. Once again thx for the lead.
@London Black, word thanks for checkin it out yo.
Personally I like to play all my music myself but this Sample Library sounds surprisingly good. Definitely like the drums and some of the synths but I get ideas from all over the place (except for the radio which I no longer listen to…too much crap is played that sucks).
Joe I agree with you, it doesn’t really matter how the music is made and what it is made with, as long as it sounds good as an end result.
@Madbull Studios, yeah man, I started off with no sampler, just a drum machine and keyboards, so that’s what I’m used to. But I like some of these samples and such, either for ideas, riffs, or just to chop up, it just depends. I like to mix samples with what I play, just depends on the mood…like you say, at the end of the day…I just want it to sound good lol
Sounds good, but I agree it seems more like a $40 kit. Interesting points on the whole library and construction kit thing. I think my personal feeling is somewhere in the middle between Triple X and your take on it Joe. I leave the sets in the default folders, but I have a self enforced rule of using only one loop out of a folder, which than gets chopped. If I need drums I use drums from a different library than the loop and so on. But I definitely feel your point Saintjoe that approaching these like samples off records is a solid approach. I just try my best to avoid the whole jigsaw puzzle thing Triple X mentioned. Truth be told I had gotten away from the libraries until about a year ago when I found this site. I saw how much useful stuff was still coming out, and you where chopping things up with the same approach I used, a year later and I’ve bought grands worth of the stuff featured here lol.
Thanks for the review SaintJoe!
@Metatron72, yeah man, for the content it could have been little lower priced, would make it more competitive, because it’s not squasing a lot of stuff in the 40-50 dollar range which comes with 10 to 15 kits or so.
yeah, it’s all good really, I just find it’s better for my workflow and organization to break them up, sometimes I don’t get around to doing that before I use something, but like you, I’m usually just looking for a guitar, or specific sound to chop up…
Thanks for showing us a new site. They have some pretty cool sound packs. Great review.
@OrangeGuy8000, no problem yo, thanks for watching.
Decent sounds for what it’s worth however, as you’ve mentioned, the cost/volume in comparison to others out there…eh I don’t know. It kind of reminds me of FatLoud (just a bit) but perhaps a little “slimmer” for some reason. Usable, yes…would I pay $79..not so much (Borad voice). To each their own though..”one man’s meat, is another man’s poison”. In regards to an earlier “purist” statement, I feel that in this digital age that we all should take an open concept approach. For the same time and skills acquired while shifting through $1 bins of vinyl could and should be applied in the digital realm. Let’s call it applied knowledge re-applied, for lack of a better term. Wither or not a track sounds as if it had been “inspired” it’s value is generally assigned by the listening audience. Hence with the advent of the “Mr.Hit Starter Kit” it could leave us open to varying degrees of “acceptable” music/sounds. (Just my opinion)
@jamari, my thoughts exactly on the whole thing, this kit and music in general, I feel the same way. Thanks for the comment!
@jamari,
I agree with 90% of what your saying.. except for the last sentence.
And to ME, this is where the problems lies. I think most people would agree that there is a TON of music of OLD(60s,70s,80etc) that sounds TIMELESS. Decades later we still play these songs and the set off moments of nostalgia and can attach to something deeper internally. All in all Just Good music.
So now if more and more people are becoming open to varying degrees of “acceptable”… well thats just said to me. And it IS HAPPENING.
I really hear little to no TIMELESS music being made these days.
How do you know if its timeless if it was recently made you ask?
The same way people can listen to a song and KNOW its a hit.
It has something extra.. something special. Now how much of that do we hear these days? its very few and far between. I think its a result of the influx of easy to use and affordable means of home recording, and the market is being flooded with “el garbagio”.
Music is timeLESS anymore.. its TIMED.. todays HITS last a few weeks at best until almost completely forgotten.
IT’s sad really.
Now while as a musician, I am completely open to trying new things, experimenting, breaking new group, thinking outside the box, and so on, and I not for just “acceptable” music. Lowering the Bar and submitting to mediocrity is our OWN damn fault. If you hear something and its wack.. tell a MuFuga its wack. Simple as that.
Oh but no, we can’t do that either.. since “dope” to that artist might be wack to us, and that’s his “artistic expression at work” blah blah.
But over and above all, I think if a construction kit is used creatively.. its okay. good even. But lets raise the bar.
Lets work on some Timeless music. Cause if dudes in 2040 are sampling from stuff from 2010.. shit… Imagine how WACK music might gonna sound then if all they have to choose from is garbage along with varying degress of acceptable.
p.s. sorry for the typo’s. typing fast.
Hey joe wutup with an edit function? lol
@Triple-X, hahahaha, I may have to find a way lol.
@Triple-X, ahahahahahahaha lol, I think the current state has more to do with what companies/labels are paying for than anything else man lol, that’s what the market follows.
I feel you tho man, I think there’s still folks out there makin that timeless stuff tho, it’s just not what you hear on radio or see on tv for the most part…because let’s face it, the “industry” only goes for what they can pimpm and right now it is what it is lol
At the end of the day it’s all about creativity man lol, sure I can tell someone I think something is wack, and believe me I do 🙂 But then that’s just my opinion really…I’m sure someone told those musicians making that timeless music back in the day…that it was wack lol, that’s why you just gotta do what ya feel man, regardless. Take input, learn, improve, and do you.
@saintjoe, lol c’mon son… its not like Im saying the sound kit companies are entirely to blame.. obviously we know its the Labels.. aka “the machine” dictating what goes to market.
I do agree with you there. But its the Labels, AND the companies that are empowering all these digital would be artists with mediocre tools to create with. I’m not saying that THIS particular kit is wack. But many of them are.
and yeah of course someone back then told those musicians they were wack, but the general population disagreed by making their songs HITS with radio requests and album sales. Todays music doesn’t have staying power like before. People here something new and play it over and over for a few weeks and never listen again.
Now as far as the tools of the trade, and what we use and how we use them… I’m am from the same school of thought as you.. if the outcome is something dope and original I am all for it.
But my comment was based more on the idea that “acceptable” music and sounds is perfectly fine. As if we shouldn’t be trying to raise the Bar higher.
@Triple-X, lol, well if you go based off of sales and user requests…..wocka flocka, drake, weezy….lol
But yo, I don’t think Jamari was talking about “acceptable” music, but talking about what is “acceptable” in terms of what we use to make it lol
You can’t blame the companies yo, they just follow the market! If labels and radio wasn’t playing a certain sound, then they wouldn’t cater to it, plain and simple. And if the MASS MARKET wasn’t buying/requesting music with a particular sound, people wouldn’t make it lol….
But it’s all good, I know we all have our ideas on the state of music, I for one don’t care, cuz I can always find the stuff I personally want to listen to, what’s on radio/tv doesn’t stop me from finding the stuff I like to hear 🙂
@saintjoe, true indeed brother S.J. my apologies if my commentary diverted from the original purpose of the board’s post, but moreso in regards to how some less than favorable sounds can be made useful in the right hands or vice-versa (hence the meat-poison analogy) . I’m glad to see that there’s others that are passionate about urban music and it’s progression. I use the term urban as more of an encompassing identifier for hip-hop, r&b, house, etc.)
~Peace
@jamari, word man, you know I love your commentary and all commentary in general, no need to apologize, that’s what we here for!
I think we all love this stuff man, I just came to the point a while ago, when I stopped letting others stress me out lol, I mean I could spend all day looking, complaining, and commenting on everything that’s wrong with the music out…OR…I can just have fun and make the music I like 🙂
I’ve chosen the latter of course, it’s better for my blood pressure lol
I just would like to chime in and say these “kits” are not for your experienced producer. Not taking any shots at you Triple but if you’ve been producing for 13 years then you shouldn’t need to spend $100 on a kit you should be able to lay down some dope ass shit on the keys. Ive been writing songs for 14 years that be like me opening up a rhyme book trying to find words that rhyme lol I dont cuz i have the experience. Im somewhat new to making beats got into making them couple years back then stopped to write and now im back to the beats. But any how these kits help peeps like me that can put down some sick drums in FL or reason and has the idea of the beat but cant just lay it down on the keyboard.
@Gary Bichell, I hear what you’re saying but you have producers that never play keys OR make a beat, they just organize the people that do. We must remember producer and beatmaker are technically different terms, and all beatmakers are not producers, likewise all producers aren’t beatmakers. Now a person can be good at keys but suck at drums, so they need drum loops, maybe they play guitar well. maybe they can do a beat but their key game is off…or maybe they can play their own but just like to have some other stuff to play with.
Bottom line is there is no right or wrong way and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if the track is hot, we can debate it all we want but you know lol, it won’t change how people use things in their own way.
@saintjoe,
I been thinking about this…
the “at the end of the day if the track is hot” comment.
If a dude makes a hot track, that is comprised of a drum line that he lets say simply(accidentally) changed the quantize on, which is playing along with a set of unedited (however hand selected) construction kit files.. you think he still should get all the credit for making “a dope track”.
Cause to me, that mufuka is a LAME.
@Triple-X, people do it more than you know, no different than sampling a loop from a record, putting a drum loop over that, and saying you made a dope track
lol…that’s all I’m saying, only people that care about it is folks that make beats, beatmakers need to realize we don’t make beats for other beatmakers, we make them for people to enjoy
why do you care what the next man does? lol…like I said, if he uses a kit you’ve never heard, and you thought it was a dope song, it’s a dope song…it would only be wack if you found out he used some construction kit…before that, you thought it was dope….
Like I said, I’m not a take a loop and put it with this loop and call it a day guy, I never liked that when it came to sampling, be it construction kits or sampling from vinyl, but in the end a dope song is a dope song, I know HIT songs that include loops straight from the garageband library lol…I’m talking billboard HITS…only people that noticed are beatmakers that have it….it still was a dope SONG
@saintjoe,
Because at the end of the day what we are listening to is MUSIC, and because you don’t have to have barely ANY musical ability to make music now, to me is disrespecting the Craft.
Most of these “beatmakers” as you say are in this for money and fame. They care about nothin else.
In addition, the add to the FLOOD of wack water that has HipHop DROWNING right now and in a state of emergency, and make it that much more difficult to get seen, be heard, get your stuff in the right hands, etc.
I’m talking about respecting the craft, having integrity and pride in what they do, rather than biting someones shit non creatively and tossing it on a conkit loop and calling it THEIRS. Thats wack to me. And most cats that can do it GOOD, can only do it ONCE, if at all. And that aint beatmaking, thats luck.
That’s all I’m saying.
@Triple-X, with all due respect you sound like one of them cats that’s biter cuz “fl studio cats is getting paid making that popcorn music” and you not lol, I hear it all the time and find it hilarious…my answer is…SO WHAT?
Honestly man I really don’t care what dudes do, if I don’t like something I don’t listen to it, it’s not that serious, obviously someone things they are “hot” if they are getting deals…it is what it is, that’s what the labels want now so that’s what they do.
me? I don’t care, cuz I’m not trying to “get on, get seen or get heard” I work with the folks that I want, and keep it moving.
the “craft” has more than one sound, like it or not, hip hop from the beginning is about doing YOU, all cats started with was taking loops from records, no making beats, no putting anything together, just finding a break, finding a dope riff, and looping it…they wasn’t even chopping it up at first lol
but somehow folks don’t say that’s “wack”…no matter how you look at it, it’s the same thing lol.
make music, if you’re junk is dope, someone will hear it and like it, but don’t be mad at the cats that hustled, got they stuff heard, and got on, regardless of how wack we think it is, they still did what they needed to get where they want.
it’s always been hard to get heard, get seen, and get stuff in the right hands, so hustle harder and make it happen, but don’t blame “wack, non musical beatmakers” for it
so what they do it for money? I rather see dudes in the lab making beats to get paper than out in the streets slangin or doing whatever else lol…
I dunno man, I just really don’t care about the next man, and I know that “the craft” is not a specific sound, or specific set of rules…
folks been saying “hip hop” is in a state of emergency in every generation, just because the specific styles we like aren’t popular, don’t mean a thing. you will always find someone making the music you like if you look for them…it shouldn’t matter if they underground or on top.
“musical ability” is subjective as well, if dudes can put sounds together that sound good together, no matter how simple it may be, that’s musical ability lol
that’s all I’m sayin, if you not where you wanna be, grind harder, don’t blame what’s hot now, refuse to conform and usher in the next “hot sound”
@saintjoe,
I dig and respect what your saying. I agree with SOME of it, and disagree with other parts.. I don’t see how it makes ME sound like Im Biter, about FL studio tho lol. Some cats use it well. 9th wonder for example. Others don’t.
and again while I see what your saying, I dont think your completely following me dawg. So let me use a comparison.
What is your take, for example, on Athletes using performance enhancing drugs to play better than guys that are just talented? And thats wack as hell for the guys really working hard as hell to get ahead while another cat essentially cheats to get an artificial advantage. Its the the best example, but I wanted a comparison outside of music.
I seeing that you got a really passive approach to all this in that you don’t care about what this guy is doing, or how they doing what they do, or your “I don’t like it I don’t listen to it” approach. But apparently the general population ain’t as subjective as you or I. They get fed whatever they are told is hot, and eat that shit up. Then it becomes “acceptable” just like we were talkin bout the other day.
I mean I feel like your telling me that your opinion is that you dont have an opinion. Or thats its okay for a completely untalented cat to stumble across and use someone elses hard work and take credit for it ” as long as its hot”.
I mean there must be tons of artists that disagree. They’re the ones that won’t give the clearance to use their samples. lol.
And Im talking in the NOW not the THEN. Its cool to me if a cat takes a sample and chops it up to the point where you cant even hardly tell where it came from. And there are even situations where it can just be a blatant piece of a song taken, but used differently, with a creative beat and added elements. that takes talent.
Even if non musical, it still requires skill on the gear being used, and a ear for whats being done. Especially if people hear it and love it after.
But what Im talking about, is the no talented cats, who flood the game with so much, and BS heard it all before, unoriginal music, and the listeners who are indifferent to it and easily swallow it up as acceptable. That to me is just wack. If you don’t agree you dont agree.
We can agree to disagree.
Music is about artistic expression and creativity to me.
When cats cheat to accomplish those elements and get credit for it.. I’m sorry, that just gets to me.
I really aint trying to or wanting to argue with you man.
I just think the Bar is low is hell right now, and Im tired of seeing people get rewarded for mediocrity while talented cats get slept on. I aint even talking about what I may or may not be doing or working on.
@Triple-X,
meant to say its NOT the best example.. in second paragraph, not the the. my bad
@Triple-X, lol, I hear you fam, I know what you’re saying, my remark about FL wasn’t specific but the idea/mindset I see going around… it seems dudes look down on folks that’s just using technology and never had to “learn a piece of gear” and they relegate that to what’s wrong with hip hop.
times change, music changes, yes the industry is responsible for what gets played but if you’re dope, you’re dope, there’s plenty of people that DON’T follow the trends. Sure they may not be as well known, but the people that like their stuff, know how to get it, and support it…
I deal with a lot of folks, so alot of what I said is in relation to the mindsets that I come across, IE, taking a post about a construction kit and turning it into at “what’s wrong with hip hop” discussion. Like I said, I love the art, I live learning new stuff, love gear, love improving my skills…I’m with you on all that, but I’m not going to agree that technology and sample companies are what’s wrong with hip hop lol I’m sorry…that’s what the start of this was and I simply don’t agree…heck folks said the same thing when the beat machine came out, or the sampler, or the workstation keyboard, or the synth….
There’s ALWAYS going to be people that game the system and take shortcuts, and there’s always going to be people to take the time to learn. If what they learn how to do is what’s popular, so be it.
Now no, as I will say, for the 100th time, I don’t think taking a construction kit, which is a premade beat, and putting it back together, is making music lol…that’s just putting together a track that’s already done.
But..I’m not against a person using samples, sounds, people, or whatever else they need to help them get the sound they are looking for.
I have an opinion, and that’s how I dictate what I do with MY MUSIC…that’s who/what I control…none of us are in a position to “police” the industry…unless you’re an executive, a&r, etc…so maybe that’s where we need to be looking to get, instead of trying to “get on” making beats…I mean…if we care so much about the craft that is.
It’s all love homie, you should know me by now, i love this stuff, I love the discussions, and I love when people have different opinions. that’s why this site is here, for us to BUILD.
So we agree on some stuff, other stuff we don’t…technology and sound/sample companies are NOT to blame for the state of popular music…
that’s all up to the execs, stations, labels, media, tv, club djs, a&rs and anyone els that has the power as to what gets played and what doesn’t
@saintjoe, I agreed with everything you said this time up till the last two sentences. LOL.
and we are seeing eye to eye regarding this mis-use of construction kits not too. But again.. for me its its the wack cats misusing shit that is the problem, even more so than the labels. the labels like you said just market play and push what think is commercially viable. I dont have a problem with a talented cat that makes commercially viable music. Let him do him. Im for that. I just dont like the music in that case usually. and there are even exceptions.
But talented cats these days are completely outnumbered by untalented cats. Yet both are making music. And the untalented cats are making it more difficult for the talented cats to break thru.
Kinda like if its 11:59pm and a store stops selling beer at midnight, and your standing in line with a 12 pack and your exact change ready in hand, while the moron in front of you is dropping and counting pennies to pay for a single 12oz can, and fuckin up your opportunity to drink some beers that night.
hahaha.. another not to great comparison. but you follow what im saying?
The cat with the change in this case is the untalented knucklehead who rebuilds the demo of a construction kit line for line in FL STUDIO(LOL j/p) then calls the beat his, then sends 100 beat demo discs to every A&R in the game, but labels the cd’s differently so they think its not the same cat and same shit, but waste their time listening to the same garbage over and over, and accidentally toss your joint out cause they thought it was one of his..
hahaha
those cats.. yeah them.. those are the ones Im talking bout when I say WACK.
in all seriousness tho.. as for the last few sentences.. I think we can police the genre by not buying into to the bullshit.. and when something is wack, SAY ITS WACK.. dont let these knuckle heads go around thinking their shit dont stink. we gotta let em know. THen at the same time, focus on taking what WE do to the next level and bettering what were doing so as to SET AN EXAMPLE for these lames in the game to follow(Cause if dudes coming up right now as we speak see the wack cats doing wack shit and think that THAT shit is cool or acceptable, then they mimic it? oh hell nah!!)
THEN, when the general population gets better music, they’ll KEEP wanting better music and not buy into the trash that gets played now running round like drones from the movie surrogates. Thats how we can police the genre and don’t need to be an A&R or exec, etc.
and C’mon Saint Joe Son…LOL
You think Technology hasn’t had a MAJOR MAJOR impact on the game? The internet didn’t change the face of the music industry? Technology hasn’t changed how we produce? C/mon Son Saint Joe Son. HAHAA
and YES.. its ALL LOVE.
@Triple-X, ahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!! Bro, saying something is wack will do nothing lol…if the label keeps buying it, what do people care if you tell them something is wack? If an A&R just got a dudes beat on the next Weezy single…you think he gonna listen when you say his stuff is wack? Let me rephrase that…WHY would they listen to anyone saying their stuff is wack if they see it making them money and getting to labels, videos, radio,etc?
You absolutely need to be in the position to have a DIRECT influence on what is getting played, purchased, and promoted…just saying something is wack is not enough…you and I probably come in touch with 1/100th of the people that’s trying to push music…BUT if we were at a label, or the cats actually LOOKING at the submissions or looking for the talent…then you would have more influence. It’s common sense…sure it’s idealistic to say “just tell cats it’s wack when it’s wack” Like we don’t do that already? But so what, as long as there is a system in place that writes them the checks saying it’s not wack, then it doesn’t matter.
I said tech isn’t responsible for wack music, first you said it was the sample companies and software companies, now you saying it’s technology and the internet? YES technology has had a huge impact on the game, but it’s not the reason the music you feel is wack is what get’s played lol…come on man, you grasping for any and everything to blame lol. I think technology is a great thing for the industry, it removes the labels so you don’t have to go through them, you don’t have to conform, you can put your own stuff out and let the fans decide…a talented cat is no longer limited by his budget, he now has options to get his music down, and push it, build a following, capture the attention of the labels/execs, and then go in and redo his joint in a million dollar studio…but you gotta grind man.
I’m sorry man, I’ve just never been one to blame any and everything else for something I want to change, I just do my part to change it. People are ALWAYS going to go with the hype, that’s just how it’s always been, this is nothing new…the question is,what are you gonna do about it? Besides just telling cats their stuff is wack?
It takes more than “good music” to “get on” fam…90% of it is the hustle, that gets you in the door, your talent is what keeps you there. the copycats are replaceable, that’s why they here for a single gone in 6 months…the folks that do something different, that keep evolving, and keep playing their lane, they stay around. The folks that try to copy the trend and follow the herd become disposable artists and producers…they are easily replaced
but if you think you can make a difference just by being on the sidelines yelling BOOOOOO….then you’ll continue to be frustrated yo, sorry, but that’s just how it is lol. Out hustle, out grind, out play, out produce, out talent, and out shine the wackness, stop complaining about not having an opportunity because there’s so many wack cats who “get on” make your opportunity happen by staying on your grind. If they send 100 beat cds, you send in 150 lol.
I feel ya Joe and I know the producer and beat maker are usually two different peeps. A real good example is Dre when he use to have a squad of beat makers he would use they beat and produce the song as a whole so he would put produced by dre and peeps use to say he was taking credit. But since we was talking about kits and such I jus assumed he was talking about making beats
@Gary Bichell, word, even beatmakers…everyone can’t play every part of their track, if they good at knocking out basslines and drums, but need a lil help on the keys or heck just want a different feel.
I just don’t see it any different than having someone come in and play keys or bass, guitar, etc…on a track for you. Doesn’t make you any less of a beatmaker, it’s just a different way to get a result.
I personally started out playing my stuff on keyboards so it’s no thing to me, this stuff is just extra when I feel like sampling but don’t want to deal with sample clearance 🙂
My point is, there’s really no rules we all just have opinions on it, but at the end of the day none of our opinions really matter when it comes to the next person and how they choose to make their tracks lol
@Triple-X: Thanks for the input, just for clarification the in last sentence that you referred to was a mild attempt at sarcasm. I put that out there in the context of a topic that you’ve touched regarding mainstream/commercialized music and it’s relation to what the powers that be at record labels and radio stations present as the flavor of the month. Perhaps in pursuing sales and record company pressures A&R’s (some not all) have become yes men/women.
Everyone has their off days when trying to be creative (lord knows my neighbors probably wanted to hang me when I practiced my sax) but I just feel that when something is undeniably wack..it is what it is and shouldn’t be sugar coated to be made any different for then when it’s accepted as being the ish/hot,etc. does it foster artistic creativity or does it lower the standards of that particular genre of music? Does it send the message of “you don’t have to be any better than this”?
Experimentation has meant a lot to modern music, take blues, jazz and the like. However (from my exposure) I would say it was done tastefully and purposefully. Artists like Miles Davis and Issac Hayes, if you visualized, orchestrated symphonies with their sound.
Forgive me if I digress from the original commentary of the sample library review. It’s just as someone that loves music and has lived through some of the formative years of Hip-Hop music, had sinus attacks from browsing through dusty albums. I feel that it’s up to “us” to at least attempt to police the genre even if to a minor extent. I’m not saying I’m better than the next or anything, but c’mon at one time or another we’ve all heard someone and be like “How in the hell…who left the door open?”
~Peace & Blessing to you all (Triple-X, S.J. and all that took time and patience w/me to read this)
@jamari, word, good convo…that’s why I encourage folks to comment 🙂 it’s good to get these thoughts down lol.
and for the record…I hear tons of stuff that makes me go “hmmmm” all the time!! But I still and never will hate on the person that did it, they aint put themselves on lol, somebody else had to cosign it…
I respect the next man’s grind, regardless if I don’t appreciate or don’t even like their art, that’s all I’m saying.
good stuff fellas!
@jamari, I completely agree.
and yeah I did take that comment you made and ran with it because I related it to the the current weather hiphop is having. Overcast with a chance of falling off.
Honestly, as much as I LOVE technology, it really is to blame for all this shit. Not that Im PRO RIAA by any means. But the flood gates or garbage is just unstoppable right now. EVERYONE wants to be famous now in some way or another. 10-20 years ago kids asked what they wanted to be when they grew up what say shit like doctor, lawyer, athlete, fireman. Now its Rapper, Actor, producer, etc.
I have no problem with anyone doing what they wanna do and aint trying to hate on anyones dreams. But some people just aint cut out for certain shit. Fitting perfectly into that category are those cats with NO musical talent what so ever, who blatantly bite shit and use construction kits un-creatively without ever exercising a single iota of talent, that manage to find any level of success in an industry where the key consumers have been brainwashed into thinking wack shit is hot and mediocre bullshit rules the day.
I’m sorry.. Im not feeling that. And until we stand up and say so, itll keep getting worse. Aka, policing the genre fwiw.
End rant
@Triple-X, lol…technology is NOT to blame bro…sorry, it’s just not.
Make music, or get in the position to make a difference, IE start your OWN label to put out what’s dope, get a job as a label exec, get into the position to make a difference.
You have to be in the place where it matters, that’s the ONLY way to spark the change we want…otherwise it will continue to be POP on top and everything else underground…
but that’s not really any different than it’s always been lol
Real hip hop just dont sell to the mainstream it never has and never will its to real for them. And the state that hip hop is in now has nothing to do with the beats you can have a masterpiece the greatest beat ever made and somebody that’s trash will make the song trash. Yeah beats are the back bones to songs wouldn’t be one without the beat. But people are not riding around bumping beats there not watching youtube videos and mtv jams and rap city or whatever outlet they use to listen to music to listen to beats. The only people you can blame for hip hop today is all the people that’s spending money on it. Majority of the peeps buying music are not even buying music there buying ringtones cuz they like the hook or they buying a song off itunes cuz they just like that one song cuz thats what they heard on the radio. A good example is you can go to any major artist myspace music page and the song on the radio has lets say 3 million plays and a song on the cd has 100,000. People dont want to listen to a song they want to be that song they wanna hear songs about a lot of money,girls,cars,jewels, im the best,haters,being fresh. They want to hear that cuz they don’t have that so it makes them feel like somebody rich and famous.
@Gary Bichell, exactly lol…folks aint buying instrumental hip hop albums lol and you right, mainstream has always been just that, mainstream. Anytime something becomes this commercialized you gonna get an influx of commercial seeking copycats, it’s the name of the game.
I admire the enthusiasm on this post but it’s nothing different than what folks have been saying for years, there’s always folks that don’t like what’s popular, and thing it’s ruining the genre, and there are those that just go with it…it’s been like that since music has been selling lol. It’s not just hip hop man, I’m sure you got dudes in rock saying the same stuff about the new rock folks, folks in reggae, country, etc….hip hop is not special or exclusive to having been commercialized or flooded with copycats, but the unique and talented folks can still stand out.
@saintjoe, I’m with ya 100% man I use to be a lil Wayne fan well not a fan but like his music on the Carter 2 but once he got popular I was like I don’t even like him no more lol cuz once u get popular on that level u get played out and now he’s jus a weirdo clown lol. But on the real the whole music business well entertainment business movies tv shows and all that is really jus based on looks u don’t see no real ugly famous person. That’s why almost every rapper be taking they shirt off. 50 cent be on cd covers with his shirt off all for the females cuz no Dude want 50 wit his shirt off lol
@Gary Bichell, ahahahahahaha lol, I hear ya man lol.