Clyde Stubblefield “The Funky Drummer”

Clyde Stubblefield was the drummer featured on James Brown classic break beat “Funky Drummer”.  Fortunately for us, the drums were recorded in the clear of other instruments. [Read more]

Bangladesh Vs A Tribe Called Quest

Big ups to Bangladesh for creating that “A Milli” masterpiece. Its crazy creative especially because of the use of the vocal sample from A Tribe Called Quest “I Left My Wallet In El Segundo Remix”. (Don’t worry, we are not ratting Bangladesh out, its already been cleared by Q-Tip) [Read more]

“Beat Jacking” Are You Ready To Get Robbed???

So, somehow you’ve managed to get your beats in the hands of your favorite artist or music executive. What happens next is the question? Well, the dream situation would be for your track to be the number one song on 106 St and park or spinning on the radio a zillion times. A bet you’re thinking “this is great, I’m going to be rich, I’m a super producer now!” Pump your brakes…that’s assuming that all of your business is taken care of. If you think isn’t possible for an artist of record label to straight steal your beats and release it everywhere…you’re in for a rude awakening!

When you hear the term “Beat Jacking”, the first thing that comes to mind is someone stealing your idea for a beat or using someone else’s beat like Ice Cube’s song “Jacking For Beats”. Today, that term has taken on a whole new meaning. Producers are getting jacked for the beats they are shopping for sale! I’m not just talking about your favorite artist recording to your track in the studio. These wise guys are actually releasing and distributing your music through major retail chains without paying and getting permission. Notice how I use the phrase “major retail chains”. We’ll talk about that later in another article but let’s just say right now that any album released through retail stores for sale is an official album (THAT INCLUDES MIX-TAPES). Anyway, there have been a few cases recently that support these accusations. Check out the dispute between producer Chinky P and Jim Jones. Chinky P is quoted as saying:

“This ya boi Chinky P. I produced some joints on the Bullshit ass, Crappy ass Mixtape/Album Harlem’s American Gangster for Mark ass Jim Jones. Yo on the real I vow to NEVERRRRRRRRR EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! work with Jim Jones or anybody fucking with Byrdgang. Them marks be on the bullshit fa reelz, and they aint about they paper work mayne. They don’t want to pay me for being on that bullshit Mixtape/Album (THE ALBUM LETS BE HONEST! BY THE WAY I HAD THE HOTTEST S**T ON THERE!!! LOL) they don’t want to pay Max mayne. To all producer. Man if u ever work with Jimmy mayne make sure u get a good lawyer, manager, somebody to represent you because it looks like imma have take this them niggas to court”.

The question is, how does a producer produce so many songs for a major artist and not get a dime for it? How does the label get away with releasing an album without obtaining permission from the producer? To put it simply, they “Beat Jack” you! They are really not worried about getting sued because the situation usually ends the same way. After Chinky P went public with his dispute, they shut him up by paying him. Why does a producer have to complain in order to get paid what is owed to them? This is just one situation out of many but what about all the other producers out there that can’t go public or don’t have the resources to get legal help?

Producers are not the only ones getting jacked for beats, artist are getting jacked for beats too. This is one of the wildest things I have ever heard and it’s going on as we speak. Check out the situation between Ray J, AZ and Koch Records. Ray J and AZ are both artists signed to Koch records and they both released albums this year. To make a long story short, Ray J has a song called “Real Nigga” which contains the same track as AZ’s song called” Go Getta”. Now how did that happen? Koch A&R rep Bob Perry basically allowed two different versions to be released because it would benefit KOCH RECORDS. Who cares if artist look crazy to the public for having the same beat. This unconventional practice that Koch records is employing has serious implications for producers. J. Garfield, the producer behind both versions looks like he is double dipping. Even though Koch records are the main culprits in this situation, J. Garfield’s reputation as a producer is in question. Is he selling beats to Koch records and allowing them to use them any way they please? I think it’s a little disrespectful if that’s the case.

Make sure you get as much information as you can about shopping beats to artist and label executives. As you can see, all people in the music business will not treat you fair. You have to protect yourself and your interest at all times. Every opportunity you might come across, as a beat maker might not be the best opportunity for you. It doesn’t matter if its an unsigned artist or a mega superstar like Jay-Z, make sure your business is correct so you can get your respect…and a check!

Written By T.Smalls

Melvin Bliss’ Synthetic Substitution

This classic break has been used on every classic Hip Hop album ever made. Probaly not every album but you get my point. Anyway, crate-digggers are familiar with the name Melvin Bliss but to me the question should be who is Herbert Louis Rooney? [Read more]

Now picture this

ARTICLE by Supa Sam

Now picture this. An Akai MPC sitting on a desk next a Triton, Motif, or a Fantom keyboard. Accompanying these items is a Mac or PC loaded with Protools, Reasons, Logic, Cubase, Fruity Loops, or any other of the fine music programs that technology has to offer. Then, you add the turntable, CD player and mixer for your sampling and you’re just about set. With some of these musical weapons you are know ready to become the next Dr.Dre or Kanye West …… not. But many aspiring producers have this ideology. Becoming a producer takes much more than having the equipment or being able to speed up records to sound like the Chipmunks. Producing hip-hop music is an art, craft, and skill that requires time, dedication, and understanding. Over the last few years’ hip-hop music has seen a decline in many areas and production unfortunately is on that freefall. Here are a few reasons why I think that production has taking such a hit.

1. Find your own style.
I would be lying if I said that musicians don’t have influences over other musicians or producer having the same over other producers, but where would hip hop be if Herbie Luv Bug copied Marley Marl down to a science or if Pete Rock bit Premier’s style. Hip-hop would be stagnated and very repetitive. Ever since Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Heatmakers laced artist such as Jay-Z and the Dipset with speeded up souls samples (RZA was actually the first to do so), the sound spread like an epidemic. Massive producers starting emulating that particular production sound all over. The same thing happened with Lil John, Scott Storch and a host of other producers. It’s alright to admire a style or sound and implement a little of it into what you’re trying to do as a producer but to just take a producer’s sound is not hip hop, that’s Xeroxing. Don’t get me wrong there are definitely some A-list producers who have taken a thing or two and incorporate it into their production catalog but because they understand what producing is about they always manage to put their own style into whatever was taken so it still sounds like their own work.

2. Appreciate the art
Music is an art and just like any other fine art it has to be appreciated. Today’s producer does not pay homage to their predecessors or the music they take from. Many producers sample things and don’t know who their sampling or if the recording was previously used by someone else. Most people who want to become producers do it for the acclaim and monetary benefits and not for the love of the art.

3. Production gridlock
Due to the large influx of producers, artists are being bombarded with tracks daily. Whether by CD, email, or listening session, this massive submission of music has caused production gridlock, which in turn has brought down the value of production. For example, 10 years ago the average producer could fetch anywhere from 5000 to 10,000 for a track from an artist/label even if the producer wasn’t well known. Now that production has become so saturated and under cutting has become so popular, the average producer is now getting anywhere from 1500 to 3000 if they’re lucky. The relationship between the artist and producer has become estranged and has negatively affected the quality of the music and the direction of hip-hop, which brings me to my next point.

4. Producer vs. Beatmaker
A producer is supposed to follow his/her music from the beginning to the end. Collaborating with the artist and making sure that the artist is doing the right thing with the music and the music is doing the right thing for the artist is an obligation meant for the producer. Now days, producers have been reduced to become beatmakers. Beatmakers make a bunch of tracks and submit it to artist, managers, labels, and wait for a response. Artist 2 track what music they like and pretty much do what they feel to the music. The producer doesn’t really have any input or say so on the direction of the song. The producer then has to live or die with the product whether they like it or not. In some instances the song comes out hot and the producer is looked at as a talent but that is usually rare and the producer has to account for sub par music, which destroys their creditability. Another problem that occurs with being a beatmaker is that artist put out music that they haven’t paid for or have gotten authorization from the producer to be used publicly. Artists basically kill the value of tracks by recording it and putting it out on mixtapes and radio because other artist hear the music and lose interest in the beat.

5. Blame the Producer
You can look at many issues and attribute it to the decline of hip-hop but the bottom line is the music. Personally, I put a majority of the blame on producers because they create the music. Producers have to reclaim their status and take back control of the hip-hop game if it’s going to survive or better yet be resurrected. People such as Kool Herc, Afrika Bambatta and Grand Master Flash help give birth to the hip-hop production game and it has evolved wonderfully until the last few years. The next few years are going to be crucial in hip-hop production because the music and the culture are symbiotic to each other. So if there is no music, then there is no hip-hop.

“SPLIT WHO? SPLIT SHEET MYSTERY SOLVED!”

I am often fascinated by how easily many give away rights to their money before they even get it! As most of us KNOW, money isn’t easy to come by, but it can quickly disappear when business is not properly handled. In this article I’ll discuss co-writing a song as an example. [Read more]

Wu-Tang Vs. the Tonettes

Do you remember the first time you heard C.R.E.A.M by Wu-Tang Clan? I mean, RZA really caught a good one for that. Let’s explore and go dig in the crates for a minute. [Read more]