What Are Some of Your Favorite Hip-Hop Beats? Posted by Ru Porter on 10/29/13 | Filed under Opinion, Production Breakdown, RH Nation Answers

Generally, if I’m suffering from writers block, I refer to the opinion column to get my creative juices flowing. Some of my favorite pieces on the site are the production breakdowns because back in my glory days, before I decided to pursue a career in entertainment journalism, I used to push audio dope at major labels in the form of instrumentals, while interning at Universal Music Group in NYC.

In between learning how to read Soundscan charts and navigating through Artist Information Systems (software used to manage an artist’s tour calendar), I would sneak a few moments with Jamal “Reality” Meeks, to play him tracks that I produced. At the time, he was one of the senior A&R’s at SRC records, so I’d ask him who was in the studio putting together albums, in hopes of getting my first placement. There was just one problem: he said my melodies were super tight, but none of my drum patterns had enough knock. I couldn’t understand why my drums didn’t kick – considering they sounded extra loud on my computer.  That was back in 2007, and I haven’t touched my Logic 8 and Reason software since. Perhaps I was discouraged, or maybe I just gave up too easily and decided to focus on graduating. Who knows? Regardless, Jamaal was right. You can’t have a hot record if the drums aren’t hitting. Still, drums aren’t the only factors that make an instrumental stand out.

Production is the foundation of which an artist’s lyrics are built. Without beats, your favorite rapper’s verses would just be spoken-word poetry. Music is what dictates the tempo and overall mood on a track, as it creates the specific genre and sound that said performer trying to convey. It’s the cornerstone of the songwriting process. Because of this, every time I listen to a new single, the first element I check for is the beat. And if the production doesn’t grab my attention within the first 10-30 seconds, I won’t even bother listening all the way through (can you tell I wanted to be an A&R growing up?).  But if the beat is hot? The song automatically has high replay value; no matter how rudimentary the lyrics are. If the melody sticks in your head long after the record ends, the producer gets major props for his skills and musicianship. 

Take for example “Girls” by Cam’ron, on the Purple Haze album, or Juelz Santana’s “Jealousy” on his solo debut "From Me To U". Concept wise, Charlemagne (not to be confused with Charlemagne The God of Power 105.1) decided to sample Robert Hazard’s "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", made famous by Cyndi Lauper; and Vicki Sue Robinson’s track of the same name to give it a facelift so that it appealed to hip-hop fans.  Not sure why I love those beats so much, but I suspect it has a lot to do with the fact that Charlemagne is my uncle, and he’s the reason I live for this music sh*t – but also because I was a huge Dipset fan in the early 2000s, and I love that style of production. I have a penchant for percussive rhythms and stringed instruments, so when I first heard those beats I played them both at least 10 times, and immediately called him on the phone afterward. As simple as Charlemagne’s ideas were, I was completely blown away at how he took records that my mom grew up on, and made it sound so modern. From then on, every instrumental I ever made was built around percussive notes with a heavy emphasis on strings. 

Another more recent example of great musicianship is Wale’s “Clappers”. I’ve never really been a huge fan of his, but when that beat comes on, I get lowkey insane in the membrane. There’s just something about Mark Henry’s claps, hi-hats and snare drums that pair well with Experience Unlimited’s “Da Butt” sample. And since E.U.’s hit single was a huge part of my childhood, it’s the exact same reason why I feel such a personal connection to it, along with the Dipset joints above. Each song re-wrote a moment of the past, while making it relevant to the present generation.

But enough about me. What are some of your favorite beats? Sound off below in the comments.

(By @Ru_Porter)