Instrumental Beats: A New Production Style

When you listen to commercial radio today, instrumental beats are likely to be the sound coming out of the speakers. For a while, urban music has been at a stand-still as far as production goes. Just recently, trap music has emerged as a mainstream genre. While it's roots date back to the early 2000s, the genre is just now making it's mark in the music industry.

Trap beats symbolize the struggle, the pain, and the victory in life in general. Producers all over are tapping into this new way of producing. These instrumentals have an authoritative presence and beg for attention. Dope trap beats are now being used in conjunction with traditional sounds in major R&B productions. With the new sound being so sought-after, the market has completely opened up for aspiring producers. There is now a demand that was almost non-existent before. So while economists claim that we are in a bad economy, these producers are cashing out with no problems.

Artists to the likes of 2Chainz, Young Scooter, and Trinidad James are only part of the clientele listing for these producers. Moreover, the artists who aspire to be like these major artists are a huge addition to that list. Old-head producers are now playing catch-up with the new wave of sounds coming in. You have new producers coming out faster than others who have been trying to make it for over 5 years, simply because they are making dope trap beats.

The competition in production is much stiffer than it has ever been since the emergence of this new sound. Everyone figures that he can make a lot of money by producing it. It is possible; they just have to do it the right way. Creating sounds that captures souls more fiercely is where trap music is heading. You have to be able to make heads bounce; make people mad, the whole nine. I do not see these types of beats going anywhere any time soon.

Taking in consideration that this genre is so closely related to Hip-Hop, some of thrown the style off as just another version of Hip-Hop. In reality, if you ask a Hip-Hop mogul what it is, he would get mad that you even made a comparison. Authentic Hip-Hop is a far-cry from trap music. It is not only a spin off of it, but a spin with a twist. Trap music is made more for the clubs and partying. Anytime a genre of music comes out that can make people dance and have fun, it is here to stay. Producers are in for a good treat with trap music being so fairly new to the general public. Dope trap instrumentals will run the radio for the next several years.

For more information on instrumental beats, go to that website to get a feel for the movement. This style of music will be around for another decade at least.

Music Industry Management - Artist management vs Artist development.

Monae's Music Moment - Dissecting the Lyrics - Wale: Love Hate Thing

Is it me or has Wale really out shined a lot of Rap artist by keeping real lyrical content with meaning in all his music? For me, Wale deserves 5 stars and joins the ranks of OutKast, Common, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Jay Z and many more, for keeping his lyrical flow moving, thought provoking and current with today's hottest beats on all his tracks. Follow me as I dissect the lyrics to the latest release from his much anticipated 3rd album "The Gifted" which has already climbed up the charts with the hit "Bad" featuring Tiara Thomas.

Refreshingly enough this is not another rap song about money, sex or cars in the bold & blatant fashion that we've become accustom too hearing on the radio. Wale drops lyrics about his past, present & future in a way that makes you think about every word, acronym and its meaning.

In the1st verse, Wale speaks of "studying at UDC" which stands for the University of District of Columbia; a community college in Washington DC. I didn't find any record of Wale attending the school but I'm sure he knows some guy who attends or went there in the past. Guess Wale was right when he said "You gon' need more than Wikipedia to get to me" cause according to Wikipedia Wale attended Robert Morris University and Virginia State University on football scholarships, then transferred to Bowie State University.

Next Wale drops more acronyms about his past. "PG to Mo County bet they all know 'bout me" speaks about counties that Wale grew up around; Prince George & Montgomery counties in D.C.

In Wale's line "Having dinner with Leonsis I'm dreaming to own" drops the hint that he is a loyal fan to his hometown basketball team the Washington Wizards own my Ted Leonsis and it also hints at his ambition to branch out into the business world of franchise ownership some day. Looks like Wale might be on your heels Jay Z.

All obvious dissection aside, the heart of the songs speaks of Wale's disappointment in the "Love you Hate you" attitude that comes with success and fame. Lines like "Ain't no love in the heart of the city is what they tell me" and "Listen when you get the keys it's seldom you don't get the beef" speak to the reality of the fact that with fame comes friends and foes. One minute everyone is happy that you're at the top then the next minute they're trying to pull you down. The most profound verse in the hit to me is "I lost a lot of friends and none of them dead. When I was on my way up, why you ain't see the stairs" which speaks of the jealousy from people in his past and that may have that "help a brotha out" attitude now that Wale is famous. Then the line "How could you blame us envy? We do the same thing for a living" speaks of the present envy he deals with from rappers in the industry today that want to beef or pull Wale down just so they can come up.

I must admit that I did not follow Wale's mix tape era but it seems that he has been consistent with his lyrical content from day one. I honestly thought he would get pulled into the "record label money making formula" like most artist do when they join a major record label, but Wale has stuck to his guns on having creative control over what he writes and what's released. This determination brought Wale to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group in 2011 and he's been dropping hits every since.

Lyrics from the heart have always been hit makers but the industry has a formula too; drugs, sex & money which move CD's off the shelf, but they lyrical content makes most of these types hits fade into the background quickly and easily. It's funny how the more things change the more they stay the same. As Hip Hop & Rap births and buries new artist everyday, its good to see Wale keep his heart and soul intact while walking through the mire, muck & clay of this rap game that pits popularity and record sales against lyrical content and enlightenment. When Wale says "I'm tryna redefine the culture, renovate the soul" I get it. Wale is making music that's here to stay.

My hat's off to you Wale! Keep you head up, your lyrics tight and God on your side. Your line, "Lord Father if I opted to follow them, my heart would tear from my dreams let me know that you here!" is heard loud and clear. Peace and Blessings to you Wale.

This has been a Monae Music Moment. Til next time! Peace!

Sharing Opinions - The Music industry core is art. Art is in the eye...

How to Get Exposure for Your Rap Music Beats - Exposure in the Music Industry

Getting exposure in the music industry can be tough these days. There are so many other artists out there that are working just as hard as you to make it in the industry. You need to have an advantage if you are going to get seen in the vast ocean of artist there are out there. Here are some exposure tips that will help you stay ahead of the crowd.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization is fairly new to the music community. The old way of marketing is where artists used to pass out fliers or spread their information via word of mouth. The new way of marketing is Optimizing your webpage for Google. If someone types in the words "new artist" into the Google search engine, results populate with relevant results based on the keyword. SEO is simply optimizing your webpage for Google so that they know you are relevant to certain words. An SEO expert will make sure that your page is optimized so good that you will be the most relevant result. That's what SEO can do for you. SEO makes it possible for people who are already looking for new artists to find you.

Forums

Post on forums all the time. Just do a Google search for Producer forums and find one that you like. Make sure that you set your signature up with your website in it that links to your music. Getting a link from a producer forum can be a great addition to the SEO that you are doing for your website. Forums are great way to build back links to your website quickly and give you points with Google. If Google sees that you are active a lot, they will reward you with ranking.

Offer Free Beats

Offering free beats on your website can generate tons of traffic. So many people are looking for free beats every day. If you can SEO your site for the keywords "free beats", you will get so much traffic you won't know what to do with it. Free beats are also a great way to get artists on your beats. These artists are trying to promote their selves too and that means that they are promoting you at the same time by default. Make sure that you tag your beats with your signature phrase or producer name on it. That will ensure that every time that artists plays that track that people will hear your tag. That's free exposure for your beats.

Erick B Carlson is the owner and operator of MusicBeats.net where artists can download free music beats.

Program Director: Emilien Moyon

Beat Buying Tips - How to Buy Beats Online for Cheap

Beats can cost a lot of money if you don't know where to look. Luckily, there are plenty of websites online that have instrumentals for as low as.99 cents. If you are on a budget then buying beats for cheap is one of the best things you can do to save money on your recording project. Here is a list of the best ways to find cheap instrumentals to buy online.

Google

Google search is the best way to find cheap beats. Just do a Google search for "Cheap Beats" and there will be more than enough results to pick from. You will find producers who offer their beats in bundles. These bundles usually contain 5 to 10 beats that were hand selected for that beat bundle. You can usually score a 5 beat bundle for around 20 to 100 dollars depending on the amount of beats. You can also buy individual beats but they usually cost more that way. Google will contain almost all of the results there are for buying beats.

Producer Sites

There are tons of producer sites online that you can find on Google. Most of these sites have thousands of producers on them that are trying to sell their beats. The good thing for you is that there is so much competition that they have to sell their beats cheaply. There will usually be a list that contains that the hottest or most purchased beats on it to help you find what's popular. Most producer sites contain more than just one producer. Almost all will have at least 2 or more producers on them to give you a variety.

YouTube

YouTube is a great way to find undiscovered producers that have instrumentals for sale. They will usually have their prices in the same video that is playing their beats. They will have links in the description of their video that will take you to their site where you can purchase the beats. Most of the time, they will have specials that are only announced on their videos, so make sure that you watch closely. A lot of producers will put their beats in playlists so that it is easier for you to find them. The videos with the most views are not always the best beats. Make sure you take your time and find beats that suit you the best. The last thing you want to do is pick a beat that is not right for you.

Erick B Carlson is the owner and operator of MusicBeats.net where artists can buy beats for cheap.