Beatmakers in rap are fighters of the invisible front: they are not asked for autographs on the streets, they are rarely known by their names, and most often they do not even have a couple of photos. But without these people, your favorite artist's songs wouldn't be what they are.
The Flow asked popular Russian artists and producers to talk about promising, in their opinion, beatmakers. The result is a list of 10 names - it does not give an exhaustive picture of what is happening, but it can orient you who to follow.
An alliance of two Cheboksary beatmakers - one is called RipBeat, the other is SmitBeat, one is in the Ogni group, the other was once in the Aztecs group. They write for their countrymen, ATL and Lupercal, last year they released the EP “Forrest”. It sounds almost the same as it is called - new age in a hip-hop frame. About this it is customary to say "atmospheric".
“I’ve known both project participants for about nine years somewhere. Fortunately, our city is small and everyone who has been doing rap for more or less a long time knows each other. Undoubtedly, in the process of such a long communication, we somehow influenced each other, in terms of musical taste.That's why our views on music are more or less the same - cloud, grime, chill trap, glitch-hop... The guys have developed their own style, a kind of combination of dark electronic sound and melody.
The last track that Dark Faders and I worked on came out just before the new year - the single "Night". They did an atmospheric beat, I got inspired and wrote my verse pretty quickly. In principle, this is how our workflow usually proceeds.
If you're interested in battle rap, Scady's music should be familiar to you. Under his beats read Oxxxymiron and Johnyboy, Billy Milligan and Andy Cartwright - and he also wrote the music for the Versus Main Event intro. Other than that: Working with ST and Bahh-Tee + recent instrumental EP “FVTV MORGVNV” which is heavily influenced by EDM. To sum it up: a musician who is plowing his way out of the niche of Internet battles to a wider audience.
"Scady is, of course, a unique beatmaker. In addition to being a very funny type, with whom there is always something to laugh at, he is also wildly talented. 80% of the minuses that he offers me, I immediately want to use, because we are on the same wavelength and feel the hit.The beats are always the most powerful.
Of my tracks, he produced "#Don't Find a Trick", "Party All Night" and many more. All of them are really powerful, unlike each other, where a lot of instruments merge into one crazy mechanism. And if he reads this text, let him finish me two minuses, bl€&b - he knows what."
Half of the Belarusian group LSP, Roma also wrote arrangements for his more popular compatriot - Max Korzh. He was also a sound engineer on the Oxxxymiron concert tour. He played in an electropunk band before he started to work closely with rap artists, and his past betrays him: The Englishman's beats are an explosive mixture of EDM, dubstep and (to a lesser extent) hip-hop.
"I worked with Roma mainly as a sound engineer, and not as a beatmaker, with the exception of" I'm bored with life. "But I can say for sure that the person takes the theory of music and sound very seriously.
Every time he starts to load me with "progressions" and other things that are not obvious for a rapper, he raves about live instruments, but most importantly, he delves into the whole spectrum of modern music, from ultra-commercial to wildly underground and heavy. Well, in general, the presence of cultural baggage greatly affects. He is also very sensitive to post-production and adding compositional features. In short, this is exactly what music is, and not just beats. But for the same reason, Roma's strength is more experimental EDM than hip-hop."
A member of the Kazakh party Jillz, formed around Scryptonite. According to rumors, Strong Symphony was recruited to work on their latest album by Bast and Smokey Mo. Therefore, in some tracks it sounds surprisingly gloomy and industrial. "Trap from Kazakhstan" is usually compared with Travi$ Scott, and such a comparison has already become a commonplace, but this is the case when it is possible.
"I love it when music can surprise. How much delight and surprise was inside me when I first heard "Jealousy"" Vladi (the magic of these drums still works), the "French" sound of "Karat-Te" (did Marat know what sets the standard for a whole generation?) or funky BMB instrumentals (where the hell does this black groove from a 16 year old St. Petersburg kid come from?).
In 2014, exactly the same revelation for me was the sound of the new Kazakh school, the flagship of which is Strong Symphony by right. Do you want a new "sparse" R&B? Looking for rocking hip-hop with a nod to the "old school" or trend-setting trap? It seems that he is able to do everything without losing his face and recognizable handwriting. Black harmonies, 808 drums that sound surprisingly unbanal and not vulgar, attention and love for little things. No wonder, according to rumors, it was Strong Symphony that was attracted to work on the recently released album of two Russian rap titans, which sounds surprisingly fresh, relevant and very stylish. Ahead is the album of Scryptonite, the closest creative ally of Strong Symphony. And I really want to be surprised. Listen and not understand how it's done. Just like I don’t understand now why the future of hip-hop music is being forged somewhere in the Kazakh steppes. PVL stand up!".
The Portuguese-born Londoner has written instrumentals for many British grime artists - Ghetts, P-Money, Naughty Boy and even Maxim from The Prodigy in his track record. The Russian listener is known as the person who is on stage with Oxxxymiron during his concerts - and also the author of the music for "Tumbler", "Lie Detector" and several of his tracks. Also: Porchy worked with L "One on his latest album, Lonely Universe."
"Ask Kanye West: if you need an up-to-date sound, go to London. Porchy is from there. He is a genius: a finger on the pulse, musical taste is excellent. We are on the same wavelength in terms of music. He is very musical. perhaps due to the fact that he sings, and sings great!
Once I came across his video clip “Grindin”, I immediately decided to write and ask for instrumentals. I'm kind of sorry that there's only one New Day on Lonely Universe under his production! Believe me, there were even crazier things in the package he sent me!".
The author of almost all the music for last year's album Guf and Rigos "420". BluntCath's instrumentals can't be called "fashionable", but, on the other hand, they don't have the naphthalene "like in the 90s" either. The tactful definition of "classic" is best suited. At the same time, we are promised a "very modern sound" on Rigos' forthcoming album.
"It's hard to overestimate the role of musicians in an artist's career. There are so many examples of how important the MC/beatmaker combination is for a product to be original, coherent and interesting. Lately I've been getting a lot of music in the mail. Sometimes I get letters with beats and with text a la "I hear your voice on this beat", "I wrote under you" With BlunthCath, we build a vibe in a completely different way. Andryukha is not a beatmaker, but a producer-arranger: he knows the artists with whom he records compositions, but does not "write under ", but shows his style with different sides- depending on the style of the MC and the mood of the track. "Sheep's horn" he assembled from scratch in thirty minutes of hard rocking, and when he added the chorales, I could clearly hear that they were singing something like "my lord". After the next half an hour, the structure of the song was built - and before the end of the evening the song took on its final form. That's what BlunthCath is all about: it's not very productive, but it's easy for an artist to write to his instrumentals, revealing himself at his best."
The calling card (and for some, the reason to immediately put an end to a person) of the Monte Molotov beatmaker is to name the song Big Russian Bo$$ "Cannibal Bitch". A heartbreaking composition, not least thanks to the operetta sample used here as a tool for pumping suspense. Monte regularly releases solo releases - and this is the very case when the beats do not need recitative at all. The music is complex, woven from the smallest vignettes and who knows where unearthed sounds.
"As a musician judging another musician, my main criterion is envy. Of course, in good sense: jealous of this snare, distortion in the right place, instrumental building. About Monte Molotov, I can say - yes, he is cool, I envy him.
The guy has his own approach to writing music and many non-standard solutions. If earlier he was in the role of "the first Russian Сlams Сasino", then over the past couple of years he has grown into an independent, recognizable by sound musician".
The man who wrote most of the instrumentals for Guf's third album "Sam i ...", and then worked a lot with groups the Chemodan and Caspian Cargo. His music is distinguished, first of all, by its versatility: one track may contain a sad piano, another - African tribal drums.
Brutto: "Vadim respects the sound quality, and most importantly, he has his own style. This is important for the performer and the listener. He simply has the best basses in the tracks. I know from my own experience that before creating the next beat for our album "Side A / Side B "I discussed with him how I would like to see this beat. And in the end everything turned out exactly as I imagined in my head and sometimes even better. He managed to combine saxophone and opera singing. And it sounded very organically."
Ves: "He is one of those musicians who do not turn up their nose. And they have exactly the same respect for the people they work with as for their offspring, that is, for their beats. I cannot but agree that Vadim has his own vision of writing music, whether in underground beats or in more popular directions.Vadim knows how not only to listen, but also to hear, which is important not only in music, but also in the relationship between the artist and the beatmaker. in a good way to Vadim.) He is not only musically gifted, but also technical."
A beatmaker who works not only with domestic trap artists, but also "for export". The Atlanteans Migos used his beats, now "negotiations are underway" with other popular foreign rappers. It is not difficult to guess what kind of music he writes: trap, the author of which does not give out Zelenograd registration in any way - everything sounds so "proprietary" and American.
"In general, it was more logical to ask Rich the Kid for Breezey. Or Migos. In the end, Kevin Gates. Well, even if the name 2 Сhainz, who turned to him for beats, does not tell you anything, then I nothing more to say.
Roma's beats are an honest and powerful sound straight from the Russian trap house. They are written anywhere and on anything, but at the same time they sound more “branded” than the bulk of such sterile recordings. The orderly chaos of the rhythm section, combined with signature deep basslines, set a clear groove that is supported by hit, but not primitive melodic solutions. Moreover, Roma manages to balance between minimalism and compositional overload: each sound knows its place, starting from the lead synthesizer and ending with the classic sample from "Dilemma". Breezey easily captures new trends in American music, quickly and organically adapting them to his sound, and the impressive results that he achieved in spite of his geolocation (Zelenograd, salute!), only emphasize his talent."
Valery Tekkel, musician-multi-instrumentalist, worked a lot with artists respect production(Casta, Vladi, Heat). And he was responsible for the biggest hits - "Compose dreams" or "Around the noise." These two names are, in general, the most best recommendation: SoundBro makes "music for the masses", so narrowing the scope of "hip-hop beatmaker" is unlikely to suit him.
“Unfortunately, most domestic MCs do not belong to the most solvent category of artists in the country. So, sooner or later, the desire of most beatmakers to go beyond beats for rappers is understandable. For example, on the stage for producing one song you can get more money than producing an entire rap album. But not all beatmakers succeed. The reason is simple: many simply are not musicians, they are not even familiar with the basics of musical literacy, solfeggio.
That is why Valera SoundBro is one of the most important figures in Russian rap. Being a hereditary musician, he not only did not exchange Russian rap for other, more monetary genres of music, but also made every effort to bring the "correct", in his opinion, rap to the masses. Valera is a co-author of the hits "Around the Noise" and "Compose Dreams", iconic songs for Casta and Vladi. He also worked with a large list of pop artists, most often creating arrangements for their joint songs with rappers. For example, he is the producer of a joint song by Elka and Zhara. If I need a live sound, noble sound, rich harmonies, then I need to contact Valera. Watching him work in the studio is a pleasure: being a multi-instrumentalist, Valera very easily records guitar parts over a newly recorded phono, and can immediately finish playing something on sax or bass. A virtuoso, in a word."
In this article, we will look at the basics of creating a rap minus, and also find out what beats and bars in Fl Studio and why you need to stick to a certain pattern or pattern in music.
First of all, there should be a pattern or pattern in music, and you can notice this in many famous rappers and other performers. Listen to the music and you will hear the action sequence.
Let's first see what is used to create rap minus Well, at the end of the article, consider the template.
On a note:
When writing music, there are no boundaries, as it is a creative process. And therefore, remember that there are no rules and you don’t need to listen to everyone in a row (something like you did it wrong or you had to do it differently here), with the exception of the tonality of the notes. Creating music, as I wrote above, is a creative process and everyone has their own. But this also does not mean that by drawing a bunch of non-harmonious notes and putting them in you will create a masterpiece.
Tools used in rap style:
At the heart of creating a rap minus are tools. This is the basic set of tools that we will now look at. But first, be sure to download this fl project. For an illustrative example.
- Bit- in any music, the beat plays an important role in creating the rhythmic picture of your minus. We hear the beat throughout the music and therefore we need to pay attention to it. The beat is based on Kick, Clap or Snare, Hat. They can also be used as add-ons for Shaker, Cymbals, Percussions. They are mainly used to diversify the beat.
- Bass- gives a large amount of low frequencies from which your rap minus breaks. A necessary element in rap music.
- Pad- needed to create volume for your minus. But not in large quantities. They usually play with a long extended sound.
- Lead or Instrument- This is the main instrument that will play for you throughout the entire composition. You can choose absolutely any tool that you like.
- Strings or Instrument 2,3,4- these are melodies that will complement the main melody. They will play on the chorus, in the chorus, at the beginning to the main melody. This is necessary so that the minus becomes more diverse and does not quickly bother the listener.
Pick your instruments by ear, as I don't know of any other method.
I want to tell you right away that you are not limited to this list. Just keep in mind that this set of tools can be added to. It all depends on your imagination and your creativity.
This is what the minus rap template looks like. It may differ slightly. It all depends on the author's intent. 
I didn't include Vocal since we're only looking at rap minus, but of course there should be. It is recorded after compiling the minus itself.
Also, when recording vocals, back vocals are made, where each rapper uses his own chips and sounds. Backing vocals are an addition to the main vocals.
In general, the basis of rap minus is most often used samples. Samples are snippets of various instrument sounds cut from songs. Here, in fact, everything is simple and the stereotype of the tools can be said to be the same. It's just that here you will no longer think about how to compose chords, but if you add additional instruments, you will need to find out what key the sample is playing in order to play a melody under it. Next, you just need to correctly trim the audio track and prepare a few samples to scatter them into .
Rap minus template.
I think not everyone knows how the minus rap template should look like. And so let's look at it. But I want to warn you right away that this example, which is presented below, is most common in rap style and it may differ from the minuses of other genres, since each genre has its own layouts.
What are beats and bars in Fl Studio? Beats and bars is the musical time interval in the track. Without them, it would be hard to write a minus. And so they are needed for the convenience of creating music in general.
The figure below shows in detail the division into bits and bars, and the minus rap template itself.
Remember that your rap minus turned out to be catchy and the listener, after listening, wanted to listen to it again and again, you need to do it.
In modern music, many concepts have appeared. A beatmaker is a person who sets the rhythm, under which rap performers recite the text. Most often, these musicians are members of rap groups. They are also composers (if they create the melody themselves), DJs, arrangers and producers. They are versatile specialists, so they can often be found at club parties, backstage at fashion shows and in recording studios.
Is the musical accompaniment always a clear rhythm?
Many say that a beatmaker is a composer, but it is worth clarifying that his tracks are only suitable for hip-hop or rap. They can have melodic inserts or be clear and rhythmic. Beatmakers can create them for sale or for their own use. Often, beats are created for already prepared text.
If you look at the translation from English, then the meaning of the words "beat maker" is literally the following: "rhythm maker". Now the musicians have moved away from literal translation, as compositions that combine a clear rhythm and a melodic insert have come into fashion. It was this option that was created for Eminem - Stan. He quickly gained popularity among listeners. Domestic performers remember the popularity of this composition, so they also often order similar beats.
How a music track is created (beat)
A DJ-beatmaker most often uses a computer with special software to create compositions. The most popular type of software is Frooty Loops Studio. This program is good because it can be used for both small sketches and live performances. You can control MIDI using a PC or laptop keyboard. This program is loved by many DJs and beatmakers, because it has flexible settings and is very easy to learn.
Another program that a beatmaker can use is eJay. Many musicians start with it, as it is as simple as possible to use. There are many samples built into this software, which you just need to arrange in the order you need. However, the software has one serious drawback - it cannot be used at a professional level, since you cannot create your own sample.
They turn out to be expensive. It is reasonable to invest in the purchase of an instrument only if the beatmaker has begun to make a profit from his occupation and wants to grow professionally.
How does this music spread?
Often a beatmaker is a producer who finds a talented author and performer of lyrics. He may have start-up capital to promote the project or work to increase popularity gradually. It is best for novice beatmakers to distribute their tracks using Internet portals.
Professional Internet sites are well suited to increase the popularity and sales of beats. On them you can find a performer, learn about beatmaker competitions and, of course, sell your beats. It is important not to limit yourself to rap music, but to constantly try new things. If a beatmaker has many tracks for different areas of music, then he is more likely to be invited to a permanent job or performance.
How to become a beatmaker
Almost all hip-hop fans want to make backing tracks for rap, if it used to be fashionable to create texts, now more and more people call themselves beatmakers. If you really like this art direction, then you will have to study in order to master it.
To do this, you need to install the appropriate software on your home PC or laptop and find a video course on the basics of working with professional programs. The sooner you learn all the features of your software, the best tracks will be obtained. At this stage, it’s good to get into training with professional beatmakers or take a course at one of the special schools (now you can find them not only in all major cities, but also on the Internet).
Do you need education to become a beatmaker?
Musical education for acquiring the profession of a beatmaker is not needed if you write music on a computer. However, it is still worth knowing the basic part musical notation and have a good ear to create harmonious tracks.
At any level of education, you can study the profession of a beatmaker at specialized courses. For people who do not have the opportunity to pay for education, there is another way to gain new knowledge - with the help of professional forums. There you can ask for advice if you have any problems.
A lot depends on the amount of time that the future beatmaker devotes to learning and putting his skills into practice. Beginners should not rush to purchase expensive professional equipment - it will not increase the level of skill. It is worth spending money on it only if you are a future beatmaker who has already begun to gain popularity.
5. 4EU3 (Matvey Larionenko)
The now popular beatmaker, who works mainly in the Trap genre and promotes the idea that the beatmaker is a full-fledged artist, for which, in my opinion, one cannot but respect him. This man is one of the founders AVG. 4EU3 opened up to fans of chatter such people as HASH TAG and Yanix.
4.Nel (Igor Pustelnik)
MC and beatmaker, former member famous groupMarselle and a member of the association Phlatline. Grew up in Yakutsk. In 2009, Nel takes part in the production of the album Gufa Home. In 2010, Nel produced the album ST The real Igor still supplies his beats to the top rappers in Russia to this day. One of his beats became the soundtrack for Timur Bekmabetov's film.
3.Scady(Alexander Kuznetsov)
Another very famous bitodele, team member MonsterStarz, which, in addition to it, includes P.I.C Music.Cooperated with a considerable number of rap artists, including: Schokk, ST, Oxxxymiron, ST1M (Billy Milligan) etc. He has a lot of cool instrumental releases to his credit. Minusa does mainly in the New School genre. It has its own unique and recognizable style.
2.Nuttkase(Vanya Shipitko)
Another cool Russian beatmaker. Released many instrumental releases, the last one called "Dope remixes 2". Ivan also worked with many famous rap artists. Nuttkase was recognized as the best Russian beatmaker on hip-hop.ru, and the hip-hop community is also interested in the release of a cartoon about Russian rappers.
1.CVPELLV(Roman Shelest)
And finally the first place! Member of the producer association Diamond Style, and yes - yes, the same person who became the author of the music in the song Come on bye.
Roman was born in 1986 in Tomsk. He became famous about five years ago. According to the results of InDaAwards in 2009, he entered the top ten best beatmakers in Russia. By 2013, Roma was already actively collaborating with a well-known label Black Star Inc. About a year ago, the musician confirmed the information that under one of his bits he himself read Snoop Dogg! And on October 4, 2013, CVPELLV released solo album Badman.It can be seen in this video on Tusa's track, a bit, by the way, from him.