808s

You don't have to do anything, but since an 808 kick drum has a pretty clearly discernible pitch, it can sound a bit off if you don't tune it to match your song's key. Whether or not it's the root of your chords is your choice, of course.

You can combine the 808 kick with other types of kick drums, and that's what people often do. Again, you don't have to play it like that, but you can.
 
i should hope you can hear if your 808 is in tune... you don't HAVE to have it in tune like krushing said, but those who've studied music and dedicated time into the craft will be able to spot it fairly quickly... artists and producers alike. you just lose points with certain people when certain basic things just don't align properly..
 
It's generally a good idea to tune your 808s to at the very least be in-key with your track. If you use Ableton, the stock tuner plugin does the trick pretty nicely.

And yes on the kick layering. Like anything else it isn't a hard and fast rule, but can give you some more punch if done correctly. The key is to make sure to mix the kick and 808 (as well as your snare) so that you duck your 808 when the drums hit. That way you don't overpower your master gain.

If you're interested in a few more tricks on how to use 808s, I wrote an article about how to use 808 samples here.

And honestly, the best piece of advice I can give with 808s is to not let them overpower the track. It's easy to get caught up in a super fat sub bass sample and lose your track dynamics.
 
If the 808 isn't fitting with the melodic content is when it's out of tune I think.
Whether or not it is intended depends on what you're doing I suppose, but it's something to consider as well.
 
copy the kick pattern and set it as the 808 pattern. take out the Lows of the kick via EQ then Take out the highs of the 808 and over lap them for good punch!
 
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