Simple Beats vs. Complex Beats

Dumont

New member
This is more geared towards hiphop/rnb...

What up everybody. I've been thinkin about nowadays a lot of the music thats popular has really complex beats. I kinda miss the simple beats that people like Scott Storch used to make a few years ago. For example: "Clap Back" Ja Rule. Storch made me like that song and I don't even like Ja. That beat is so simple but it knocks hard and the melody is catchy.

So what ya'll think? You like more complex stuff or do you like the simple stuff we used to have?
 
i dont think beats today are complex.... i mean, theres songs out there that for some reason, people consider to be genius, and the beat is made up of nothing but 1 synth, and 808 kicks....yeah, no hi hats or snares...just synth and kicks...... theres also beats out there that may sound great..but still only have one main synth melody, real simple drum pattern, and an extra instrument in the hook.. although i feel RnB beats have always been more complex than hip hop.. mainly because there was a point in time when RnB was back by real bands and instruments.. there were many elements that comprised an RnB song....now days with synths and keyboards, not so much, but most producers do a good job in recreating the old RnB vibe with today's means of making music, granted, some still use those real bands and instruments instead of primarily synths and keyboards.........but yeah, come to hip hop...or at least "rap" music.....beats are not complex at all.
 
I like complex songs that stay clean and unconvoluted. But yeah i love beats that are straight drum kits and a bassline. Those ones are the rawest IMHO. I will say this... if its orchestrated right complex beats can take my emotion to high levels.
 
I honestly like simple beats most. For example, Lil Kim's "Jump Off", Redman's "Put It Down", Terror Squad's "Lean Back", Hova's "Dirt Off Ya Shoulder" and Luda's "The Potion". They were all very catchy and brilliant but at the same time very simple
 
Don't really matter either way. If you like the beat, easy or crazy as it may be, it's solid. I'm a beathead and like all sorts, only depends on what the beat does to my brain and my neck.
 
I usually like more complex rhythms and percussion. But the melody and harmony can be simple. But if the percussion is too simple it makes me think the composer is retarded.
 
Modern music is far from complex, if you look at the majority of hip hop artist are doing dance music these days. everything is at about 125bpm, a 4x4 kick with a snare on every second beat, some sort of repetative bass and a synthy hook. That's the formula for modern hip hop, sad that it ghas come to this really.
 
I think it depends on the vocalist. Taking away the complexity from the beat really emphasizes the vocalist, but you need to have a talented vocalist if you want it to sound good.
 
when it comes to hiphop, simple but catchy beat is better imo. i dont think popular music today is complex at all, best example is "Teach Me How to Dougie" and "Black and Yellow" those are big hits but not really complex. but when it comes to RnB, i like it complex. like for example the song "Please Return My Call" by Trey Songz. man, that composition is damn good. yea, generally RnB is more complex than hiphop
 
i think at the end of the day simple / complex beats are equal... some simple beats have sounds that just go so so hard and dont really neeed anymore sounds and only need some drums and there are weaker sounds that needs layers of sounds to feel complete... they both are good music at the end of the day..
 
i like simple drumpatterns. i never use those fast hi-hat patterns like on Trap Music.
My melodies can be very complex though.

---------- Post added at 03:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:28 PM ----------

i like simple but not cheap sounding.
i like music that sounds warm/rich. and it should have some bottom.
 
the best ones are the ones that sound complex but are actually really simple.
 
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Hip Hop beats are hardly complex in most aspects of compostion. People are tricked into thinking they're complex because they put alot of layers in alot of songs recently. Alot of these layers follow the exact same melody or chord progression as the main part of the song, so there's not really much that's complex in hip hops.
 
if something gets my head noddin, thats all that matters. some sick drums, good vibe. sometimes if something is a little to simple or doesnt have enough changeups or a little variety, i may not listen more than once or twice. also vice versa, if something just has wayy to much stuff goin on, it may not be listenable more than once or twice.
 
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