Ok, it’s like this, at least in my eyes. It’s 4 sides. Producers/Artists Rappers/Beat Makers. All or at least most BM’s have the potential to become Producers, but that depends on the rapper/artist. A rapper will hear your beat and go into the booth and try to emulate his favorite RAPPER AND “FREESTYLE or as I like to call it now-a-days “lie to my mic.”
It’s easy to fool the ears but a little harder to fool the eyes (but not impossible). Now the same BM with the same beat (although unlikely) with a true artist will have a slightly different session. The artist “THINKS” discusses with the BM about their vision of how they think it should go and changes are made accordingly and the BM has to do a little more work and this is where a producer comes from. A producer can sit in front of the console and tell the engineer what changes need to be made or make them himself. The point is the idea went from a 3 minute loop of the 16 measure verse and 8 measure hook to a SONG. But there is yet another to factor into the equation. The consumer/fan.
99.2 percent of listeners only listen to the beat. The other 0.8 who actually listen to the lyrics in association to the beat are mentally nauseous and have permanent head phone marks around their ears and that radio in their car defers the sounds of “we’re number 1 for hip hop and r&b. Being a producer is an art form. Imagine if in the 14/15 hundreds you were Michael Angelo and you just crafted “The Creation of Man.” Next to your painting hung Iwona B. Ah’Star III’s “The Evolution of the Stick Man” which took 3 ½ minutes to draw with a chalk stick on 1 ply toilet paper. But lets just say that back then painting was like rap is now. And Iwona B. Ah’Star III’s Stick Men went Platinum at that time. We all know how the story ends at least some of us.
Beat makers make beats and producers make music. How many beats you seen puff make? Now on the other arm "rappers" live off beats, as opposed to a good artist who can hear any type of music/beat/instrumental/simple arraignment or whatever and make a song come to life. I guess what I mean is this, if the producer already put in mad work making the beat itself hot the “rapper” can proceed to say anything and still know it’s going to sale. Not because it’s hot lyrically but because 90% the arrangement cant be lied and will sale itself. I sat down with this kid the other week and he was going through my catalog. After about 15 tracks he was like "you aint got nothing with some vocal samples like that Rick Ross or that slowed up Texas style?” I laughed and played some of the easiest “beats” I ever made, looped and spit out. To me the whole process was a letdown because I was looking forward to “producing the track.” As opposed to “F12 and you rap!” I guess that’s what it’s all about now. On the other arm I know this artist that comes to the studio I’ll play a track and he’ll vibe/listen/feel/think/rethink/ discuss the idea think about the best way to approach the idea and then it’s F12 and we banging the hook out.
It seems like a long process but the end result is music! The one thing I hate about being an engineer is “yo punch me in!” Because when you on “main vocal 1_34-1 what’s the point? And I know that as a engineer it’s not my job to tell the artist how his/her music sounds to me but rather the sound quality is nice and it is my job to make it sound as such. But don’t come to the studio to record talking about your rims/jewelry/MONEY/GUNS/women/Drugs/ Cars and how you balling in general. And before the session started tried to pay the balance of your session in change (quarters and dimes) /came to the studio in a Daewoo/ guns? Between 8 dudes not one of them even cocked back or pointed a sling shot before.
This Is the reason I back up all of my audio files, to keep a record of all the dumb **** “rappers” say especially when it’s like take 34 of the main vocal and you still f n up. So I’ll wait until one of these dudes blow and then I’ll expose the true him to the public. I’ll just put together all the out takes of them in the studio before the edits, before the punch ins.
It’s been a long week and I needed to vent I’m just tired of the S>O>S when it comes to music. I’m starting to hate the very thing I lived for. 20 years from now where will rap music be? I hope it’s so 76ed like disco.
Money us to be the only 5 letter dirty word but now it’s spread to MUSIC.
Thank you fp for letting me vent. Se you next year.
