So you are a great rapper and just need some hot hip hop instrumental beats to lay your lyrics over? Are you looking for the type of beats that are radio friendly? Choosing instrumentals can be so easy to do, but there are some things you should know before purchasing a rap beat. Here are some tips to look for when purchasing hip hop instrumental beats.

1. Know what you are spending money for when it comes to the beat. Do you plan to release this song for profit? Or are you just using it for demonstration purposes only? Make sure you let the producer know what your plans are so you’ll know whether to get a non-exclusive license or an exclusive license. If you plan on making a profit off the song you are using the producer’s beat, they usually charge more and make an “exclusive” license or agreement. If you are going that route, make sure you are the only artist that will own that beat. You don’t want to pay for an exclusive license and there are other artists using the same beat. If you are choosing their beat for a free mixtape, or to perform to, or just have fun with…it would be less expensive and also referred to as “non-exclusive” agreement.

2. Are you interested in getting your music heard on radio? If so, then your hip hip instrumental beats should be radio-friendly. You should be able to tell whether or not you can hear that track on the radio. They need to be commercial. Does the beat sound like something you could hear a rapper hear on the radio now? Can you hear a popular artist today rap over it?

Most criminal records are available for viewing although there are exceptions such as records compiled by the Federal Government which are not available to the general public. Although be aware that there are some private re-sellers that claim to offer a NCIC criminal record search and in most instances are not authentic. The official national crime history database of the NCIC is managed by the FBI.

The database of the NCIC retains information such as stolen property, open warrants of arrest, misdemeanors, mission persons and felonies. An individual’s criminal identification that is compiled by the FBI contains information such as convictions, traffic offenses, arrests and incarcerations which is also known as Triple-I which is basically arrest and prosecution rap sheets of the FBI.

These FBI rap sheets have gathered information provided by other federal agencies as well as law enforcement agencies across the USA. In order to identify a specified person, each person that has a criminal records entry in the Triple-I index also has a personal FBI number. This personal FBI number compensates for any individual that provides aliases or false name to a law enforcement depot when the person is booked.

This unique identification key is necessary as people may also give false social security numbers or a false date of birth. Bear in mind that the information provided by the Triple-I may have been obtained from the agency that arrested the person or the agency that booked the person, therefore discrepancies may be found with regards to the location, arresting agency, and the date the person was arrested.

Also available on the Triple-I index is the time and date the inmate was transferred from one correctional organization to another and can be depicted as a separate arrest. Bear in mind that the information reported is only as accurate as it was reported from the agencies and can also lack comprehensive information of the arrests it lists. When looking for criminal records bear in mind that these records may or may not be a hundred percent accurate.

FBI screens are also done on people wanting to purchase firearms, and eligibility for a firearm will depend on the states law. In addition to searching the NCIC databases for criminal records private companies are not eligible to access this database for a background check. The largest biometric database in the world is maintained by the FBI and also includes an integrated automated fingerprint ID system.

Hip-Hop is no longer limited to rap music and break dancing; today it represents a multi-billion dollar industry that influences everything from fashion to prime- time television programming, professional sports, mass media marketing and advertising. Today Hip-Hop is becoming a way of life, a culture that is intricately woven into every aspect of young people’s daily lives.

Artists like Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Public Enemy, 2Pac (to some extent right?) and many more use hip hop to describe the social inequities of the Black community and the inner city. They are putting a very human feel to issues that are calloused by misinterpretation and exoticism and sensationalization. Artists like 50 Cent and the genre of ‘gangsta rap’ have become extremely popular in America today, in part because of corporate manipulation and the large, multiracial audience that now exists for hip-hop music.

Hip-hop is an expression of the social, political and economic problems associated with living in urban areas. Since African-Americans are the dominate group in urban centers, their influence is the largest on urban music. Hip-hop lyrics, with their emphasis on “keepin’ it real” and marked by a colossal indifference to mainstream taste, became an equally powerful influence on young black men. These two influences have created a brand-new, brand-name generation that refuses to assimilate but is nonetheless an important part of mainstream American culture.

Legendary hip hop icon Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, of the pioneering hip hop group RunDMC, told a crowd recently that what they see on television in music videos is “show business” and not a true reflection of what hip hop represents. “The whole purpose of hip hop is to inspire, to motivate and to educate. It is the transfer of information whether you are in the ghetto or Beverly Hills. Hip hop is about the life we live-especially for Black people,” DMC said. “Hip hop was created to make it known that we as a people are in charge of our purpose and our destiny. The true purpose of hip hop was not just to create rappers,” he added.

Rapping developed both inside and outside of hip hop culture, and began with the street parties thrown in the Bronx neighborhood of New York in the 1970s by Kool Herc and others. Rap, graffiti, spoken word are all part of hip-hop. There, of course, is much more that is hip-hop, but you wouldn’t know it through playing video games that are based on hip-hop.

TJ Crawford, founder and executive producer of the MPR Report, a radio talk show airing weekly on WVON 1690 AM, has said, “It’s beyond just hip hop, it’s beyond just a generation, This is about people who want better for their people and recognize the power that is in the music. People who move in that same type of spirit are trying to see who they can connect with to take it to that next level.”

Opportunities are few outside of the ghettos; therefore, their language focuses on their world. Instant gratification reflects the short life expectancy. Thus, when money is gained, it is for conspicuous consumption. Hip hop is the culture of a people who, separated from mainstream society, turn into themselves to create their own standards of survival in a hostile world.

However, those that continue to proclaim “victim, victim” will never realize beyond their “victimhood.” With hip hop having such a big influence today, more than ever before, it is enlightening to see some organizations realizing a responsibility to protect the integrity of such a powerful influence. This is brought about by public education organizations, dedicated to raising public awareness about social, cultural, political and economic issues important to the hip-hop generation in America and throughout the world.

One such organization, the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network which was founded in 2001, is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well being of at-risk youth throughout the United States. HSAN is the largest non-profit, worldwide coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment industry leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents, and youth leaders united in the belief that Hip-Hop is an enormously influential agent for positive social change which must be responsibly and proactively utilized to fight the war on poverty and injustice.

The Social Responsibility of Hip-Hop involves the idea that it is better to be proactive toward a problem rather than reactive to a problem. Social responsibility means eliminating corrupt, irresponsible or unethical behavior that might bring harm to the community, its people, or the environment before the behavior happens. Businesses promoting hip hop have the fiduciary responsibility to instill a sense of faith and trust that would not allow a product to harm people just to meet their own bottom line.

Creating and instrumental beat for an orchestra can be pretty difficult to score-and doubly difficult if you have to write you own sheet music. Getting every instrument to blend seamlessly together while only using the sounds from your mind takes quite a lot of time and experience in writing music. Using instrumental beat software can shorten this process for you. You have to know more about it by reading the article below.

Most of the software you will find today allows you to play back the measure you created. This way you can edit as you move through your score. I will also allow you to write your music on a sheet of paper through the computer. You can then see everything your mind is telling you, that you should be hearing. You can change the duration of your notes, add dynamics, put in some staccatos if you like, and change the clefs of your piece all with a few clicks of your mouse.

Other features allow you to add multiple tracks. With this, you can individually write for a specific instrument and make sure that it blends well with the other tracks you’ve already added. When you want to hand out your score, you can also print each track independently from each other so they players can have their own copies-much easier than writing all of this on your own.

Writing any music takes time, but using instrumental beat software lessens the production period so your orchestra can begin practicing-you can also print out a conductor’s copy too!

Poor old Santa Claus. Sometimes he gets a bad rap. People say he doesn’t represent Christmas well. People say he doesn’t set a good example for Christians celebrating December 25. And people say–gasp!–that he doesn’t even exist. Plus, there are some folks out there who are trying to confuse just who Santa is. Is he really Saint Nicolas? Or is he some imposter, some big elf from the North Pole who wants to take credit for everything that Saint Nick has done and stands for.

Scary stuff, right? Well, if you are getting too upset by these anti-Santa ideas, perhaps you should stop reading this article now. It only gets worse the deeper you get into these anti-Santa theories.

Are you still with us? Good, because to preserve our image of Santa Claus–our jolly old man–we need to know why people are out to get him. Then, and only then, can we stop them from trashing the good name of the man in the red suit.

First off, these anti-Santa folks admit that Santa has some really great qualities. He’s always cheerful and happy. He always has fun games and gifts to give, and he is always generous (unless you were naughty, of course). But here is where these anti-Santa people stop with the compliments. You see, they say that Santa, with all his goodness, is only for children and not for grownups.

Worse yet, they say that Santa is only around these days to make money for giant Eastern shopping syndicates. He’s only here to make other people a buck. All that stuff about Santa giving gifts, and spreading good cheer, is all made up, they say. The real purpose of the man with the white beard and the red cap is to get us to consume, to spend money, to give gifts just like Santa does.

This is horrible anti-Santa stuff, right? Well, believe it or not, it gets worse. These anti-Santa folks go on to say that Santa can’t be believed because he flies around the globe in a sleigh. Obviously, the anti-Santa folks have no faith in Rudolph. And speaking of faith, the anti-Santa folks also say that Santa takes away from the real purpose of Christmas, which is to celebrate Baby Jesus.

You see, these anti-Santa folks say the real Saint Nicolas is better than Santa. He was an actual person, they say, who believed and practiced goodwill to all men, women, and children. He was kind and generous, and was a devout believer in Baby Jesus. And Santa isn’t real, they say?

Had enough? Me too. Here’s how you can know that these anti-Santa folks are way off base. What these anti-Santa folks don’t understand is, Santa and Saint Nick are one and the same. So you can’t say that Saint Nick is better than Santa, or that Santa is copying Saint Nick’s style. Saint Nick is Santa! Together, as one, they represent all that is good about Christmas, and all that we should practice every day, not just December 25.

So, please, anti-Santa bashers, please leave the big man alone. He’s never done anything but bring holiday cheer, love for humankind, and tons of fun.

You can find more of these informative articles on Santa Claus and order letters from santa [http://www.mailfromsantaclaus.com/], at [http://www.mailfromsantaclaus.com/] .

The length of your lyrical lines can be a great way to create a sense of accelerating, or decelerating, by changing the line length you’ve previously established. Let’s look at an example. Check out this section of lyrics: 

Leave them all behind

Whipping past

Can’t be last

Flying fast 

You’ll notice a certain length was established in the first line, and then it was shortened, which made the next three lines feel faster. The length of a line could be defined by the number of stressed syllables, or accents in each line. So let’s look at the stresses. I’ll put the number of stresses in parenthesis after each line:

LEAVE them ALL be-HIND (3)

WHIPP-ing PAST (2)

CAN’T be LAST (2)

FLY-ing FAST (2) 

You can see by establishing our section to have three stressed syllables in the first line, it makes the next three lines with only two stresses feel faster. There’s also prosody happening since the last three lines are about speed.

On the other hand, we could also decelerate a line, by establishing a certain length, and then increasing it. Let’s modify our pervious lyrics to say this:

Whipping past

Can’t be last

Flying fast

But I ate their dust again

If we look at the stresses, we’ll see the lyrics do this: 

WHIPP-ing PAST (2)

CAN’T be LAST (2)

FLY-ing FAST (2)

But I ATE their DUST a-GAIN (3)

In this case, you can see by increasing the length of the last line, we’ve slowed it down to create prosody with what the lyric is saying. This is a great way to have your lyrics tie into what your song is doing.

There are many different equipment/ software choices to use in order to put together quality Hip Hop remixes. The software known as Ableton Live (now on version 8) provides all the tools needed to produce a quality Hip Hop remix mixing elements from any tempo without degrading the sound quality. Sony Acid software is another choice to consider for remixing purposes as well. Research online to find additional gear & software choices. The purpose of this article is to provide tips on putting together the Hip Hop remixes after you already have your recording & production equipment and/or software set-up & ready to start remixing. The information presented is not to be thought of as “Rules of Remixing” however when following these tips you will have a much better chance of producing Hot Hip Hop Remixes that will please audiences of all types.

In order to have the most flexibility & options when starting a Hip Hop remix, you will want to have the original song’s accapella & beat instrumental as these will allow you the most options when making your Hip Hop remixes. The first thing to consider when planning a Hip Hop remix is to decide if you are going to keep the general focus of the song the same as the original while just adding Hip Hop elements to the track such as a rap verses and/or beat replacement or if you are going to change perspective of the song from say a female point of view to a male point of view or vice versa. The main thing to consider when deciding whether or not to change the beat/instrumental of the song to another is based on the popularity of the song’s current beat/instrumental. If the song’s original beat/instrumental is found to be a huge factor in the overall success of the song & may not be improved upon, do not change the beat, Doing so could quickly alienate Your listeners who have really grown attached to the song’s original beat.

When remixing a song that will retain the original beat/instrumental, you should instead enhance the song by re-arranging the vocal elements of the track and add an 8, 12, or 16 bar Hip Hop verse as an intro to the song over the song’s already popular beat/instrumental. You want the Hip Hop/rap verse to deal directly with the song’s current subject matter while adding another outlook/point of view and excitement to the track. You may want to bring the song’s hook into the mix directly following the rap verse intro, or you may decide to go into the 1st or even second verse & really switch it up. You don’t want to change the order of things just for the hell of it, the changes you make should have purpose to enhance the excitement level of the song so that the remix brings it up even higher, the remix should be able to be heard as an improvement on the original song and if not then should not be done at all.

When you encounter a song that you would like to change the beat/instrumental to enhance the remix, remember that you don’t have to use an original beat that you produced for the remix in fact, a technique that works very well involves working with pieces of previous hit tracks that may have dealt with similar subject matter as the current song you are remixing. By mixing the beat elements from the previous popular song you will enhance the remix while also further grabbing the listener’s ears with a sense of nostalgia. you may even use elements from several songs to complete your Hip Hop remix. This technique should not be confused with the mixes known as mash-ups which are essentially several songs that are mashed together more like a live deejay blend. The different song elements used in the remixes should have a more planned, edited & polished sound using only the song elements that mesh perfectly together with any tweaking carried out prior to recording so that the track sounds like a professional production. On some Hip Hop remixes you may decide to only use the hook/chorus of the original song while completely replacing the singing verse with rap verses, this can be done while using the original beat/instrumental, or changing to a different one if you believe you may improve upon it.

If you are a rapper/Hip Hop artist putting together a “mix tape CD/download for the purpose of promotion using instrumentals from already popular songs I suggest that rather than putting your rap verses on the popular song’s beat/instrumental by themselves instead add your rap verse (one or two 8 or 16 bar)to the song keeping the original artist on the song too. If the song is popular you would run the risk confusing the listener as they will be expecting to hear the artist they already like on the song. If you add to it instead of replacing them, you will be able to showcase your raps on a song that already has fans as well as show that you can fit in and show your skills right along with the already popular/established recording artist.

It is a good idea to have at least one vocal tag near the beginning of the track that announces the track as a Remix. This tag will give the listener a sense of excitement and anticipation while also letting them know that it is a remix.

**The Remixer must always remember that a remix that does not offer an enhancement of the original song is in fact, a remix that should not be done.

Most every college or university has a fight song that many of the students are well aware of since it is usually part of the sports program to cheer on and promote the specific team. Having a cheer is a great way to support the college especially during home games or events. The most popular rally songs are usually during football season because of the popularity and television air time this sport receives.

Many students that go to their specific school will often choose the fight song as their ringtone so that they can support their team and cheer them on against other opponents. It’s a great way to show your pride for that college. It is especially popular for incoming freshman of that particular university to get to know their new song.

Some college fight songs have been around for decades and are still the same one today. Other colleges may have several different cheer songs that they use throughout different events based on the sport. For example, some schools may have one song for football and a separate rally song for baseball.

Often times, the cheer is popular during the tail gating of sporting events before the actual game starts. Students and fans will play the song or ringtone from their phone to get pumped up for the game. The college fight song is also typically played during the actual game when the team has scored points. The crowd will then chant along the words of the song to show their support of the home team.

How is it that a little white boy from Kansas City has become

the most well known rapper in the world? Starting from nothing

and eventually moving up to a multi-millionaire, Eminem over the

past seven years has been in the eye of the public everywhere

you look. He has essentially entered a black man’s business and

gone to the top over the course of a few years, but how?

On October 17, 1972 Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in St.

Joseph, MO by his 15 year old mother Debbie. Six months later

his father was gone and this began the struggle for Marshall and

his mother; one that was just the beginning. Throughout the

course of his childhood Marshall and his mother moved numerous

times into different houses from Kansas City to Detroit. The

maximum time spent in one house was only 3 months, which caused

Marshall to attend many different schools making it difficult to

cope to the different surroundings and make friends. Every new

school he attended he was bullied as he was the new kid. This

was something that he could not change as he was never stationed

in one school for a long period of time. At the age of 12 he and

his mother finally settled in a house in Detroit. He would

later use the bullying to his advantage fueling him to get back

at all his bullies through songs.

By the age of 4 Marshall was already beginning to rap and put

words together rhyming them. At school he was rather successful

considering the circumstances, but it was lunchtime that he

enjoyed as he often battled schoolmates through freestyles. At

the age of 14 Marshall began to get serious about rapping and

felt that he had a shot in the business. When he got to the

ninth grade he failed it three times before eventually dropping

out as he felt school was not for him.

When he turned 17 he came up with the name M&M for himself by

combining the first letters of his first and last name, which

later was changed to Eminem. Now that he didn’t have school as

a distraction, he focused solely on rapping with the goal of

making it to the top. He faced constant struggle on the way to

stardom as he was continuously rejected by most rappers because

of his race, despite his true talent. This grew anger inside of

him that he uses in his music today. Knowing that it wasn’t

going to be easy and that he would have to work, Marshall forced

himself onto radio shows and freestyle battles to prove

everybody wrong. He eventually got a first album titled

“Infinite”, but it only sold 1,000 copies. It wasn’t until 1997

that Marshall would make a name for himself.

In 1997 he was married with a child trying to support his family

with very little cash to do it with. He went to the Rap

Olympics in Los Angeles hoping to win the cash prize of $1,500

for first place, but instead was spotted by a few sponsors from

Interscope. Furious that he had come in second, he later found

out about the sponsors and he gave them a copy of the “Infinite”

tape, which was later sent to Dr. Dre. Dre was extremely

impressed with the talent of Eminem and got contact of him,

where the two recorded his second album; The Slim Shady LP.

This album set the tone for his style of rap, as he lashed out

on everyone that had bullied him throughout his life. It was a

different style than anyone had ever heard, which brought him to

stardom.

Eminem is by far the most popular rapper that is seen most in

public. He has been seen in Rap Pages, VIBE, Rolling Stone,

Spin, The Source, URB and Stress and continues to strive for

more. He became the first white person to ever be on the cover

of The Source. Throughout his life he has starred in the movie

“8 Mile” based on his life growing up, has had over 20 guest

appearances on TV, has featured on numerous different rappers

CD’s, and has recorded 5 CD’s of his own. His second LP, “The

Marshall Mathers LP”, sold over 8 million records in the United

States alone, 1.76 million copies in the first week setting a

record for a solo artist. This album became the first rap album

ever to be nominated for “Album of the Year” at the Grammies. He

would go on to win 3 Grammies for the album that night. In the

year 2002 he made $29 million in earnings of his fourth album

“The Eminem Show LP” and touring for it. Then on March 23, 2003

the song “Lose Yourself” from his movie “8 Mile” became the

first rap song to ever win an Academy Award.

While being known for his explicit behavior and horrendous

lyrics on his albums and in the eye of the public, it is

difficult to overlook all that he has achieved. Coming from

where he did and rising to where he is currently, it is

remarkable what he has done not only for himself, but the rap

world as well. While it is hard for most to like him, there are

not many that do not at least respect him for what he has

achieved as of now, and what he may do in the future to come.

—

© Jeff Schuman II

http://www.best-mp3-music-downloads.com

“Turn my mic up!”

“Turn the music down!”

“Turn me up!”

“Turn me down!”

“I can’t hear myself!”

How many of you have heard these phrases from an artist performing on stage? Here’s an even better question: How many of you have found yourself saying them before/during a performance? I have, and I’m not afraid to admit it. In some situations it may be the DJ or whoever’s running the sound system. In other cases it may be the sound system itself. But in most cases–and in no way is this being stated to belittle any up and coming performer, whether you sing, rap, or play an instrument–it may not be any of those situations.

Yes, that’s right: It may just be YOU.

I’ve seen many artists who will get agitated because they feel like the audience can’t hear them or they can’t hear themselves, and will automatically blame whoever’s running the sound. But there’s nothing wrong with the system; the microphones are brand new, the speakers are leveled great, and the EQ is on point. The problem is the way they are holding the microphone. If you are a professional and/or major artist–C’MON SON. (Though nowadays some major artists don’t know how to perform on stage, but that’s another topic. *cough*) But if you are just starting out, I understand. At the same time I feel sorry for most of you because you’re just jumping out there ready to make it big, yet you do not have the proper training necessary in this music industry. There are methods that lead to success, and you have to be willing to learn them. If you want people to hear you on stage, you have to learn how to use the microphone.

HOLDING THE MICROPHONE

You can sing and/or rap as loud as you want, but the audience will not be able to hear clearly if the microphone is too far away from your mouth. No one should be watching you perform with it all the way down near your chest. For better results, the microphone should be at least 1 to 2 inches away from your mouth while you are performing. If you are a singer, the only time you should pull away is when you are projecting your voice in order to avoid being too loud in the speakers, at least no more than one foot in distance.

“CUFFING” THE MICROPHONE

Rappers, this is ESPECIALLY for you. We’ve heard this term, before: “Don’t cuff the mic.” To those not privy to the meaning of this term, “cuffing” is when a person wraps their hand around the ball of the microphone while speaking or rapping. From my own experience, this hurts an artist because it blocks the field of sound. It also muffles and distorts a person’s voice to the point where you cannot even understand what they’re saying.

Your hand should be gripping the handle directly underneath the ball. This will enable the microphone to better pick up sound so the audience can hear you more clearly. Now I will admit that some people feel differently about this; there are artists (moreso rappers) that believe “cuffing the mic” actually helps increase the volume so they can be heard better. Shoot, I’m actually guilty of having done it every now and then, but moreso out of habit than anything else. If you “cuff the mic” (and be honest with yourself), I recommend you do what I was doing until I habitually started holding it correctly: Practice on at least leaving enough space at the top of the ball so you have a better chance at not sounding muffled.

KEEPING THE MICROPHONE NEAR YOU

How you hold the microphone when you’re not performing is just as important as when you are. Never should you allow yourself to let it hang to the side in between verses (this goes for backups and hypemen, too). Letting it hang as if you are about to drop it on the ground only adds more effort into bringing it back up to your mouth when it’s time to perform or speak your adlib. Not only that, it also causes that ear-splitting sound we like to call “feedback” when you get near a speaker or monitor. You are literally putting the microphone into the monitor when you let it hang.

So in order to avoid this from happening, keep your arm bent and near your body when you’re not speaking/rapping/singing. This will make it much easier to bring the microphone back to your mouth, as well as avoid putting it into the monitors.

IN CLOSING…

Performing on stage is all about leaving a long-lasting first impression on your target audience. People who see you–fans, other artists, A&R’s and industry executive higher-ups alike–are paying attention. They’re paying attention to your stage presence as well as your energy, determining whether or not you can move crowds. But most importantly, they’re paying attention to your delivery. And, in my opinion, your delivery begins with the microphone.