Getting into Hip Hop: Gear, Techniques, and Practical Advice From Established Artists
Although hip-hop was considered underground in the 1980s, it is clearly mainstream now. I wanted to see how technology had changed the process of creating hip-hop music. I also thought it was important to get advice from a diverse selection of musicians, producers, and DJs in this field.
Deejay Paz
Deejay Paz is one of the leading producers and DJs in the Melbourne music scene. He has supported acts including Belgium’s San Soda, Baltimore’s Scottie B, Phillies Dj Sega, UK’s Dj Sinden, LTJ Bukem, Man Recordings Daniel Haaksman and Branko from Buraka Som Sistema.
His journey has included performances at some of the biggest festivals and music events in Australia, from Meredith Music Festival, and Big Day Out (alongside Arthur Baker) to the legendary Vibes on A Summer's Day.
Magesh, Musicngear: What's the first piece of musical equipment you would recommend to someone who wants to get into hip-hop?
I would recommend DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software and specifically Ableton with the PUSH upgrade. A good DAW can provide you the space to conceive all your thoughts, and once you can sketch that out, it has many means to expand. Ableton presets have been pushed to their limits by very creative and talented people. Gen X and Z were brought up with the button-style sequencing seen on hardware like the Akai MPC 2000 and the SP 1200, so the PUSH hardware, combined with Ableton software is a little nod to that era of sampling and sequencing. It is not essential, however, a good mouse, FruityLoops (DAW), and a strong CPU can do just as much damage.
The idea of Hip Hop for me is about creating, conceiving, and performing the narrative that is best afforded to yourself, always with a little nod to the original pillars of its creation.
Traditionally hip hop was started with samplers like the now famous Akai MPC. Do you think sampling is still important in hip-hop?
The idea of sampling came about as that was afforded to the community that wanted to pursue that sound at the time. The tradition evolved from mixing two records, to repeating the breakdowns via manipulation of turntables, repeating the said process in a studio, and then finding the studio had access to a sampler. The software just copied what the sampling hardware was doing (sequencing samples together) and now the software is evolving to be AI.
In my opinion, prompts will be the new sample strategy eg. 'Make it sound like a Bernard Purdie drum fill, loop for 8 bars, and vary the breakdown every 24 bars'. Physical sampling will only be necessary if you don't have access to AI.
Hip-hop can be an obscure term. Some people call Eminem hip hop but also the Digable Planets hip hop. What is your definition of hip-hop?
I was introduced to Hip Hop as being of 4 elements - turntablism, MCing, breaking, and graffiti writing. They were pioneering art forms of a generation that were easily accessible to creatives across all standings.
The best MCs can draw your attention by extrapolating the narrative of their social standings. Those 4 elements have evolved into many subgenres and spread into other art forms. Hip-hop's original identity is less defined by its current practitioners but has evolved and contains the same response from its intended audiences.
The idea of Hip Hop for me is about creating, conceiving, and performing the narrative that is best afforded to yourself, always with a little nod to the original pillars of its creation.
Do you think it's important to be able to program beats when creating hip-hop now that pre-programmed beats are available in sample packs?
Experimentation and practice are most important. Grab the programmed beats and evolve them. If those elements are accessible to you, then you must use them. How to stand out amongst others and how to add your funk is always the challenge, and it only comes with experiment and practice. I give myself boundaries at times to help with the creative process, for example, 'Only sample CDs for your next project' or 'Just use the one Ableton plugin for this next project and see what its maximum potential is'.
What is the biggest difference in creating hip-hop music in the studio as opposed to performing it live?
The most enjoyable MCs, DJs, bands, and performers have a live performance aspect to it. But studio production does not always allow that. The simplest tenement of hip-hop music is that you can entertain. The people who can take the energy of the stage and put it into the recording process have proven to have a unique advantage over a bedroom studio musician who wants to transfer to the live stage. Start with party rocking.
Connect With Deejay Paz
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Paul Bartlett
Paul Bartlett is an ARIA and APRA-winning producer/drummer based out of Adelaide, Australia. Having spent 20 years in the music industry working and playing with bands and artists such as Lowrider, Hilltop Hoods, A.B.Original & many more, Paul is now a celebrated Documentary Photographer. He uses his experience of connecting with people through the art of music as a foundation to build his raw, unguarded style of photography, which focuses strongly on humanity and connection.
What's the first piece of musical equipment you would recommend to someone who wants to get into hip-hop?
Whatever equipment you need to be able to listen, there is such an incredible evolution of music that created the lineage of hip-hop, and having a solid understanding of that history is going to give you the foundation you need to build your own story. Aside from that, whatever you feel will allow you to create your voice, most importantly, don't let fear or a lack of it become a hurdle, some of the greatest hip hop ever made was created on very simple set-ups.
Traditionally hip hop was started with samplers like the now famous Akai MPC. Do you think sampling is still important in hip-hop?
I think the idea of sampling is important. Whether or not you are sampling, using packs from other producers, or writing your own music from scratch, it's vital you understand how sampling works. It's a mentality that offers a huge understanding of why certain parts of hip-hop feel the way they do. So even when recording a live musician, I would at times have the mindset that I was 'sampling ' them rather than recording them. Same with mixing, arranging, etc, you don't have to use that technique of sampling but I believe it's vital that you at least understand what it brought to the table sonically.
Some of the greatest hip hop ever made was created on very simple set-ups
Hip-hop can be an obscure term. Some people call Eminem hip hop but also the Digable Planets hip hop. What is your definition of hip-hop?
Hip Hop is young and it's really only now starting to very clearly separate into its subgenres the same way rock music has, or heavy metal has. I would be cautious to try to define hip hop, firstly because I am certainly not any form of authority figure to be able to do that, but mostly because it's bleeding into so many other styles and subgenres, etc now, which is a beautiful thing.
Do you think it's important to be able to program beats when creating hip-hop now that pre-programmed beats are available in sample packs?
I think it is important to know what YOUR sound is and be true to that. If you sample a 2 bar drum break from a 1970's vinyl, great. If you download a 2 bar drum break from a sample pack that was recorded last week, great. If you have programmed every single note of a drum break on an MPC/Laptop/iPad etc, great....so long as you are creating YOUR sound. Remember that you are creating as an artist, it has to be true to you. With all these sample packs available these days, instead of painting your own masterpieces, there are a lot of people who kinda just color in an existing picture and call it their own, which only hurts them in the long run.
What is the biggest difference in creating hip-hop music in the studio as opposed to performing it live?
With a good MC, it's simply the burden of capturing the energy and emotion that they can deliver on a stage, onto a recording. Hip Hop is for the most part a very performative style of music, the personality of the MC is as much a visual thing as it is audible, so you need to get those special moments, those special takes out of someone for it to leap out of the speakers and represent them as an artist in a true light.
Connect With Paul Bartlett
Instagram / Website
Stevie Cat Jnr
A Maori from Aotearoa (New Zealand) Stevie Cat Jnr is a self-taught drummer who currently plays for Australian rapper Seth Sentry. He has also played for Grammy Award-winning artist Kimbra, Regurgitator, and Melbourne band Gospel Sundays.
What's the first piece of musical equipment you would recommend to someone who wants to get into hip-hop?
With a computer, there are so many amazing tools available to help you make hip-hop music these days. Pick your DAW and get to work!
Traditionally hip hop was started with samplers like the now famous Akai MPC. Do you think sampling is still important in hip-hop?
Hell yeah, sampling is capturing a one-of-a-kind vibe from a song that can’t be replicated or replayed and creating something new out of it. All the greats sampled eg J Dilla, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, etc.
Hip-hop can be an obscure term. Some people call Eminem hip hop but also the Digable Planets hip hop. What is your definition of hip-hop?
For me, everything involved in the culture of hip hop.. music, fashion, language, dance, art, etc
Sampling is capturing a one-of-a-kind vibe from a song that can’t be replicated or replayed and creating something new out of it
Do you think it's important to be able to program beats when creating hip-hop now that pre-programmed beats are available in sample packs?
It depends on what you want, so many hip-hop classics were made with sampled drum loops. But personally, for me, it ALL starts with the beat. It’s the Boom Bap, it’s the backbeat. So creating a beat that is original and tailored to the song that I’m working on makes sense for me.
What is the biggest difference in creating hip-hop music in the studio as opposed to performing it live?
Live is always a different vibe, the energy is different when you are on stage. I always think of the original and greatest live hip-hop band ever.. the Roots! The way they interpret their songs live compared to how they are recorded in the studio is very different.
Connect With Stevie Cat Jnr
Instagram
pHinioUS
Hailing from the idyllic shores of Mauritius & currently based in the vibrant hub of Naarm, pHinioUS is a multifaceted artist in the world of music.
As a DJ, producer, and musician, his artistic journey has been one full of curiosity; crafting a rich tapestry of fresh, booty-shaking, and irresistibly groove-inducing sounds.
Performing with Fizard & Paris Wells, supporting the likes of GrandMaster Flash, and Chris Brown to name a few. Utilizing his skills as a musician/composer, he skillfully interweaves his enchanting remixes and captivating collaborations in the heart of his sets. Whether the soundscape is House or hip Hop, the voyage embarked upon with pHinioUS at the helm is a euphoric adventure, through rhythms and melodies that linger in the soul!
It's an umbrella that captures culture and music, “HIP-HOP”! Underneath that we get a bucket load of styles, be it what you wear or listen to!
What's the first piece of musical equipment you would recommend to someone who wants to get into hip-hop?
I would go for a sampler-style unit, these days that takes various shapes: a standalone MPC or sampler-style controller for Ableton / Reason! The world’s your oyster post that!
Traditionally hip hop was started with samplers like the now famous Akai MPC. Do you think sampling is still important in hip-hop?
Sampling is still super important to hip-hop and a whole world of other styles. We have access to so many sounds & songs, recordable on ya phone or sampling device! Sampling can create inspiration for new ideas or become the idea itself. I would say that sampling is an instrument in itself these days-unlimited unique new sounds!
Hip-hop can be an obscure term. Some people call Eminem hip hop but also the Digable Planets hip hop. What is your definition of hip-hop?
For me, it’s an umbrella that captures culture and music, “HIP-HOP”! Underneath that we get a bucket load of styles, be it what you wear or listen to! Digable planets to Eminem to UK drill….
Do you think it's important to be able to program beats when creating hip-hop now that pre-programmed beats are available in sample packs?
I think that it’s important that you tune & train your ears to make dope music that you dig, the “how” doesn’t really matter!
What is the biggest difference in creating hip-hop music in the studio instead of performing it live?
In the studio, the options are endless (especially these days). Taking things to the stage to play “live” well means you have to be able to play the parts, then hopefully recreate the sound as close to the recording if you wanna it to sound like the recording, I’m a bit of a nerd for that!
Connect With pHinioUS
Instagram
About Magesh
Magesh is a musician and producer who has worked with Rihanna, Lionel Richie, Ricky Martin, Chris Brown, The Pussy Cat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, and Vernon Reid of Living Colour.
He released an instructional drumming dvd called "Unique Beats" where he mixed the drum kit with electronics and Indian hand percussion. He recently moved from Australia to the UK to explore new musical opportunities.
Website: mageshdrumteacher.co.uk
Contact Magesh at magesh.magesh7@gmail.com
In this section of the blog you will find recording advice, tips and tricks from fellow artists and music producers.
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