Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC , a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and " scratching " using record players and the creation of a rhythmic backing track, using a drum machine or sequencer , it is most commonly used to refer to recording the instrumental, non-lyrical and non-vocal aspects of hip hop. Hip hop producers may be credited as the record producer or songwriter, they may also supervise recording sessions. Hip hop instrumentals are colloquially referred to as beats or musical compositions, while the composer is called either a programmer, songwriter or beat maker.

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And truth be told, it probably never will. We as music addicts tend to prefer music with words, be they meaningful and deep, melodic and fluffy, or some combination of other adjectives. But without a massive amount of listeners or not, instrumental hip-hop will endure and, more importantly, prosper. That much has been evident following the biggest releases in the subgenre, such as groundbreaking albums from DJ Shadow and J Dilla. The voice, in this case, is established by the manner in which they chop up, loop, and layer samples. And that right there, for me, is what keeps me coming back to instrumental hip-hop. Genres, and by extension subgenres, are shaped by moments. And for instrumental hip-hop, there has arguably been no bigger moment than the release of Donuts. Here is an album brimming with more chopped-up samples than you could probably ever need. And yet, in spite of his wide-reaching accomplishments, many of us still think of him as a producer first.
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Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. The reason "beats" comes first? It's arguably the most important element of hip-hop.
Old School Rap Beats. Horror Show [prod. Dunkin Prod. DJ Envision.