CHOSE YOUR BEATS WISELY

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One of the best things you can do for yourself as an artist, is to figure out what kind of beats actually work for you.

Not just what kind of beats you like...

There’s a big big difference.

A lot of artists they just go through beats -countless beats - then run with the beats that sound the coolest

There is much more to it than that you may have never even thought about it before.

But hear me out...

Going through catalog after catalog of the many dope beats online comes down to understanding yourself more than you think. Not only you - you in the present - but ultimately you need to have your future-self figured out as well

Know what level of beats your skillset is at today. And plot your growth - where your skills will be in a month, a year, and 5 years from now…

Flat out - If you pick the wrong beats for yourself you’re not going to build your style properly. You may like the way it sounds, or the way it bumps, maybe even the beat maker is a friend of yours… it doesn’t mean it matches your style or ability!

Think about your abilities - step outside of yourself. Can you do that? Ok now… ask yourself these questions and honestly answer them - you may not know the answers right away, but keep asking yourself and soon you will discover something…

What are you the best at? What are your weaknesses? Who do you wish you sounded like?

You must understand those 3 things in order to find The right beats for you!

How is the structure of the beat tailored to your best asset? …. Can you write page after page of lyrics? Spit 16 bars in your sleep? Or … Do you come up with catchy hooks?

.... If so, use a beat which emphasis the hook! Or a beat that has the hook come in the beginning!

Do you write here and there, but with great punchlines?

… Use a beat that cuts out (or drops) every 4th bar to really emphasize your rhymes!

I know this all sounds like common sense. But the overwhelming majority of rappers don’t do it! How many times have you skipped over a song from your favorite artist because the beat is whack? It’s not that the beat is bad - it just doesn’t fit the rapper!

Buy beats that sound like you would be on it - not Drake or Jay-Z or Eminem. If you can easily picture them on it, its not yours. Move on

What frequency range is your voice? Pick a beat that leaves your frequency open So that your voice can sit properly and very nicely “on top” the beat and so your voice can be the focal point and is not clashing with anything else or fighting for space in the mix.

You also need to understand which style is for you. What kind of kind of instrumentation is going to work best with your tone of voice

These are things you got to figure out. I can’t figure it out for you.

I can tell you that you need really need think about this. It’s going to save you a tremendous amount of time and you will capture new listeners with ease.

It's called self-awareness. It's called being a musician. Honing in your approach will make you better than the rest and nobody will be able to tell exactly why that is. But you'll know why it is...

II's because you will have already won half the battle before you ever even rap your opening line!

HA! YO that's all for now... You bad mother fuckers!
& you're welcome,

Jacob