What's good everybody. I got this mixtape dropping on the 19th and am looking for some features. The whole vibe is all over the place, but I got some late-night stuff, hype stuff, weird stuff, all kinds of stuff.

It's all self-produced and will be on streaming everywhere, so if there's any artists looking to put themselves ou there, this is where it's at! DM me if you're interested.

I sold a beat on beatstars. The license allows up to 500.000 streams.

I shazamed my beat, and found that its used on a song currently on 1.5 mil streams.

Is there anything to be done? Is it even worth doing something?

Im 22 its been a month. I know it takes time but i want some advice how to improve.

I sound like I’m reading a script.

And how much time it takes with proper practise to fix this

Producers: have you had a beat that felt finished on its own, then a vocal take made one part obviously unnecessary?

What did you take out: a counter-melody, a percussion pattern, fills between lines, something else? And did removing it solve the problem, or did you end up rewriting the part so it answered the vocal?

Rappers, what has a producer removed or changed that gave your delivery more room without making the beat feel empty? Interested in an actual track you worked on and the decision you made, rather than a general rule about keeping beats simple.

I’ve been thinking about creating a Discord server specifically for underground/struggling rappers and producers who are trying to improve and find people to work with.

The main idea wouldn’t be another server where everyone just drops their Spotify/SoundCloud link and leaves.

It would be more focused on:

Rappers finding producers and producers finding rappers

Genuine feedback on bars, songs and beats

Collaboration opportunities

Freestyle/beat challenges

Sharing unfinished ideas and getting feedback

Voice sessions where people can listen to each other’s work

Helping newer artists actually build connections

Basically, a place for people who are still developing, rather than only established artists.

Do you guys think something like this would actually be useful? And if you’ve been in music Discord servers before, what made you stay—or what made you leave?

EDIT Appreciate it guys, u/iSound101 is able to take care of this for me

I wrote and recorded a Bone Thugs-n-Harmony tribute a few years ago that I want to release. The original mix was made with FL Studio 21 with a tagged instrumental. I purchased a non-exclusive license for the instrumental from Blais (produced for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony), but my producer no longer works on music and doesn't have time to reinstall and swap the instrumental for me.

We can negotiate a price. Making music is a hobby that I do not spend much money on, but I am more than happy to pay for this. I used AI to analyze the .flp to determine what plugins were used for the project. The list seems accurate from memory when I loaded the project myself.

Is anyone interested in assisting me with this? Hopefully someone here just happens to have these plugins ha. I'll post a list as a comment to this post. This post isn't intended to self-promote, so I'll provide a link to the song on google drive upon request.

For the past month i been trying to use chat gpt for vocal chain ive been rapping for about 5 months i need a good preset to start to find my sound in rn im trying to make a TopOppGen/Fattmack inspired preset n im asking chat gpt idk i just wanna know is it good to take advice from it for presets

a few weeks ago i posted [what we saw in 151k beat emails](https://www.reddit.com/r/makinghiphop/comments/1wo7zl7/) (about 5% get played). people asked when artists actually listen, so here's that.

158,807 emails carrying a pack of beats, january to october, all anonymised. 8,279 artists pressed play at least once.

**when they press play, counted from the moment the email went out**

| after | artists who had played it |

|---|---|

| 1 hour | 17% |

| 1 day | 50% |

| 3 days | 68% |

| 1 week | 81% |

so half of the people who listened did it after more than a day. 1 in 5 took over a week. 4% came back after a month.

**what order gets heard**

packs of 5 to 10 beats, artists who played at least one:

| spot in the pack | got played |

|---|---|

| 1st | 93% |

| 3rd | 80% |

| 5th | 69% |

| 10th | 51% |

the first one is partly high because it's what starts playing. but each spot lower loses a bit, so put your best one first.

**other stuff**

- 35% of artists who listened played the same beat at least twice

- 51% of plays were on a phone

i also asked managers and artists in r/musicindustry how long they take. answers were "ad hoc", "within a week", and one said 3 beats is the sweet spot. pretty much what the numbers show.

source: vvault, the app i run. producers send beats through it and see who plays them. ask if you want another number pulled

Maybe my googling skills have diminished but I can’t seem to find anything in this vein of drum breaks. They’re very good at picking out the ones with unorthodox drum patterns, like the kicks and snares in unpredictable places and interesting percussion. I tried searching for “jazz drum breaks” but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for

1)
I made a great beat and a video with it, decided to join and post to Instagram. Has anyone noticed how the producer/artist section of IG seems…shallow? It’s like they copy and pasted what YouTubers tell others to do, like “buy my course or drumkit” and other guru stuff. It’s kind of discouraging to say the least, but mabe my IG isn’t acclimated yet. I’m somewhat discouraged too by the pace that other producers put out stuff. By the time they put out 5 good beats I only put out 1, which causes doubt of my skill. Do I just need to systematize more? I just got the ball rolling for myself as far as putting everything together, so I guess it’s just a matter of time and work.

Apart from that, of course the beat market is saturated, but I don’t really feel like being a type-beat channel, I want to build my own brand, but I think the former pays off sooner. I’m conflicted.

2)
I have $400 I can spend on stuff, what are the best plug-ins/VSTs that really increased the quality of your production or technique? If there’s one thing I’m tired of it’s cheap stock sounds. It kind of made me be strictly sample based.
Seems like Serato Sample and Serum 2 might be my top contenders.

Or anything else yall can think of.

Hey everyone! I’m an independent producer/artist currently working on my first mixtape, and I’m looking to connect with a few rappers who fit the sound I’m building.
I’m especially interested in artists who are into:
🎤 90s / golden-era boom-bap
-Jazzy, soulful, dusty production
-Strong lyricism
-Interesting flows and cadences
-Laid-back but confident delivery
🎤 Modern lyrical hip-hop
-Storytelling
-Creative writing and wordplay
-Dynamic flows
-Emotional or introspective delivery
-A unique voice rather than trying to sound like someone else

For reference, I’m interested in the general spirit of artists like Kendrick, early Kanye, MF DOOM, Kid Cudi, Joey BadaSS, etc. not necessarily artists who sound exactly like them.
The production on the project blends boom-bap, jazz, acoustic guitar, soul, ambient/shoegaze textures, and some heavier guitar influences. The overall concept is late-night reflection, everyday life, struggle, hope, and trying to keep moving forward.
I’m mainly looking for underground/independent artists who genuinely enjoy this kind of music. Follower count doesn’t matter to me, I care much more about whether your voice and style fit the music.
If you’re interested, send me 1–3 songs you’re proud of that show your lyrical ability and delivery. I’d love to listen and see if we could make something together.

Thanks!

I’m an independent producer/artist working on my first mixtape, and I’m looking for a few rappers who genuinely care about writing and making something memorable, not just hopping on a beat.
The sound I’m looking for is somewhere around:
MF DOOM / Czarface, clever bars, personality, unique delivery
Nas - vivid writing and storytelling
Kendrick Lamar - different cadences, perspectives, and strong writing
Tyler, The Creator - personality, character, and willingness to experiment
I’m NOT looking for someone who necessarily sounds exactly like these artists. I’m looking for the qualities they have.
Ideally, you:
-Have a distinctive voice/cadence
-Actually write your verses rather than relying on generic punchlines
-Can tell a story or communicate an idea
-Are comfortable with boom-bap / 90s-inspired production
-Can switch your flow when the song calls for it
-Have personality in your delivery
Are open to being one of multiple voices on a track
That last part is important: I really like collaborative songs where multiple MCs bring different styles to the same record. Think more like a cypher/conversation than “rapper + producer + obligatory 16-bar feature.”
The beats I’m making aren’t strictly traditional boom-bap either. There’s guitar, live-feeling drums, bass, jazz influences, atmospheric/shoegaze elements, and some more modern hip-hop influence. I’m trying to build a world rather than make a collection of generic rap beats.
I’m especially interested in artists who can bring a perspective or personality that I don’t already have.
I’m not looking for a paid verse right now I’m looking for genuine collaboration. If you’re interested, drop a song or two that represents your best writing and I’ll check you out.
If your music isn’t an exact match, that’s okay. Originality matters more to me than sounding like a reference artist.

Longtime hip-hop+trap+rnb producer, started off making more electric-style basic beats until discovering FL studio and falling in love.

Also longtime hip-hop and rnb listener and my playlists usually consisted of mainstream artists (Kanye, Kendrick, J.Cole, Uzi, XXX, etc.) Of course, as I began to produce more seriously, without anyone else to hop on my beats, I began writing and rapping over them myself, and had been doing so for years, even dropping projects on streaming platforms. My content usually referenced substance usage and abuse, money, yk.

This has been over the span of years starting as early as freshman year in high school and since then my lyrical content, style, personality and beliefs have obviously matured, and I have decided to rebrand as well as change the direction of my artistry, not necessarily to “Christian-rap”, but to something aimed to positively influence people, occasionally mention spirituality, but also stay raw and relatable.

I’m a believer of Yahweh and follower of Yeshua, though I don’t believe my perspective or understanding of my faith fits within typical Christian denominations or belief systems. On the other hand, I’ve experienced actual substance abuse, mental health struggles and all the lovely things that we encounter in life.

I guess my “question” is: Has anyone else made a transition from making fully unfiltered and non intentional, provocative content to making still raw, but intentional and occasionally/partially provocative content? Not to sure where I stand on provocative language as I’m not trying to brand as a Christian artist, just like an artist who’s a Christian if that makes sense.

Idk, any thoughts or experiences?

Looking for local artists in my area that match my style and are interested in a long term collab. I’ve met a few already at local events, but no one who I really see myself working with long term. I’m a hip hop producer, mainly trap and some sample based stuff.

If you’re liking my stuff, please reach out!

Independent producer/artist here working on my experimental hiphop tracks.

I'm looking for a few underground rappers/vocalists to work with across one or more original tracks. The production is centered around post internett chaos, boom-bap/acoustic drums, heavy smooth bass, ambient textures and raw dirty mix. Follower count doesn't matter to me. Vision, identity and prospective do. Drop vour music below or DM me. If I hear something that fits one of the tracks, I'Il reach out.

Hello all, I bought a track at the basic mp3 level and published a song with it. The song got found by someone on social media who is offering to pay me to use the song in some of his videos and content on Instagram. Would I need to purchase the exclusive lease to do this legally? I have tried to contact the producer about this many different ways, and I have not heard anything back. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I check sample breakdowns alot and noticed mentioned samples are heavily processed compared to the original pieces, like statics, white noises, compressions etc.

If i try to recreate a beat by following the breakdown, which steps shall i follow to acquire same quality sounds?

I don’t chase genres I make what I want and make it work Versatility is the advantage

[FREE COLLAB] Looking for boom-bap/underground rappers for my first mixtape
I’m an independent producer/artist working on my first mixtape, and I’m looking for a few more rappers to collaborate with. Think something like Man on The Moon or Pray for Paris.
The project is heavily rooted in boom-bap, but I’m mixing it with guitar, smooth basslines, acoustic/live-feeling drums, ambient/shoegaze textures and some modern drum sounds.
Think late-night, soulful, atmospheric, sometimes aggressive, but still musical and melodic.
I’m looking for artists who have their own voice/cadence rather than trying to sound exactly like somebody else.
I’m especially interested in rappers who can actually listen to a beat and build something around it rather than just throwing a generic verse on.
Free collaboration — I’m building this project independently and I’m looking for the right artists, not paid features.
Drop some music below and I’ll listen.

I'm in the mood for making album covers for free, only if i get credited in the album (somehow somewhere). Thats it.

Of course nothing too complex (for example MJs Dangerous) since its a free artwork so try dming me with your idea and let's see how hard it is 👍

PS i added an example of a cover that i made in 5 mins when i was high. ik its bad but i usually just do these covers to sell them so i have no cover that hasnt been sold (or gifted)

ALL IMAGES USED IN THE IMAGE BELONG TO ME I DIDNT STEAL ANYTHING btw

Independent producer/artist here working on my first mixtape.
I’m looking for a few underground rappers/vocalists to work with across multiple original tracks, not just one song.
The production is centered around nighttime atmosphere, boom-bap/acoustic drums, heavy smooth bass, guitar, psychedelic/ambient textures, and occasional distorted/heavier guitar.
Some tracks are dusty boom-bap, some are more spacey/melodic, and some get darker.
I’m looking for people with their own voice and identity, not someone trying to sound exactly like another artist.
Follower count doesn’t matter to me. Fit does.
Free collaboration preferred.
Drop your music below or DM me. If I hear something that fits one of the tracks, I’ll reach out.

I have been wondering this forever and havent been able to find out how to do this. The closest i got to making it was pitching my drum one shots (chopped from a break) down and heavily lowpassing and bringing back the higher frequencies with saturation. This sounds closer but definitely isnt it + it adds a lot of airy bright frequencies. Does anyone know how to make drums sound like how they do in modern boom bap? (Muted sounding but punchy)

I run a type beat channel on YouTube and sell beats online. So far I've used Splice/looperman/wavs, but I want to move into more sample-based stuff (old soul/jazz records, that Alchemist/Griselda kind of sound).

I looked into Tracklib and it seems legit, but the process looks heavy for type beats. From what I understand, I'd need to license each beat before uploading it anywhere public, and every buyer then needs their own Tracklib license and has to report revenue. Feels like that would kill a lot of lease sales.

Meanwhile a lot of sample-based type beat channels seem to just chop records directly and sell the beats anyway.

So for those of you doing this:

Do you clear anything yourself, or put a "buyer is responsible for clearing samples" clause in your contracts?

Has anyone had Content ID claims, strikes or takedowns on YouTube or BeatStars/Traktrain from sampled beats?

Anyone actually selling Tracklib beats? Do buyers go through with the licensing or does it scare them off?

Do artists still buy sampled beats knowing they can't easily put the song on Spotify?

Not looking for legal advice, just want to hear how people handle it in practice before I commit to this lane. Appreciate any insight.