Produce Rap Music

Behind every successful rapper is a skilled producer. Without the producing skills of Jermaine Dupri, it’s unlikely Jay Z, TLC or Ludacris could have gotten as far as they did in the music business, and without the arranging talent of Dr. Dre, it’s doubtful Eminem could have wrapped such catchy, memorable tunes around breakout commercial hits like “The Real Slim Shady” and “Without Me.” Producers are the often under-appreciated fuel that powers rappers’ lyrical engines. Becoming a producer is challenging, and pits you against no small supply of competition, but a dedication to the music and highly focused game plan can at least improve your odds of making it in the business.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Access to music recording and editing equipment

1. Determine what genre of rap you want to produce. Are you into West Coast, East Coast, Dirty South, or maybe a hybrid subgenre that melds rap with jazz, R&B or rock? It’s important to really cultivate a taste for the kind of music you like and could see yourself making. Over-stretching into genres that you don’t really have a feel for is a recipe for failure.

2. Acquire an understanding of some musical theory. You should know what beats, measures, samples and other terms pertinent to the construction of a rap song are. Any conventional music training is a definite plus. The huge names in rap, particularly Eminem, Jay Z and Kanye West, have all benefited from working with producers who knew how to skillfully arrange and sample tracks from genres outside rap. Understanding what makes a catchy song, and how to mix the right hook with the right snare drum, guitar lick or hi hat accent is an absolute advantage. You should also have a good feel for bankable lyrics, as oftentimes the words in rap songs need to be tweaked slightly to better match the music.

3. Understand the technology. Today there’s no small supply of relatively inexpensive recording and software editing tools available like Pro Tools to help you cut your chops in the world of production. Take the time to read the instruction manual and start experimenting. Re-cut some of your favorite tracks, alter the arrangement, instrument selection or apply samples of other music. Do what you have to do to become both competent in the established standards of today’s rap, and push beyond them with your own creativity. As you move up in the business, you’ll have to become proficient with the more advanced recording and mixing equipment used in established recording studios.

4. Find rappers, DJs or other producers to work with. This can be hard, as there are already a lot of people producing rap and established rappers are unlikely to work with a neophyte. It’s best if you can get started with unsigned talent in your local area, such as up and coming rappers who would have nothing to lose by collaborating with an up and coming producer. These artists are also likely to be less arrogant and set in their ways than rappers who’ve had a taste of commercial success. Submit some of your beats to them and see if you can establish a relationship. Keep in mind that a relationship with an unknown emcee can pay big dividends if he ever hits the big time.

5. Stay persistent and enjoy your work. Very few rap producers reach the multi-millionaire status of Damon Dash, Timbaland or Jermaine Dupri. Most can’t even support themselves from producing alone. You’ve got have to have reasons beyond the money for staying in the rap game. If you’re talented, keep working hard, stay creative and keep working with talented, compatible rappers, even if they’re not big names yet.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider cultivating your own rap talent and becoming a performer in addition to producer, like Dr. Dre or Kanye West. This way you don’t always have to depend on collaborating with somebody else to create your music.

• Competition is broad and fierce. While you’re up and coming, expect to be snubbed from above, and if you gain some popularity, expect to be undercut from below. It’s just the reality of a very difficult game.