a rap song for people to vent on.

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:37 am

It seems that not a lot of people on this forum are the biggest fans of hip-hop, so i post this rather tentatively. I recently produced a song called "Take me away", and am looking for people to critique it technically. you can be as harsh as you like, but please be constructive- i am here to learn. what's wrong with my mix, and the sound of the track overall? please...any comments would be most welcome.

the link is www.myspace.com/masonshouse
the song, like i said, is called "Take Me Away"

I am aware that i suck, the question you can help me with, is how MUCH i suck. Smile

Mason Black

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:53 am

People post death metal here, and screamo, etc., so no one should talk, really.

No music ethnologist professors here, far as I know.

Anyway,

Harry Belafonte + Enya + Eminem = this

Song structure = A
Backing track = C+
Lyrics = B-
Mix = C-/D+

Use different sounds for your MIDI sequences. Similar to what you have, but sounds with more depth to them. That will automatically help the mix towards a better end result.

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:58 am

Further:

Don't get my wisecracks wrong: you have mucho talent. I am not sure 100% hip hop is the best artistic medium to express it in. Something just isn't clicking there, and I am saying this perfectly realizing that in the history of hip hop there have been many ways of expression. I'll give you an example. There was this great musician who wanted to play jazz standards. And he played them perfectly. But he didn't sell very well, and many felt his music lacked vitality. He went back to the drawing board, and came out with a style that he enjoyed - not trying to emulate John Coltrane anymore.

His name was Mr. Kenneth Gorelick, and you know him as Kenny G.

You also have a marketable image, so you should look into finding a simple development deal with a producer.

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:51 pm

Thank you very much for your feedback. I have a few questions though.

You said i should use sounds that have more depth. I use Reason to program with. Any idea where i should get(or how i should go about making) better sounds?

I have no idea what a development deal is. Could you please explain what that is.

You're right to raise questions about whether i should be making strictly hip-hop. I don't think i really am making 100% hip-hop, and i really am very much drawn to both rock and electronica(and their million and 1 sub-genres). What drew me most to hip-hop was the form which the lyrics take. With rock music, the writing has to be more poetic, and has to be able to capture things very succinctly. With hip-hop, by the the virtue of its songs having more words, it allows you to be more graphic in the way you write. I guess that's what really won me over. Of course, when i'm awesome, i'll make lots of different genres. Right now, i'll settle for just getting good in this one.

Thanks for your time.

Mason

Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:32 am

MasonBlack wrote:

Thank you very much for your feedback. I have a few questions though.

You said i should use sounds that have more depth. I use Reason to program with. Any idea where i should get(or how i should go about making) better sounds?

I have no idea what a development deal is. Could you please explain what that is.

You're right to raise questions about whether i should be making strictly hip-hop. I don't think i really am making 100% hip-hop, and i really am very much drawn to both rock and electronica(and their million and 1 sub-genres). What drew me most to hip-hop was the form which the lyrics take. With rock music, the writing has to be more poetic, and has to be able to capture things very succinctly. With hip-hop, by the the virtue of its songs having more words, it allows you to be more graphic in the way you write. I guess that's what really won me over. Of course, when i'm awesome, i'll make lots of different genres. Right now, i'll settle for just getting good in this one.

Thanks for your time.

Mason

MasonBlack:

The stock sounds of Reason, as well as Fruity Loops (FL Studio) are not all that great. Reason's stock sounds are much better than FL's, though.

If you find better sounds (Reason refill packs), then that would mean less work on EQing the sounds later. But I think you should not even concern yourself with that.

Here is an example of some Reason NNXT refill packs on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NNXT-Sound-Streamer-4-Pack-Reason-Refills-Set_W0QQitemZ7356648820QQcmdZViewItem

I think you should concentrate on your writing. Don't worry about trying to mold it into any flavor of anything. Just do it. We already have enough people trying to do force their style.

Find a producer who is willing to work for you on speculation. You could make a proper demo, which would then be shopped around to labels. That is one example of a development deal.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:14 am

Greetings Mason,

My opinion (not based on any professional experience, I hasten to add); as you've labeled it as Hip Hop, I'd suggest that you bring the drums further forward, take the female vocals further back and put some compression on your vocals.

I can hear the Pop and Electronica influences in the backing track (composition) and whilst it's not what's 'happening' right now in Hip Hop, I don't think it's a bad thing at all. However, I would say that just because a track has or features a rap/rapper in it, it doesn't necessarily make it Hip Hop and conversely just because a track doesn't have a rap/rapper in it, it doesn't mean that it can't be Hip Hop.

Remember, Hip Hop has always been bigger than just the music - just like Punk, Rave, etc. - there's a whole culture that surrounds it and the music is born of that culture, not manufactured by someone looking in from the outside. If you feel Hip Hop, you'll make Hip Hop irrespective of the inspiration for the music - Kraftwerk anyone?

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:44 pm

Thanks for the comments spy. i will try out your suggestions and see how they sound.

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