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Ladies and Gentleman….Singers and Rappers…

Why is it that a lot of up-and-coming rappers and singers seem to have kind of a hard time recording on beat? The beat/instrumental is there when you record, but maybe you’re having trouble stayin on it.

I hear rappers and singers all of the time, who record new songs. The track starts of with a hot rap beat or r&b instrumental, but the artist can’t seem to stay in time with it! That is why today I want to give you a simple tip to help with it, and that tip is to simply:

Start practicing your songs with a metronome.

What is a metronome?

A metronome is basically a device that indicates the speed that music or lyrics should be played or sung to by producing a consistent click sound with an adjustable rate. You can change the speed, and therefore you can practice at different speeds.

If you listen back to some of your songs and notice that you are having trouble stayin’ on beat, then there are 2 things I want you to do:

1. Be honest and admit to yourself that you are off-beat and need to work on it
2. Buy and practice with a metronome.. daily

I can pretty much guarantee that if you practice like this consistently, then it will only take a short period of time for you to start noticing a difference. You will reach a new level and start to see progress.

Then, when you start recording to your hip hop instrumentals and r&b beats, as well as any other style of instrumentals (hopefully produced by me, wink wink), then your songs will sound a lot better. You’d be surprised at how much of a difference something as small as this can make.

Don’t be one of those off-beat artists that have potential but this small problem causes them to sound mediocre. If you’re going to invest into beats for your songs, then invest in being on beat.

Do yourself a favor, visit these sites:

webmetronome.com

www.metronomeonline.com

Use these tools people….Use them…They will help make you better;)

So….you’ve been recording hot r&b songs for a while now, but you want to do something different and outside the box…You could try writing a song about a new subject, something you’ve never sang about before…You could try singing with a different type of voice…You could try completely changing your style…

…But…

Why go away from the sound and style that makes you the artist who you are? Why not try something as simple as writing, singing, and recording your next hot r&b song over hip hop instrumentals?

As a creative artist, the keyword being ‘creative,’ you shouldn’t feel that you have to stay inside what you feel is ‘the only way.’ In the world of creativity, there are no rules. If you want rules, go be a lawyer! But if you are choosing to be an artist, then go and create art!

If you listen to the radio today, you will hear a lot of r&b artists who are starting to record hit singles to hip hop instrumentals. The new ‘pop’ is r&b over hip hop instrumentals..or vice versa….rap over r&b instrumentals.

Look at the number of songs that mix rappers with singers, and look at the number of those songs that are at the top of the billboard charts! When you see that, then why in the world would you want to stay ‘inside the box’ and not experiment with something different than you would normally do?

So my quick advice for the day is: If you are at a point where you want to try something different with your music, then do what a true artist does…try something that breaks your normal rules. Try recording some hot hit r&b songs over some hot hip hop instrumentals, and send them to me for a review.

Let’s make some hot stuff!!!

Before you get too cocky about recording without writing….

Everyone wants to claim, “Man I don’t need my lyric pad” or “I don’t ever write I just go and put it down.” They feel that this is going to put them in a class as some of the big dawgs in the game that do things this way.

Yea yea fine! But if you’re going to do it, please make sure that you at least have your lyrics memorized, or you actually have true skill to do this. You will waste your money going to the studio and taking 3 hours just to record one verse that would normally take 20 minutes because you don’t want to look at your lyrics, if you don’t have them memorized.

I believe that it is better to record memorized lyrics because you don’t have to focus so much on reading. You will be able to get more into the song and really be able to ‘feel it.’ But if you just simply don’t know the words, then be careful with this. Don’t do it just so you can feel like Lil Wayne or Jay-Z. Those guys have been in the game for years, and if you are patient and work hard, that talent will come for you in time. But don’t let pride cause you to record poorly in the beginning stages.

I’ve heard some artists who I thought had great potential. But then they would show me some of their songs and say ‘I don’t use my pad’ or ‘I don’t write my lyrics.’ Then I would have to tell them straight out, “Yea I can tell.” The fact is, a hit song is a hit song, and the fact that you didn’t write it or whatever isn’t going to make it anymore or less of a hit.

Focus on writing hits, and if you want to record it without your notepad, then focus on memorizing it. I am a big advocate of memorizing you lyrics. Sometimes when I’m working with an artist, I’ll have them record ‘reference’ vocals, and then have them take it on CD and practice with it at home. After a few days, not only do they have the song memorized, but they now can perform it so much better. As a result, we get into the studio and put it down faster, and better than the ever would have performed it if we did it all the first day.

Some of those artists have now reached a level where they can just come and we put it down, and it’s hot quality fire! So don’t feel like you have to be all there already. Spend some time developing yourself, focus on writing hits, and the rest will come with time and focus.

So whether you are a singer or rapper, get your hip hop instrumentals, r&b instrumentals or whatever….

Then…

Memorize your Lyrics…It will help…Believe That!

In your quest to become a multi-platinum, superstar artist, or even just a well known full-time rapper or singer on the underground, it is important that the beats and instrumentals that you use fit your voice, and your style of singing or rapping. I have seen tons of new artists who thought that they could just go grab any hip hop instrumentals and blow up over night.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some rappers and singers who, if they really had to, could sound hot over just about any rap beat or r&b instrumental, but even the top dawgs can have a tendency to be picky and choosy about what beats they will perform to.

They may hear a load of hot beats, but if it doesn’t fit their style, they really are not too interested in doing it, unless there is enough money involved.

Now if you don’t have a unique style yet, then it is fine to experiment with different types of beats to find and develop it. Also, you may every now and then want to do something ‘outside the box’ to stretch yourself, but make sure that you still have an identifiable style.

A lot of times when you hear beats or instrumentals, you may say “Man this is tight! I can hear _______ flowin’/singin’ over this beat!” That’s how you know when an artist has a recognizable style, and that’s also further proof that top artists pick beats that fit their style.

As you are trying to develop your style, it can also be helpful to listen to all types of music and see what really inspires you. This is quite easy to do nowadays considering all of the sites that allow you to listen to free online music and give you access to music downloads.

For a more detailed explanation and tips on exactly how to pick beats that fit your style, here is an in-depth article that I wrote on the subject of picking the right beats for superstar platium success:

How to pick beats that will help you become a Multi-Platinum, Superstar Artist

Check it out and let me know what you think! Also, if you have ideas for articles that you think will help you sell more CD’s and music downloads, then hit me with a comment or an email and let me know what’s on your mind.