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INDUSTRY TALK: Nikki ‘Nix’ McKnight is Blazing a Trail

Sep 30, 2013 by strat - Comments Off on INDUSTRY TALK: Nikki ‘Nix’ McKnight is Blazing a Trail

 

Nikki ‘Nix’ McKnight: Tearing up Beats and Shining Online & Onstage

Straight out of Columbus, Georgia, Nix Mcknight (@706Nix) is a force to be reckoned with. Spitting pure, uncut hip hop on every track Nix is sure to make a fan out of you and yours. Don’t try to put her in a box because of where she’s from though. Her sound is versatile and her lyrics are mature and thoughtful. Nix shows that female emcees can go back to that hardcore spittin’ and real life subject matter without having to rely on image alone. On top of that, being perhaps the first openly gay female emcee in the game makes no difference to her passion. All she’s about is making good music. Checkout the video above. The song is called ‘Special’, produced by yours truly Strat Carter and featuring Duce Revolver & Ty Ty. Lookout for her upcoming Mixtape ‘The McKnight Files’ which is set to drop in a couple of weeks. The tape features Nix’ s smoking hot bars over beats from amazing producers, including 3 joints by yours truly.

For more info on this artist checkout www.706nix.com

For more about rap beats, r&b beats or buying beats online hit me up here at stratcarter.com

INDUSTRY TALK: HOT NEW VIDEO! Nitro Evahype “Doin My Thang”

Sep 17, 2012 by strat - Comments Off on INDUSTRY TALK: HOT NEW VIDEO! Nitro Evahype “Doin My Thang”

Beats and Rhymes in a Visual World

Hot off the press is the new single and video from Barbadian rap star Nitro Evahype from the Triple E Movement. Shot and directed by the team at RKADE Media, the single is Nitro’s declaration of the virtues of a carefree, fun filled lifestyle.

As usual, the production and mixing was handled by yours truly and is a prime example of why artists can find and buy some of the best beats online. The beat is a smooth mixture of soulful musicality and new school Hip Hop edge.

Buy Rap Beats for Your Next Single

If you are an indie Hip Hop artist and you’re on a budget, now is the best time to buy beats online. Nitro’s video is a perfect example of what you can achieve as an indie artist in today’s highly visual and highly social music market.

Haleek Maul: Rising Hip Hop Juggernaut

Jun 26, 2012 by strat - Comments Off on Haleek Maul: Rising Hip Hop Juggernaut

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MY MISSION: FROM MC’ING TO RAP BEATS FOR THE ONLINE MARKET TO BUY

I’ve been making rap beats for many years now. However, only recently I got into the market where artists buy beats online. While a good living can be made there, the real passion of a producer comes from sitting with an artist and building a project from concept to reality. This is sort of embedded in my DNA now. I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum having started out as a rapper flowing over Wu Tang and Mobb Deep instrumentals, then moving on to making my own rap beats and finally making the transition to being a producer for others. Since then I’ve made it my mission to develop young talent and help them get their creativity out. Enter: Haleek Maul.

ANOTHER AVENUE TO ONLINE SUCCESS WITH MAKING BEATS

Experts have given plenty of explanations regarding how to be successful selling beats online. From the active use of social media, to email marketing, to effective branding, these are all touted as useful ways to build your beat selling business and attract the attention of artists who buy beats online. I’m beginning to focus more on the idea of branding in a more specific sense. Haleek came to me late in 2011 with all his ideas and all his plans. At first I was skeptical. Here was a 15 year old Barbadian-American kid who didn’t seem at all like he would be a rapper. Then I heard his flows, lyrics AND his beats (yea he makes rap beats too) and I was thoroughly impressed. We eventually worked on and completed the Ep that you can listen to in the Soundcloud player above. Check out track number 2 “Inebriated”. That’s the one produced by me and even though he worked with other great producers, this tracks seems to be the one that stands out.

Even if only indirectly, Haleek is about to seriously help me with my branding. This little dude has the backing of UK label Merok Records and is featured on NUMEROUS top hip hop blogs including FADER and SPIN and you can check out the SPIN article here. This kind of coverage is invaluable to both the artist and the producers and one would be a fool not to be grateful for it.

The TAKEOVER IS COMING

Haleek is poised to do major things in this game. That is without a doubt. I would encourage all producers who cater to artists who prefer to buy beats online, to also look to work with promising artists from their area/region. If your beats help get an artist some major face time online, it can translate to a whole heap of publicity for you and hence traffic for your website. As with everything else it takes time but if you’re gonna take the branding route, there aren’t many better ways that to have a great track record of making hit SONGS as opposed to just beats.

 

One of the Realest Songs in Hip Hop….In a Long, Long Time

May 28, 2012 by strat - Comments Off on One of the Realest Songs in Hip Hop….In a Long, Long Time

THE REASON I MAKE RAP BEATS

Nas has long been one of my favourite hip hop artists and perhaps one of the top 5 MCs of all time. April 19, 1994: Illmatic’s release date. This date was also the date that hip hop music changed for me forever. I had never heard an MC say the things Nas was saying in the way in which they were being said. Blew my mind. That album took my writing and rhyming to a whole new level. Not to mention the beats. Blew my mind again. From “New York State of Mind” to the Q-Tip produced “One Love”, It felt as though the energy of the culture itself had possessed Nas and his collaborators and producers for the period while this album was being created. I felt as though I had to make beats and make them as sick as what I was hearing. Of course back then there was no one to buy beats online. Shoot I didn’t even know too much about the internet then, or computers for that matter. Music like that is why I do what I do. Some like to call it “real hip hop” but I prefer not to imply that newer hip hop is less real because most of you young artists who are presently doing your thing, some of you even buy beats online at my site, are in this present era and honestly you’re doing good work. I’d rather say that songs which define the overall feeling of the culture are the songs that continue to inspire me to make rap beats.

INSPIRATION: THIS IS WHY YOU BUY BEATS

The video above is Nas’ latest offering from his upcoming album “Life Is Good”. The song “Daughters” is simply Nas speaking on his life as a father and the ups and downs of raising a girl, not only in this society, but raising a girl as a single black man with his own past transgressions still haunting him, and raising a girl as, well Nas. This song is inspirational on so many levels. To those of you who have daughters it will make you stop and think about your own relationships with them. To you artists, just listening to the beat, Nas’ flow and his lyrical content are sure to send you straight to your rhyme book or to your studio to pour out the creative juices that come spilling over. To you guys, this is why you need original rap beats. This is why you’ve always wanted and still feel that urge to be the best MC ever. This is why you buy beats online, and thus, this is why I’m here. Thank you and thank Nas and every other artist that continues to inspire the engine of hip hop.

How To Create Beats the Industry Will Demand

May 21, 2012 by strat - Comments Off on How To Create Beats the Industry Will Demand

CREATING RAP BEATS THEY WILL WANT TO BUY

In the video above, I take you step by step and part by part through the creation of one of my latest beats. I’ve started to attract more success in terms of getting more beats sold, working with more artists and creating and selling more loopsets and sample packs for other producers. Most recently, I was connected with a licensing company interested in placing my music (rap beats, pop beats, full songs etc) in advertisements and TV shows. I’ll have an update on that in another post. Right now I’m just giving a little insight into what i do to make my sound more appealing to a wider cross section of artists who buy beats online and producers who use loops and samples.

There is no magical formula for making hot rap beats that artists will want to buy online and I can’t teach you what is not naturally a part of the talent you would need to possess. However I will give you a few points to give an idea of my personal process

PROFESSIONAL RAP BEATS START WITH A PROFESSIONAL MINDSET

If you are a producer trying to achieve a marketable sound with your rap beats, or if you are an artist who buys beats online then these points may interest you:

  • Develop at least a basic musically understanding. Learning to play chords, understand scales and the formulae for identifying major and minor scales are great ways to improve your skills. (Google the “Circle of Fifths” as well)
  • Understand the genre. Different genres are made up in different ways and they each carry their own unique sounds and styles. Learn which types of drums and tones suit which genre and use them well.
  • Listen to the music being released in your genre. If you’re making rap beats, listen to what’s hot in the hip hop world, both the mainstream and the underground. Chances are you will want to be able to cater to either type of artist.
  • Remember you are in business to succeed. Learn as much as you can about marketing and the psychology of why people buy things. It’s not just about great beats but also about an overall mindset.
  • Try to collect sounds and instruments that are being used in the latest styles. If your sound seems dated then it will be more difficult to attract artists with that they hear from you.

BUY BEATS ONLINE FROM THOSE WITH PROVEN EXPERTISE

Artists, it will be easy to tell the producers who follow the points above (or similar guidelines). The ones who don’t will have beats that are probably not well mixed or just don’t have the appeal of today’s hits (both mainstream and underground) that you are looking for. If you do buy beats online, make sure your money is well spent on quality beats.

MIXTAPE REVIEW: Jay. D & Nelly Nell – The Outline

May 03, 2012 by strat - Comments Off on MIXTAPE REVIEW: Jay. D & Nelly Nell – The Outline

The Outline - Jay. D & Nelly Nell

Every once in a while in Hip Hop this happens. An artist or group/pair artists comes along and brings a project that makes you say “Why the fuck are these guys not household names worldwide?” Then you remember that fame in this era is not necessarily based on talent. This is why I love independent artists. This is why I continue to strive to make the best rap beats possible, so that I can support the indie Hip Hop world.

Enter Jay.D and Nelly Nell and I’m sorry but I need to say this. This mixtape is one of the most refreshing things I’ve heard in Hip Hop in a while. I almost felt like I was transported back to what I like to call the glory days of Hip Hop, which saw the rise of Jay-Z, Nas, Fat Joe, Wu Tang, Busta Rhymes and others.Representing Philadelphia, Jay. D and Nelly Nell came through and delivered “The Outline”. The tape plays like an album from start to finish. From the opening track, which happens to be the title track, the pair of MCs spit bars over soulful yet hardcore beats like their lives depended on it. Listening to these guys brings to mind legendary duos Hip Hop like The Beatnuts, Raekwon & Ghostface, Heltah Skeltah and Mobb Deep. The subject matter ranges from clever braggadocio lyrics to getting high (“Roll Another Plane R.A.P” on that ill Jill Scott beat “Long Walk”) to women and more. Many of the songs have the potential to be hits with the right marketing.

Witty lyrics abound and instead of trying to quote any of the punchlines, I’ll simply suggest you take a listen. More than just the lyrics, these guys come across on the mic with such an effortless flair and ability to paint pictures and mesh seamlessly with the beats. In short the tape is a pleasing listening experience especially if you’re a true Hip Hop head. I give this tape a straight 5/5, no joke. Go download it NOW it’s right here. And to all you artists that may be reading this, here is a challenge. The next time you look to buy beats online and get your lyrics together to drop another tape, push yourself to reach the highest level possible because these cats are setting the bar way up in the stratosphere.

Don’t Let the Loudness War Ruin Your Music

Apr 19, 2012 by strat - Comments Off on Don’t Let the Loudness War Ruin Your Music

Over the past 20 or so years, artists and producers alike have been trying, sometimes misguidedly, to achieve supreme loudness in their tracks and beats. It’s almost like as time went by and capabilities of dynamics processing (compressors, limiters etc) and mastering got more advanced, everyone began competing to see who could have the loudest pop records on the charts. If a client goes to get a track mastered and realizes that it’s not as loud as the newest Kanye West record, then he or she goes back to the mastering engineer and says, “try again pal, not loud enough”. If you are an artist who buys beats online, whether on Soundclick or otherwise, I’m sure you have heard what I’m talking about.

The video above (props to Streaky Mastering) makes a valid point in that there is a difference between actual loudness and perceived loudness. Usually artists will run to the mastering engineer and have him throw on a brickwall limiter such that all the peaks of the song are slammed at 0db. This causes the mix to lose dynamics and power and the whole song ends up sounding “crushed”. This is not what you want. A song or beat with a good balanced mix and tweaks in the right frequency ranges will invariably sound louder than a song with is totally crushed with a limiter just to achieve loudness comparable to the new Lady Gaga track. At the end of the day you’re buying beats, whether online or from a local beatmaker, because you want to make a top quality song.

Artists, when you’re looking to buy beats online, you should listen for songs with a good mix where the instruments and balanced and the low end has good power. The beats DO NOT need to be exceedingly loud. Here’s why:

  • You buy the beat online and decide to record on it
  • Your voice is added to the overall signal of the song
  • Your voice has to be mixed so that it sits well on the beat and among the instruments
  • Your finished song will most likely go through it’s own mastering process

If the beat is slammed to the maximum, there is no headroom at all for mastering. During the recording process, the engineer may even have to bring the level of the beat down to something more comfortable and that presents an even further challenge when mastering.

My advice: don’t just buy the loudest beats without listening for whether there is headroom left for your vocal or for further mastering. Your career depends on you putting your best foot forward.

MIXTAPE REVIEW: SinCity – Recession Proof

Apr 13, 2012 by strat - Comments Off on MIXTAPE REVIEW: SinCity – Recession Proof

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Reppin’ New England to the fullest is SinCity with the hot new mixtape Recession Proof. This review is going to be short and to the point. This tape is fire from intro to outro. Arson. City serves up a full menu of 20 tracks of classic, east coast flavoured raps over hard, street laced beats. Recession Proof takes me back to the mid 90s in terms of mixtape feel. With DJ. Motion doing the hosting, cutting and scratching I’m reminded of DJ Clue’s Springtime Stick Up classics. Standout tracks include “Rules”, “Straight Cash Freestyle and “Crazy G Mix”.

While listening to the tape I almost forgot I wasn’t listening to a full album. The feel is so refreshing in terms of what Hip Hop has been missing from the mainstream. Reminiscent of classic Mobb Deep and 50 Cent joints, if you’ve ever been a fan of classic, street heavy, East Coast boom bap music, you’re going to feel this one.

Now we turn to the lyrics, flows and wordplay, where City shows and proves. He dominates rap beats with lines like “put the pound to you and make it trend”, “Bruce Banner in the club, a new man” and “I’m just an artist but my shooters keep the  metal drawn”, City keeps those of us who are lyrically minded satisfied (Honorable mention: “I’m John Ritter 2 bitches 3s company”). Clearly SinCity is an MC and not just a rapper.

If I had to find any areas that I could complain about, it would have to come down to the mix quality of certain tracks (but since it’s a mixtape, dirty is actually kinda cool). The beats are mostly industry beats but City rips them like he owned them. Additionally, one or two of the featured artists don’t seem to be quite up to City’s level but at the same they’re not bad either. To any other indie artists reading this, those who usually buy beats online and put out your own EPs and mixtapes, I suggest you download it a take a listen. I’m sure it will inspire you to write some new fire of your own.

Now for the rating: 4.8 out of 5. Didn’t give it a 5 simply because of the minor issues I mentioned above. After such a strong mixtape, I’m anticipating a project from City over some smoking original rap beats (Album maybe? City if you read this let me know!). Only questions remain are: Can City bring an album which can grab today’s mainstream audience in this current industry climate? Does he even need to care about a mainstream audience? If you want to check the tape out for yourself, download it here.

INDUSTRY TALK: “Beez In the Trap” Nicki Minaj ft 2 Chainz

Apr 08, 2012 by strat - Comments Off on INDUSTRY TALK: “Beez In the Trap” Nicki Minaj ft 2 Chainz

Sigh. I was sitting here wondering what would be the topic of my next blog post and then I came across this track and video from Nicki Minaj ft 2 Chainz called “Beez in the Trap”. Admittedly, when I first saw the title I was actually hoping it was an ode to bee-keepers (LMFAO!) but alas, it’s just Nicki being…well Nicki, or maybe I should say the Nicki she recently morphed into.

Ok so I understand where she’s coming from. The song is more for those who can relate as it celebrates, promotes and sends respect to a whole lot of cities and states in the US, particular those in the South which are associated with the term ‘Trap’. Of course, the feature from the man of the moment 2 Chainz clearly helps the credibility of the song. However, nothing about the song says ‘real’ or ‘original’ to me. I can just imagine Nicki’s management sitting around in the studio deciding that in order for her remain relevant and try to comeback from that horrible mistake (i.e. Stupid Hoe) she HAS to do a trap song, since trap music is king in hip hop right now.

Unfortunately the song’s only saving grace, apart from the street laced flow of 2 Chainz, is the video, and that’s only because Nicki’s body is smoking hot and she’s pretty much half naked through all of it. Oh and did I mention there are a few hints of quasi-lesbian behaviour with similarly hot women? In addition, as a producer I have to comment on the beat. Even though it has trap earmarks all over it, it’s not just a carbon copy of a Lex Luger or Drumma Boy beat. This is a lesson for unsigned acts looking to buy beats online: look for an original sound that still has elements which make it current.

Ok so to sum it up: New Nicki Minaj track; following the ‘trap’ band wagon (face it, she’s no T.I….hell she ain’t even Flocka); Nice beat; decent bars from 2 Chainz; Nicki showing some skin (damn she would get it!!!). Check the video out for yourself as this is just my humble opinion. It still makes for a cool listen if you happen to be in that mood for some trap influenced vibes. If you are an indie artist and this track inspires you (either to do something similar or try to blow it out the water) check me out at my site and listen to some of the beats we have online. You may just find the perfect one to buy.

Why Even Other Producers Want My Beats

Apr 08, 2012 by strat - Comments Off on Why Even Other Producers Want My Beats

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The graphic above is the artwork for one of our top selling loop packs. If we never mentioned it before, one of the major things we do is create and sell royalty free loops and sample packs, which are bought mostly by other producers. Interesting right? So we basically make beats for artists to buy online as well as beats that producers use in their own projects to create beats.

What this says is that our sound is in demand by producers, many of whom artists turn to when they’re  looking to buy beats online. This particular product is now at #23 on the ProducerLoops Top 30 sellers charts. These loops are used in:

  • Major Label placements
  • Advertisements
  • Television shows
  • Movies

Hopefully this gives you a clearer idea of the all-around good quality of our productions and our reputation. As an artist, buying beats from us, at our highly affordable prices, is sort of like cutting out the middleman since we are among the select few who create a lot of the samples, loops and production material that many other beatmakers use.

So don’t just randomly buy beats online, do your research and work with producers with proven musical quality so good that even other producers buy it!

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