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

Sep 30, 2013 by strat - Comments Off

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

The Power of Music

Sep 03, 2013 by strat - Comments Off

Connecting Your Emotions to the Beats

This world would be a colourless and flavourless orb if music were to suddenly cease to exist. How would we even survive? I know I’m not alone when I hear a song come on and it takes me back to the emotions I had when I first heard it. Perhaps it specifically speaks to a situation you may have been in at the time or it reminds you of a loved one. In any number of ways, we relate to songs whether they are well written love songs, inspirational songs, or even just our favourite pop beats and rap beats. Take the JT song shown above as an example. If you have felt as though you were totally in love with someone, this song is gonna make you sit there and daydream. Maybe your even lucky enough to look over at that person next to you and smile while the song is playing.

Remember the Feeling you had when you First Heard certain Rap Beats?

To all the real hip hop heads who go apeshit at just the first chord of the beat to a classic hip hop track. I remember feeling the adrenaline flowing each time I’d hear the first 4 bars of T.R.O.Y (Pete Rock & C.L Smooth), Award Tour (ATCQ), C.R.E.A.M (Wu Tang), Gin & Juice (Snoop), Chief Rocka (Lords of the Underground)…..this list could go on forever so let me quit while I still have your attention. This should be an inspiration to all you songwriters and producers out there. Strive to put that emotion in your songs and your rap beats so that listeners and artists who buy beats online can feel that connection. Don’t just make tracks because you feel you have to. Allow the art and the music to flow from you via the highways of true inspiration and enthusiasm.

Make Your Rap Beats and Songs Bang!

Sep 02, 2013 by strat - Comments Off

Bigger Rap Beats!

One of the most important things in the life of any musician/producer/artist in today’s music scene is the mix quality of his or her product. We all long for the crispness, loudness and warmth of the tracks released by major label artists, especially in Pop and Hip Hop. Producers such as myself have been able to make great strides in improving the mixes of the rap beats we provide for artists who buy beats online. This provides the artist with the opportunity to make songs which already have that big major label type sound. One of the main reasons we can provide this quality is the affordability of top notch technology in today’s audio software and hardware.

There is no great secret to top quality mixes in your songs/rap beats.

There is no sure fire formula for success in anything. In terms of mixing your songs, pop beats, rap beats, reggae tracks et al, if you are an independent artist doing it all in your home studio, there are tons of resources available online to help you understand the world of mixing e.g. http://therecordingrevolution.com/. There is a wide range of information on this site, but one of the things one needs to focus on is monitoring. You need to be able to have a clear and uncoloured output of your raw music so that you can make accurate mixing decisions i.e. being able to accurately determine whether your bass level is either too low or too high. Good studio monitors are practically everywhere but here I want to show you a new entry from KRK Systems. This company has fast become one of the most popular and reliable providers of affordable, high quality studio monitors and you can check out their latest product here.

Buy Beats with Quality Mixes and Make More Accessible songs

To those of you who buy beats online, the equation is simple: Better mixed beats can equal better mixed songs and better mixed songs are more easily accepted in today’s music industry. In an era where lyrical content is no longer much of a focus, one must recognize that the public is now focused on the ‘bigness’ of your sound and the emotion and power in your music. Be sure to buy beats that will enhance this part of your overall projects.

Haleek Maul: Rising Hip Hop Juggernaut

Jun 26, 2012 by strat - Comments Off

Oxyconteen Album Art

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

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

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.

Rihanna – This is Why You must ALWAYS Follow Your Dreams

May 10, 2012 by strat - Comments Off

Rihanna_Terry Richardson

A SALUTE TO RIHANNA FROM A PROUD BARBADIAN, WHO HAPPENS TO MAKE RAP BEATS

Hot off the press comes Rihanna’s new racy photos, taken by Terry Richardson. As usual she is the epitome of sexy, but this is not what I’m here to talk about. Hot on the heels of her debut acting stint in the blockbuster “Battleship”, Rihanna has apparently been cast in the role as a villain in the upcoming “Fast & Furious 6”. So let’s see, she’s been on top of the music world with hit after hit since 2005, she is a perennial trendsetter in the fashion world and now, a movie star. A bet she’s glad she went down the rabbit hole!

As a fellow Barbadian I just want to send all my love and support to Rihanna. Though some of us trash talk her and openly disapprove of what some call raunchy behaviour, me I’m open minded and think she should just keep doing her. Not to mention the fact that since her music has taken on a much harder edge, I’m hoping I can get her to check out the rap beats I’m slingin’ LOL!

MESSAGE TO ALL ARTISTS, WHETHER YOU BUY RAP BEATS ONLINE OR MAKE YOUR OWN

Rihanna is a great example of why you must ALWAYS follow your dreams. No matter how many times naysayers tel you that you’re being unrealistic, tell them reality is created by thought, emotion and action and that you intend to align those three things to create yours as you see fit! She has gone from a little girl singing at the Combermere School (here in Barbados) to…well, Rihanna.

If your aim is to be a rap artist, whether you’ve got multi-platinum dreams or you just want to be a hometown hero, the only one responsible for investing in your dream is you. Don’t expect everything to come free. This is why we are here, to offer support and a place where you can buy beats online at really affordable rates. Obviously you can’t keep using industry instrumentals because the world wants to hear your originals, and for that you need original rap beats.

I WANTED TO MAKE RAP BEATS FOR A LIVING, I BELIEVED IN ME AND NOW…

Well I’m not doing Rihanna numbers yet but that’s the aim and no matter what your dream is, it will only come to fruition if you can see it in your mind’s eye and feel it as though it’s already real. Instead of looking at what others have and feeling as though you’re lacking, look at all the blessings you have and use that as fuel to go harder after your dreams. Don’t sit there and criticize successful people as though they’ve done wrong, be glad for there success. Yours is coming. Get up and get what you need. If you’re a rapper, buy rap beats. If you’re a basketball player buy new kicks and new ball and get on the playground. If you’re an aspiring doctor or lawyer, get the books you need. Life is actually not that complicated!

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

May 03, 2012 by strat - Comments Off

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.

How to Add Hit Making Value to Your Productions

Apr 24, 2012 by strat - Comments Off

Whether you are a rapper, singer, producer or filmaker, you need great quality music for your productions. These days there are plenty options for those of you involved in creative industries. You can buy beats online, license royalty free music, license music from established artists (highly costly) or simply make the music yourself. No matter which method you choose, the music in your productions needs to be of good quality. I get seriously annoyed if I’m watching a movie or TV show and they’re using some painfully generic sounding background music!

In the above video clip I present a new sample pack called Radio UberStarz Vol 1. It features 5 Hip Hop/R&B/Pop construction kits which are perfect for any of the aforementioned uses. Artists who usually buy beats online can use kits like these if they are in the mood (and have the capacity) to be more creative, as these kits give you more flexibility than just using an mp3. Producers can use these loops to add to or inspire their own beats. A producer is NOT necessarily the guy who plays all the instruments in a beat. That guy would be called a composer, musician or simply just beatmaker. A producer is the person with the overall creative vision for a project. He decides what goes where and how it should sound. Loops and samples have long been a big part of a true producer’s arsenal (If you play many instruments or compose your own beats from scratch, that’s great too!).

Take some time out to check out the loops and samples in the kit featured here, and perhaps some of my other kits. They are proven, trusted by other producers and can easily help you add that hit-making sound to your productions

INDUSTRY TALK: Inspiration to Grind Harder – The Forbes Five

Apr 22, 2012 by strat - Comments Off

Most if not all music artists get into making records for 2 reasons. Firstly for the love of doing it and secondly for the chance to make a living or even become wealthy from it. These days, especially in Hip Hop, it seems to be more the latter than the former, but that’s a topic for another day. Right now it’s all about The Forbes Five: the top 5 wealthiest artists in Hip Hop.

A few days ago Forbes released their latest list and it looks like this:

Diddy – Net worth $550 million. Dude has his hands in Ciroc, Sean John, Enyce, marketing firm Blue flame, Bad Boy and is about to launch a cable channel. No surprise he’s here
Up next Jay-Z – Net worth $460 million. He investments include Rocawear (which he sold for $204 million in 2007), Roc Nation, the New Jersey Nets, 40/40 Clubs and Carol’s Daughter among others.
Dr. Dre – Net worth $270 million. First of all, HE’S DRE! Secondly Beats Headphones. Nuff said.
Birdman – Net worth $125 million. All you need to know is: YMCMB!
Last but not least 50 Cent – Net worth $110 million. Can you say Vitamin Water, movies, touring, clothing line etc?

Ok so these guys are balling. Only way that helps us is to show it can be done. So this is my message to all indie artists: Seize the day and let your creativity flow. It is so easy to buy beats online for low, low prices, record your next hit, promote and be well on your way to creating the next multi-million dollar movement. Invest in yourself and everyone will take your energy seriously. Nothing great comes without you giving something. These days it takes between $15 and $20 to buy rap beats online. That alone can help your career immensely! Use the money you save to market more effectively. Let’s see who’s gonna be the next hip hop mega mogul!

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