Havoc & Talib Kweli on drumless beats

[King Kai]

I prefer it with a little bit of percussion or a faint beat from the original sample

Like Nas on Echo

 

[spliz]

Drumless beats can be dope. And they can be wack. Same as beats with drums. Lol

 

[ISO]

Well you can’t be doing the same shyt if not hip hop would die

Be thankful for this niche that has given dozens of MC’s and producers careers and has produced some dope music

 

[Braman]

Somebody give me examples. I just listen to music man I’m not keeping track of if there’s a drum or a high hat

 

[Grand_Verbalizer]

Somebody give me examples. I just listen to music man I’m not keeping track of if there’s a drum or a high hat

 

[Zero]

a good drumless beat is fire, but they're too few and far between

a lot of that griselda shyt is garbage

Depends entirely on the producer IMO. Alchemist, Madlib, and RZA know exactly what to do and use to keep a drumless beat hot. Marci when he's focused too.

Daringer and Nicholas Craven? Depends entirely on the sample they use. If that shyt drones on too long or isnt catchy enough...

 

[Zero]

What I come to realize recently but I really do have a disdain for a lot of the newer drumless beats is that it’s not just the drumless part of it. Drumless beats have been around but usually that would be some form of driving force in the beat still. Now more than ever not only is it no drums, but the samples sound hallow and really just lazy. I just can’t get jiggy with the major of them.

This is a better post than what I was trying to say.

For example:



This is just lazy and thrown together and sounds awful


Meanwhile:


No drums whatsoever but the vocals are looped hypnotically enough to carry it and put emphasis on Boldy's subdued delivery

 

[HollywoodP]

Drumless beats can be dope, but very infrequently. Most of the time it sounds like the producer just couldnt find the right drums to match the song. Either that or just laziness.

On a related note...this is how it should be done.

 

[Piff Perkins]

I have no issue with drumless beats and enjoy multiple albums/artists that use them. My issue with the "movement" is how stagnant it is, creatively and technically. I heard Guru say awhile ago that the game is full of producers who heard a Dilla tape and started imitating it, not realizing that the tapes Dilla made months later showed clear progression. These guys never grow. They often work with rappers who show zero growth or creativity. And the result is...well, a lot of shyt Nicholas Craven does.

For every Mach Hommy or Navy Blue there are 10 dudes rapping over this shyt with the lamest, most basic bars and it creates very vapid music when you pair that with a drumless loop.

 

[Ghost Utmost]

Hip Hop is not rapping.

Rapping in an integral part of commercial Hip Hop. Basically, to have a "song", people usually want vocals.

But Hip Hop is break beats. Funky ass drum patterns. The other elements of the track serve to add to the overall rythm.

That's why a Hip Hop instrumental is normally called a

beat.

Not saying you can't flip a capella or over all instruments. But you still have to be creating rythm with the track and the words.

I would 1000x rather have ill beats with zero words than the illest barz on earth with no drums.

 

[doublenegative]

I prefer it with a little bit of percussion or a faint beat from the original sample

Like Nas on Echo

 

[spliz]

This is a better post than what I was trying to say.

For example:



This is just lazy and thrown together and sounds awful


Meanwhile:


No drums whatsoever but the vocals are looped hypnotically enough to carry it and put emphasis on Boldy's subdued delivery

Exactly! There’s beats that wouldn’t sound as good with drums. There’s beats that sound good both ways but still the drumless version gives a different vibe. Like Nas’ Stay vs Cyhi’s Whoopty Doo. Both done by the same producer too.

 

[spliz]

I have no issue with drumless beats and enjoy multiple albums/artists that use them. My issue with the "movement" is how stagnant it is, creatively and technically. I heard Guru say awhile ago that the game is full of producers who heard a Dilla tape and started imitating it, not realizing that the tapes Dilla made months later showed clear progression. These guys never grow. They often work with rappers who show zero growth or creativity. And the result is...well, a lot of shyt Nicholas Craven does.

For every Mach Hommy or Navy Blue there are 10 dudes rapping over this shyt with the lamest, most basic bars and it creates very vapid music when you pair that with a drumless loop.

And this is what separates Roc Marci from the pack. Son doesn’t take himself too serious. Son is witty, funny, and creative.

 

[spliz]

Hip Hop is not rapping.

Rapping in an integral part of commercial Hip Hop. Basically, to have a "song", people usually want vocals.

But Hip Hop is break beats. Funky ass drum patterns. The other elements of the track serve to add to the overall rythm.

That's why a Hip Hop instrumental is normally called a

beat.

Not saying you can't flip a capella or over all instruments. But you still have to be creating rythm with the track and the words.

I would 1000x rather have ill beats with zero words than the illest barz on earth with no drums.

Very narrow minded view.

 

[Piff Perkins]

And this is what separates Roc Marci from the pack. Son doesn’t take himself too serious. Son is witty, funny, and creative.

Real talk? A lot of these guys are still behind shyt Roc was doing on Reloaded. And based on how these dudes operate? A decade from now they'll still be behind The Elephant Man's Bones too. Craven always has a dope ass loop from an obscure 70s r&b record. Cool, congrats. But the farther he gets from that bag, the worse his shyt sounds. Alchemist could have easily given Marci twelve of the dopest soul loops we've heard in a minute. Instead he went left (from what we expected) and it was still wavy as fukk. Same with the way Marci's own production has evolved on his other recent albums. Even going back to Reloaded with something like Peru. Or that track off Mt. Marci with Kool Keith.