90s-Style Hip-Hop Instrumental

[jdkotaska]

Am I in the right ballpark? Does this sound like 90s-style hip-hop? (Basic track only -- currently not processed, compressed, or mastered)



A RANGE OF 1990s-Style HIP-HOP INSTRUMENTALS are needed by a Music Industry Veteran building a brand new Music Licensing catalog.

They’re looking for Mid-to-Up-Tempo Instrumentals that would fit well on a playlist with the following references:

“Triumph” by Wu-Tang Clan ft. Cappadonna

“Gin & Juice” by Snoop Dogg

“Dead Presidents” by Jay-Z

“It's All About The Benjamins (Remix)” by Puff Daddy

NOTE: This is for an entertainment industry veteran who's looking for top-notch Instrumentals that sound more like they belong on a record and somewhat less like what might be commonly found in a typical Production Music Library's catalog.

Please submit well-crafted, original Instrumentals that capture the Hip-Hop sound and vibe of the ‘90s era. Your Instrumentals should be melodically and rhythmically engaging, with a tone, feel, and vibe that would fit right in with the examples above. Your submissions can be actual old school Instrumentals recorded in the 1990s or they can be Instrumentals recorded recently, but inspired by that era.

Your submissions should be about 2 - 4 minutes long, give or take. Do NOT copy the referenced acts or Songs in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, texture, tone, and overall vibe. Do NOT submit material with any unauthorized samples of other artists’ music, sounds, or any other form of media. Era-Appropriate Broadcast Quality is needed.

[ochaim]

Hey JD,

It sounds like you were going for a more uptempo version of triumph?

There are a few things that stick out, that take this outside of what the listing is looking for.

Tempo: I know it says mid to uptempo, but none of the references are uptempo. Uptempo would be too difficult get vibe-wise, the majority of songs in this era were low to mid tempo and that lends itself to a certain vibe that would be difficult to maintain as uptempo.

Clap: It sounds like you are using an 808 clap, maybe blended with an 808 snare? All the references and most songs in this era used heavily processed acoustic snares more than electronic based ones.

Triumph: the lead instruments in your track are in the higher registers, most of those in triumph are in the lower registers and shorter articulations, more staccato-like. Your track hardly has any bass compared to Triumph. You have an 808 interspersed as an accent, but generally it is very light bass-wise.

The melody is not really working for me. I do hear the Rza-esque style in there though. It kind of reminds me of Wu Tang affiliated offshoots that came about later. A good example of upbeat wu tang is gravel pit, but it was released in 2000. Just as an example of uptempo hip hop, close to the bpm you use.

This is just my approach to writing to listings, where I study the reference tracks and and use commonalities to help me get the vibe in the ballpark. I know it seems formulaic, but I treat them like the walls in house but you can furnish it however you like that makes it livable.

Hope that helps.

[ochaim]

Sorry, forgot one thing. The scratch sample, I wouldnt use that. It sounds exactly like the one Swizz Beats on a lot of DMX’s songs, they were all very commercial-leaning. The reference tracks here are much less so.

[jdkotaska]

Thank you, Owen. I really appreciate your highly-detailed feedback.

I was watching a show about the Wu-Tang Clan and the theme song (written by RZA) was sticking in my head and inspired me to write this. It wasn't based off of the reference tracks so I had my doubts, but I thought I'd ask anyway to see if anyone thought it might work. Given the large number of stylistic differences I will probably write a new track instead -- writing to the listing.

Your feedback was very valuable to me. Thanks again!

[ochaim]

ahh, ok, I hear you. you did capture that Rza-esque type of melody, kinda dark/quirky, odd sounding sense of melody so kudos for that.

i'll be looking out for your next track here, if you decide to share it here. i'm working on my own as well. my problem is studying the references too much and getting too close to one of them.

[jessecarrigan]

ahh, ok, I hear you. you did capture that Rza-esque type of melody, kinda dark/quirky, odd sounding sense of melody so kudos for that.

i'll be looking out for your next track here, if you decide to share it here. i'm working on my own as well. my problem is studying the references too much and getting too close to one of them.

This is something I'm trying to unlearn myself. I have a habit of getting locked into one of the references (usually one I especially like) and doing something that is too on the nose. My forwards have gotten a bit more frequent as I've stayed a little farther away from the references (but not too far! The Goldilocks problem).