Music Business Book Review: All You Need to Know About the Music Business

Succeeding in the music industry takes more than reading books about it. There comes a time when you have to get in there and start throwing elbows. Where books will help is in how effectively you throw those elbows. Donald Passman's All You Need to Know About the Music Business is one tool that will be very useful for you.
Passman has a loose writing style that is very entertaining and keeps what could otherwise be daunting subjects fun and engaging. He's also experienced and current, something most people in this industry can't claim.
Passman has broken his book into parts. In the first section, he describes parts of the industry that will always be the same. For example, treating yourself like a business owner (yes, even though you're a musician) and making business decisions. Some of those decisions revolve around building a team. Who's on your team? For starter's, a personal manager, attorney, business manager, agent, and our favorites - the groupies.
Part II introduces you to the murky waters of Record Deals. A little shaky on record deal lingo? Passman introduces you to mechanical royalty calculations, advances & recoupment, 360 deal rights, and contract obligations. Passman gives you current examples of what to expect from record labels in today's modern music industry.
The third section introduces you to publishing deals, which can also be very confusing. The first few chapters in Part III are really important because Passman explains everything you need to know about copyright. As you'll soon find, if you want to make a living in this business, you need to own the copyright! Fortunately for you, after reading this book, you'll be way ahead. Some of the streams of income that come from publishing include printed music, mechanical royalties (monies collected from recorded music that you wrote the song for), syncing and transcription licenses, webcasting and performance monies.
The first three parts should be digested by all musicians. What follows are more specific sections. Part IV is titled "Group Issues" and is more for bands than individual artists. Part V covers all things you need to know about "Touring" - as it's title clearly states.Part VI, "Merchandising", should be read by everybody because that's a big income-maker nowadays. If you're a classical musician, you'll want to spend a lot of time with Part VII, "Classical Music." And last, because you're a savvy musician, you'll spend time with Part VIII, "Motion Picture Music". Music in movies can mean some nice mullah.

Tips For Transcribing Music

Before You Begin
Practice Ear Training
Before you even attempt to play a note from the recording, warm your ears up. Sing and play through a few scales and intervals in different keys. Many solos will alternate between runs up and down scales and arpeggiated chords. Practice these patterns. It will help you hear these sections as they come up and also to be able to play them without having to think about it.
Listen, Listen, Listen.
Listen through the passage you are transcribing several times. You must be able to hear any melody before you can play it. I sing through passages to ensure that I know them completely. Singing in perfect pitch or on key isn't necessary, just make sure you have the rhythm and basic melody ups and downs.
Get The Basics Down
Familiarize yourself with the tune. Find the key, meter, and tempo. Then analyze the form of the song. Look for phrase lengths, check out which instruments play melody or harmony, and number of soloists. Knowing these things will save you time as you play through various sections of the song, and will come in handy when it comes time to perform.
Are you transcribing a solo? Transcribe the melody first. Many players will quote melody passages and embellish them. Plus, what's the point of learning a solo if you can't play the song?
During Transcription
Look for Patterns
Your favorite musicians aren't as good as you think they are. What? That's right, there are tools and tricks to soloing that every player employs. Once you find them, finding the exact notes is easy. For instance, large interval leaps are most likely going to be on chord tones or important notes in the key. Musicians' don't choose notes at random in most cases. If you're having trouble hearing a jump, think first: "What would make sense?" before getting frustrated trying too many things.
Scale patterns are equally easy to recognize. Jazz musicians love eighth note runs up and down the key scales. If it doesn't sound quite right, try chromatic scales or sections beginning and ending on chord tones.
Take Breaks
We all take breaks while we practice to keep our embouchure fresh. Your ears get tired too. If you find that things are getting more difficult, take a silent break for a few minutes and try again.
Don't Cheat
If you can't get a section, whatever you do, don't look it up. Yes, many transcriptions and songbooks are out there that could tell you how to play it. But learning a song will keep it in your memory far longer than playing it from paper, and will often not include any of the articulations or stylistic notations you gain by learning from the record.
I equate this point to watching a movie before you read the book. If you do that, you no longer have the means to imagine the characters and scenes as they originally were, you can now only see how the movie depicts them.
Tools to Use
Using a keyboard can be a great tool during hard sections. If a section is difficult to play, it can be almost impossible to replicate it over and over while trying to figure the notes out. A keyboard or piano will give you a break from playing so you can just listen. Keyboards are also a good device for learning the harmonies of multiple players at once.
There are many computer programs that can help in transcription. A great one I use is The Amazing Slow Downer. It lets you slow the tempo while keeping the key the same, or change the key while keeping the tempo the same. You can also break up small sections to be repeated.
After You Finish
Once you have all the notes down, don't think you are done with the transcription. The most important thing about learning a piece is not the notes that were played, but the style they were played in. Listen for dynamics and articulations, as well as other brass techniques like scooping notes or glissandos.
If, after all, you still struggling
Don't be afraid to look for some professional transcriber. It isn't that expensive and could save you a lot of time.

The Changing World Of Latin Jazz

When most people think of Latin Jazz, a salsa dance party comes to mind, with hot dance rhythms charging behind jazz harmonies and improvised solos. This is certainly one aspect of this style - musicians like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader, and Ray Barretto have gotten people on the dance floor for years with jazz and Cuban rhythms.
Dance rhythms certainly hold a place in modern Latin Jazz, but a growing number of artists have abandoned the dance floor for different cultural and artistic influences. These days, many Latin Jazz musicians integrate rhythmic traditions from a broader spectrum of the Caribbean and South America, often blending cultural elements with modern jazz influences.
Traditional Afro-Peruvian rhythms have played a large part in the expansion of Latin Jazz, bringing rhythmic styles like the festejo and landó into the style as well a more guitar heavy approach. Guitarist Richie Zellon has combined these traditions with jazz harmonies extensively while trumpet player Gabriel Alegria has developed a distinctive approach with his Afro-Peruvian Sextet.
While stateside Latin Jazz always carried a Puerto Rican influence, it has only been recently that artists have put a distinct emphasis upon the idea of traditional rhythms like bomba and plena supporting jazz contexts. Trombonist Papo Vazquez has utilized his ferocious command of bebop over Puerto Rican rhythms while saxophonist Miguel Zenón has dived deep into plena and classic Puerto Rican songs as a foundation for jazz.
Argentina has always been known for it's passionate tango, and many musicians have discovered that this music is a natural fit for jazz. Bassist Pablo Aslan has built a distinct language for improvising around tango structures while pianist Pablo Ziegler has continued the work of influential composer Astor Piazzolla with a distinct jazz twist.
Listeners often think about the lush bossa novas of Antonio Carlos Jobim when they consider the blend of Brazilian rhythms and jazz, but the style has grown into something much more dynamic. Pianist Jovino Santos Neto has built upon his long tenure with composer Hermeto Pascoal and developed a highly creative repertoire of original Brazilian jazz while drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has blended the freedom behind a New York jazz sensibility with dynamic samba rhythms.
The dance floor is certainly still a part of Latin Jazz - just listen to the music of Poncho Sanchez or Pete Escovedo for a healthy dose of danceable jazz. The style has certainly expanded artistically, reflecting a more encompassing spectrum of Latin traditions and giving listeners a more diverse experience.

The Rappers

Music is a piece of art which everybody loves to listen since years and decades. The songs or the art people hear depends upon their mood and their choice for listening. There have been a number of entertainers entertaining us and a number of viewers getting entertained by these singers. No doubt, these entertainers are the stars of everyone's lives since they achieve what interests us.
One of the most popular entertainers is Aubrey Drake Graham. Born in Canada on October 24, 1986, Aubrey uses his stage-name everywhere as Drake. He plays multiple roles in the entertaining industry like song writer, rapper, actor and an artist. He started his first mix-tape named as Room For Improvement. His genres of music are R & B and Hip-Hop. His songs are enthusiastic and heart touching. In one of the websites, Drake quotes "I'm not heartless. I've just learned to use heart less... ". He has not only sung mind blowing songs but even helped himself in playing roles as actors on television. His first highly and widely accepted was of 'Jimmy Brooks' which he played in 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' series on television. He has come up with many single hit albums; out of them was 'Thank Me Later' of the year 2010. It achieved the first and the top most position on the Billboard 200.
The other marvelous artist in hip-hop is the renowned singer, Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne is his stage name as his real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. He is born in New Orleans of the United States of America on September 27, 1982. His career began in 1996 by joining the team of Hot Boys. He has also given multiple single as well as collaborated hits. The scream for him from the crowd when he appears on the stage speaks his popularity. He works as a rapper, CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and a producer. In one of the Lil Wayne quotes, he says "You can keep knocking but cannot knock me down". This shows the freedom-loving attitude of the artist. He should have such pride in him since at the age of 15 he became known to almost everyone in the field. His great fans' list speaks it all. Though he received mixed and negative response for his first album, Rebirth, it was made to certify gold. He has seen many downs also with success. He was sent to prison for 8 months on being caught for possessing a weapon in the year 2007, but this did not let him go down. He is still the favorite of all.
These two international singers have proved to rock the stage after coming together for albums. Drake, in collaboration with Lil Wayne, gave multiple hits like 'Miss Me', 'I'm Going In', 'She Will' and many more. Every song of their collaboration has earned huge positive response. It proved that Drake and Lil Wayne are this generation's top-most singers and will prove to be the best also in the future.

Keep Your Political Views Out of My Music! The Demise of Protest Songs

Like most industrial operations, the business of creating and selling music is consumer-driven. That is to say, if music buyers want to have their cake and eat it too, music sellers must be able to whip up one mean Red Velvet in order to compete effectively. Faced with a diverse clientele, individuals tasked with marketing and selling music have to meet an array of demands that encompass all sorts of musical preferences. So, for instance, if demographic trends suggest that teenage girls respond more favorably to feel-good dance music (for lack of a more stereotypical example), it is up to marketing gurus to introduce them to what would surely be the next Katy Perry or One Direction radio hit.
Music consumers, depending on factors such as age, socioeconomic standing and gender, crave countless varieties of songs; however, if there is a certain musical species that has, over the years, become endangered due to waning consumer interest, it is that of protest music-the genre-less musical domain that, more or less, pushes for social change through political advocacy. Protest music has left an indelible mark in the annals of music history courtesy of rebellious songs such as Bob Dylan's "The Times are Changing, Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not be Televised" and Public Enemy's "Fight the Power." Unfortunately, over the past decade, such music has increasingly been passed over in favor of more lighthearted tunes-a phenomenon that has sparked the curiosity of many music critics, myself included. There are many theories in circulation as to why music consumers are demanding less political inspiration from their favorite artists, most of which posit an overall decrease in political awareness on the part of younger generations. But, before getting to the meat of such theories, it would be best to revisit the past as a way of getting a better understanding of the extent to which protest music-a melodic medium that once captured the essence of living in an imperfect world-has been reduced to nothing more than an antiquated form of expression.
WWII, Vietnam, Apartheid and Other Reasons to Condemn the Establishment
The WWII era would mark the emergence of protest music in America. As growing pro-communist sentiments began to transform the political landscape of the mid 40s, musicians such as Woody Guthrie would further such transformation by composing politically-driven folk songs such as "This Land is Your Land"- a popular oldie whose vague lyrics often mask the anti-private ownership message that underlies it. As Guthrie and fellow folklorists, including renowned artists Alan Lomax and Lead Belly, popularized protest folk music in the 40s, artists such as Bob Dylan would take the sub-genre to new heights in the 60s. In 1964, Dylan released what many critics consider to be the quintessential protest song: "The Times They Are-a Changing." The song, as the title suggests, serves as an admonition against rejecting the social change that transpired during the Civil Rights Movement. And if Dylan redefined protest music in the 60s, Marvin Gaye would rejuvenate the very essence of the genre in the early 70s. Released in 1971 and widely regarded as Gaye's magnum opus, "What's Going On" can be aptly described as a mellifluous commentary on not just the Vietnam War era, but much of the political and social turmoil that plagued an early 70s America.
By the 80s, the domain of protest music had transformed into a vast musical empire whose boundaries encompassed a variety of musical genres, from heartland rock, as Bruce Springsteen's "War" would suggest, to reggae, as evidenced by Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." As the late 80s/early 90s arrived, the protest music empire would expand to even greater proportions with the emergence of politically-driven rap. As legendary icons such as Public Enemy reproached police brutality and institutionalized racism with heated rhythmic rhetoric, most notably "Fight the Power," protest music would begin to exude a certain grittiness the likes of which had previously been a rarity in music. Such grittiness would become all the more common in protest music when Tupac Shakur would steal the hip-hop limelight in the late 90s with the release of unforgettable hits such as "Changes." As the 90s culminated in mainstream radio subsuming protest music, the 20th century would forever stand as a testament to the latent popularity of exercising free speech through songs.
As previously mentioned, politics has had an everlasting impact on the art of music; however, if there is one major difference between the protest music of today and that of the 20th century, it is that the latter gained the admiration, approval and acceptance of an increasing number of music consumers. The former, however, since the arrival of the 21st century, has played a diminishing role in the mainstream media. Such phenomenon has struck the curiosity of many critics, including renowned songwriter Billy Bragg who condemned contemporary music for its political naivety. "Look at what's happening in the world: the credit crunch; our young people getting maimed in a war that nobody knows how to resolve," opined Bragg in an interview with The Guardian. "When I was first plying my trade, people were willing to talk about these issues. Now they'd rather write about getting blasted than changing the world," he added. Bragg's sentiments are shared by many fans of protest music: The truth is protest music no longer appeals to music consumers as it once did.
But why? For one, it would not be implausible for one to argue that there is a positive correlation between political awareness and liking for protest music. And considering the fact that the younger generation, which makes up a considerable portion of music consumers, is not as well-informed as previous generations, it also would not be implausible for one to theorize that an overall decline in political awareness among music buyers has contributed to the fall of protest music. In the book Young People and Social Change, author Andy Furlong argues, "The trend towards less engagement in politics among the young appears to signal a generational change," adding, "Any decline in political participation among the current generation of young people has to be set against what was perhaps a relatively high level of involvement among the 'baby-boomers' generation who were particularly active in youth counter-cultures." To the theorist, it is the younger generation's lack of political interest that has contributed to the fall of protest music. But to the politically-attuned music listener, there is one truth and one truth only: Protest music is slowly sinking into oblivion... and unless we, music consumers, demand it, music may never again serve as medium through which one can push for a righteous cause while bringing out your inner dancer.

Why Book Your Mobile Disco in Good Time?

There are so many reasons to why you shouldn't book a mobile disco late, but for me there are three main ones.
They can turn you away altogether - this could be the worst case scenario if you want any sort of decent disco. Most DJ's get booked up at least a week in advance and in all honestly, they need more than a spilt second to get ready and prepared for a gig. Getting any sort of rejection is a nightmare and what a situation to get in to, especially if you have to go back to the person who needs a DJ and tell them that there is no party! You definitely would not be in their good books for a while.
You may end up with a 'below average service' - You are responsible for booking the entertainment, so if you get someone un-professional and generally not very good at their job people will be asking you questions. Not only that but the guest may not enjoy the evening and if it's a very important event like a wedding you will feel very guilty indeed! Entertainment at any party is probably the single most important aspect, so do bear that in mind.
They will charge the earth - Have you ever paid an express charge for a late booked service? Well this can certainly happen if you book at short notice. I've heard people paying up to 50% more than the average price which could be a disaster if you're working towards a tight budget. A lot of businesses will corner you if they know you're desperate and they will charge high rates for the same product and service. The earlier you look for and book, the more time you have to hunt around for a good deal. Most services like to fill up their schedules early and in advance, so book early!
Any party occasion is important and you only get one chance to make sure everything goes to plan. Do not fall in to the east trap of 'leaving it until tomorrow', as you may end up booking something you didn't really want, or ending up with nothing at all. It is a responsible task booking a mobile disco and at the end of the day if you're responsible for anything that goes wrong, you will be held to blame. Get online, talk to people you know and find a great service early on.
Gook luck and do not be late!

How to Make a Digital Recording Studio

Type of digital recording studio
In this case, of course, some of you already know that a digital recording studio is generally divided into two types, namely a digital home recording studio and professional digital recording studio.
Electing to build a studio of one of the types mentioned above must be done in accordance with the needs/functions, and of course, adjusted to the funds you have.
The purpose of the function is based on whether the studio will be used to record only, for recording and mixing, or for recording, mixing, and mastering.
Equipment necessary to make a studio recording
Here's some additional information, for those of you who are beginners, about what types of devices are usually used during recording, which may give consideration to those of you who want to start making a music studio, whether at home or in your place of business.
1. Microphone
A microphone is used during the recording of vocal sound, or to record musical instruments, such as drums, acoustic guitar, and electric guitars, and various other musical instruments.
The technique of microphone placement position and direction, towards the sound source from the amplifier or directly from a music instrument, is to be noted, as this should be in accordance with the type of microphone conditioning and the type of music instrument you would record.
A microphone is frequently used to record the type of condenser microphone because this type of microphone has a high sensitivity to sounds in the environment around the microphone located in the coverage area.
2. Audio Mixer
An audio mixer is used as a tool to mix the various audio signals, such as guitar, bass, keyboard, vocal, and drum set. The audio mixer allows us to be able to do the musical recording of instruments simultaneously (live), or do one at a time (tracking).
Audio mixers can be relatively expensive. You can still use the audio mixer in your home studio, using a digital audio mixer, or simply use the software that you can instantly install in your computer.
Although in the form of software, you can still use the features and results as well as analog audio mixer types, which determine the good and the bad aspects of a recording, depending on the skills you have to do the audio mixing.
3. Equalizer
The equalizer is basically used as a tool that serves to raise or eliminate certain frequencies from the musical instrument that will be recorded. Because each instrument has a different characteristic frequency of music, no overlap can be set by using the equalizer, so any sound of music instrument can sound good and are not mutually dominant over each other.
4. Audio Reverb
Audio reverb serves to give the impression or the nuances of sound that are issued by any music instrument that will be recorded.
Audio reverb also serves to strengthen the weak bandwidth and high bandwidth characteristics as well as upon the high tones and low tones.
So the sound coming from any instrument to record music will sound more uniform or fused, so the sound will be recorded from any music instrument as a single product, besides that this tool also serves as an instrument to generate any sound of music or vocals that are buried.
5. Audio Compressor
Audio compressors serve as instruments for stabilizing voice in the recording process where during recording, an audio compressor is used before the signal enters a tape or disk.
An audio compressor can also be regarded as an instrument that serves to keep out each incoming signal, in order to avoid digital clipping.
6. Computer equipment for the digital home recording studio
Computers are very important in the process of recording because, all the existing audio signals will go into and be store in the computer hard drive, which will then do the mixing process, premastering, and mastering.
To perform a recording you can select the type of desktop computer/PC/Mac by using a type of Notebook/Macbook.
But it is more advisable to buy a PC-type computer, in which case it will be easier when making additions or upgrades to several types of hardware, if one day it is required. This is because the computer technology in development can be very fast.
The recommended minimum computer specifications for digital recording
Processor: adjusted to the type of operating system to be used on your computer.
RAM: 2GB (it would be better if you choose a motherboard that has two to four slots of memory or more, so that you can do more than two GB memory upgrade, if one day it is needed).
Hard drive: 8GB of free hard disk space (in this case you can buy 200GB hard drivers with capacities up to 500GB or above, according to the funds you have or how much data you will save).
DVD-ROM: dual layer drive (can be used for both reading and writing the data to a CD or DVD).
Display Monitor: Advisable to use a monitor with a resolution of 1280 x 800 or more. Select the type of LCD or flat, reasons that the monitor tube is seldom sold now, but its monitors take up much space so that the tube could be said to be less efficient.
Sound Card: Sound cards generally consist of several types, namely onboard (included with the main board time of purchase), PCI (internal sound card), and the type of USB and Firewire which can be regarded as an external sound card.
All types can match you with the funds you have, for internal or external sound card type are almost as good, whereas you should consider when choosing a resolution or sample rate owned by the sound card, which is 16bit, 24bit, 32bit, and even 64bit, to note that the greater the resolution you select, the better the quality you will get.
7. Supporting software to perform a variety of digital recording processes
Supporting software that is used to perform digital recording can be quite a lot and have a variety of different functions according to the needs of users.
Some functions can be used to make the process of mixing, pre-mastering, and mastering. Several of the applications typically have the ability to add additional features in the form of plugins. The features in this case can be digital equalizer, digital reverb, digital warmer, digital limiter-processor, and much more.
Some of the software are used to make recordings of them, namely Cubase, Sonar, Pro-tools, Logic-audio, Cakewalk, WaveLab, and much more.
8. Monitor speaker and headphones
When doing the recording process and the editing process both when mixing, pre-mastering, and mastering, you will definitely need a tool that could serve well to hear from any audio that was recorded.
This tool consists of two types. Monitor speakers or headphones can also be used. The selection of these two types of functions you can use as needed.
When doing the recording process so that you get better results, you are advised to use speakers or headphones that are specifically designed as a tool when making recordings.
Where the speaker of this type can be regarded as an honest speaker, which has a relatively flat character with equitable frequency response of between 60Hz until 30KHz, so do not be exaggerating specific sound frequencies to the issuance of a variety of sounds.
So you can know which part should be fixed and which part should be removed, you can get a good final result when you play your music using ordinary speakers.
Audio equipment as described above is largely sold at a price that is relatively expensive, but you do not have to have all of them and also do not have to buy new stuff, because although included in the category of the old stuff, audio equipment for recording quality is usually still a choice of functioning properly.

Album Review: Quasimoto - Yessir Whatever

In 1949, Joseph Campbell wrote a book The Hero With a Thousand Faces, an account of heroic archetypal characters used in mythological stories and in turn applied to novels and films and eventually comic books and whatever.
Madlib, as we have come to know him, is widely considered a hero to Hip Hop music (despite being one half of Madvillain); and he certainly gets close to having a thousand faces, with monikers like *inhaaale* Ahmad Miller, Beat Konducta, DJ Lord Such, DJ Rels, Duma Peterson, Eddie Prince Fusion Band, The Jahari Massamba Unit, The Jazzistics, Joe McDuphrey and the Joe McDuphry Experience, Junior Taylor, Kamala Walker and The Soul Tribe, Kay Henderson, The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz and Percussion Ensemble, The Loopdigga, Lord Quas, The Malik Flavors, Monk Hughes and the Outer Realm, Morgan Adams III, Otis Jackson Jr. Trio, Quasimoto, Russel Jenkins, Sound Directions, Suntouch, Tyrone Foster, Yesterday's Universe All-Stars, Yesterday's New Quintet and Young Jazz Rebel *exhaaale*. With so many names and personalities to choose from, his weapon of choice for 2013 has thus far been Quasimoto, with the release of Yessir Whatever. And for all intensive purposes, Quasimoto will be the name to stick with here.
Now the first thing one must know before entering Yessir Whatever is that it is not an entirely original LP, in that it collects some of Quas' previous tracks from past records, along with unreleased material and of course, new shit. This could come as a downer to some, but considering the ever-expanding list of projects that the man has been a part of throughout his career, the chances of one recalling exactly are fairly low... unless you're a purist who knows his work back to front and whatever other undiscovered dimensions exist within his music.
You'll find that the album feels more like a time machine taking you into the past as it begins with more modern appropriations of Hip Hop - no, not trap, though in his hands he could probably reinvent it and make it tolerable for those who groan in disgust at trap. Boom-bap beats are evident through the entirety of the album's 12 tracks barely scraping the half hour mark, except for Seasons Change and The Front which prefer jazzier and funkier inclinations rather than Hip Hop; otherwise, the album maintains the grittiness appropriate to old school Hip Hop.
The LP occasionally gets balanced out with some soft jazz and funk - unfortunately something that can be said for just about any producer of the genre, so apart from random sound bites and random instances of cosmic synths this isn't exactly signature Quasimoto you are getting for most of the album; it's still pleasant and raw with enough originality to remind you who you are listening to, but homogenous enough with most of its kind that were you not aware it would just drown in the sea of its like-sounding cohorts. Hardly a complaint, but one does have certain expectations when entering anything Madlib - even though that expectation is usually you not knowing what to expect - so it's a bit of a let-down.
Where you do get trademark Quasimoto is in his rapping. The pitch of his voice is lifted to give him that alien-like comical rap persona which his lyrics do attune to... when he uses it, which is for only about half of the album. The rest is untouched vocals with merely serviceable filler lyrics akin to the old school aesthetic he's undertaken. Again, raw and gritty, but nothing outstanding.
Yessir Whatever is a treat more so for the purists of the old school underground and relatively straightforward Quasimoto/Madlib rather than those who have found themselves gravitating towards his more abstract works in the past. It's not a particularly unfocused LP, but where its focus is drawn is nowhere near as exciting as where the man's magical fingers have been before; one might even almost call this a release which merely satisfies contractual obligations while Madlib cooks up something much more exciting behind the scenes. The album is still rich in everything that makes a solid Hip Hop record, but that's essentially where the buck stops.
7/10

Why Do Artist Choose To Buy Rap Beats Online?

Plenty of upcoming and independent rap artists are flocking the internet to purchase rap beats or instrumentals. The internet is an awesome medium through which artists can access quality beats at the click of the button. Buying rap beats online is therefore a very attractive option for artists who are trying to establish themselves in the music industry.
Not only are quality beats easy to access, they are also very affordable compared to the one's that you can acquire directly from a physical studio. In a nutshell, buying rap beats online is the easiest and most convenient way for any upcoming or indie artist to get his or her music out there.
There are plenty of benefits as to why one buy should rap beats online. Here are several benefits to ponder about.
#1: Affordable
Getting professionally produced beats in a studio is not only expensive but also hectic in terms of time. In contrast, purchasing beats on the internet is not only affordable but convenient as well. Most upcoming or independent artists may not have enough funds or budget to hire a producer in a physical studio.
Most producers demand thousands of dollars for a set of beats which you can get online for a couple of dollars. Purchasing beats online is therefore very affordable and convenient to upcoming or independent rappers looking to make a name in the highly competitive rap industry.
#2: Quality beats
There plenty of highly talented and promising producers selling their beats or instrumentals online. The advantage of such people trying to make a name online is that quality of beats are produced in the end, bearing in mind that a given producer is competing with plenty of other producers for your attention.
Another positive attribute to buying beats online is that you have the opportunity to sample the beats on a website before making a purchasing decision.
#3: Save time
Another tangible benefit of online beats is that you save time that you would typically spend traveling from one studio to another. With a simple Google search, you can access the top beats marketplaces where you can shop for beats that fit your style or rhythm.
Buying beats online is fast and seamless process that begins with sampling, selecting a beat, signing an agreement, making payments and finally downloading your beats.
#4: Wide variety
There is a wide variety of quality beats on the Internet considering the number of websites offering such services. The vast choices available give artists an opportunity to experiment with different instrumentals till they find the most appropriate beats that best fit their flow or rap style.
You can easily get the top beat vendors or websites by just conducting a simple search on search engines such as Google or Bing
#5: Convenience
Besides being affordable buying rap beats on the Internet is convenient for artists who are short of time and resources. At the click of a button an artist can download quality beats which can go on to make hit songs.
The convenience of not spending much, not having to travel to a physical location and plenty of other reason is what makes purchasing rap beats on the Internet a top option to consider.
#6: Sampling
Most websites selling rap beats often allow prospective customers to listen to preview or sample the beats so that the can get feel of whether the loops fit their style or not. Without allowing sampling, it would be difficult to know if a rap beat is quality or fits your flow.
Most websites allow artist to listen to the beats for 30 seconds or so, while other generous producers allow artists to preview their beats for more than a minute or more.
#7: Acquire full license/rights
The good thing about purchasing beats online is that you get full rights to use the beats in your commercial projects. Whether, you sign an exclusive or non-exclusive agreement, purchasing beats online gives you the full rights to use the beats in whatever way you like.
Conclusion
Buying rap beats online is definitely a good option for artists trying to make their name out there. If you are looking to have a head start in the rap industry, then purchasing quality beats online is something you have to seriously consider. Remember, that you can access high quality and probably award winning beats conveniently at the click of a button.

Album Review: J. Cole - Born Sinner

The youthful tour-de-force that is J. Cole made a bold move when announcing that he would be releasing his sophomore album Born Sinner on the same day as seasoned heavyweight Kanye West with Yeezus. Well that day is upon us, and it is a day which has made me wonder yet again if the whole "darker = better" aesthetic is merely becoming the hegemonic formula for the arts, as it's been working similar wonders for Hip Hop as it did for Christopher Nolan's 'Batman' reboot. Born Sinner is no exception.
The first thing to note is that unlike his 2011 debut Cole World, Born Sinner is almost exclusively J. Cole. Any guests (such as Kendrick Lamar and Miguel) are restricted to choruses, leaving Cole alone with his verses, of which almost none are left void of worthy lyricism laced together with a refurbished, fine-tuned flow maintaining the same visceral hunger of Cole's debut. That's not to say the listener is not treated to a more relaxed flow every now and then from the rapper (as he strikes a perfect balance between these tones on joints like Power Trip), but the hunger complements the darker direction taken this time around, facilitating his matured sentimentality rather than merely exhibiting his musical seriousness from Cole World.
Once again, Cole is also almost solely responsible for the album's production, with only Elite co-producing the TLC-collaboration Crooked Smile, and No I.D. co-producing the jazz-tinged Let Nas Down. Cole's musicianship is fixated on the album's darkness, complete with pounding drums, synthesizers, organs, strings and jazzy brass coming together to grant the album a sonic diversity, from thumping double bass groove of Forbidden Fruit (pronounced further by the soft clicks, toned-down drums and the very familiar sample of Ronnie Foster's Mystic Brew) to the soulful chiming of Chaining Day to the Zen-garden-like atmosphere of Rich Niggaz.
Cole flexes his versatility even further by branching out into different styles of Hip Hop beats, so while at one point you will have the (sadly underwhelming) upbeat rhythm of She Knows, at another you will be delightfully dragged through the proverbial mud with the heave of Power Trip (thanks in major part to its buzzing bass synths and the heavily slowed sample of Hubert Laws' No More).
The synths on Runaway in particular are juxtaposed by the drums in such a way that how you receive the track is based on your outlook at the time of listening to it - if you imagine a warm and sunny day, it will oblige that image, whereas if you envision something darker, that's exactly what you'll be treated to; the latter is arguably the easier one to side with, given the lyrics and the overall darkness of the album, but I implore you to try this exercise out regardless simply to enrich your experience. The bittersweet content is hardly a stranger in more emotional Hip Hop, but rarely do you experience something like this.
Contrary to what the title would imply, Born Sinner is not drowned in Christian overtones. Of course, in the process it does deal with your textbook human issues that are explored in emotionally-driven Hip Hop (save for the ego-stroking intro Villuminati), such as lovesickness (Power Trip) and gold diggers (Trouble). Others take on multiple issues simultaneously, such as idolatry and the need for validation (Let Nas Down), or for seemingly myriad matters on Runaway: masculinity and infidelity vs. femininity and the love of a good woman ("When you're no longer Superman, at least you know you got your Lois Lane"), self-esteem, paedophilia, aging, and racism. Yet in the midst of all the subject matter, Cole stays dark but not necessarily depressing, almost always entertaining and engaging.
While it does feel like a waste to merely have the talents of Kendrick Lamar almost squandered and restricted to repetition on the hook of Forbidden Fruit, it's understandable when you consider that the result of J. Cole helming his own album in all aspects is a heavily intimate experience with him as a person. Despite the few occasions of alienation when braggadocio rears its ugly head, the connection that is built is one that stays with you for the hour's duration of the album.
Arguably the most prominent and important quality that J. Cole is exhibiting on Born Sinner is growth - growth as an artist, a musician, a poet, and a human being. He has carved out a new cradle of self-comfort, and that very comfort adds to how personal this album feels to himself as the creator, and to you as the listener; hearing him in a finely balanced position where he is so passionate yet surprisingly unperturbed is what makes Born Sinner not just a significant improvement on Cole World in every way possible but a new foundation for even more improvement. The fact that it gets better with each listen effortlessly makes it one of the best Hip Hop records of 2013.
9/10
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