Time and time again – during those periods where hip-hop has found itself weighed-down by excessive, over-produced beats – a segment of beat makers return to the basics and remind us of the importance of a raw, stripped-down track. We saw this when Larry Smith and Russell Simmons created ‘Sucker MC’s’ for Darryl and Joe, setting the stage for Rick Rubin providing as even sparser track T La Rock to unleash his advanced vocabulary spills over ‘It’s Yours’ in stark contrasty to live studio rearrangements of popular breaks favoured by Pumpkin and the Sugarhill Band.
In the wake of rich, sample-heavy production and interpolations that opened up the 1990’s we saw the Wu-Tang Clan reject these meticulously-engineered sessions for the most abrasive of dusted and distorted beats, eschewing the clean studio sound for something that you could have made on a pause button tape deck for a Fisher Price turntable. This belongs to a different strain altogether – similar to the lo-fi school of thought embraced by Madlib for the Madvillainy album.
Mobb Deep explored a different path, as Havoc’s production style mutated from the lush, cold-hearted atmosphere of The Infamous to the brutal starkness that is Hell On Earth, an album that embraced state-of-the-art studio technology and engineering to deliver a barren, desolate wasteland of sound. A couple of years earlier, DJ Premier had taken his own style of beat minimalism to new extremes with the Daily Operation album, abandoning traditional arrangements in favor of a single, unchanging loop. This wasn’t the result of the constraints of sampling technology as perhaps it had been in 1986/87, but instead a deliberate stylistic decision to reject the increasingly radio-friendly sound of major label rap.
Elsewhere, Swizz Beatz carved his own niche by crafting minimalist hits for DMX (‘Ruff Riders Anthem’) and Jay-Z (‘Money, Cash, Hoes.’), while the Neptunes made their own case for making something out of almost nothing with Clipse beats such as ‘Grindin’ and ‘Ride Around Shinin’.’ Both steered clear of almost any sampling by flipping keyboards and programmed drums into futurist club soundtracks that proved to be more effective the louder they were played (and also ensured that their composers got fully paid).
In more recent times, Roc Marciano, the Alchemist and Ka have made a strong case for a different type of rap minimalism, returning to the roots of looping culture with such gusto that extra drums are either mixed into the background or abandoned entirely so that the loop carries the percussion all on it’s own, thus allowing the rapping to weave into the samples while being free from the confines of loud drums.
Some of these beat movements have been a reaction to an excess in over-produced rap music, while others were driven by more practical concerns such as not having to share royalties, and some were simply the result of technical restrictions created by using primitive samplers. But the common thread that binds them together has been an acknowledgement of the importance of keeping the spotlight on the rapper – harking back to those formative years of banging out beats on cafeteria tables at high school. It seems that the back-to-the-basics approach continues to be one of rap’s most consistent methods of pressing the reset button and reminding itself how it got here in the first place.
I like this post apart from the bit where you lumped Pumpkin & his band’s incredible compositions + replays in with the stilted replays of the crappy Sugarhill house band.
That’s interesting you consider Havocs style of production minimal cause I always considered his beats pretty detailed especially on hell on earth.
@Slim: ‘That’s The Joint’, ‘Monster Jam’ and ‘Spoonie Is Back’ beg to differ.
Good article. Was just reflecting the other day on what a great work Daily operation is for that very reason – straight up raw and sparse yet highly effective.
What is the significance of that Ralph Towner LP image you used though ? I own that LP somewhere .. do I need to dig it out and listen to crack the cryptic code ?
AS USUAL THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN AS IF NO ONE BUT ROC MARCIANO HAS BEEN MAKING RAP MUSIC FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. WOULD BE MUCH MORE INTERESTING TO DISCUSS HOW RAPPERS THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY LISTEN TO HAVE OR HAVE NOT ACCEPTED A MINIMALIST AESTHETIC. BY LEAVING ANYONE WHO IS RELEVANT OUT OF THE DISCUSSION YOU TOTALLY NEUTER THE FORCE OF YOUR POSITION. HERE LET ME HELP:
J. COLE- BASICALLY THE BIGGEST RAPPER OUT DEFINITELY EMBRACES MINIMALISM
DRAKE- AT HIS BEST WHEN HE EMBRACES MINIMALISM. EVEN HOTLINE BLING IS EXTREMELY SIMPLE
KANYE- TOTAL MAXIMALIST THIS TIME AROUND AND TO ME HIS MUSIC SOUNDS CONFUSED AS FUCK
ON ANOTHER NOTE PUBLIC ENEMY WERE THE KINGS OF MAXIMALISM AND ALSO ARGUABLY THE MOST SONICALLY ARRESTING MUSICAL GROUP OF ANY GENRE FOR A COUPLE OF DECADES.
Dope article Robbie…..
@Dick Slipmat: If you havent noticed this is unkut.com and your critisism is as stupid and way off as I would diss XXL or Source for the very opposite: why they cover Kanye, J. Cole (the biggest disapointment in resent rap history) etc. Instead of underground (real) hip hop as Roc Marcy, Ka etc. This is a blog dedicated to raw non commercial. We are some people who never ever would listen to J. COLE or Drake the fake. That shits so wack! Ever heard of Clipse or Neptunes? Some people actually hear that
But using the example og Drakes new shit simplicity (to the point of retardation) in an article that praises anti pop minimalism just shows how fuckin off you are….
and Pete Conc drops mic. Thank you.
I think Yeezus started this trend, he made beats that I could make with zero experience and everyone called him a genius. However, the drumless rap trend is not the same as minimalism. Minimalism is bleak and sparse. Could be made on a 4 track. Looping a sample and not putting drums on it is just fucking lazy.
Dope write up Robbie. I like how you pointed out that Hell On earth was more menacing than the infamous.
As a producer I find that making a simple beat is the hardest thing to do cause for a simple beat to work all the elements have to be perfect enough to carry the whole song. A lot of times beats like that just happen rather than being planned, like how Primo said when he made Come clean he originally planned to add more elements to it but ended up deciding to keep it raw cause it just worked being simple.
Some of my favorite simple beats:
Blood Money – CNN
Tried by 12 – East flatbush project
Never less than ill – Showbiz and AG Criminology – Raekwon
260 – Ghostface
All about the Benjamins – Puff/LOX
Lifecheck – Mic Geronimo
Sacrifice – Group Home
Brownsville – MOP
Think Not – Al Tariq
Bless da MIC – Beatnuts
Ready To rock rough rhymes – Das Efx ( when the sample drops out and skoob and drazy rhyme over just the drums it sounds even crazier )
@Pete Conc:
1. WHO ON EARTH TOLD YOU THAT YOU GET TO DECIDE WHAT “REAL” RAP IS? THAT IS FIRST OF ALL ENTIRELY SUBJECTIVE AND SECOND OFF IS DETERMINED TO WHATEVER DEGREE POSSIBLE BY THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE SO…
2. IF YOU TALK TO THE AVERAGE KID ON THE STREET WHO LISTENS TO HOP HOP NOTHING IS REALER TO THEM THAN J. COLE A GUY WHO HAS POSITIVE THEMES, PRODUCES HIS OWN MUSIC, AND PUTS ON REALLY AFFORDABLE SHOWS FOR HIS MILLIONS OF FANS.
EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THAT IS LESS “REAL” THAN SOME AGING GHOSTFACE IMITATOR RAPPING OVER SLOPPY THROWN TOGETHER LOOPS ABOUT COKE AND GUNS.
YOUR OWN CRITERIA ARE INCONSISTENT AND YOUR LOGIC DOESNT HOLD UP. YOU SOUND OLD AND EUROPEAN.
ALSO LIKE IT OR NOT DRAKE’S MUSIC IS THE STANDARD-BEARER FOR THE RETURN OF MINIMALISM TO THE MUSIC MOST PEOPLE LISTEN TO. SO ALL YOUR POP VS ANTI POP IS REDUCTIVE AND OLD FASHIONED AND IRRELEVANT KINDA LIKE YOU.
^^^’Ye’s 808’s And Heartbreak is the father to Drake and 40’s whole sound. Some may say looping a sample may be lazy but, to me, it takes just as much skill to know what NOT to add as what to add to a joint. If you find a sample that has a certain feeling as is and any alteration (extra elemements, drums, chopping, etc.)changes that feeling, rock that shit the way it is and keep it moving.
@OSKA YEAH THAT ALBUM IS THE ROSETTA STONE FOR THE ENTIRE FILTERS AND HAND DRUMS RAPSINGING STEELO THAT IS DOMINANT IN THE GENRE RIGHT NOW. SOME OF IT IS GREAT AND SOME IS AWFUL BUT PEOPLE ON HERE WANT THE RAP THAT WAS “REAL” TO THEM WHEN THEY WERE KIDS TO BE THE ONLY VALID PART OF THE ARTFORM. I GREW UP ON RED ALERT BUT THAT DOESNT STOP ME FROM LIKING THE WEEKND. THERE IS NO AUTHENTICITY POLICE ISSUING CITATIONS FOR FAILURE TO KEEP IT REAL.
I understand and appreciate the minimal approach sometimes. How about a salute to pre-2000 rap production minimalism?
This Dick Slipmat dude is on the wrong site…Eff outta here talking about Drake!!!! He’s not an MC or a rapper at all…he sucks, tries to sing, he doesn’t write and that’s that…all his shit is overproduced!!
Robbie needs to put together an Best Acappella Rap Songs list.
Great read! Give me a good old fashioned 808 kick anyday!
Slipmat,is your caps-lock broken? And, why are you HERE championing Yung Eeyore and Aubrey? Foh with that. They cover that enough on the mainstream blogs. It’s ignorant of you to be extolling their virtues, whatever they may be, on this site.
Love that the dude ranting in all caps complains that other people sound “old and European” #irony
If you want to read about Drake go somewhere (everywhere) else mate
YOU EUROPEANS HAVE TROUBLE READING ENGLISH I GET IT. WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT DRAKE? I AM ACTUALLY RESPONDING TO WHAT ROBBIE WROTE:
“Elsewhere, Swizz Beatz carved his own niche by crafting minimalist hits for DMX (‘Ruff Riders Anthem’) and Jay-Z (‘Money, Cash, Hoes.’), while the Neptunes made their own case for making something out of almost nothing with Clipse beats such as ‘Grindin’ and ‘Ride Around Shinin’.’ Both steered clear of almost any sampling by flipping keyboards and programmed drums into futurist club soundtracks that proved to be more effective the louder they were played (and also ensured that their composers got fully paid).”
HE IS DISCUSSING SOME PRETTY MAINSTREAM MUSIC RIGHT THERE YOU SAD HUMPS. WHY? BECAUSE HIS ARTICLE IS A DISCUSSION OF PRODUCTION TRENDS. NOTHING ABOUT HIS ARTICLE FOCUSES ON YOUR SAD IMAGINARY UNDERGROUND. AS USUAL YOU ALL ARE PROJECTING YOUR ANTI COMMERCIAL BIASES INSTEAD OF RESPONDING TO THE ARTICLE. MAYBE PUT THE ARTICLE THROUGH GOOGLE TRANSLATE IN TO YOUR MOTHER TONGUE… AT YOUR MOTHERS HOUSE WHERE YOU LIVE!!!
dick by name prick by nature
This is why the sp1200 is so dope. Not saying it will make a shit producer anything but shit. But the simplicity of it and the sampling limitations can push you in a certain direction.
Sometimes less is more it really just depends on the MC , someone like Ka can get away without using drums butt I don’t think that I would want to listen to Snoop Dogg rapping without drums know what I mean