A Music Thread

[Al B. Sure!]

Blu from a few years back. Don't understand how people can diminish the validity of rap as an art form when rappers are spitting verses like this:

[C0ckney]

the shamen - destination eschaton (hardfloor vocal mix)

[Al B. Sure!]

I'm kind of proud of what I did with my facebook page (okay, it wasn't my original idea but it's still cool and took a bit of work to get the aspect ratio right [still wasn't perfect though]).

I took a screen capture of it so yall can see.



Just a cool promotional thing. Like a commercial.

My flow there is a little lazy but it seemed to fit with the temperament of the beat. Was going for a very impromptu raw sort of freestyle sound to accompany "That Real... Coming Soon". Figured the awkward break after I stop rapping added to the effect.

Any thoughts?

I'm trying to find clever ways to promote myself and my affiliates. This setup could also be a potential scene in a music video. That would be cool.


I did discover a snag though. So many people access facebook through mobile devices now and this doesn't show up properly on phones

[C0ckney]

i only listened to it a few times, but here are my thoughts.

1) the repetition of 'rhymes' and 'find' in the first stanza sounds a bit lazy and like you couldn't think of something else to say the second time you used those words.

2) the rapping sounds a little bit too slow for the beat, or maybe the beat is a little too fast for your rapping. if you slowed the beat down a couple of BPM i think it would sound better.

other than that, it's not too bad.

[Meticulous Man]

Höömei ‘92 from tuva on Vimeo.

Freaks!

[Al B. Sure!]

i only listened to it a few times, but here are my thoughts.

1) the repetition of 'rhymes' and 'find' in the first stanza sounds a bit lazy and like you couldn't think of something else to say the second time you used those words.

2) the rapping sounds a little bit too slow for the beat, or maybe the beat is a little too fast for your rapping. if you slowed the beat down a couple of BPM i think it would sound better.

other than that, it's not too bad.

Thanks. I kind of did rush the recording because I was excited about the prospect of that cool setup using facebook. My little verse was actually a combination of lines from different verses of mine and the slight difference in beat tempo between the beats those were written to and this beat probably threw my delivery off slightly.

Still, as a little promotional thing it's cool, right? I wonder how it would look as part of a music video accompanied with a better recording, of course.

I'm really paying attention to marketing/promotion in the internet age. Music videos are a must these days for exposure on youtube and the nature of accessibility means everyone can get out there. Creativity is the only way to differentiate yourself from everyone else.


Here's something else... this beat was made by a Dutch producer with a Sesame Street sample. Mind you, I record this with a computer microphone on my laptop and I don't really know what I'm doing in terms of music production so the quality is ass... I'm just trying to record as much as I can as rough drafts and getting feedback so that when it comes to recording in a studio, I'll know what I'm doing, will have fleshed out ideas about ad libs, chorus/hook structure, etc. and can just knock them out.

[Al B. Sure!]

Cockney, I have an idea where I would make a music video like the facebook one. Where I might change backgrounds or little things about me through my verse or get other rappers on the track and we switch off through facebook profiles. Like when my part finishes during a hook, in the video, a mouse cursor will click on another rapper's facebook set up like mine and the cursor will click play as soon as their verse starts.

I don't know if you know anything about music videography or music promotion but you're the only one biting. What you think?

I got ideas, son!

[C0ckney]

i think it's a solid idea certainly, especially if you could get another rapper involved and switch between the two profiles. i would be interested to see the results. the most important thing though is to have a good product to promote in the first place.

i quite liked the second track, there's something strangely endearing about your rapping. i would say however that your first and last lines need some work as they sound a little weak. the middle is pretty solid, i found myself chuckling at "i got bills so old...****...i call 'em williams". i think that with a little work you could have something good here.

[Al B. Sure!]

By sound a little weak, do you mean lyrically or acoustically? If it's the the latter, yeah I think that's just a consequence of my low quality setup. The transition from just a beat or a hook to a verse isn't as seamless as it would be in a professional production so it literally sounds weaker. I also take a few lines to get settled so I need to learn to attack the beat right away. First lines are beyond critical since casual listeners will often make up their minds if they like or dislike a track in the first 30 seconds.

I've been writing for 10 years now so my writing skills are pretty good I think but I have had precious few performance experiences so my delivery needs work but I've become much more dynamic on the mic than I used to be. On that Mr Bill Collector joint, I did little things where I switched up my cadence (by rapping certain parts faster) trying to get more dynamic.


For the facebook video, I hope to work with a guy I went to high school with who has been fortunate enough to receive exposure on MTV (I posted one of his videos in here before). He loved the facebook setup and I hope I can sell him on the idea for a video. If I can get him and a third rapper on a track, the video will be actually very easy to make since it would just be variations of what I did with the use of screen captures. We could probably vary backgrounds and stuff to keep it interesting once the interest in the novelty wears. Maybe set it up with a facsimile of facebook super-imposed over a video. I hope he's interested because especially with his experience, it could be hot.

Good looking Cockney on the insight.

Here's his video by the way that got play on MTV

[C0ckney]

yeah i mean lyrically. as you say it takes you a little while to get into your flow and those crucial first few lines don't give off a very good impression. the good thing is that you recognise this flaw and you can work on it.

i hope he is interested and you guys can make it happen, good luck.

[Al B. Sure!]

Thanks, Cockney.


Back to the music...

Classic hip hop from the Tribe

Crazy to think these songs are 21 years old now!

ATCQ could make rapping about food sound hot as hell

[Asher]

Indie-pop!

[Asher]

Peter Bjorn and John - Second Chance



Lykke Li - Get Some

`

[Al B. Sure!]

I posted some Aloe Blacc before. Here's another:

[Thoth]

I've heard the punk rock that you and thoth post. It's not Chuck Berry or Jerry Lee Lewis. It's obnoxious loud dumb screaming **** that hurts my ears.

Albie you are awesome. Never change.


Punk is/was about re-inventing the tawdry music scene that existed in the late 70's. It was about Doing It Yourself, rather than simply following some corporate formula to make money.

(don't listen to this. It might hurt your ears)