One Youtube channel that I really admire and get a lot of hip hop production tips and techniques from is VerySickBeats. The producer of these videos has a real great grasp of sampling techniques that some of the best producers use to make the most classic hip hop songs of all time. He does a great job of simply, clearly, and effectively explaining how to emulate some of the greatest like Dilla, DJ Premier, RZA, etc. That is why I have added a lot of VerySickBeats’ tutorials to the database because he’s so great to learn from and I’d like to also get his videos more visibility as well.
Here are my favorite videos that he has shared:
Basslines can make or break a song – examine a Mike Will track and you can see how important a bassline can be to driving the bounce and rhythm of a song. To be honest, this is an area is which I really struggle, to create interesting basslines that add to the song and not just drone in the background. This is one of the first videos I watched on VerySickBeats and the minor note technique gave me a different perspective to bassline creation.
Just like basslines, hi-hats really drive the groove of a song and they seem to be more important in today’s music. This video really helped me to learn how to stack hi-hats that are pitched differently in triplet for to really create a groove that has much more bounce and variation.
The Dilla inspired 7 bar loop video really gave me a new perspective on tempo, bar length, and the math behind music. I was only focused on creating loops and chops that matched an even number pattern (2-bar, 4-bar, 8-bar, etc) to match the 4/4 theory. This really gave me some insight into variation, creativity, and timing by using odd number bars as loops.
Another Dilla inspired video where VerySickBeats explains so clearly how Dilla swings a 6/8 loop to a 4/4. VerySickBeats makes it so clear by him showing you how he counts the time signature of the 6/8 progression. This goes to show you how a master of different techniques both Dilla and VerySickBeats is – VerySickBeats
Here is another great video about chopping techniques that I really learned a lot from. I was so used to just placing a sample on the metronome, but this video really expanded things for me – showing that there doesn’t have to be a formulaic way of placing a sample, make it fit to how you want it to sound by chopping it. By doing it this way you can create more original grooves and sounds.
I fully endorse VerySickBeats’ Youtube channel for anyone learning to produce hip hop music. He really understands and can hear what a producer is doing, and on top of that, explains it incredibly well. Subscribe and support to his channel!
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