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.
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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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