Anybody into rap/hip hop music/drumming? (Respectfully, please don't post about hating/bashing rap. Refrain from clicking if you are not interested.)

[nmosko]

I've been experimenting a good bit lately with some rap drumming. Specifically Dr. Dre, Eminem, J. Cole and Jack Harlow . Most of those beats are of course programmed and essentially they are the exact thing from start to finish. Excellent exercises for timing and discipline. I've been listening to "Rap God" by Eminem and the beat has a lot of changes in the kick pattern and a lot of different accents where the beat follows the lyrical acrobatics.

Any good recommendations on some great rap or hip hop songs to drum along to or any really great beats/lyrics to check out? Thanks!!

Again, I respectfully ask that if your intentions are to bash rap music please refrain from posting. I'd like to have a positive, informational and educational discussion on this form of music and rhythm.

 

[RoyKiyo]

Anything J Dilla made is pretty much gospel at this point.

Whether his own beat tapes, SV, Tribe, etc..

An entire career of work to dig into and really get into how to feel one very important interpretation of subdivision in hip hop.

 

[csm]

There is something called 300 Breaks that I would suggest trying to track down. It is a collection of 300 drum breaks that were sampled on classic hip hop records - so you have breaks from old Funk, R&B, Disco, and Rock records. It's fun to pick a break, loop it up, and try to duplicate the feel of the original beat.

The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders are fun to play along to.

Also check out Chris Dave if you haven't already.

 

[Houndog]

It’s a shame you have to ask folks to refrain from negative comments about a style of music ….

 

[Squirrel Man]

I can do a little rap/rock like Beastie Boys or ICP. Maybe even some Eminem but just in small doses.

 

[Squirrel Man]

It’s a shame you have to ask folks to refrain from negative comments about a style of music ….

Clawhammer sucks

 

[scaramanga]

You could just study the timeline of Questlove's approach and get the full masterclass in hip hop drum set. He is the scientist.

 

[Tilter]

When Meinl cymbals became an obsession for me a few years ago I discovered and was thusly fascinated with Richard Spaven's playing and style, which is primarily based around Broken Beat. The longer and more intently I listened and really paid attention, the more evident it became what an incredible musician he is. I created a Pandora station with one of his tracks which has opened a floodgate of new music for me.

You may find that his music doesn't exactly fall in line with the atypical Rap or Hip Hop styles, but at the very least, from a drumming and composition standpoint, I highly recommend checking him out if you're not already familiar. His work with Jordan Rakei is fantastic.

My gateway tracks...

 

[Trilock_Gurtu]

Yeah, I've been drumming with hip hop acts going back to the early 90's, but I started playing along to rap tracks in the 80's. I think the first would have been RUN DMC, Tricky. I remember playing to that song when it came out. I've always enjoyed playing hip hop. Of course the likes of J-Dilla expanded the genre, especially pertaining to the beats. Obviously Quest is an OG. Adam Deitch goes way back playing hip hop, love his stuff. Playing hip hop requires a lot of discipline, much more then most drummers can muster up, and the ability to play with a click or tracks...but it's deeper than that. You have to be comfortable enough to play 'dead on', like you're a drum machine, or play around the click, like a Chris Dave ('the drunk beat', that so many drummers play these days, thanks to Dilla). When I first learned it many years ago it got very odd looks from the other players. Now, it's fashionable. When I used to teach I'd get my students to play along to rap tunes; Paul's Boutique, Tribe, Cube, PE, Pac, Black Sheep, Snoop, Digable Planets, Warren G, Busta, etc, just to develop discipline and time. Much more fun than playing along to a dead click. I still play hip hop gigs, from time to time.

 

[Beefsurgeon]

Anything J Dilla made is pretty much gospel at this point.

Whether his own beat tapes, SV, Tribe, etc..

An entire career of work to dig into and really get into how to feel one very important interpretation of subdivision in hip hop.

This is a cool overview the quintuplet & septuplet feels used by Dilla and others: https://www.brltheory.com/analysis/...t-swing-septuplet-swing-playing-off-the-grid/

 

[nmosko]

This is a cool overview the quintuplet & septuplet feels used by Dilla and others: https://www.brltheory.com/analysis/...t-swing-septuplet-swing-playing-off-the-grid/

I've seen J Dilla's name a few times in this thread. Never listened to him but I've also heard Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers give a ton of props to J Dilla. Definitely going to have to check that out as well as ?uestlove

 

[TheDrummerFromAmsterdam]

Here is my contribution in regards to my Hip-Hop history:

Live Hip Hop Drum Setups

So I'm venturing into trying to play hip hop in a live drummer kind of way and I'm curious what setups you have going on in terms of drums and cymbals. I'm thinking in terms of acoustic/organic drums and not really utilizing electronic drums. What sizes do you prefer and what cymbals are you...

www.drumforum.org

 

[loser_wizard]

Most Definitely. I grew up on hip hop in the late 70s/early 80s and it had a HUGE impact on my childhood understanding of music. Roxanne Shante, UTFO, Whodini, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Newcleus, The Fat Boys, Run-DMC, and the Beastie Boys... all kind of in that order. NWA got too angry for me, but I still think of it as required hip hop canon. I kind of dropped out of of 90s to early aughts hip hop and got into grunge/indie/punk/math kind of music. And then Odd Future's EARL and Run The Jewels have kind of brought it back for me. I love RTJ. Tobe Nwigwe is doing some cool stuff, too. There seems to be the reemergence of 40 and 50 year old rappers with Paul Wall, Zach De La Rocha, etc.

I play free improvisation now so the experimental, yet danceable feel of hip hop appeals to me. Like editing in real time and trying to keep it together. I consider James "Buffy" Robinson, aka The Human Beat Box, to be an influence on my drumming whether I want it or not. I grew up around the unorthodox DIY culture of it. I like that it is kind of "wrong" sounding, but still vibe. Two fave examples/influences below.

 

[INeedDrumLessons]

I spend a lot of time drumming along to lo-fi Chillhop type music which has strong roots in the Dilla stuff.

 

[jmpd_utoronto]

I've seen J Dilla's name a few times in this thread. Never listened to him but I've also heard Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers give a ton of props to J Dilla. Definitely going to have to check that out as well as ?uestlove

If you want to dig into Dilla a little bit and want an entertaining but also well researched biography that covers some of his musical innovations, check out “Dilla Time” by Dan Charnas.

 

[tnsquint]

In my experience, rap artists that have live drummers, the drummers tend to play in a very aggressive “gospel chops” fashion and it is frankly very exciting to watch. They definitely do not concern themselves with recreating the recorded version and instead play along, over it.

 

[cinemadrummer2001]

You should check out Luscious Jackson. They had an awesome drummer, Kate Schellenbach, who played with the Beastie boys for a time. Great band.

 

[fusseltier]

Very few songs are fun to play . I thought most used a daw.

 

[Drum & Bass]

ya - there is a lot, quite a range of drum / beat styles.
Not sure if anyone mentioned
OutKast and things from the Dungeon Family
Timbaland
Then there is UK Grime, Trap, and Chopped & Screwed which all fall under “hip hop” but probably not what most immediately associate or think of when asked to play a beat. I’ll post some examples / links.

 

[mydadisjr]

Really dug Busta Rhymes, Young MC, Run DMC (and even some MC Hammer but I don't admit it) back in the day...

I got some cool rap cred today, I did a gig at the old folk's home and they were doing a group crossword on the big screen TV... a clue was THREE LETTERS... STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON.

I yelled out: "NWA".

The 85 year old ladies think I am cool now!