I thought I was being smart and showing just how much of a producer I was when I pitched him a few reference tracks. That he would be blown away that there was a chorus already in place with drops, automated effects, and a demo verse. I even went as far as titling the track the name of the chorus along with “Reference Track” in the title of the track. What I got back was pure confusion. “Dog, the beat is dope, but I don’t know where I would put a verse.” His confusion must’ve matched mine as I didn’t understand what he didn’t understand. Its a reference track, you know, a demo of what the record could be hence the name! That was my fault for assuming he knew what I would mean because to be honest, I don’t think anyone has ever sent a reference track to a rapper, well, not an indie anyway.
Ever so often I receive casting lists from major labels which details which artists on their labels are looking for tracks and how they would want them structured. For instance the casting list may looking something like this
Rita Ora: Track + Chorus + [Open Verse]
Dixie Chix: Track + Chorus + Verse [Written]
Dua Lipa: Track + Chorus + Verse [Written]
This tells production houses how to structure their demos when pitching records. So if you are trying to get a Rita Ora placement and only send over a beat [Track] without a chorus then the label will pass before even sending it to her. This is standard practice as artists on major labels are looking for the best song to put on their album or release as single not the best beat. Hence why some of your favorite songs may not have the best production, but the top line and performance was so strong that it struck a chord with you. [pun] So taking this approach with a local artist, rapper, wouldn’t make sense as rappers are known for writing their own verses. They may not create their own choruses, shocker, but they will commit to developing their own verses. In the reference track I sent over it had the most horribly recorded mumble verse and I was hoping this would direct the rapper where to lay his verse. Obviously, mission failed.
So how can pop and r&b producers who are used to creating demos and not just beats create tracks for rappers? The most obvious answer would be to just not lay vocals. However, what normally happens is that the producer will over produce the track because his/her ears are looking for something that’s not there. This usually happens when the producer says to themselves “this is dope, but its missing something.” 9/10 that something is vocals but the producer normally compensates for that by adding 2 to sometimes 3 counter melodies. The track has now become too busy and when the rapper hears it, they have no idea where their vocals fit. Most times, less is more and in the case of working with rappers this couldn’t be more true. Recently an album I was an executive producer on, WIN’s Project Mayhem, and the one consistent feed back I kept receiving was dial it back. Too many melodies and too much going on doesn’t allow a rap artist tell their store properly. Plus, what I’ve learned is that sometimes your melody in the verse will dictate the cadence (or pocket) the rap artist will use. So the next time you’re producing for a rap artist send over something that’s open so that you can build on top of that, and definitely not a reference track.
And to answer your question, yes I do still write a sixteen every now and then. No, you will never hear them.
