What's In It For Me

Ok let's be real for a second. Why would somebody be in a business and make money and have the arrogance to expect that they get free raw materials from a supplier. If I have to deal with one more person that wants free beats so THEY can make money off ME for free, imma slap the tax return outta somebody!!! Yeah I get it, people hook you up with beats, you don't want to buy beats from a local producer or giving you a free beat is better for me bc of the alleged exposure you can bring me. PROVE IT!!! "Do it for the love 1ne!" Let's be real clear I love hip hop and the feeling when people embrace my music but love by itself will NOT pay bills. Try it and see. Pay your mobile phone bill by putting the amount of "i love you dollars and i want you cents" on a check and see if you can call people the next day. Lemme know how that works out LOL!

Before I even halfway consider giving you a free beat you better give me the UNSHAKABLE confidence that you have a very successful movement and loyal following that I can benefit from. Talking about it is cool but I need hardcore proof. If you can't provide that then keep moving. I play this game to win, this aint just something for me to do because I am bored. THIS IS MY LIFE!!! Don't @#$% with that!!!

Ok I am done venting...the jewel. Make sure that any deal you get in to regarding your music is of a significant benefit to you but NEVER try to get over on anybody. Don't let them get over on you either. That is all.

1ne tha Producer

www.1nethaproducer.com

Free hat with haircut lol

NC Shout Outs!!!

Peace, eventhough I am in NY these days and my beats have that NYC feel to them, this is not where it all started for me. I gotta give it up to my home, North Carolina. In particular my second home from my college days, Winston-Salem. It must be something in the water down there because this is the city that I credit with me falling in love with making beats. I mean c'mon son, the hometown of 9th Wonder, Khrysis went to my college Winston Salem State University, brother named Manifest on the 4th floor of Boogie Down Brown Hall aka Bricks had a studio in his dorm room where I made my first beat as a freshman (think i still got that tape at home lol) My sister's dude make beats and though I never told him, he reawakened that passion back in 2002. I would be a jerk if I failed to mention my dude DJ Elite who i have known since we were causing havoc and confusion in middle school band class...poor Ms Plyler LOL. dude moved to the Tre-4 and he been making beats since in the Chi these days but you get the point. As far as me and making beats go, Winston-Salem, NC is my birthplace and my Mama so I have no choice but to shine and follow in the foot steps of the brothers I just mentioned and possibly take it a step further for the next kid with the same and similar passion from the same area code or 704/980 (my original stomping grounds)

Peace
1ne tha Producer

One of those days

Just got some news that I have to take on the chin. Oh well, it is what it is. Feeling like I am doing the right thing just the wrong way. As such the results are jacked up!!! LOLZ (gotta laugh to keep my energy up and keep from crying...haha). So i guess this is my first post where I share a bit of myself with the people. What can I say, 1ne is a real person not just some automated marketing machine. Anyway cut the violins in the background. When it hits the fan and you think about throwing in the towel overstand this...you were NOT designed to tuck your tail and run home to Mama. Instead duke it out, make changes if needed and run home to Mama and show her what you did (I can assume pretty well that she will love that more).

That being said, I take the advice that I just shared and apply it to my current situation. Start over try a new approach and work towards getting it right. That is all family.

1ne tha Producer

Brain Fart 12,234

I'm neck and neck in the beat battles I joined the other day. People been like "yo 1ne, the site won't let me vote" Well I just heard that you have to be an exclusive member to vote. That means you have to pay for membership. AINT THAT ABOUT A BLIPP!!!??? lol. Sorry about that people. But thanks to all for their support. BTW...I got more heat coming like every week so stay close to me.

1ne

VOTE FOR ME!! ME!!! ME!!!

Beat battle!!! I can NOT lose to this guy...register on www.rocbattle.com (dont worry its free). Look for my profile (1neThaProducer) scroll down to my battles and select open battles and listen to both beats for at least 30 seconds and VOTE FOR ME ME ME!!!

Keep Them Listening

Keep Them Listening

What's good. I could more than likely bet everything i know and love on the assumption that you have a web page for your music. Facebook, myspace, reverbnation...it really doesnt matter. I just want to make sure that you are putting the best quality music out there. No one wants to get traffic to their pages and have them turn away because the music is not an wasy listen. In my previous email i spoke about mp3 versus wav files and how you want to buy beats online that are wav quality and then reformat the final song to mp3 so it can be uploaded to your sites. That is but on aspect of getting the best quality possible for your music for digital distribution.

I know we all like to hear rap beats loud. Me too. BUT...you dont want to buy a beat that is already crazy loud because you have to record your vocals on top of it thus it becomes louder. I know you probably dont see the issue with that but trust me it is a major concern. Any music recorded has a limit that once crossed intorduces distortion. And adding a vocal (that has to be louder than the music) to an already loud track will cause it to distort. Not to mention that alot of artists get their music mastered in some form or another. Izotope, using a maximizer or even a masetering studio. Well what they do(mastering) is make you song louder and open the sound up more so that it meet professional standards. But if you are already very loud, you leave them little if any room, to improve your overall sound and in most cases all they can do at that point is introduce MORE distortion. Now imaagine this problem along with you recording your voice (wav) over an mp3(low quality) then having it mastered and reformatted to an mp3 again...do you really want to put that on your music page??? I wouldnt. Ensure as best as you can that your music is pleasing to your listeners by being aware of what I just shared with you. Everybody wants to be the dopest rapper on the internet and if people have a hard time listening to you because of the sound quality then it makes it difficult for you to support that claim. Work smarter, not harder.

Peace
1ne tha Producer
www.1nethaproducer.com

Rappers, Say No to Mp3 Downloads if you Care about the Quality of Your Music/Rep

Rappers or anybody who cops they beats online. Download .wav files and stay away from mp3's unless you want to sound subpar when you hear your stuff on these websites. Wav=CD quality, Mp3=human feces quality. you want to record at the highest quality possible so that when u make an mp3 version for streaming on the web it still sounds like something you can be proud of. I will repeat it in better detail. When you download an beat in mp3 format and record your vocal over it, your vocals are of a superior quality than the mp3 file which is a stripped down version of the music(you actually are missing mid range frequencies which is why they sound thin compared to CDs). Now you have a Wav quality voice over an mp3 quality beat. You then take that song and make it an Mp3 thus further destroying its quality and put it on your websites or sell it from the internet. MISTAKE!!! Be more conscious of the option to download mp3 files from oniine producers. So you start with a high quality beat and vocal. Now you still have to reformat the song to an Mp3 so it can be streamed online but it sounds fuller since you used the best template possible.

1ne tha Producer
www.1nethaproducer.com

Some R&B for ya'll

Feeling a little Generous

Peace family. You can call it how you want to but I am in a very generous mood today. Don't believe me we check this out. I am selling the inventory from my webpage for $30!!!. This is equal to buying one beat lease and getting over 20 free beats on top of it! Who does that???

Just go to my website: http://www.1nethaproducer.com, and click on the "Buy Now" button located directly below the instructions. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, this deal will not be available long so you need to move quickly!

Peace,
1ne tha Producer

Relaxing

Peace to all, taking it easy for a few days but still felt the need to get on here and share something. Hopefully it is something that is in the smallest way at least entertaining lol. Anyway, I am back on my old stomping grounds for a few days so no beats or studio sessions. I am however looking forward to a business meeting with some really important people that can change the direction of my life as a music producer!!! So even when I am taking it easy I go hard! So I guess that just like that I have a jewel to share with you people. Rappers, singers, beat makers...shoot ANYBODY that does anything at all, even when you are taking a day or so to recharge your batteries, do something that serves to advance you because you better know that everyone else is. No matter how it happens, if you miss out on anything, it is because of something you did or failed to do. I don't care if I am listening to the radio, I am taking notes on what is happening right now. Oh they using that drum sound, the flippin the sample like that, that's how they singing...you see where I am going with this??? Take your laptop with you, tweet some stuff to your followers, post on facebook...just keep grinding family. You will be alright.

1ne
www.1nethaproducer.com

Mixing/Mastering Jewels

Peace to all. I have been bombarded with people in the last few days who want me to hear their songs. All in all the stuff sounds ok, but there are some mixing issues. Now I don't profess to be the best engineer to ever do it but I can be honest with myself about what does and does not sound good. For starters, most people these days lease beats off the internet. That is a good look (I mean hey it puts food on my table and keeps the lights on! lol). Leasing helps you to save money while putting the excess $500 plus that would have been spent on an exclusive or custom beat towards promotions (pressing a CD, business cards, website...). There is a very important thing to be aware of when leasing rap beats. You are going to record vocal over it and common sense will tell you that you want them to cut through bc without them the beat is just that...a beat. Sounds simple enough, right? Just make sure that you are conscious of the fact that quite a few of the beats will come with some degree of mastering on them to make them sound louder, I mean nobody is gonna buy a hip hop beat that has very little volume to it. Volume is cool but, make sure that there is a little headroom on the track after you have added you vocals to it. If not, when you get a mastering engineer(IMPORTANT!!!) he or she has close to nothing that they can do to fatten up the song and give you something to shop around or sell. Let's be honest here, the whole reason you are going through this is to make money and get noticed for how GOOD you are, not just for fun. If you want to have a distorted sounding song go ahead, good luck selling it, getting on the radio, mixtape, soundclick or making a name for yourself in a positive manner. Come on now, I am 1ne and I am giving you the game and i guarantee that if you do this, you will get the desired results.

Peace,
1ne tha Producer
www.1nethaproducer.com

Back in from the Stu

Peace to all. Just getting in from the studio over at my partner's crib. It can be kinda frustrating watching somebody use Reason to make a beat with factory sounds. SMDH!!! Reason users...the sounds that come with the program are...aight...but without an extensive library of refills, you will sound like Reason and not like YOU!!! Nuff said. I had to take my hard drive over and upload 40 Gigs of sounds on his drive. I mean if I am gonna be over there making beats, I need my weapons of choice ya dig??? Anyway, after two hours of uploading the sounds and eating some poorly seasoned stew chicken from the jamaican spot up the block we got down to business. And knocked out some dirty south beats. I guess listening to Rick Ross for the past week non stop rubbed off. LOL!!! Well that's all I got for now. Until next time. Oh yeah, DON'T FORGET TO STEP UP YA SOUND GAME...no matter if you use Reason, FL Studio, MPC...whatever. You are only as dope as your sounds. Peace!!!

Jay-Z Top Producer Young Guru Breaks Down How Music Artist Enslave Thems...

Real talk!!! Young Guru droppin' some serious jewels throughout this whole piece!!!

The Importance of the Hip Hop Producer

When is the last time you went out and bought a rap cd that was straight a Capella or somebody rhyming over a hand clap and NOTHING else??? Don't worry, I will wait. Anybody that knows anything at all about Hip Hop as a music or a culture understands that the driving force is the the music. The beat, to be more specific the Hip Hop beat. Before there were people calling themselves producer or beat maker the DJ was the person responsible solely for providing the music for the emcee to spit over. So important is the DJ that back in the day they got the most credit because without them the emcee was just talking to hear him/herself talk. This is not intended to belittle the contribution of the emcee but rather to shine light on the art of making hip hop instrumentals. Let's be honest if it were not for people like 9th Wonder, Just Blaze and Timbaland would the world know of Aaliyah, Little Brother or Keisha Cole (think of her first single produced by Kanye West). Well let me be honest the answer is probably yes, but it would have taken a little longer and would have been slightly less effective. How many times have DJ's put a new song by a previously unknown artist into their mix show or on a mixtape and we watch the lucky person's career blossom before our very eyes? I say all that to say this, rappers and singers, the producer/DJ is extremely integral to your success! Therefore, it is in your best interest to value the work that they do and pay for their services because to be honest there are more of them(producers) than there are of you. Much success to you and your music.

1ne tha Producer
siriusbeats.weebly.com
twitter@1nethaproducer

Bad 4 My Soul by: Swiss Mahogany ft. $os Pachiino

Look the Part

You want this and you want that...but do you LOOK like you want it? Do you ACT like you want it? Example: Anonymous person comes to me because word is getting around that I make beats. Imagine a guy fresh from the barber shop, with the latest clothes and shoes in a new car and he always is smoking that good stuff (Let it be known that i dont advocate smoking, just know that it costs to partake in it).basically, this guy had the money. He approaches me for some beats but he would rather have a custom beat with exclusive rights as opposed to leasing a beat. Customs are generally more expensive and the customer OWNS the beat outright from that point on. Leases are the property of the producer and he/she can sell it as many times as they want but the buyer can sell up to 5000 copies. They are also less costly. The problem is that he wanted a custom beat with leasing prices. I let him talk. I listened to his music and the quality of it was HORRIBLE!!! It is hard to listen to somebody rap over a beat that is already a hit on the radio. It is even more difficult to listen to a song that is mixed(understatement) in such a way that everything sounds distorted. I ask him who is his mixing engineer. The response I get didn't surprise me. "My mans up the block does it for free." I say to myself "it figures." Remember this guy has the car, clothes and the money. Surely he can invest in his music to have a product that can be taken seriously and get the right attention. But I guess getting high and having the latest sneakers is more important than the long term goal. IF YOU DO YOUR MUSIC RIGHT YOU CAN BUY ALL THE SHOES AND CLOTHES YOU WANT. But he didn't get it. Now the jewel I give to you is simply this: Look the part, act the part, BE the part!!! Peace

1ne tha Producer
http://siriusbeats.weebly.com

Increase Your Music's Online Presence

Make Your Presence Known Online
Good morning to you. I trust that your week is off to a great start. Just want to share with you how to increase your traffic and exposure on the internet. We all should overstand that traffic=sales right. Aside from the fact that we would sing, rap, make beats...for free a little money in the pocket would be a NICE added bonus right??? lol... Anyway, it took me a while to put this thing together. After many rookie mistakes and a lot of trial and error somebody gave me the game and sice caring is sharing, here you go.

I want to talk briefly about soundclick. This is the facebook for musicians so if you don't have a page by now then well shame on you. But having a page isnt enough. In order to make the most of it you need to get a VIP account (a mere $10 a month). If you are fine with just blowing up the forums every hour of the day(nothing wrong with that) you can stop there. But if you are one who likes to work smarter as opposed to harder then you need to consider buying a promotional package. There are several budgets. Basically you pay for ad space prices range from $25-$500. Think for a second. You have 100,000 view and 10,000 of these viewers go to your page and 1000 make a purchase. It is a number's game and who are you to NOT win at it and increase your visibility and bank account doing something you love doing. Ok I am talking too much at this point, this is an email not a graduate school thesis. Best of luck to you.

Peace
1ne tha Producer
http://siriusbeats.weebly.com
follow me on twitter @1nethaProducer

Grow Where You Are Planted

Wow!!! It's funny how things happen. This time last month I was waiting to receive a phone call from a studio in Atlanta, GA about an internship. I had flown down there early on a Monday morning in the middle of July because I felt like I needed to start over in another city. I had come to the conclusion that NYC was a waste of my time energy and money. Atlanta on the other hand is the "Black Hollywood" where else should i be for my music? Right??? And why move to a new city without something to hold u down as well as place you in the right circles??? Well needless to say, I did not get the internship (jerks...lol). I am not gonna lie, I was pissed!!! But no sooner than i got the rejection email, I got another one from an entertainment firm saying that I had been accepted to participate in a music producer showcase!!! Clearly, if I am making beats, an event like this (with its high profile celebrity judges and TREMENDOUS networking possibilities) is a way better opportunity than an internship that consist of answering phones, cleaning bathrooms and making coffee and Chinese food runs. Also, in spite of it all, NYC is STILL the birthplace of hip hop and the CENTER of the music industry. The funny thing is this...I had forgotten all about submitting some beats back in the end of Spring. Now...for the jewel in this story: SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN, KNOW IT WILL HAPPEN (YOU MAY NOW KNOW HOW BUT KNOW THAT IT WILL HAPPEN), DO THE WORK AND WAIT!!! In my case, I had completely forgotten about my beat submissions so when I got the new i could not help but laugh like a madman. IMPORTANT...do not BELIEVE it will happen...KNOW that it will happen. The moment you make that decision, you mind works to make it work out for you. You start to think up solutions, your actions drive you towards things, people and events that will bring you closer to your goals. ALL THINGS BEGIN AS A THOUGHT IN A MIND AND CHANGE STARTS WITHIN...so get it poppin'!!!

1ne tha Producer

1ne Tha Producer: Are You Doing What You Want to Do???

1ne Tha Producer: Are You Doing What You Want to Do???: "Get a good education, get a degree in something practical and get a good paying job working for somebody else!!! Without a college degree y..."

Are You Doing What You Want to Do???

Get a good education, get a degree in something practical and get a good paying job working for somebody else!!! Without a college degree you will not be a success...I could go on and on with the rhetoric that I am sure everybody and their mama's grandmother's mama has heard and/or said but you get it by now. Not to undermine this philosophy but people give this kind of advice only because it is all that they know(or all that has been drilled into their head). But, where in that did they ever say go for what you want. Newsflash, money should not be the ONLY reason you went to get a degree or anything. Find something that you love doing. It should be something that you love so much that you would do it for free!!! Maybe it is something that you fell in love with when you were still very young or maybe it happened later in life. Anyway, if it is something that you would rather do all day if you didnt have to go work for somebody else to make them rich while they give you crumbs from the big loaf of bread that they enjoy, the WHY ARE YOU NOT DOING THAT???!!! Now don't get disillusioned, I'm gonna be real with you, getting started can be tough. But think about the person that you work for...he or she had to start at the bottom with the same desires as you have. There was something that they loved doing and they made that into a successful business/career/lifestyle or whatever you want to call it. Oh yeah and guess what...ALOT OF THEM DIDNT HAVE AN EDUCATION BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL. That kinda sucks for me bc i have a Master's Degree lol, but hey, it is what it is. So what did they have that you seem to lack? They had information, they had an ability to attract things, people, and situations to them that were very beneficial to their goals. There is a ton of literature floating out there (let's not forget, the internet can be a beautiful thing if you know how to use it). Associate yourself with successful and positive people. The habits that they possess and their positve energy will rub off on you, not to mention that being around them opens you up to other people in their circles that can when the time is right, possibly help you along the way. I remember hearing a DJ say on his morning show that "you get swagger from being around swagger." VERY IMPORTANT!!! Fill your head with as much information about what you want to do as possible. As well as attaining knowledge on how to handle business and market yourself. I don't wanna end up writing a thesis statement over here so I'm wrapping this up.

Peace!
1ne Tha Producer

Get The Most Out Of Your Music

Wanna record deal??? In the case of music producers, are you looking for a major placement or recording contract??? Alot of you will say yes. Make sure you get a contract that you are comfortable (with unless you like being jerked around that is). People will approach you and tell you everything they think you want to hear. Example, "I really, like your music/energy, we can take you and your music to the next level..." They could be telling the truth but keep in mind that they are out to get their money up so who are you not to do the same??? Stop. Think...and...GO!!! After all the sweet talk and ego boosting has subsided you need to start thinking about a contract. What are you giving up(what are they gaining) and what are you gaining. Lets be honest though, as a new comer that nobody knows about in the beginning, your deals are gonna...for lack of a less abrasive word...SUCK!!! Even alot of more established people have bad contracts too. But make sure that you get something...proper compensation, album credits... You may very well crank out hit after hit for a label meanwhile they own rights to the music. But be smart, you have now gained a reputation as a hit maker and have an edge that allows you to renegotiate your contract. Even if your label refuses to agree to your new terms, you are in demand and can shop for another deal or GO ON YOUR OWN!!! That being said, the internet is a beautiful thing. Get a website(not a myspace or a facebook). Get a real website. There quite a few that you can start up for free or for very little money so get into a web design course or get somebody to desing the page for you. Showcase your music there, have a mailing list, pictures, sell your music from there. Invest in pay per click campaigns on google and Facebook to generate traffic. More traffic=more people looking at your site and joining your list and buying you music...A SIMPLE NUMBERS GAMES...YOU NEED TO BE SEEN TO GET PAID!!! Find out where people that are interested in your kind of music congregate and advertise(online and in person at clubs etc) soundclick, myspace, and various websites are prime real estate for posting banners where people's eyes naturally gravitate to so get started. Get a youtube channel and upload some videos, get a blog. Wash, rinse, reuse...Congratulations on your success in advance!!!

Peace
1ne tha Producer
http://siriusbeats.weebly.com

Love what you do (but get what you are owed)

Session musicans, gigging musicians, fellow beat makers...we all eat, sleep, breathe and LOVE music.  That is a no brainer.  If you havent had the "joy" of experiencing being burned by an unfair client keep playing and making beats and it will happen.  But NEVER let that be the reason that you close up shop and turn your back on music!!! Understand that how they did you is their karma and how you deal with it is yours.  Don't stoop to their level and get revenge or do the same thing they did to you to the next person.  Get your money (take legal action if needed) but don't go at it with the intention of screwing them over.  REMEMBER HOW YOU DEAL WITH IT IS YOUR KARMA!!!  I recently lost a gig and prior to I did some session work for a producer in Long Island(keyboard work)  the producer basically made it clear that he didnt plan on paying me so I had no choice but to take it up with the authority.  Luck for me i got a written agreement so that i could prove that i was in fact owed for my services.  From now on, push the issue of getting a down payment up front before you even play a single note.  And get everything in writing!!!

Peace
1ne tha Producer
http://siriusbeats.weebly.com