Rap beats (and rap music in general) are about as flexible as you can get in the music industry. You can find rap music in just about every corner of the world. Rap music blends with every culture and language, and has something to offer just about every listener. But what do rap beats have to do with algebra?

Rap As A Learning Tool

Some high school math teachers have turned to making rap beats to help their students understand the basic concepts of rap music. At Westerville South High School in Westerville, OH outside of Columbus, Dave Schultz and Tyler Winner, two math teachers at the school, have created a miniature YouTube sensation with a rap entitled “Teach Me How To Factor.” The song takes is musical stylings from Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How To Dougie.” To date, the algebraic rap has been viewed nearly 80,000 times.

What is the impact of the song? Students say that the rap has helped them remember the rules of algebra when it comes to factoring, and some have even attributed their improved grades to the song. Using music to make school subjects more accessible isn’t new by any means, but some students think that the rap music helps bring math to them in a medium they’re comfortable with.

Since “Teach Me How To Factor” made its debut, the beatmakers have also released “Getting Triggy Wit It,” a trigonometry-based parody of Will Smith’s “Getting Jiggy Wit It.” The video, with nearly 19,000 views on YouTube helps students understand the basics of triangle trigonometry.

Not every prospective rapper needs to aim for the stars; rap beats can be used to engage and excite people at a lot of different levels. Making your own rap beats can be fun and inexpensive, provided that you have the right tools. Fortunately, the right tools include Sonic Producer, a software package that’s available for both the Mac and the PC.

Sonic Producer comes with thousands of royalty-free samples that will let you make your own original compositions and give your creations the professional sound you’re looking for. With Sonic Producer, you can export your own beats to MP3 and share them with your friends, fans and the rest of the world.

Sonic Producer will open up a world of musical creativity for you. Best of all, you don’t need to supply additional hardware to start making your creations. Download your copy of Sonic Producer today and get started on making your own rap beats!

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In one of the more unexpected rap music duets, rap beatmaker Gucci Mane will hit the studio soon with pop princess Britney Spears. The pair will work on Spears’ upcoming song, entitled “Hit.” Recording will reportedly take place next week in Atlanta.

Rap Music’s Most Unusual Beats

Gucci Mane has been in and out of trouble with the law, and most recently spent a week in a mental hospital. All is well, though for the rapper, who was recently released. Mane is now sporting a new tattoo in an unusual place: his face. For her part, Britney is making headlines with her latest release “Hold It Against Me.” The singer has been working hard on her new album, which is reported to be more “edgy” than her past work.

Spears’ album is as-of-yet not sporting a title, but some songwriters who are working with Spears say the new work is reminiscent of her 2007 venture “Blackout.” The new album is all about the beats, her producers promise, and is designed to have more appeal for club audiences.

Beatmaking has come to the forefront recently as the discussion among rap musicians elevates, thanks in part to Eminem, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, 50 Cent and others who have recently taken issue with the current state of rap music. Will Britney’s new tune make Eminem and Company’s point about rap music being negatively influenced by pop music, or will it stand on its own as a legitimate rap beat?

Until the song is released, no one’s going to be able to answer that question, but the song will allow Spears to break new ground and potentially break out of the pop princess mold she recast for herself in 2008′s Circus.

If nothing else, the collaboration between Gucci Mane and Britney Spears proves once again the flexibility of rap music as a viable medium. Spears wouldn’t be the first pop-crossover and certainly won’t be the last. The question for rap and pop fans alike is whether Spears will bring something new to rap beats, or will “Hits” turn out to be more of the same that rap’s scions are concerned about?

Rap music is big enough to withstand (or absorb) whatever the former Disney queen has to offer. The song will not likely appeal to certain rap music fans, but Hit may open doors for new listeners, something rap music can definitely use more of.

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Rap music artist Kanye West’s latest video, “Monster” is online, and it’s disturbing. The biggest problem, however, is that the video leaked long before it was officially released. The official Monster made its debut on online just prior to New Year’s Eve, but much of the video’s bang had been spent since the unfinished Monster leaked online at the beginning of December. The song is part of West’s newly released album “My Dark and Twisted Fantasy.”

Rap Beats Upon Rap Beats

Monster features guest appearances by Bon Iver, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, and Rick Ross. The lyrics are well out-paced by the shocking video, which is replete with dead and dismembered bodies, zombies feasting on the dead, and artists using body parts as props.

Regardless of the imagery on the video, West’s album, which was released late in the year, has received extraordinary critical acclaim, and is considered to be one of the best albums of 2010, regardless of genre. In terms of rap music, the album has outdone Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, Big Boi’s 2010 critical heavy hitter prior to West’s release.

How big of a role does Monster play in the critical acclaim for the album? It’s hard to say but clearly the artist is making a statement with the video that the lyrics don’t already make. Monster is a collaborative effort among rappers who want to find out who’s the best, dead or alive.

It’s a great question and one that might just still be open. There are a lot of talented new rappers out there who have yet to hit the big scene. Plenty of interesting work is being done by rappers who are just defining themselves as artists and performers. If you fall into this category, one of the tools you need to know about is Sonic Producer.

Sonic Producer is a great software package available for either the Mac or PC that can help you mix up your best rap beats. You’ll get thousands of royalty-free samples to work with and video tutorials that will show you how to make a beat that people can’t get enough of.

Sonic Producer is a great way to start out. You get professional sounding recordings that you mix yourself. You don’t need any additional equipment because Sonic Producer gives you everything you need, and you can export your best rap beats to MP3. Give them to your friends, share them or get them into the club scene through your favorite DJ. Download your copy of Sonic Producer today and get to work on your music career in 2011!

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If you missed it, Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Jay-Z, along with Ca$his and Stat Quo dropped a new rap beat on the world just in time for New Year’s Eve. The tune is called “Syllables” and features the heaviest of hip-hop’s heavy hitters complaining about the state of hip-hop. the fact that the newest hip-hop artists aren’t carrying their weight, and the genre’s fans wouldn’t know a good hip-hop track if they heard one.

It’s Not About Lyrics Anymore

Eminem gets straight to the point in Syllables. The song starts out with Eminem saying “It is not about lyrics anymore! It’s about a hot beat and a catchy hook!” Later Jay-Z complains “All we know is the chorus because the chorus repeats the same four words for us.”

The group takes no prisoners in the wide-ranging, if unexpected, song. The beat is deliberate and slow, but at the same time the group make their point about the state of today’s hip-hop. It’s possible that the artists are losing their ability to relate to the incoming hip-hop audience, who has little in common with artists who have done and seen it all for the past two decades.

Is there more to a great hip-hop record than the beat? The biggest hits are “club-friendly,” which means they have a lot of synthesized sound and a hard beat. Lyrics don’t mean a lot because audiences don’t go to the club to sing or ponder the meaning of life; they go to the clubs to dance. And dancing doesn’t require much thought.

Is there a place for the hard-core hip-hop artist today? If Eminem and Jay-Z’s monster sellout “Home and Home” Tour is any indication, these guys have nothing to worry about just yet. They can still reach the audiences who value more than a hot beat and a catchy hook.

Most of these artists do more than make hip-hop music. In fact, few make hip-hop their primary passion. Eminem is most likely to be considered a “pure” hip-hop artist, and he’s been making the rounds on just about every album these days. Jay-Z has much more going on than making his own music, as do Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. (Anyone remember 50 Cent’s shocking weight loss for the film “Things Fall Apart?”

In some ways, inattention to the genre by its primary artists has played a major role in the evolution of hip-hop music. Rap beats are undeniably part of the program, but the mice will play when the major artists are away. Do these heavy hitters plan a major hip-hop revival? Dr. Dre says his current album will be his last. Eminem is coming down off of a monster success with Recovery. Jay-Z always has a million things going on.

If someone is planning to revive hip-hop in a way that would make its founders proud, someone’s going to have to step up to the mic. Will it be you?

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