Rap Music Has Another Side

Rap Music Can Be Positive, Too

Rapper K’naan is a great example of how rap music can be a positive influence on listeners. K’naan, who hails from war-torn Somalia, is one of the most gifted rap music lyricists making music today. His music doesn’t focus on crime and the criminal element. Instead, it focuses on his experiences with war, and how they changed him forever.

K’naan is probably best known for his “Waving Flag”, which was used by Coca Cola during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. K’naan is also releasing a new album, “God, Country or the Girl” this month. The rapper also serves as a reminder that rap music can offer a positive influence to listeners.

The commercial success of K’naan’s approach to rap music proves that there is indeed a place in the market for rap music that doesn’t support, promote or glorify the criminal element that has been associated with rap music.

This comes at a time when self-produced music is finding relatively easy entry into the marketplace, and independent music producers are getting the technical support they need to create, publish and distribute their own music.

Computer software like DubTurbo enables music producers to create their own sound. By providing all of the tools required to record music professionally, DubTurbo supports the move toward self produced music and may help change the face of rap and hip-hop music for good.

With DubTurbo, new musicians have a complete, professional studio recording package on their computer. Better still, DubTurbo comes with a library of sample sounds that musicians can use royalty-free, as well as a library of tutorial videos that show users how to get the most out of DubTurbo.

If you’re a new musician and you’re looking to break into the rap music scene, don’t spend thousands of dollars on renting studios. Record your own rap beats and get the professional sound quality you expect at a fraction of the cost. Download your copy of DubTurbo today and start making your own beats!

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Beastie Boys Inducted Into Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame

Honor For Just The Third Rap Act

The Beastie Boys are just the third rap group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, behind Run-DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Rap masters LL Cool J and Chuckie D formally inducted the group.

In its earliest years, the group was associated closely with producing legends Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin at Def Jam Records. The group credited other acts in the emerging rap music genre for their influences, including Bad Brains, The Slits, the Treacherous Three and XRay Spex. Four of the group’s eight albums reached the top of the Billboard Album chart, including Licensed to Ill, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and To the 5 Boroughs. The group continues to perform today, and most recently released an album entitled Hot Sauce Committee Part Two in 2011.

Their first release, New York Thrash, was a forerunner of the modern mixtape and preceded the release of their first EP, Polly Wog Stew (1982). Originally, the band worked in the hardcore metal genre, but successfully made the switch to rap early on. Since the group’s inception, they’ve sold more than 40 million albums world wide, about half of which were sold in the United States.

The Beastie Boys made it big with the help of an established music producer, but they also helped to open the door for artists who want to produce their own music. The Beastie Boys were considered a “groundbreaking” act in the 1980′s and served as many fans’ first introduction to the rap music genre. The group paired famously with Run-DMC for its Raising Hell tour in 1985 and first cracked the R & B and Dance charts in the same year with “Hold It Now, Hit It.”

The Beastie Boys demonstrate that anyone can break into rap music and deliver a successful sound. For aspiring new musicians in the rap music genre, one of the best tools to have is DubTurbo, a complete music-production software package that lets you create your own musical style!

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Does Rap Music Promote The Gangsta Lifestyle?

Do Crime And Rap Have A Solid Association?

While many rappers write lyrics about their criminal exploits, and more than one rapper’s career has ended in a hail of gunfire, music producers are quick to point out that music, by itself, doesn’t promote crime. That doesn’t stop rappers like Fresco Clean and Black Lung from using Rockford’s position as #9 on the FBI’s list of the Most Dangerous Cities in the US as a way to market the group’s music and elevate its profile among the gangsta crowd.

The group’s first EP, Whiteboy Wasted, has recently been released by producer Soleternity, and hopes to appeal to a largely white middle- and lower class youth audience. They’re also hoping to catch the attention of college-aged students who are part of the fraternity/sorority scene and other middle class demographics who are looking for a voice. The songs on Whiteboy Wasted are largely about partying and having fun, and could be a nice way to kick off the summer.

The EP is Fresco Clean’s recording debut, but the 22-year-old is a veteran battle rapper and has traveled the world in rap competitions. Black Lung has already released a number of indie beats, and has already released an LP under his own name.

The potential rap and hip-hop audiences are large, and there’s plenty of room in this growing medium for many more talented musicians. Getting started has never been easier. All the tools you need to self-produce your rap beats are available in a single, awesome package. Dubturbo combines the best tools with the easiest-to-use interface in a single software package. DubTurbo is available for either the Mac or PC and enables you to mix your own beats. Better still, DubTurbo comes with a library of royalty-free beats you can use to enhance your own sounds.

Need more? How about a library of tutorial videos to help you learn how to make the most of this outstanding music software package? DubTurbo is a great way to get started in the rap music industry and gives you everything you need to record and mix a professional sound.
Download your copy of DubTurbo today and start working on your next great career move!

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Group Demonstrates Hip Hop's International Flair

Trio Takes To North America

The group met in high school and has performed together since that time. They occupy Australia’s top spot in terms of hip-hop artists, in a field that’s becoming more crowded every day. The group focuses on its lyrics and beats but has tried to avoid developing a predictable style.

They regularly perform live and still include traditional rap techniques like scratching and beatboxing to achieve their unique sound. While they’ve moved around from label to label, the group has also opened for some of rap’s most recognizable acts, including 50 Cent, G-Unit, and Lil Jon. Bliss and Eso have been nominated for ARIA awards, Australia’s version of the Grammys.

Bliss n Eso aren’t your typical hip-hop musical act, and have been very active in a number of charitable causes. The group’s work has helped fund relief work in South Africa as well as in Victoria, Australia. They’ve toured the US several times and have released four albums, one of which was certified gold and the group’s most recent release, Running on Air, was certified platinum.

If any of this surprises you, it shouldn’t. Hip-hop, as a musical artform, has demonstrated itself to be among the most culturally flexible, and has inspired musicians and artists from all over the world. New musicians find the genre to be welcoming, and relatively easy to break into, compared to other musical genres like rock.

Hip-hop, when combined with the ability to self-produce, self-publicize and self-distribute music, turns out to be highly appealing to listeners all over the world. There’s no easier way to start in the music business today than by producing your own hip-hop and rap beats.

Unlike other genres, it’s both acceptable and expected that artists who are just trying to break into the music scene will create and distribute free mixtapes of their music. If you’re an aspiring artist and are considering going this route, check out some of the best tools available on the market today, like dubTurbo and Sonic Producer. Download your copy of one or both of these applications, and you’ll be making your own unique sounds in no time!

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DubTurbo Can Help You Make Your Own Beats

There’s Enough Room For Everyone

Rap and hip-hop are great musical genres because they’re flexible enough to incorporate local, regional and cultural tastes, while still staying true to the music. What’s even better is that it’s never been easier for new artists to enter the medium.

Today new artists can create, produce and distribute their own music, often for a fraction of the cost it would take to go through agents and established music distributors. This ability to access the audience directly and at a low cost means that musicians and artists no longer need big studio help to find their way into the center of the music scene.

The tools available to new artists today have never been better. Take DubTurbo, for example. DubTurbo enables you to produce your own music, comes with thousands of royalty-free sounds, samples and instruments, a full four-octave sampling keyboard, and tutorial videos and delivers the highest quality .WAV sound files you need to produce crisp, clean recordings that are ready for distribution.

DubTurbo is an awesome, powerful music production software package that’s available for both the Mac and PC. That means you don’t need to purchase any additional recording equipment or computer equipment. You can just download the software and start working on your musical career.

A licensed copy of DubTurbo is a fraction of the cost of renting a professional recording studio and bringing in musicians. With DubTurbo, you have full creative control of your tracks and the program is easy to use. It also comes with a library of video tutorials that can help you get the most of DubTurbo. All of the included samples are royalty-free, which means that you can mix and remix the samples into your own work any way you like. With the built in sampling keyboard, you can also make your own samples and create or enhance the sound library that comes with DubTurbo.

There’s no reason to wait. The rap and hip-hop worlds are waiting for you to make your own impressions. Download your copy of DubTurbo today and start producing your own style of hip-hop or rap music!

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DUBturbo Beatmaker Worth A Look

Amazing Sound Quality

When it comes to making your own rap beats, don’t settle for less than the best. Download and use DUBturbo. When you do, you’ll get an awesome 10-pad drum machine with more than 40 kits! You’ll also get a four-octave sampling keyboard and unbelievable recording quality. The easiest user interface and out-of-this world sound! And best of all, it’s all your own!

Combine DUBturbo with Sonic Producer for a full sound recording studio right on your own computer! Export your beats from either program and you’re on your way! You can get DUBturbo for either the Mac or the PC. Run your own studio and make the beats you want to hear!

You can’t beat the sound recording quality of DUBturbo. Most music production software gives you beats that have already been mixed down to MP3. That means you’re working with (and creating) second-generation sound right out of the box! That won’t work when you’re trying to be fresh and new.

With DUBturbo, you can record your beats as .WAV files and then export them to MP3. You get higher sound quality when you record your beats, so your music will definitely sound better when you distribute it.

Don’t wait to get your copy of DUBturbo. Right now, you can download your very own copy for less than one-third of the regular retail price. This special pricing offer won’t last forever, but you can bet that DUBturbo will become the standard music production software for beat artists who want to make their mark in the music world.

When you order DUBturbo, you’ll not only get the latest software, you’ll also get four sample sound packs, tons of royalty free music and training videos that will show you how to get the most out of DUBturbo software.

This is an exceptional deal for the artist who’s just getting started in the business. This offer is, without doubt, the most economical way to get your own personal recording studio set up and running. You’ll get tons of royalty-free music and you can start laying down your own sick beats!

You can wait if you want to, but when you make up your mind, you may find that you’ll need to come up with more cash to get the ball rolling. Download your copy of DUBturbo and get started on your own music career!

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Grammy Awards Should Inspire New Rap Beats

New Generation Of Music

For some musicians, self-production is the way to get into the music scene. Most of the music genres being cut from the Grammy Awards this year will fall into the category of “niche” music. Rap isn’t niche anymore; it’s definitely mainstream.

However, many of the genres that are being cut are filled with artists who self-produce their music, largely because big labels aren’t interested in musicians with very small potential audiences. Self-produced music is a way of life for these folks. Self-produced music is growing in popularity, even among genres that can’t be considered “niche,” like rap.

It’s never been easier than it is today to get into the music business. With the excellent software tools that are on the market today, a novice can put together a debut album that has all the sound quality of a professional studio recording. Musicians also have a lot of control over their sounds.

With the tools of music self-production, artists can create music in their way, using their own equipment. Better still, up-and-coming performers can distribute their music to audiences inexpensively and without the need for studios. The Internet makes it possible to reach the audiences musicians are looking for, and it also makes it possible for listeners to find the musicians they’re most interested in.

With products like Sonic Producer, musicians can make their own music. Sonic Producer also comes with thousands of royalty-free sample tracks and videos that can help new music producers make the most of their investment in Sonic Producer!

Self-production is a great way to reach the audience you’re trying to find, and still maintain ultimate control of your music. You don’t need to worry about recording contracts, paying royalties to other artists, or not having a distribution channel for your music. Sonic Producer provides you with the recording software you need to make your music, record your music into a digital file format, and package it for distribution among the many channels that are available to musicians today.

Download your copy of Sonic Producer today and get your beats up in the air!

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UMG Asserted Copyright

That’s when the funky stuff started. UMG notified YouTube that a copyright infringement had taken place and YouTube blocked ATS’ song. Only ATS isn’t signed to Universal and the song was completely original by ATS.
As it turns out ATS had opened for Yelawolf, who is now a Universal artist – but wasn’t at the time ATS opened for him. Yelawolf heard the rap beats behind One in a Million and liked them enough to record his own track over it. Yelawolf said he wanted to license the material, but apparently never did. Then he signed with Universal.
At some point, the Yelawolf track, which used ATS’ beats – and was never intended for release – got leaked. UMG took down the leaked tracks, but when ATS put up its own stuff using their own beats, UMG took that down too, saying they owned the copyright for the beats.

If you’re confused at this point, so is everyone else! ATS filed a dispute against the takedown by UMG and was told that UMG asserted its rights as the copyright holder and ATS had no claim. Enter the lawyers. Now, allegedly everything is worked out, but ATS – and many other artists – are concerned about how carefully YouTube (which is a major distribution channel for independent music) checks on copyright claims before acting on them.

At this point, I should mention that for artists who use royalty-free beats, this isn’t an issue. Sonic Producer has a huge library of royalty-free beats that are guaranteed never to get you into a takedown argument after you’ve published your own music. With Sonic Producer’s library of royalty-free beats, you get your music published, plain and simple.

You can use, mix, remix, alter, publish and republish Sonic Producer beats however, whenever and how often you want to. Ahh – the joy of simplicity! Download your copy of Sonic Producer today and start publishing your own music.

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Rap Beats To Light Up Sundance

Top Hip-Hop Acts To Be Featured

Ice-T, Chuck D and Grandmaster Caz will perform at the Celebration of Music in Film. The performance is related to Ice-T’s documentary film, Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap, which will also be featured at the film festival. The film will also showcase music from some of rap and hip-hop’s most enduring acts, including Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Ice Cube, KRS-One, Mos Def, Nas, and Snoop Dogg.

The festival will also feature live musical performances from artists whose music appears in films shown at the festival. This is the first year organized musical performances will be included. In the past, musicians performed at private parties that were related to, but not sponsored by, the Sundance Institute. This year, musical performances will be incorporated into the official festival program, with live performances from at least two artists per night.

Ice-T produced Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap to examine the musical genre. The film features interviews conducted by Ice-T with more than 50 rap and hip-hop artists who try to define what rap music is today and where it came from. The film tries to capture rap’s roots and share some musical history with a generation of rappers who may not understand the forces that brought rap music into the forefront.

In the film, Ice-T says that he had to make the film because rap made his life. Ice-T is just one more in a growing line of old-school rap artists who are concerned about the genre and where it’s headed. Dr. Dre, Eminem, Jay-Z and others have all expressed concern that today’s up and coming rap stars don’t understand what rap music is all about.

Ice-T is expected to perform in Park City, UT at the festival on January 21, and indicated in at least one interview that he may be joined by other rappers who are interested both in promoting the film and supporting Ice-T in his effort to preserve a bit of rap music’s history.

Ice-T had a significant career as a rap artist, beginning in the 1980′s. He also began his acting career at that time. In 2000, he appeared as a regular character on Law and Order, and has since concentrated primarily on acting. His most recent album, Gangsta Rap, was released in 2006.

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Four Of Ten Top Acts Of 2011 Give Off Rap Beats

Fresh Faces Dominate Fresh Music

The classic rappers are now the industry’s elder statesmen, as the second generation of rappers move into the music industry. Diggy Simmons is no exception. Son of Run DMC rapper Rev Run, Simmons is well on his way to his own claim to fame, hitting Ace Showbiz’s list at Number 3. Simmons isn’t new to the rap scene. He’s been self-producing and self-publishing his own music since 2009. 2011 is a breakout year for the young rapper, though. He hit the Billboard charts and peaked at number 21 with his first hit single, “Copy Paste.” He’s also received some professional recognitions from BET for his musical talent. He’s definitely on the “watch list” for 2012.

Entering the Ace Showbiz list at Number 6 is Tyler the Creator. Tyler the Creator – like Diggy Simmons – isn’t brand new to the rap and hip-hop scene. He broke in with Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them but that hasn’t stopped him from carving his own path to success. His major solo hit in 2011 was Yonkers – again a self-produced, self-published tune that stirred up a commotion by taking on B.o.B., Hayley Williams and Bruno Mars. The fuss was apparently worth it because the song hit number 9 on the Billboard Hotseeker chart and Tyler the Creator’s album, Goblin, hit the number 5 spot on Billboard’s Hot 200.

Mac Miller pulled a fast one on the hip-hop world by hitting the top album spot on Billboard’s Hot 200 with an independent label – Rostrum Records. That feat was first accomplished in 1995 by the Dogg Pound, and Miller’s Blue Slide Park is the only indie album ever to repeat that. Miller, at just 19 years of age, is certainly an artist to keep an eye on in 2012.

J. Cole rounded out Ace Showbiz’s list in the Number 10 spot. J. Cole had a lot of help from mentor Jay-Z, and it seems to have paid off for the young rapper – whose debut album hit the Number 1 spot. The top spot is a little more special because J. Cole is the first solo act to hit the Number 1 spot with his debut album since B.o.B. J. Cole was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2011.

The key takeaway here is that two of the four top acts of 2011 went the self-produced route. They are absolute proof that you can self-produce your own music and be highly successful at it.

If you’re into making rap beats, make your 2012 resolution one that includes self-producing your own music with Sonic Producer, one of the best music production software packages available today.

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