Four of the top new musical acts from 2011 deliver rap beats or hip-hop music to their growing cadre of adoring fans, according to Ace Showbiz. That’s a pretty neat answer to those who claim that rap music has lost its relevance somewhere along the way. Rap music is highly influential, and has been since it hit the music scene, and with at least 40% of the top acts being rap or hip-hop, rap music still has a long way to go.

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.

Photo Credit: thecomeupshow, via Flickr

If you’re into making your own rap music, you may have seen Web sites where you can pay a membership fee to download rap beats. If you really want to save money, download Sonic Producer instead. Sonic Producer comes with a complete library of royalty-free rap beats at no additional cost. You can start out with a whole library of rap beats that are included with the software.

Free Library of Rap Beats

With a monthly membership, you’re paying month after month to get access to rap beats. With a licensing arrangement, you’re paying hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars for access to a single sample. With Sonic Producer, you get complete access to thousands of royalty-free samples that you can use and re-use however you want.

When you’re done making your music, you get the rights to all of your sounds. You can distributed, perform, or sell your music with no worries about paying royalties to anyone. Your music – your sound – is all yours, with no additional fees or royalties owed to anyone.

You can distribute your music to your friends, perform it live or even sell it on iTunes. The entire library of rap beats that come with Sonic Producer might cost thousands of dollars if you licensed each beat individually. Fortunately, the entire collection is included with the cost of the software.

Not only that, you also get a library of tutorial videos that can help you learn how to make the music that your fans want to hear most! Get your sounds down, get your music down and get your music career in high gear with Sonic Producer. Sonic Producer is available for both the Macintosh and PC platforms, so you don’t need any special computer equipment beyond what you already have. You also don’t need expensive recording and mixing gear to get a professional sounding recording.

With Sonic Producer, you get professional sounding recording capabilities and the ability to mix your music to MP3 for easy distribution. You also get a full library of royalty-free sound samples, and a free library of tutorial videos that are definitely worth the price! You can make your own rap beats and get yourself into the music business without spending thousands of dollars on equipment, studio time and licensing fees! Why would you pay for a monthly Web site membership, when you can get a full library of rap beats included with a great product like Sonic Producer?

Photo Credit: Visual.Dichotomy, via Flickr

There was a great Pop & Hiss blog post in the Los Angeles Times this week about a self- made rap artist named Sean Falyon. In the article, Falyon dispenses advice to aspiring rappers who want to make their own music and are willing to make their own names, too.

Promoting Your Own Music Is Hard Work

If you really want to see what the world of self-produced music is all about, take a minute to read what Falyon has to say. He’s worked hard to make a name for himself. That’s evident because just about every promoter in the rap music industry knows Sean Falyon.

Falyon is a big proponent of social networking and other tools that can help you get the word out about your music. You don’t need a promoter, and you don’t need a big machine, but if you don’t have the horsepower behind you, you will have to do a lot of work on your own. Falyon says that social networks like Facebook and Twitter are great for getting the word out about your rap beats. You also need to have your own Web site, which you keep updated with new beats and news about yourself, your appearances and your musical career.

Falyon also says that you need make some investments to make your music stand out. This could mean making your own videos and your own music recordings. Studio time is expensive, as any would-be rapper knows. You need to get the studio sound without having to spend the big bucks on studio equipment. And “studio” doesn’t just mean the recording studio. Today’s rap beats are accompanied by visuals, including videos and photos.

Get comfortable with making your own recordings. Sonic Producer is a great tool for this. Not only will you be able to make professional-quality recordings, you’ll also get an entire library of royalty-free samples that you can use with your sound. You can also find low-cost video cameras that put out some great pictures. Learn how to make your own videos and visuals, and you could get yourself noticed on your own Web site, YouTube and other visual media outlets.

I strongly encourage you to read the rest of the blog post. Falyon has a lot more to say and it’s great advice for someone who’s trying to make a name and still self-produce his (or her) own music. It also gives you an idea of what lies ahead for the truly dedicated musician. Falyon says his career isn’t where he wants it to be, but his approached to self-produced music has taken him far.

Photo Credit: Kraus Phade, via Flickr

Omarion has released a mixtape produced by DJ Drama and entitled The Awakening, featuring new rap beats and guest appearances by rap standards like Lil Wayne, Method Man and YG. The Awakening is Omarion’s first mixtape, although he’s been making music since he was just five years old.

Exploring the Mixtape Concept

Omarion, who has made a name on the R&B scene, says that the mixtape concept is one he could never get comfortable with. Characterizing himself as being “opposed” to making mixtapes, he says he’s now rethought the whole idea and thinks that mixtapes can represent a significant opportunity. He now says that he knows that the most successful musicians do more than sing, and the mixtape is a way to explore the wide range of talents today’s entertainers must have.

Mixtapes are a great way to break into a business, start or restart a career or explore a different musical genre. For musicians who have made a name for themselves in one type of music, a mixtape is a great way to break out.

Today, thanks to the evolution of groundbreaking software like Sonic Producer, even self-produced music can get a professional studio sound. Sonic Producer is available for both the Macintosh and PC, and eliminates the need to have expensive recording mixers. Sonic Producer can accommodate up to 16 sound sources and will help even novice music producers create a professional sound.
Better still, Sonic Producer comes with thousands of free music samples. Samples are a key part of making rap beats today, but licensing samples or purchasing royalty –free samples can cost an arm and a leg.

With Sonic Producer, you get the software and thousands of royalty-free music samples for one low price. You’ll also get helpful video tutorials that will show you how to use Sonic Producer and make the most of the software.

Create your own rap beats, make your own mixtapes and distribute them easily by exporting them to MP3 format. Use Sonic Producer to make your own sound or explore new musical options.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on recording equipment, or rent an expensive production studio to get high quality sound. Download your own copy of Sonic Producer and start making your own rap beats. Whether you’re making music for your own enjoyment, to entertain your friends or to launch a career, you can’t go wrong with Sonic Producer. Download your copy today and start making your own rap beats!

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Rapper Lex Luger released a couple of free rap beats last week for any aspiring rap musician to use. The beats, which Luger released via Twitter offer up-and-coming musicians about eleven-and-a-half minutes of mellow backup to work with. Luger comes with a pretty good rap pedigree. He’s recently worked with Waka Flocka Flame, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Lil Scrappy and That’s not the only way aspiring musicians can get their grooves on, however. No one can beat the collection of free rap beats offered by Sonic Producer.

Free is Key To Making Hot Rap Music

Most rap music contains beat samples from other songs – either from rap or from some other genre. When a rapper samples the music of another artist, typically he or she splits the proceeds of the song with the original artist as a way to license the music. If a rapper can come up with his or her own beats, or uses music that is royalty-free, there are no splits involved. All of the money stays home with the original artist.

Sonic Producer offers a library of thousands of royalty-free samples that aspiring musicians can use, without having to worry about splitting the proceeds of any songs. Royalty-free music samples can cost hundreds of dollars when purchased individually. The exceptionally large collection of royalty-free rap beats is what makes Sonic Producer stand out from the crowd. The beats alone are worth a fortune!

Aside from the great free rap beats, Sonic Producer also provides video tutorials to help new music producers learn how to get the most out of the Sonic Producer software. Sonic Producer is easy to use, but there are a lot of features that new music producers may want to take advantage of. The tutorials show you how to make the best music possible.

Sonic Producer contains all of the features you need to make professional-quality sound recordings. You don’t need additional equipment and you don’t need the services of a professional sound engineer. Everything you need is right in the box! Once your music is arranged the way you want it to be, lay it off to MP3 and start sharing it with your friends, your fans or with anyone! Sonic Producer enables you to make high-quality recordings that you can even sell on iTunes.

Create a name for yourself with your rap beats by creating and distributing your own mixtapes. Let everyone hear your raps and get your name out in the open. Give your mixes to the local DJs and help them help you promote your act. Download Sonic Producer today. It’s available for both the Mac and PC platforms. What are you waiting for?

Photo Credit: Lex Luger, via Facebook